What I’m Reading

Because I am, at times, over productive, I have a habit of starting multiple books around the same time.

Also, hello. I know it’s been a while. I’ve been trying to rearrange my online life, simplifying it, and looking forward. I have a few projects I am working on currently and I will hopefully be able to rightfully put details on those here very soon.

Back to the main point:

Right now, I am in the middle of reading four books. Here they are, with a few thoughts on each. (Note: Titles contain links for purchase.)

POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE

by CARRIE FISHER

This is the seco[image error]nd book I’ve read by Fisher. Her passing inspired me to look into her writing and I have many regrets about not discovering her prose sooner. The first was Wishful Drinking, a memoir based on the one-woman show she wrote and performed in 2008. I loved it.

Postcards from the Edge is a very intriguing read. It delves deep into the lives of Hollywood drug and society addicts. I am about halfway through and I am such a fan of Fisher’s writing; her tone and precision ignite a light into every character. It really is a think piece about society and the various ways we lie to ourselves.

 

THE DISASTER ARTIST:

MY LIFE INSIDE THE ROOM, THE GREATEST BAD MOVIE EVER MADE

by GREG SESTERO & TOM BISSELL

It’s taken me a while to read this book but, honestly, I do not mind the passing time. This book is so enjoyable, I don’t want it to end. If you haven’t seen the room, I highly advise you do. Either watch it alone or watch it with people who know how to have a good laugh, a good, sardonic cry… just watch it.

Or read this book. But then see the film. I’m not sure which is better… or worse.

Anyway. The Disaster Artist follows Greg Sestero, one of the stars of Tommy Wiseau’s cult monstrosity The Room (2003). This book is absolutely hilarious but also has a lot of heart. There are times where I had to dry my eyes, which is saying something. Perhaps it is the subject matter mixed with Sestero’s sarcastic and uplifting tone. You can tell this experience had a profound effect on him and I am thankful that he shared it with the world.

INTO THE WATER

by PAULA HAWKINS

I really loved The Girl on the Train. But I am not a brainless fool who thinks that an author’s first novel should be compared to their second. Or third. Or how many others we, as readers, are given.

That being said. I love Into The Water. It has depth (ha) and it is truly a mysterious tale. Set in the fictional, wooded town of Beckford, ITW tells the story of… a lot of very troubled, interesting people. At the forefront, we have a family marked by tragedy. However, it is the town’s connection to the tragedy which makes this novel tick. So far, I have counted almost ten characters that are equally important to the plot. I really love reading about all of them.

Hawkins (one of my favorite writers from reading only one book) transports you into the dreary history of Beckford. This is a story riddled with secrets, violence, and prejudice. Definitely read it. Also read The Girl on the Train because the film… isn’t the book.

Sidenote: The cover for the novel is absolutely beautiful.

THE CIRCLE

by DAVE EGGERS

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The most recent of the books I’ve started and, honestly one of the most enjoyable books I’ve ever read. It follows Mae Holland, a new employee at The Circle, the social media/marketing/finance corporation to end all social media/marketing/finance corporations.

This is a highly detailed book. Starting on Mae’s first day at The Circle, the novel tells of society’s place in time as well. Many of the issues covered are relevant today, four years after the novel’s publication (2013). At times, this novel gives me chills. When Mae experiences a technology that I currently use… that wasn’t a thing in 2013… it is spooky, considering the circumstances and eventual outcome of this novel (which I have a prediction about but I’m probably, hopefully wrong).

One level social commentary, another thriller, another a story for the millennial working class, another on the state of technology and its relationship to politics…

This is a story that asks the modern reader, “How much is too much?”

So, I read a lot. Maybe too much – at the same time. However, I find it easier to focus on the stories as I cycle through them. I do have to stop myself from adding books to the already growing list but alas… the fun never ends.

I hope you check out some of these books, if not all of them. I recommend them all equally and I hope I clearly outlined my favorite aspects of each.

More updates soon.

E