Bimonthly Book Review: January-February 2020
I surprised myself by finishing three books – and it’s only mid-Feb, y’all! This is a personal best for me; as JVN would say – let me enjoy this mome!
Lately, I’m into autobiographies and getting more into Nordic noir. Here’s what I kicked off the new year with.
Megyn Kelly: Settle For More
In an effort to get out of my echo chamber for a teeny tiny bit, I wanted to learn more about Megyn Kelly.
I never watched an episode of The Kelly File because… Fox News. I also remembered that she basically got fired from NBC after some politically incorrect commentary about blackface. Still, when I saw her book while browsing the stacks at my local library, I thought it would behoove me to get to know her on her own terms.
Admittedly, it was hard for me to relate to her at first. She’s Gen X and a former high powered lawyer with a slightly different attitude towards sexual harassment than mine.
She also doesn’t consider herself a feminist. If anything, she agrees with Sheryl Sandberg’s “brand” of feminism – and while I still haven’t read all of Lean In, I have a sneaking suspicion it doesn’t take into account intersectionality.
But I could be wrong, and I digress. Differences aside, I will say that it was pretty fascinating how she got her gig on Fox News (spoiler alert: it was a mix of sheer luck and a lot of hard work).
I also liked her idea of settling for more, that you shouldn’t be afraid to negotiate, especially if you are willing to put the work in. However, I still struggle with this notion as I find it can be a bit idealistic. In theory, it makes perfect sense, but again… there are so many factors such as intersectionality and workplace culture that, in my view – she didn’t have to deal with.
Anyway, I still respect her as a career professional and a mother. And I feel bad that she had to deal with all that bullying from Donald Trump. No one should ever have to endure what she went through.
Jo Nesbø: The Snowman
I’m a huge fan of “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” trilogy. With winter here, it made sense to explore more of this crime fiction genre. This Nordic Noir 101 list from Penguin Random House had me ready to dive in!
“The Snowman” was readily available at my public library, so I gave it a shot. I didn’t realize it was part of a series (Harry Hole) and that it was the 7th book. Luckily, you don’t have to read the prior books to understand what happens in this novel.
Not sure if it is typical of this genre, but at times I found the passages a bit over-descriptive. Other than that, I did enjoy the twists. I also guessed who the serial killer was early on, but didn’t know how the person pulled off the murders. Finding out why was pretty gratifying.
I liked this book enough to want to read the rest of the series, so stay tuned for more future reviews. 🙂
Tan France: Naturally Tan
I didn’t know what to expect from this one. To be honest, Tan isn’t even my favorite cast member on Queer Eye. (That award goes to Jonathan Van Ness. Yes, I bought his book, and yes, I loved it.) Still, I love an autobiography, and it looked like an easy enough read!
I didn’t find his childhood or early 20’s story intriguing. However, I have mad respect for his business acumen, and the way he got casted on Queer Eye was also fascinating (again, sheer luck was in play).
Next On The List…
I just started reading John Irving’s “Avenue of Mysteries”, a nice, thick novel that seems to touch on a lot of things I can relate to: Catholicism (specifically, the Jesuits) Hong Kong, and Manila. Can’t wait to see what else is in store.
Next in the queue is Andrew Yang’s “The War On Normal People”. Although he’s no longer in the presidential race, his ideas on the campaign trail resonated with me. I’d ready to learn more of the statistics behind it.
Lastly, I have yet another Queer Eye biography – Karamo’s! Since Karamo is the culture guy and I look up to him for affirmations and such, I want to learn more about him and his take on purpose, healing, and hope.
Now it’s your turn! What’s on your reading list? What should I add to mine?