Week Forty-Three: On the Progress of Twelve New Books
First and foremost (and this has absolutely nothing to do with this week's topic), I have a TV! A TV! AN ACTUAL TELEVISION.
I know it seems silly to be excited over such a thing but when you've been watching shows and movies on a teeny tiny little laptop for nearly a year, having an actual television to enjoy is something to behold. It's the little things in life.
To Aunt Sandy, thank you, thank you, thank you. Honestly, I feel like I don't deserve it but I am grateful nonetheless.
Let's get to it.
Last week, I mentioned in brief that I would be covering the titles I've read so far this year and made an error! For some reason, I thought I had read five books this year instead of only four and it occurred to me why: I'd only completed half of the novel I'd read in February. So, that being said, I still have one more title to add to the list. Suggestions are welcome but considering my time crunch, please keep them around 300 pages or less.
2. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
As funny as it is sharp, Amy Poehler's novel dives into the trials and tribulations and abundant laughter that has shaped her career, relationships, and life. It's bright and sad and hilarious and reminds me that celebrities are people, too - albeit people with exceptionally different lives but people nonetheless. It's a story that made me feel like the life I want is within the reach of hard work, determination, and an emboldened sense of constant humility. Amy never once ceased to be thankful for her opportunities.
3. Room by Emma Donoghue
Room is the story of Jack, a boy who has spent his entire life in one room, one singular space with nothing but a skylight and his mother to keep him company. Though he knows nothing of life outside of this space, his understanding of the circumstances that have held them both prisoner for his entire life and the last seven years of his mother's begin to take form. Suddenly, the world has shape and color and sound and Jack has to learn to exist within these new possibilities. Room is the story of a woman who's boundless love for her son has kept them both safe for years and what lengths she will endure to continue to do so.
4. Wild by Cheryl Strayed
On the heels of the death of her mother and the dissolution of her marriage, Cheryl Strayed decides to walk 1100 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail to "walk herself back to the woman her mother raised her to be". Wild is a story about being wholly and terribly broken, about living in the space of acting selfishly and thoughtlessly, about losing oneself in the wake of grief and the possibility of life on the other side of destruction. Much like the author's life, it's often beautiful and sad and hard but worth it for the moments of clarity, which shine like the sunrise over a snow-ridden valley.
5. The Story of O by Pauline Reage
O is a woman possessed by obsession. The desire to please her lover, Rene, rolls in her belly and guides her every action. What is she to do, then, when another man captures her attention, fuels her appetite for submission and obedience? Torn between wanting to give herself wholly to Sir Stephen, the master that her lover, Rene, has given her to, and remain emotionally devoted to Rene, she learns to let go through the guidance and dominance afforded her by her captors. The Story of O is a tale about passion, craving, and the yielding that comes from loving the hand that feeds you.
For my remaining titles of the year, I've chosen:
I know it seems silly to be excited over such a thing but when you've been watching shows and movies on a teeny tiny little laptop for nearly a year, having an actual television to enjoy is something to behold. It's the little things in life.
To Aunt Sandy, thank you, thank you, thank you. Honestly, I feel like I don't deserve it but I am grateful nonetheless.
Let's get to it.
Last week, I mentioned in brief that I would be covering the titles I've read so far this year and made an error! For some reason, I thought I had read five books this year instead of only four and it occurred to me why: I'd only completed half of the novel I'd read in February. So, that being said, I still have one more title to add to the list. Suggestions are welcome but considering my time crunch, please keep them around 300 pages or less.
The Titles So Far
1. Julie & Julia - I've already talked about this one. Read it here.2. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
As funny as it is sharp, Amy Poehler's novel dives into the trials and tribulations and abundant laughter that has shaped her career, relationships, and life. It's bright and sad and hilarious and reminds me that celebrities are people, too - albeit people with exceptionally different lives but people nonetheless. It's a story that made me feel like the life I want is within the reach of hard work, determination, and an emboldened sense of constant humility. Amy never once ceased to be thankful for her opportunities.
3. Room by Emma Donoghue
Room is the story of Jack, a boy who has spent his entire life in one room, one singular space with nothing but a skylight and his mother to keep him company. Though he knows nothing of life outside of this space, his understanding of the circumstances that have held them both prisoner for his entire life and the last seven years of his mother's begin to take form. Suddenly, the world has shape and color and sound and Jack has to learn to exist within these new possibilities. Room is the story of a woman who's boundless love for her son has kept them both safe for years and what lengths she will endure to continue to do so.
4. Wild by Cheryl Strayed
On the heels of the death of her mother and the dissolution of her marriage, Cheryl Strayed decides to walk 1100 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail to "walk herself back to the woman her mother raised her to be". Wild is a story about being wholly and terribly broken, about living in the space of acting selfishly and thoughtlessly, about losing oneself in the wake of grief and the possibility of life on the other side of destruction. Much like the author's life, it's often beautiful and sad and hard but worth it for the moments of clarity, which shine like the sunrise over a snow-ridden valley.
5. The Story of O by Pauline Reage
O is a woman possessed by obsession. The desire to please her lover, Rene, rolls in her belly and guides her every action. What is she to do, then, when another man captures her attention, fuels her appetite for submission and obedience? Torn between wanting to give herself wholly to Sir Stephen, the master that her lover, Rene, has given her to, and remain emotionally devoted to Rene, she learns to let go through the guidance and dominance afforded her by her captors. The Story of O is a tale about passion, craving, and the yielding that comes from loving the hand that feeds you.
For my remaining titles of the year, I've chosen:
- Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
- Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
- The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner
- Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott
- The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett
- The Sex Life of Food by Bunny Crumpacker
- ??????????
And that's all for this week! I hope that if nothing else the above titles interest you. Feel free to borrow them if you'd like (though Wild has already been loaned out!).
Love to you, my friends!
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