1. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer (2006)
Reread, because I found this in a Little Free Library. I was really in the mood for something silly and addictive (and it is - though I can't explain why!) and mindless. Unfortunately, the crazy-bad relationship dynamics and the ill-written hero made it less fun and did not permit my mind to stay on vacation.
2. The Green Book, by Jill Paton Walsh (1986)
Under 100 pages, a gentle children's science fiction novel about the first months of a colony of humans (the Earth is on the verge of death) on a new planet. It has an unusual vibe/tone - compelling, rather peaceful and childlike, with some beautiful imagery that remains in my mind.
3. Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (2014)
Oh, it's so good to settle down with a book at the end of the week and know that you are going to spend the next day or so racing through it! Fast, interesting, clever, and suspenseful. To an extent, this is a book about straight marriage, via being a book about "the most fucked up [married] people" (to paraphrase a character), and I love that at the same time that it makes me slightly uneasy. I'd seen the movie before, but really enjoyed getting more insight into the characters.
4. Brave Girl Healing, by Colleen M. Werner (2019)
Well, this wasn't what I expected. I knew of the author from her lovely social media campaigning for more body positivity in ballet. I thought this would be a memoir, but it's more like a blog with journaling exercises. Oh well. I would still read a professionally edited memoir of hers, if it ever comes about.
5. The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You, by Elaine N. Aron (1996)
Oh, me. I had this on my "to read" list for so long, and I am so glad I finally read it. What a useful and helpful book. I assumed for a long time that "highly sensitive" was an unsubstantiated pop psychology label -- but I discovered that it is not that, and that it describes a trait I have that I haven't known quite how to make sense of until now. I'm pleased to 1) understand that about myself, and 2) have the author's very useful thoughts on, as the cover says, how to enjoy my life more and be more functional in it given that trait. I really appreciate that she takes an eminently practical tone, never becomes overly insistent or specific in her suggestions, draws from all the variety of HSPs that she has met in her research, and doesn't stray into the land of overly precious identity-ism (e.g. "what unappreciated pure angelic wonderful creatures we are!" as some lesser books on introversion tend to go).
No comments:
Post a Comment