Salespeople often have the responsibility of reporting on their yearly progress each quarter in QBRs or Quarterly Business Reviews. I figured the end of a quarter is also a good time to evaluate what I did and didn’t like reading so I can pick out books I’ll hopefully love in the future. I won’t bore you with the not so good books (you can read all of my reviews on Goodreads and check out my Instagram stories) and instead will share my top books of the first quarter of 2022!
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
This book was picked out for me as part of the New York Public Library’s Shelf Help program. I loved it! The novel is set in the 60s in Brooklyn and follows a cast of characters who are all impacted from a shooting that happens in the first few pages. There are gangsters, church leaders, drunks, drug dealers (some people who fall into multiple categories) who all live in neighboring areas and are impacted by the shooting. I love reading books where characters have accents and where there are multiple stories that overlap with one another. There was intrigue and art theft and somehow it still felt like a light, fast paced read. Highly recommend.
Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
My mother loaned me this book and cited it as one of her favorites from her 20s. Wow. It was excellent!
The novel follows a painting throughout history in reverse chronological order. It’s a fictionalized Vermeer that ends in the hands of a school teacher and starts in Vermeer’s own home with a special model.
Because it’s about a Dutch master this is right up my alley, but regardless of subject matter I thoroughly enjoyed the novel’s structure – traveling in time each chapter with a different set of characters.
There were so many meaningful moments and appreciation of art. I completely loved this one!
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
I first read this book in 2014 at 19 years old, and again at 27. While I still give it a 4 star review, it hits differently now.
The story follows one key narrator, Katey, predominantly over the course of one year in the late 30s. I love the setting of NYC and the glamour and romance that the story provides.
There is a love triangle, art and music, and wealthy young things enjoying their lives. There is also tragedy and somber reality, and because it’s an Amor Towles book, many life lessons.
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
This novel is very explicitly about the title. The narrator is a writer who has and is going through personal challenges as she is working on her first novel. Along the way she takes up with two lovers and the natural issues occur from there.
I loved the writing and the meta experience of hearing about writing a novel while reading a novel. This made me think about and appreciate the prose all the more, and I was able to make quick work of this well paced and thought out read.
The American Experiment: Dialogues on a Dream by David M. Rubenstein
It took me a while to get through this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! It is a series of interviews conducted by David Rubenstein with historians, athletes, and leaders all about what makes America unique.
I learned about different periods of history and loved getting perspectives on how America was formed and developed to become the great nation it is. While there were certainly sections about where improvements can be made, by and large the argument that America is an unparalleled country is indisputable.
What are the best books you’ve read so far this year?
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