Most of the books, though not all, that I have read in the last couple of months I have managed to slot into a category on my reading challenge. However, some I just read because they became available at the library and I really wanted to read them.
The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr.
I read this book for the category, a debut book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I have to admit it was a really difficult read and I am sure I missed a great deal of the biblical symbolism.
The story is primarily about two teenage boys, Sam and Isaiah, who are slaves on a southern cotton plantation - and lovers. Because of their sexual orientation, they do not only have to fear the white slave owners and overseers, they also have to fear many of their black peers who disapprove of their relationship.
In addition to the story of Sam and Isaiah, there are chapters dedicated to the other slaves as well as several of the slave owners. Finally, several chapters go back in time and tell the story of the capture of slaves and their perilous journey across the ocean. I found these chapters the hardest to understand as they were steeped in mysticism and unfamiliar (to me) imagery.
What was very clear in the book was the horrific cruelty, homophobia and misogyny evident at the plantation eerily known as "Empty".
I do recommend this book as I think it tells an important story - but you have to be patient. And I just had to accept that I was probably not getting as much out of the book as the author offered.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
This was one of those books that I could not fit into a reading challenge category, but which I really wanted to read because I so enjoyed the author's prior works. This one did not disappoint - it was a mystery, comedy, romance and character study all rolled into one.
The premise is that a bank robber fails in robbing a bank and in trying to escape wanders into an apartment open house. There the robber, rather accidentally, takes the real estate agent and all the apartment viewers hostage.
We see the story from inside the apartment - getting the perspective and interesting back story of all of the people in the apartment (including the robber who in fact comes off quite sympathetically). But we also see it from the perspective of a father and son police officer team who try to unravel the mystery. We also learn a lot about their back story and relationship.
The dialogue is humorous and how the crime resolves is not too easy to predict which sucked me in and made me keep reading. The novel took place in a small town in Sweden - and I very much enjoyed how referring to people "from Stockholm" held a lot of different meanings (including, of course, the concept of the Stockholm syndrome).
I definitely recommend this one.
The Queen's Gambit by Walter S. Tevis
This book also didn't fit into the reading challenge, but I wanted to read it because I enjoyed the Netflix mini-series. The TV series followed the book fairly closely but not perfectly (in the book Beth Harmon had a bit more control over her addictions, and people from her past chess tournaments did not reappear quite so conveniently).
I did enjoy the book though the chess scenes were sometimes a bit too detailed for my taste (though I do realize chess was the point of the book).
I thought Beth was a well developed character and I enjoyed reading about how she overcame obstacles of her past, addiction and misogyny to triumph in her chosen field.
She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey
I read this book because it was recommended to me, but I was able to use it for the reading challenge category "a book by two or more people". This book is by the New York Times reporters who broke the Harvey Weinstein story. It goes into great detail about the investigation that underlay the story - the people they chased down, the interviews they conducted (including with victims and Weinstein and his hench people) and the many obstacles they faced.
I thought the story was fascinating - particularly seeing how it sparked the "me too" movement in a way no prior sexual exploitation cases had (and there were others). In addition to Weinstein there was a fair bit of information on the Brent Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearings. Perhaps one of my favourite parts was the epilogue when the authors arranged a meeting of the many victims who had come forward - they were from a wide variety of backgrounds and sexual exploitation was for some the only thing they had in common. But it was fascinating to see how they related to each other in the aftermath.
I recommend this book if you have any interest in this area.
No Time Like the Future by Michael J. Fox
I read this book for the category "a true story written by an author with a disability". It is Michael J. Fox's latest memoir and it deals with not just his struggle with Parkinson's, but also surgery for a benign tumour on his spine and a seriously broken arm sustained in a fall while he was recovering from back surgery.
The book seems to be a very honest account of his struggle to recover from surgery (he admits he was used to the Parkinson's, but these were new obstacles). He recognizes that his perpetual optimism failed him - particularly after the fall which he blamed on his own stubbornness at trying to do too much too soon.
