Reading Wrap-Up: August 2018
Another month down means it’s time for another monthly reading wrap-up! I read five books throughout the month of August.
I don’t do monthly TBRs because I’m ridiculously spontaneous when it comes to picking which books to read next. Sometimes it takes me three or four tries to settle on one book versus another. So my monthly wrap-ups should be as much of a surprise to my readers as they are to me!
My ratings are on a five-star scale with one being the worst and five being the best.
⭐: Either the book was awful or I didn’t finish it
⭐⭐: I finished it, but wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to others
⭐⭐⭐: It was ok and I would consider recommending it to others under certain circumstances
⭐⭐⭐⭐: I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to others
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: I loved it and it has become a favorite book, or at least one I think everyone should read. I would consider reading it more than once.
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Title: Angel in the Whirlwind: The Triumph of the American Revolution
Author: Benson Bobrick
Genre: Historical nonfiction
Published: 1997
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Being slightly obsessed with the American Revolution, I knew I had to read this book at some point. You won’t find a book worth its salt about this war written in the past 20 years that doesn’t cite this book at some point. I thought the book was well-paced. I especially appreciated the first several chapters that explained the lead-up to the war; many books brush over this, but this one gives those events their due. However, as with many books that cover the whole of the Revolution, this one very much glosses over the events of the Southern campaign, including Yorktown. It’s almost as if the author just ran out of steam near the end. The author also seemed very defensive about anything that could even possibly shed anything but a positive light on George Washington. This is a pet peeve of mine, as I believe author opinion has no place in a nonfiction book about historical figures. Overall, this was a great read and I would recommend it.
Title: Sick: A Memoir
Author: Porochista Khakpour
Genre: Memoir
Published: 2018
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
As more and more chronic illness memoirs are being published, I was excited for this one. But this book was all over the place. I really appreciate the effort behind the book as a chronic illness memoir, but it’s quite choppy. There was an extreme lack of a consistent timeline. She explains many events in detail, but then writes a one-off sentence about a summer at Northwestern for a journalism fellowship or a year abroad at Oxford. For a book that uses where she was at certain points in her life to drive the narrative, aren’t those things kind of important to mention in more detail? As another example, the author describes a car accident she was in and then described it again in detail 30 pages later. I know the author was ill when she wrote part of the book, but it’s very badly edited. I really feel bad for the author because of what she went through, as I have chronic illnesses myself. But here’s the primary problem with this book that really bothered me: She was diagnosed with Lyme and at least somewhat treated for it initially in 2009. A huge chunk of the book is spent with her wondering “What is wrong with me? Why am I so sick?” Then, after some more testing in 2012, she’s shocked into silence by the fact that SHE TESTED POSITIVE FOR LYME. Really? I do wish her the best in finding helpful treatments, but maybe after publishing several books, she can find a better editor.
Title: The Year of Magical Thinking
Author: Joan Didion
Genre: Memoir
Published: 2005
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is a gorgeous narrative of grief and I positively devoured it. I’ve never felt grief of the intensity described in the book, but somehow, I felt I could completely relate to what she was saying. Didion writes with an openness and stream of consciousness that really takes you right into her thoughts as she goes through what she calls her “year of magical thinking,” in which she has rather irrational thoughts about either bringing John, her husband, who died suddenly of a massive heart attack, back or how to avoid thinking about the fact that he was gone. You really get a sense of what her relationship with John was like, and how much they loved and completely complemented each other. I know the book is primarily about her grief from the sudden death of John, but I do wish there was more focus on the ordeal her daughter Quintana went through. That being said, I think whoever designed the cover of this edition should get a pay raise. Look closely…
Title: Author: Patrick K. O’Donnell
Genre: Historical nonfiction
Published: 2016
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Written from a very unique perspective, this book is primarily about the Maryland Regiments, otherwise known as “The Immortals,” who fought in the American Revolution. These were the regiments called upon again and again to play pivotal roles in important battles because of their bravery and steadfastness in the face of almost certain death, beginning with the ill-fated Battle of Brooklyn. It was the Marylanders who sacrificed over 60% of the regiment in that battle to stall for time to allow the Continental Army to escape from the field to their fortifications. Other actions by this group were just as heroic. I like that the book was written by a military historian and not an academic historian; it gave the prose an interesting flair and a specific line of insight not usually found in books about the Revolution.
Title: Whiskey When We’re Dry
Author: John Larison
Genre: Historical fiction
Published: 2018
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Although I overall enjoyed this book, I ended up a bit disappointed. I thought it started out really strong. I particularly enjoyed the first section of the book when Jessilyn Harney is fending for herself on the family homestead. Even the initial bits after she becomes Jesse Straight were exciting. But as the book goes on and we’re introduced to the Governor’s guards and the Wild Bunch, it begins to fall apart. I found myself not being invested in the fates of any of the characters, especially since there are some huge reveals near the beginning of the book as to who makes it to the end, and that kind of ruined some of the suspense. I don’t think Jesse’s relationship with Annette was developed well at all; it ended up being a bit of a pathetic plot point when it could have been so much more. And the last 35 pages seemed a bit too tidy and contrived. Despite all this, I really did enjoy the book as a whole.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?
💛ribbonrx
