I have a hard time picking favorites when it comes to books, which is why lists (that don't have a specific order) are probably my go-to. Stories and other narratives just mean different things to me at different times and yes prose/ideas come into play, but there are plenty of books I like for purely … Continue reading Best of: 2019
Memoir
Review: Socialist Realism
The title immediately hooked me and what made me stay was the stark, brutal honesty that Trisha Low offers in SOCIALIST REALISM. This is a book long essay that is part travelogue, part stream of conscious, part art criticism, and part memoir. Low finds herself moving west, searching for home or a utopia or an … Continue reading Review: Socialist Realism
Review: We Should All Be Feminists
I've been needing some pallet cleansers of late and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has really been coming through as one as I jump between genres and fiction projects. This was another shorter form work, which is actually an adapted TEDx talk she gave a few years back. It's more of an essay than a full fledged … Continue reading Review: We Should All Be Feminists
Review: The Council of Dads
I haven't come across many books that just don't land with me, but Bruce Feiler's, THE COUNCIL OF DADS is one of those books. I just could not get into it, and maybe it was in part that I listened to it on audio book, which was narrated by Feiler himself or maybe it was … Continue reading Review: The Council of Dads
Review: Dear Ijeawele; or, A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions
I've been waiting to read Ms. Adichie for a long time and I was not disappointed with getting a taste here. It should also not be a secret that I'm a father to a strong-willed daughter, so I'm always looking for insights. Thanks to both maturity and my wife's tireless work to open my eyes, … Continue reading Review: Dear Ijeawele; or, A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions
Review: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
This was definitely a different sort of memoir. I listened to this as an audio book, performed by Ray Porter and translated by Phillip Gabriel. This was the first thing that I have read from Haruki Murakami and I enjoyed it, even if his thoughts and reflections became tedious and more vague than anything truly … Continue reading Review: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
Review: Educated
This book was something, truly something. And as thought-provoking as everyone who had told me about it had said. Educated by Tara Westover, is a shockingly vulnerable memoir of a woman, who takes what could be described as "beyond unorthodox" path to university. Meanwhile, she carries an incredible weight of psychological and physical abuse on … Continue reading Review: Educated
Review: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
Listened to this as an audiobook narrated by the author, J.D. Vance and boy do I have a lot of thoughts about this. First, I'll comment on the actual memoir portion, which he states a kind of disclaimer in the introduction, since he is self-aware that he is only in his 30s and how unusual … Continue reading Review: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
Review: Between The World And Me
Ta-Nehisi has crafted a blunt, honest letter to his son, and in turn all of us. He does not sugar coat his experience, and unlike others that I have read of the black experience in America he does not try and fabricate a hope when he feels none. In some ways, this book is lost … Continue reading Review: Between The World And Me
Pyles of Books 