We also gain insight into his relationship with his wife and children as well as several of his close friends. His interactions with doctors, physiotherapists and personal support workers are also very interesting.
Fox writes well and, despite the difficult topic, his humour comes through. I enjoyed this book.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Though this book was very popular, I had avoided it as it just didn't appeal to me to read a book written from the perspective of a dog. But, then the reading challenge required me to read "a book where the main character is not human". And I guess the challenge accomplished what it was supposed to - challenged me to read outside my comfort zone, and I ended up really liking the book.
The book is all narrated by Enzo - a mutt who is adopted by Denny, and up and coming race car driver. Enzo narrates the story of Denny's racing career as well as his marriage, the birth of his daughter, and the tragic end to the marriage that led to a bitter custody dispute which included false accusations against Denny.
It was actually kind of fun to witness a dog who saw what was going on in the lives of his humans, and desperately wanted to intervene, but just couldn't verbalize his concerns (though he did try to voice them as best he could).
So after being a sceptic, I now suggest you read this one. It's better than you might think.
Thunder Through my Veins: Memories of a Métis Childhood by Gregory Scofield
This was a really difficult, though important, memoir to read. Scofield was the son of a Métis woman who did not initially acknowledge her Métis heritage (if she was even aware of it). His father went to prison when Scofield was very young and he never saw him again. His mother, who had been a prostitute before he was born, suffered from mental illness and was in a series of disastrous relationships - including one with a man who was very abusive toward both her and her son.
As a result Scofield was in and out of foster homes, struggled in school and in holding down a job, and struggled with his Indigenous identity and addiction. He was also always seeking out a perfect relationship while at the same time denying his sexual identity. The one skill he always had was his ability to write (especially poetry), and that is what ultimately saved him.
This is an important read about the lasting impact of colonialism, racism, homophobia, mental health issues, abuse and addiction. And the strength of the writer in overcoming all of that to be able to tell his story is remarkable.
Saving Justice: Truth, Transparency and Trust by James B. Comes
This is a second book by the former FBI director who was fired by Trump. While this book also touches on Trump, and particularly the damage his presidency did to the credibility of the US justice system, there is a lot more to it.
Come takes us through his career as a prosecutor, in private practice and in the FBI. All of the stories are in the context of the role the justice department needs to play in preserving the integrity of the system and the work that still needs to be done to repair the damage done by Trump.
I actually preferred this book to his first one - while it was also trying to make a point I found it less preachy and more just anecdote and experience based.
I ended up using this book for the category "a book by or about someone you would like to meet", because after reading his books, even though I don't agree with all of his views, I think Comey would make fascinating dinner conversation.
Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson
I used this book for the category "a book published this year". Like her earlier book, The Gown, this was a work of historical fiction. It tells the story of Antonina, a Jewish girl in Venice who hopes to be a doctor like her father. Unfortunately, the Nazis intervene and her father is forced to practice only in secret and she is unable to go to medical school.
When things get very bad, her father finds someone to hide her - a young Catholic man, Nico, who is willing to pose as her husband and take her back to live with his large family on a rural farm. This is at great personal risk to him - and creates tension with his family as he abandons his dreams of the priesthood for "marriage". The family is not made aware the marriage is a sham.
The story revolves around Nico and Antonina's growing relationship - which turns real over time. In addition, Nico is involved in further underground activities and both of them pay the price for that when they are captured by the Nazis.
I don't want to give away what happens to them during the later stages of the war, in case you read this, but I did find some of it a bit too convenient. That being said, I still enjoyed the book.
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
I read this for the category "a book that was published posthumously". Frankly, if I hadn't wanted to complete the challenge category, I would not have finished the book. McNamara was an amateur investigator who hosted a true crime podcast. She tragically died suddenly while trying to solve the most difficult case of her career. A rapist and killer who plagued California in the 1970s.
I just found the number of victims and investigators too confusing. And the piecing together of the evidence was tedious in my perspective.
Maybe I'm just not a true crime fan, but I found this book rather boring - and when it wasn't boring a bit too graphic.
I wouldn't recommend this unless you're really into true crime stories.
