Q4 book reviews

FICTION
Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle
Five, Six, Seven, Nate! by Tim Federle
Nate Expectations by Tim Federle
I picked up Better Nate Than Ever in the most delightful way one can receive a book recommendation - walking through Powell's with a friend (since pre-school) who is also an author (have you read my friend's book? You should. The Role). As a former theatre kid, I loved Nate, an aspiring Broadway actor from Pennsylvania who rides an overnight bus to NY for an open casting call for E.T.: The Musical. Folks who moved to New York from elsewhere will especially enjoy Nate's initial impressions, misperceptions, and delight in the city. Upon finishing Better, I read the next two in quick succession. 

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
I think one of my greatest reading pleasures of 2018 has been the discovery of Jasmine Guillory, a new favorite author. After finishing her debut, The Wedding Date, in an evening, I was eagerly awaiting her second book, which features a character we met in Wedding Date. This book is even stronger and more enjoyable, and her next release (set in the same universe), The Wedding Party, is pre-ordered. 

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
This book is so good and haunting and real. And I loved it. But I should not have tried to finish it (audiobook) while decorating my Christmas tree. Ward's voice echoes so many Southern writers from my childhood and adolescence - Faulkner, Walker, Morrison. Her palpable love for the South, and the voice she gives to the legacies of racism are so stark. 

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
I finished Drums of Autumn in anticipation of the current season of Outlander, though I wonder if I would have noticed how much is different in the TV adaptation (which is fine - the books are the books, the tv show is the tv show) if I hadn't so recently re-read the source material? A question to which I will never know the answer. 

NON-FICTION
Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger by Rebecca Traister
Traister is another author who automatically gets a pre-order from me. That the release of a book about women's rage would be bookended by Dr. Ford's testimony and Kavanuagh's confirmation ... of course that's what happened. 

From a NYT interview with Traister: 
I was thinking that I might write a book if Hillary Clinton had won. I’d felt the rise of racism and misogyny during the presidential campaign. The pop culture backlash: the fury of the all-women Ghostbusters and Star Wars jedis who weren’t white guys. I felt like we were in the midst of an extremely punishing moment. And that’s what I guessed I might be writing about throughout Hillary Clinton’s administration, if there was one. And then there wasn’t one. But in early 2017, I was walking with my husband, and I felt like my brain was going to boil. I was telling him how it was hard for me to think because I was so angry. He said to me, “Well maybe that’s your book: anger.” I was like, “Of course, that’s my book.”

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
I'd had this book on my to-read list almost all year and was very pleasantly surprised when it was selected by my neighborhood book club (a group of mostly white upper-middle class ladies who I'll admit I was surprised chose it). And I'm so glad that group read this book. I think there is something in here for everyone, especially folks who don't think they are racist (we all have bias. And we are all works in progress). Oluo writes in such a clear and thought-provoking voice; this one is a must read. 

Evil Has A Name: The Untold Story of the Golden State Killer Investigation by Paul Holes, Jim Clemente, Peter McDonnell
Audible has recently begun releasing "Audible Originals," that are hybrid audiobook and podcast series that I'm not sure really should count as books I've read (West Cork anyone?). And yet they are on Goodreads ... I'm conflicted. But also really enjoyed this production, especially as a fan of Michelle McNamara's I'll Be Gone in the Dark. And Paul Holes. If you have yet to read I'll Be Gone, I'd read that first and follow up with Evil Has a Name. This may be, unfortunately, the closest we get to the followup to McNamara's work and has a lot of the behind the scenes information and some closure to the Golden State Killer case. 

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
This is an interesting story (a best-selling author gets caught up in the investigation of Italy's most notorious serial killer) and terrifying and compelling case (seriously creepy), but was just an OK read for me.