November Reading Recap
Happy holiday season, book lovers! This has been the busiest season thus far, but I’ve been able to sneak in a few really great books. I hope you can find a few off this month’s list to read or gift to a loved one. Don’t forget the golden rule of book gifting; one book for them and one book for you.
Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Boot
Quick Synopsis: The telling of Ronald Reagan from birth to death and everything along the way.
Strong/Weak Points: Admittedly, I knew very little about Ronald Reagan besides his acting and political career. I didn’t know about his policies or successes and failures during his presidency. What a complex character he was. The author wrote about him blazing the path for Trump’s presidency. While I agree with that, I disagree that he’s as cruel and inhumane as Trump. Reagan said, “I know in my heart that man is good.” However, he was by no means as kind-hearted and knowledgeable as Obama.
This is a hefty, hefty book with over 700 pages of narrative. There were a few sections that I felt were a little less essential to the book than others. It was still a fascinating, page-turning read. Political memoirs are tough because it’s hard to highlight the person without giving your political opinion. I think Boot did a wonderful job of writing unbiasedly.
One thing that surprised me the most (again, I didn’t know anything about the Reagans, so maybe this is common knowledge and forgive me if it is) is that Nancy Reagan was a monster. Wow, oh wow. She treated staff poorly and was starving for the spotlight. She ignored Reagan’s children from his previous marriage and even went as far as not telling them that their dad was dying, cheating them out of a chance to say goodbye. Dare I say she was a bit evil.
I would read something else by Boot, but maybe something a little less extensive.
Writing Style: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 3.5/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Recommend
For Fans of: War by Bob Woodward, Carson the Magnificent by Bill Zehme, and Challenger by Adam Higginbotham
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Quick Synopsis: It’s been years since Alicia Berenson shot and killed her husband, Gabriel. Since then, she’s been locked away in a mental institution and hasn’t spoken one word. Theo, a criminal psychotherapist, has been studying Alicia’s case and is eager to make her talk.
Strong Points: This was a book club book and I wasn’t all that excited to read it if I’m being honest. It was a buzzy psychological thriller and I’m not a fan of that genre. However, this one was so fun. I wasn’t sure where the story was going. The red herrings were well thought out and every storyline thread was intentional. Sometimes you need those light, page-turner books. There’s something to be said about book clubs that force you out of your genre comfort zone. Sometimes you experience fun books like this one.
Weak Points: Certain parts of the book were a little contrived and I rolled my eyes at some of the dialog, but overall, I was a fan.
Did it rock my world? No, but I would recommend it.
Writing Style: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Recommend
For Fans of: The Housemaid by Fredia McFadden, Verity by Colleen Hoover, and When She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Winner of the Booker Prize
Quick Synopsis: A poetic telling of a group of astronauts aboard the ISS for 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets
Strong Points: This is the winner of the 2024 Book Prize. It deserves all of the praise it’s getting and then some. Harvey’s prose was beautiful. I found one or two sentences from every chapter to underline and come back to at a later date. Writing a lyrical book about astronauts, having not been one herself, is quite an undertaking. There’s a fine line between making sure it’s factual while not bogging down the story with dry, scientific jargon and ensuring you’re as true to astronauts’ experience as possible. It’s a short read (the second-shortest Booker Prize winner in history), yet it packs such a punch that you want to slow down and spend time with it. It was the perfect length. It conveys the story without trying to do too much. I particularly enjoyed the theme about how time zones, oceans, and borders may separate us, but as humans, we all have similar needs, fears, and wants. I am a Harvey fan now.
Weak Points: There were points throughout the book that were less effective than others. I found some chapters with certain astronauts hard to connect with. Their thoughts felt a little long and rambling. Coming off a great chapter with a well-developed character and following it up with a character that was hard for me to connect with slowed the story a little.
If you’re like me and love space and beautiful writing, this is a must read.
Writing Style: 4.5/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 4/5 - no actual plot but the ride was fun
Flow/Pacing: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Recommend
For Fans of: Held by Anne Michaels, Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood, and Headshot by Rita Bullwinkle
From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley
Quick Synopsis: Lisa Marie Presley’s upbringing and life as the daughter of Elvis Presley
Strong Points: I picked up my sister's copy of this book while home for Thanksgiving, and thought I would read it throughout my stay, but I couldn't put it down. There was something magnetic about Presley’s writing style and the wild stories that ensued.
Presley set out to write this book before she passed, recording on tapes what she wanted to say and what stories she wanted to tell. After she passed, her daughter Riley put together the book and published it. It was tragic that Presley will never see her book on the shelves, but I enjoyed Riley’s separate perspective on her mom’s life, something that we might not have gotten otherwise. It was interesting to hear Riley talk about Presley’s relationships with the many famous men she dated and how it affected her and her brother’s life. This pulled back the layers of Presley's complicated life even more. The duo perspectives were my favorite thing about this book.
Weak Points: Nothing that I could pinpoint
Not much else to say. Recommend!
Writing Style: 4.5/5
Plot: 4.5/5
Flow/Pacing: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Recommend
For Fans of: Cher by Cher, Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz, and Sonny Boy by Al Pacino
Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life by Steve Martin
Quick Synopsis: Steve Martin’s journey to becoming the successful comedian he is today.
Strong Points: Steve Martin is such a gem of a human being and one of my favorite comedians. After I started reading the SNL book (even though he wasn’t actually in the cast), I wanted to read more about him. Comedians are so interesting. It’s such a vulnerable profession. I don’t understand how anyone has the nerve to do it, yet I’m so happy that they do because otherwise, we wouldn’t have people like Steve Martin gracing our television screens.
To me, the recipe for a successful celebrity memoir is:
1) You have to have an interesting story to tell. Martin did! I enjoyed reading about the mischief he got into and how he would stop at nothing until he was able to perform and make thousands of people laugh. He started as a magician and kept fine-tuning his craft until he became a comedian.
2) The reader has to be able to hear your voice in your writing. If the reader can tell it's regurgitated storytelling through a ghostwriter, then it's not going to work. Born Standing Up was not that. I could hear his voice and inflictions in every sentence that I read.
3) You have to add some pictures. Martin scattered several photographs of his young self throughout the book and it got me thinking, why don’t more authors put pictures throughout the book instead of just at the middle and/or end? Spread them out. Let the reader visualize what you looked like at the time the story is taking place. I digress. This book nailed all three points, making it a successful celebrity memoir to read.
Weak Points: This is a silly complaint, but I wish the book would have delved deeper into Martin’s life after he became famous. I know this book didn’t intend to be a full-life memoir, but I wanted to keep reading. I wanted more details about his time after everyone knew his name.
What an enjoyable read.
Writing Style: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 3.5/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Recommend
For Fans of: I Must Say by Martin Short, Being Henry by Henry Winkler, and When I Was Your Age by Kenan Thompson
“The planet is shaped by sheer amazing force of human want, which has changed everything, the forests, the poles, the reservoirs, the glaciers, the rivers, the seas, the mountains, the coastlines, the skies, a planet contoured and landscape by want.” - Orbital by Samantha Harvey
