Welcome to spring.
Here in New England, we've begun to lose track of how many weekends in a row we've had rain or inclement weather. It's similar to my reading multiple books this month, which often include essays or short stories. It's not that I don't like essays or short stories, but I began to miss getting into a long story after a while.
I also finished two books by Roxane Gay, Opinions and Hunger. I don't usually read multiple books from the same author so closely together. They were different enough to be interesting. Opinions were essays, opinion pieces, and Hunger was a memoir. The former was also narrated by the author, who does an amazing job. I first heard her on a podcast several years ago and always enjoyed hearing her speak with wit, sensitivity, and unapologetic about what she has to say.
Jill Lepore is another author I enjoy listening to narrate her books and essays. Her book The Deadline is the third of her books I've listened to(These Truths and This America being the others). Being a history professor, I love how she dives into the historical aspects of her essays. I enjoy listening to her narrate as her enthusiasm and love of history are obvious and infectious.
Maus: A Survivor's Tale I, was my first plunge into a graphic novel. I had heard about this for many years and finally got into it and wasn't disappointed. A fascinating story of a Jewish son learning about his parents' survival of the concentration camps of World War 2, told to him by his father decades later.
I'm now on my 3rd Jack Reacher novel, "Persuader" by Lee Child. This is the basis for 3rd(and latest) season of the Reacher series on Amazon Prime. If you think Reacher is brutal on the screen, just wait to you read about him in the book; they softened him up for the screen, is all I'll say.
The book A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn was one that I've heard about for many years, but only finally got around. Recently, it came up in my TikTok feed and wouldn't go away. This is apparently controversial to some because Zinn tells the story of the United States from the common people rather than famous Presidents, generals or major events.
Books I finished in April 2025:
- 5/6/2025 - The Deadline: Essays - Jill Lepore - (Audible) - This is a collection of essays by Jill Lepore, an American History Professor at Harvard University and staff writer for the New Yorker Magazine. Jill explores American History, culture, and politics in her unique storytelling style. She also does a masterful job of narrating the audiobook.
- 5/8/2025 - Maus: A Survivor's Tale I: My Father Bleeds History - Art Spiegelman - This award winning graphic novel is the story of the author's parent's, told to him by his father Vladek Speigelman, surviving NAZI death camps during World War 2. It's my first dive into a graphic novel, and it certainly lived up to the hype.
- 5/17/2025 - Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticisms, and Minding Other People's Business - Roxane Gay - (Audible) - This is an interesting and compelling compilation of Roxane Gay's essays. She comments on social justice, gender politics, feminism, civil rights, and offers cultural critiques. I did enjoy her narration.
- 5/18/2025 - Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body - Roxane Gay -This is a deeply personal and, at times, heart-wrenching memoir. As a preteen, she experiences a traumatic assault that transforms her life, body, and identity. Her testimony explores how she used food and her body to shield herself from the world. Her prose is vulnerable, simple, and precise. She is honest and doesn't make excuses; if she does, she doesn't apologize.
- 5/23/2025 - Persuader: A Reacher Novel - Lee Child - This is the 7th installment of Lee Child's Jack Reacher series and is the basis of the 3rd season of Alan Richson's Reacher series on Amazon Prime. Reacher goes undercover and confronts an old nemesis whom he thought he had eliminated 10 years ago. The book features fast-paced action, unapologetic violence, and unrelenting to the finish. Trust me, you want Jack on your side.
- 5/27/2025 - The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury - (Audible) - This is a collection of science fiction short stories by the legendary Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451 & The Martian Chronicles). The stories are thought-provoking and imaginative, and often have a dark twist at the end.
- 5/30/2025 - A People's History of the United States - Howard Zinn - The history of the United States told from the perspective of the ordinary people. We hear from indigenous people, women, laborers, the enslaved, and many more to tell the story of America.
