3rd Quarter 2024 Reading Recap

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

I had an excellent time reading this book! Typically I don’t love books that are set during a world war, but the focus on children’s perspectives and the theater more than made up for it.

This book tells the story of three children who create their own theater at their home. Most adults continually disappoint them, but there are a few who come through and it’s interesting to explore the qualities that contribute to those relationships, like consistency.

As the children grow up they engage in war efforts in their own ways, and as their genders allow. I was surprised by how invested I was in this portion of the story and could definitely relate to the oldest daughter experience.

I was very glad to have read this story and recommend it wholeheartedly!

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

h man, the AIDS epidemic brings such sadness and fear whenever I learn about it, but also admiration and respect for those who navigate it. This story follows a group of friends whose community is being ravaged by AIDS, an art gallery, and a nearly forgotten history of a muse and artist.

While this may seem like a lot of storylines (and it is), they are all told so well and come together to make the story as a whole strong. There were events and actions by characters that made my blood boil and that I viewed as unforgivable, but every character was explored with a measure of understanding and grace.

This is another read that I highly recommend!

Just Kids by Patti Smith

I didn’t really know what I was getting into when I read this book, but I ended up learning so much about an era in NYC that I wasn’t familiar with before. The author, Patti Smith, tells the real story of her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe (which was beautiful, but definitely confusing for me as a fairly traditional person). She discusses their evolution as artists and how they supported and pushed one another.

I was inspired to read this after hearing Patti on Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s podcast and I appreciated Patti’s use of language, both in the interview and the book. If you enjoy memoirs and have any interest in NYC, artists, or rock and roll, this is for you.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Well. This is something. I have a lot of thoughts. To set the scene, if you read this book, you’re about to embark on hundreds and hundreds of pages of very disturbing and difficult tales. However, your reward will be deep character study and development, and so much tension.

We start out going into the backstory of each of four college friends. You may think that means you’ll get to stay with these characters intimately throughout the story. You’d be wrong. You’re only going to focus on the most abused and desperately sad character of all.

I really did love the tension building and slow release of information throughout the story. The author did a masterful job of never quite letting you feel like you knew the whole story. However, I found it getting repetitive towards the end and the number of unfortunate and unlucky and horrible things that went on became unbearable.

If you’re ready to be disturbed and saddened and lose a lot of faith in humanity, but also appreciate the power of love that can’t quite be explained, have at it.

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride

I have loved the other James McBride novels that I’ve read, but this one was just ok. It tells the story of Old John Brown’s raid of Harper’s Ferry through the narration of a young black boy disguised as a girl.

There were many elements of the story that just frustrated or confused me (like the aforementioned disguise), which prevented me from enjoying it. I gave three stars because the writing was strong, as always with McBride, but I wouldn’t recommend it if there are other books higher up on your list.

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

This book was solid, though all over the place. You meet a large cast of characters who are living in New Zealand during the gold rush. Some are there to seek their fortune, some are there through no intention of their own, some are there for revenge.

The writing style was unique and sometimes hard to follow. I would have given it more stars if either the style was easier to understand or if the style contributed more to the story.

Real Americans by Rachel Khong

This book was not a good one for me at all. The premise is promising – an exploration of heritage, what is means to be family, and the impact of your genes on who you become. Instead, this novel was more of a book trying to be thought provoking but asking the reader to suspend too much belief in reality.