If You Only Read One: December 2019
We know that we read — and review — a lot of books. It definitely helps that there are three of us, in that regard. So with this feature, we want to tell you our favorite read of the month - if we only recommend one book to pick up, what would it be?
Elizabeth
Earlier this month, I read “Meg & Jo” by Virginia Kantor, which prompted me to pick up an old favorite: “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott, and I am so glad that I did. I feel like I focus so much on books that are new! and fun! and exciting! that I forget sometimes about the books that made me love reading in the first place. “Little Women” was definitely one of those; I read it for the first time for 35 Accelerated Reader points in the 4th grade, and I’ve routinely picked it up every few years since then. It’s also a perfect holiday read, even though only part of the book takes place at Christmas. Pick up this one, and you’ll remember why it’s a classic.
Shannon
One of my Book of the Month picks in December (yes, I picked three—one was horrendous) was “Long Bright River” by Liz Moore. This was a thoughtful glimpse at addiction through the lens of two sisters: one a Philadelphia police officer, the other an addict who basically lives on the streets. While I try to be particular about the books I read about cops, as I don’t want to read portrayals that are overly sympathetic, I thought using the two sisters’ experience to juxtapose the addiction crisis was smart. They were raised by their grandmother, and one used the Police Academy as a way to find a stable job, while the other’s life took a different direction. When Micky, the police officer, realizes her sister is missing at the same time a series of murders occurs, she embarks on a journey to find both the murderer and her sister. And no spoilers, but this book certainly wasn’t overly sympathetic to cops at all. I found it a compelling portrayal of a family touched by tragedy and addiction, both suspenseful and moving.
Moira
After relentless, unconscionable bullying by Shannon and Elizabeth, I joined Book of the Month and received “The Great Pretender” by Susannah Cahalan. I intend to do a full review for next week, but this one pulled ahead of all contenders for the best of December. Cahalan, who previously wrote “Brain on Fire” about her autoimmune encephalitis which was misdiagnosed as a mental health crisis, writes compellingly about David Rosenhan, the psychiatrist whose pseudopatient studies revolutionized how we view and diagnose mental illness. Cahalan’s investigation turns up questions about Rosenhan’s methods and intentions, and while I don’t totally agree with all of her conclusions regarding how we categorize people with mental health struggles, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I’m not much of a nonfiction reader, but this one read like a thriller—I know people say that a lot, but I’m not people, I’m Momo and you should trust me.
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