A Look At July’s Reads
I read 13 books over the month of July, and while I enjoyed all of them I was particularly thrilled with my non-fiction reads so that is what this post focuses on (see my Goodreads for a list of my reads so far this year). If you scroll to the very bottom of the post there is a short summation of the rest of my July reads, but for now – please enjoy the highlights of my non-fiction reads in July.
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Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self Delusion
by Jia Tolentino
Talking politics or religion never seems to end well in-person (most of the time, I can count on one hand the number of people I can disagree with that react somewhat calmly to those topics). This is to our detriment, but you don’t have to worry about that with a book and in Trick Mirror Tolentine does exactly what the subtitle says and dives deep into a culture she both observes and participates in.
Using her own life experiences Tolentino looks at things from reality TV, the mega-church institutions in Texas, Amazon’s labor practices, rape, and modern feminism. Her critiques are well-thought out and full of detail. This is one piece of cultural criticism that is worth both a slow read and a re-read.
“Writing is either a way to shed my self delusions or a way to develop them. A well-practiced, conclusive narrative is usually a dubious one.”
– Jia Tolentino, Trick Mirror
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Dragon Hoops
by Gene Luen Yang
I saw this title and was momentarily thrilled that there was a graphic novel about dragons playing basketball. That assumption is technically not false, but the ‘dragons’ are a team – not the fantastical beasts with wings and fire breath.
That disappointment aside I found myself blowing through this at high speed. I normally don’t care about basketball, and I have minimal experience with non-fiction graphic novels. However, Yang managed to make this a fascinating book. I still don’t care about basketball, but I have a so much clearer perspective of those that do care. Despite not caring about the game, I still game to care for the people within these pages who do. A powerful non-fiction read that I would recommend to almost anyone – basketball fan or not.
“So here’s the thing about growing up: As you get older, you generally spend less and less time with people who aren’t your kind of people.”
– Gene Luen Yang, Dragon Hoops
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Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
by Allie Brosh
Humor isn’t often my cup of tea. Allie Brosh had me laughing so hard I almost cried more than once throughout this book. Some of the topics and happenings here are dark, but she manages to portray them in a way that makes them both human and instantly relateable.
Did I ever eat pepper and salt continuously as a child? No. Did I ever struggle with depression bad enough I couldn’t manage to shower? No. Do I own a dog? No.
Despite not having many life experiences in common with the author she managed to communicate well enough that I could imagine it. I will shove this book into your arms if you let me.
“I prepare for my new life as an adult like some people prepare for the apocalypse. The first day or two of my plans usually goes okay.”
– Allie Brosh, Hyperbole and a Half
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The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human
by Jonathan Gottschall
I love stories (I mean, hi – I have a book blog), but I have not often thought about why humans as a species focus on stories. Gottschall attempts to answer that why question. I did enjoy reading his attempt at an answer, although I found some parts lacking and in need of more in-depth exploration.
That being said this book brings up so many great questions, and hearing Gottschall perspective on them is invaluable. The theories brought up are great discussion points for anyone interested in stories.
“We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.”
– Jonathan Gottschall, The Storytelling Animal
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The Reading Life: The Joy of Seeing New Worlds Through Others’ Eyes
by C.S. Lewis
This is a collection of excerpts assembled from C.S. Lewis’s body of work. Lewis wrote and read prolifically, and assembling all of his writings on books and reading would result in a large text. This book is more of snapshot, but its contents are gems for readers who love books.
From reviews of specific texts such as Hamlet and The Hobbit to arguments for reading old books and children’s stories Lewis’s writings have not lost their relevance. He manages to make his point clearly and provide his rationale as if he simply having a conversation with the reader. Reading this small selection has me writing a list of the works these essays and letters are from so that I can look up their context in its entirety.
“The only imaginative works we ought to grow out of are those which it would have been better not to have read at all.”
– C. S. Lewis, The Reading Life
Outside of non-fiction I picked up poetry, science-fiction, a middle grade witch story, fantasy, and some Star Wars. I adored Shame is an Ocean I Swim Across by Mary Lambert – it had some ruthless poems within its pages. I am glad I gave Lang Leav a second chance with Sea of Strangers. I was worried that perhaps her poetry wasn’t for me, but it seems like I enjoy some of her work. I finally got around to Binti by Nnedi Okorafor as well, and it lived up to all the expectations I had of it. I had been seeing this sci-fi novella pop up as a recommendation from all sorts of folks for well over a year, and I am always happy when a read lives up to its reviews.
I managed to finish my arc of Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles before it was released, and it was quite a fun ride (I will be posting my full review of this particular book later). Eva Evergreen: Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe ended up being a fun, if not particular distinct, middle-grade adventure read focusing on a witch struggling to come into her own. The Ten Thousand Doors of January actually disappointed me a bit. It has some great parts, but it didn’t sweep me off my feet like I was expecting from all the gushing reviews. I still liked it, but in terms of reads I would deem ‘magical’ it fell short.
Reading a short story collection can feel like a gamble, but Star Wars: A Certain Point of View kept me entertained. There were storm-trooper stories, paper pusher stories, monster stories, and droid stories – all in different styles. It was nice to get some bite sized Star Wars content, and I am now looking forward to the next collection. I rounded off the month with Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, which had been on tbr list for an embarrassing amount of time. I wasn’t expecting a book cult when I started, but I still sped through this story excited to get to the end.
That’s all for this month folks – hope you had some great reads yourself!
