September Reading Recap
Greetings, Ghouls, and Gals! It’s officially Halloween season (one of my favorite seasons of the year). My goal for next month is to read more spooky books. I dipped my foot in with Hallowe’en Party and How to Sell a Haunted House and am ready to start Stephen Kings’ Holly and Haunting of Hill House. Comment below what spooky books you’re looking forward to cracking open this month!
P.S. It’s also creeping into book award season. Kicking it off is the long list for the National Book Award. I added quite a few to my TBR from the long list.
Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Anna Lembke
Quick Synopsis: With so much access to things that cause high-dopamine stimuli (social media, being glued to our phones, constant news updates), it’s no wonder we are all so plugged in. In Dopamine Nation, Lembke explains how these high-dopamine stimuli really cause us more pain and ways in which we can keep dopamine in check and more at equilibrium.
Strong Points: I loved the illustrations to help break down complex ideas. Being somewhat of a visual learner, I thought these were a great addition. I also really enjoy a book about psychology and physiology that incorporates case studies and therapy sessions. Reading about how different conditions affect the patient’s everyday life is fascinating.
Weak Points: Talks way too much about the 12 steps in AA. The last ¾ of the book no longer focuses on dopamine but instead on random social psychology concepts. Also, it's weird that she keeps comparing her romance novel "addiction" to her patients' substance abuse and sex addiction issues. There are some interesting concepts, but nothing groundbreaking. If you’ve taken a few psychology classes, odds are you’re familiar with a lot of the concepts in this book.
Writing Style: 3/5
Plot: 3.5/5
Flow/Pacing: 3/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Eh, Recommend
Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
Quick Synopsis: On a remote island, the government removes objects and citizens’ memories of these objects one by one. Starting with harmless things such as perfume and stamps, slowly taking away more and more. This control works for most citizens, except those who are genetically different. These different citizens have all their memories and remember what has been taken away, removing all of the Memory Police’s power over them. The Memory Police go in search of these people to make sure their memories remain forgotten.
Strong Points: I’m starting to realize I really enjoy Japanese literature. In my opinion, the main difference between American and Japanese storytelling is that American storytelling focuses more heavily on plot and conflict, whereas Japanese storytelling is more nuanced and focuses more on the emotions of the characters. While I sometimes agree that some things should be taken out of a book if they don’t move the plot along, I disagree if they can be done in a way that keeps the reader engaged. And this book did just that. Another strong point of this book is its ability to make the reader think about the connection between our memory of something and how it makes us think about an object. Using perfume as an example, if someone grew up with a mother who wore a certain kind of perfume every day, they probably have a strong memory and feeling for perfume. The first thing I think of when I think of perfume is my mom’s Happy perfume, which she wore. But, now that the memory of my mom’s perfumy scent went away, along with the perfume itself, I wouldn’t have a connection, and I wouldn’t feel like something was missing.
Weak Points: The main character is a writer. Throughout the book, there are excerpts from a book she is writing. The connection between the excerpts and the actual book was a little weak and unnecessary.
Writing Style: 4.5/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 3.5/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Recommend
Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie
Quick Synopsis: At a children’s Halloween party, a young girl named Joyce brags that she has witnessed a murder. After everyone dismisses her, her body is later discovered, drowned in the apple bobbing tank. Hercule Poirot is on the case to discover who murdered Joyce.
Strong Points: I read this in preparation for Haunting in Venice (spoiler alert: it is very, very loosely based on the book). I enjoyed it (can’t say the same for the movie). It was my first Hercule Poirot book, and it was a lot of fun. I love a good mystery every once in a while. The characters were fun, too.
Weak Points: In parts, it was pretty slow. Its age showed. I expected it to have more of a Halloween feeling to it. However, that was not the case.
Writing Style: 3/5
Plot: 3.5/5
Flow/Pacing: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3/5
Recommend
To Infinity and Beyond by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Quick Synopsis: This book takes the reader on a trip through space and time, starting on earth, moving to our planetary neighbors, and then to the depths of space. It even sprinkles in time travel, black holes, and worm holes.
Strong Points: If you’re a space lover, this book is for you. It breaks down complex problems into everyday language that is easy to understand in the clever and witty way Neil deGrasse Tyson is famous for. I loved the pop culture references peppered in to connect scientific points to everyday life. It’s also a bonus that so many beautiful pictures of space were included.
Weak Points: There were a few planets that I wish they would have expanded upon. Just as I was getting into the gas giants (Jupitar and Saturn), they moved onto the next chapter.
Writing Style: 4.5/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Highly Recommend
*Thank you NetGalley and National Geographic for providing me with a free, electronic ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*
Tom Lake by Ann Pachett
Quick Synopsis: With her grown children at home during the pandemic, to pass the time, Lara tells the story of her time in the limelight.
Strong/Weak Points: I enjoyed how it was set in a cherry orchard. Pachett did a good job of setting the scene and making the reader feel like they were there picking cherries alongside the family. Weak Points: What a snooze fest! I’m usually a fan of Pachett, but this fell flat. It felt like she didn’t have a lot to talk about with the present characters, so they were one-dimensional and boring. It also took too long to get through the story. All in all, the story could have been summed up in 5–10 minutes MAX. And how have her children never heard her tell this story before? I kept waiting for something more to happen. All of that being said, the biggest problem for me was that there was no real conflict or drama. There weren’t any stakes to engage me and pull me in. To be honest, it was a chore to get through. Most anticipated book of the summer? More like the most disappointing book of the summer.
Writing Style: 3/5
Plot: 2/5
Flow/Pacing: 2/5
Characters: 1.5/5
Overall Rating: 2/5
Not Recommend
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Quick Synopsis: After her parents pass away unexpectedly, Louise is forced to face her childhood home, where her mom’s puppet obsession still haunts the house… literally.
Strong Points: If you’re afraid of puppets and dolls, this book will scare the pants off of you. I don’t recommend reading it at night. At one point, someone outside slammed a dumpster lid, scaring the crap out of me. It was effective in that way and that way only.
Weak Points: After reading Hendix’s other book, The Final Girl Support Group, I thought I would give him another shot. While I enjoyed this book more, it certainly suffered some of the same flaws that The Final Girl Support Group suffered. Hendrix has a major pacing problem. This book also peaked 25% of the way through, making the reader suffer through 75% of a dull and convoluted book. It's almost as if they are trying to pack too much into the book, but not in a cohesive and coherent way. Solution: Maybe write short stories?
Writing Style: 2/5
Plot: 3/5
Flow/Pacing: 1.5/5
Characters: 2/5
Overall Rating: 2/5
Not Recommend
Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
Quick Synopsis: An in-depth look at Musk’s life from childhood to his present moronic escapes
Strong Points: Isaacson has done it again! Isaacson has the inside that only someone who has quietly followed Musk for two years would have, making this different from any other biography about Musk that I have read. That, and his writing style, are unmatched.
Weak Points: Nada!
Writing Style: 5/5 *Chefs kiss*
Plot: 5/5
Flow/Pacing: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5
Highly Recommend - Even if you are anti-Elon Musk
Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi
Quick Synopsis: A woman pretends to be pregnant at work to get out of doing the menial tasks that are expected of her.
Strong Points: As I mentioned before, Japanese novels usually follow more of a feeling vs. plot/conflict, and this one fits that trend. I enjoyed the simplicity, shortness, and clean writing.
Weak Points: A bit of a misleading synopsis. I thought it was going to be more comedic instead of a commentary on pregnant work culture and cultural norms.
Writing Style: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Flow/Pacing: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Overall Rating: 3/5
Recommend
"When you've had success for too long, you lose the desire to take risks." - Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
