Feb 4, 2021Book Review 9: “Healing After the Loss of Your Mother: A Grief and Comfort Manual” by Elaine MallonI’ve been trying to read a lot of books about grief to understand its process a bit better. Thanks to our benevolent neighbor, I got this book last April, but had not yet found time to read it until this past Saturday. It’s split into two parts: one for the…1 min read
Feb 4, 2021Book Review 7: Want by Lynne Steger StrongI first became acquainted with this book because a sample of it was featured in a magazine I had been reading online, maybe The New Yorker. I can’t remember, and it was sometime in 2019 (maybe), but I recall being impressed with the prose in a way I hadn’t felt…3 min read
Jan 31, 2021Book Review 7: “The Sun Also Rises” by Ernest HemingwayI’m not sure how else to say this, and I’m not sure why I would feel sheepish saying this, but it took me from about 8 years ago until today to finish “The Sun Also Rises”. …2 min read
Jan 20, 2021Book Review 6: “Stranger Faces” by Namwali SerpeliAs people reading this (maybe/probably don’t) know, I studied Comparative Literature in college as one of my two majors. I truly, absolutely, indefatigably, believe in language and its power, and in images and their power, and in analyzing the latter with the former and in analyzing both and in trying…3 min read
Jan 4, 2021Book Review 5: Plan B by Sheryl SandbergI was recommended Plan B by someone I had met on Lunchclub, whose mom had died in her early 30s. I have known the book existed for years, ever since Sheryl’s Berkley commencement speech, and having read “Lean In” years ago I knew what to expect: formulaic research coupled with…2 min read
Jan 4, 2021Book Review 4: Face it by Deborah HarryRecently read “Face It” by Deborah Harry, frontwoman of Blondie. I have never been a fan of the band, but on NYE we had a handful of friends over and one insisted on watching Miley Cyrus’ rendition of “Heart of Glass”. I later watched the music video and became entranced…2 min read
Dec 29, 2020Book Review 3: The Five Archetypes by Carey DavidsonAs anyone who knows me will tell you, I absolutely die for personality tests, any type of psychoanalysis, as well as not limited to psychic readings, angel readings, energy healings, chakra and aura readings, reiki sessions, etc. …2 min read
Dec 29, 2020Book Review 2: The Dead Moms Club by Kate SpencerI guess you shouldn’t have thought you were going to read a list of book reviews from me for [part of] this year without at least one that touches on the topic of grief. I was gifted “The Dead Moms Club” by a wonderfully benevolent neighbor who was told that…3 min read
Dec 28, 2020Book Review 1: The Utopia of Rules by David GraeberAfter reading his book Bullshit Jobs (which I was led to by the article he had written with the same title), I decided to delve into “The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy”. From a purely shallow standpoint, the cover itself is well-designed and…4 min read
Dec 28, 20202021: The Year of Reading BooksIt’s no secret that 2020 has been a terrible year for all of us. I’ve had a particularly rough time myself. My mom died unexpectedly on April 10, and then a close friend two days later. The pandemic disallowed us from being able to celebrate her death the way we…2 min read
