May 2022 Books

 

 Red, White, and Dead by Lonnie L. Willis surprised me. I admit this is another book I kept moving down in my to-be-read file for myriad reasons. When I got there this time, I started reading. The story was much better than I expected. Perhaps, in part, because it reminded me of my time living in Boise, Idaho. But Willis also explores the intersection between religion and white supremacy in an interesting way. Told through the point of view of a private investigator, Clayton James, the story takes shape when he's hired to protect the sister of a teenager who has become involved with the white supremist group. There's more depth and more nuance than I expected in the telling of the story. While there were a few frustrating moments in the reading, overall I enjoyed the book.

Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown is a simple but beautiful book. Brown brings both complexity and simplicity to nuance of emotional life. She illustrates her points with anecdotes as well as her research. She brings in resources and quotes to drive home her findings. Atlas of the Heart is a continuation of Brown's work and leans heavily on her previous books and research. She brings to light how the research has both supported and changed her previous findings. There is a call in Atlas of the Heart for us to speak our emotions more clearly by understanding the language of emotions and recognizing the nuances of those emotions as well as how expressing those emotions can connect us or disconnect us. As usual, I found it easy to relate Brown's work to my own life experience in ways that helped me better navigate my own heart and to put language to the emotions I was feeling.

Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee sat in my to-be-read pile for years. I bought it off the remainders table in a bookstore several years ago. I kept moving it down in the pile because it always seemed like there was something more appealing. Finally, when I reached it this time, I decided to read it. I liked it more than I expected to even though I found the main character very frustrating and wondered about some of the other characters. The story kept me interested, but I didn't feel like the main character really gained much insight into herself. I found many of the characters intriguing and the look into Korean-American culture was interesting and enlightening. I read the ending a few times trying to figure out why it felt a bit anti-climatic and frustrating.

Ongoing:

Self-Consciousness by John Updike isn't what I expected in the least. I bought this book several years ago at a dinner given for Updike in Boise, Idaho. He spoke at the dinner and was quite interesting. I got the chance to have him sign my copy and to exchange a couple of words with him. Every time I started to read it, I thought about that dinner and decided to "save" the book for later. Sadly, it's not as easy or enjoyable a read as I expected. I thought I was getting a look inside the mind of a great novelist. Instead I feel like I'm getting a look inside the mind of a man whose thinking isn't very nuanced or sophisticated. I am hoping this will change. I'm a little over halfway through the book, so we'll see.

Science of Yoga: Understand the Anatomy and Physiology to Perfect Your Practice by Ann Swanson is interesting so far. I just finished the anatomy part of the book and am set to start the asanas portion of the book tomorrow. Swanson breaks down human anatomy in bite size morsels that are easy to digest. I'm interested to see how she ties them more fully to yoga and the asanas.

Complete Poems of Bertolt Brecht by Bertolt Brecht is a very long book of poetry. I  continue to read a few poems each night. They are translated from German to English. The poems are always interesting even if not always pleasant. He isn't shy about taking on uncomfortable topics. I'll share more of my thoughts as I read more. I'm a little over halfway through this book. Some of the poems are incredibly intense while others are rather light. As this book is 1071 pages, expect it to show up for several months. Still going... 

Get Untamed: The Journal by Glennon Doyle is a guided journal inspired by Doyle's book, Untamed. I started this journal at the beginning of March. Last month I said, the questions are simple and the answers are fairly easy, but surprisingly it's not pushing me the way I expected it to. Since then some have pushed me to dig a little deeper, but overall, its still not as intense as I anticipated. I think I'll leave my comments there though because I still have quite a ways to go, so maybe my reaction to it will change...

52 Lists for Calm by Moorea Seal - I started this journal, but it will take all year to complete. It's a list journal with prompts that one fills out weekly rather than daily. Some prompts are better than others. So far, so good.

52 Lists for Bravery by Moorea Seal - This is another list journal I started at the beginning of the year. Like the one for Calm, it is a weekly list journal with prompts. This one also has some prompts that are better than others. Again, so far it is going well.

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