Even More December Reading

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This is the quintessential 'potato chip' book...completely addictive, no nutritional value, utterly delightful. The premise is outrageous - teenage girl Avery Grambs lives a rough life with her sister, occasionally protecting Libby from her abusive boyfriend, playing chess with the homeless guy in the park, and sometimes sleeping in her car. Yet one day Avery learns she is the sole heir to a billionaire's estate. Realistic, right? But honestly, who cares when the story is this addictive?! Avery then has to live In the Texas family mansion for a year, residing with the four grandsons and other family members who have been summarily disinherited. So yeah, let the games begin! Book two in this series cannot be released quickly enough.

A Sky Beyond the Storm (An Ember in the Ashes series) by Sabaa Tahir

This YA fantasy series snuck up on me four years ago, starting out with An Ember in the Ashes introducing the three main characters and the premise which is loosely based on the fall of the Roman Empire. I questioned how strong Laia, the slave girl, the Scholar, truly was - could she carry this series? I heartily disliked Helene, a Mask, a killer, a member of the aristocracy. And Elias, a soldier torn between the Tribes and his fellow Masks and his love for Laia, was he intriguing enough? Yet this four book series builds purposefully, showing how life experiences strengthens each character, how hatred of the 'Other' destroys a republic from within, and details the slow, insidious march of how a society falls (yes, it is rather topical and prophetic to the times we live in now). Tahir is a masterful storyteller, as well as a woman of color who deliberately peoples this series with characters of all colors, religions, sexual and gender identities, and cultural and socioeconomic background variety. THIS is the series we have all been looking for, after the righteous complaints of the very white-centric YA fantasy series popular in today's world. Highly highly recommend diving into this world - you won't be disappointed. (And if you've never tried YA fantasy, this one would be a great place to start!)

Memorial by Bryan Washington

Here was another book that had so many mixed reviews. On one hand, it was so critically acclaimed, yet many readers seemed torn by their feelings around the story line. It is a simple plot line - partners Mike and Benson have lived together for four years and now, Mike leaves for Japan to see his dying father, while Ben stays in Houston with Mike's mother Mitsuko. The characters, however, are far from simple, nor are the themes of loss, relationship struggles, how the past impacts our present, how family expectations form our psyche. I chuckled at the snarky quips from Mitsuko as she taught Benson how to cook, I cringed at some of Ben's decisions with another man, and I wept for Mike as he struggled with a relationship with a father he had not seen in fifteen years. I was uncomfortable many times, wondering 'How do I relate to this book?" But isn't that the point of reading? I admired Washington's ability to dig deep into each of these two men's souls, and to force me outside my box with a unique writing voice.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

A book about a book? Yep, I'm all in. Told in two perspectives, in two differing time periods, this is the story of the New York Public Library. Laura Lyons is the first occupant of the apartment in the library when it opens in 1914; a wife and mother, Laura has other dreams that are fed by her studies at Columbia as well as her entry into the life of suffragettes in Greenwich Village.  In 1993, her granddaughter, Sadie, is curating the new exhibit at the library and stumbles upon her grandmother's past. I enjoyed the mystery of the stolen books and the work of the early feminist movement, but could have cared less about Sadie and her love life. The writing style is fairly simplistic, making it a quick read, but ultimately, I wondered how memorable this book would be? Perhaps if Davis had focused solely on the earlier story, the beginnings of the research library, the struggles to make it as a female journalist, acceptance of a chosen lifestyle, I would have been more enamored? 

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦-𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩.”Beautiful book at the wrong time? Or not my style? Whatever it is, I struggled with this Booker Prize award winner. Partly, I think the title threw me off as I didn’t find it truly about a little boy named Shuggie. To me, it was more of a deep look into life in the Glasgow slums during the 1980’s, a time when mines were closing, working class people were struggling, gender inequality was rampant, and drinking away one’s problems was the best solution. I admired the writing, was depressed by the bleakness, and ultimately found myself wanting a deeper dive into Shuggie and his mother, Agnes, wanting to know the motivations, the ‘why’s’ of it all. Or maybe 2020 just had me in its grips and the wrenching sadness blinded me to the beauty of Shuggie? Admittedly, books like this with so little light (ie. Betty) are problematic for me. I understand it may be more realistic but hard for me this year. 

Eyes to the Wind: A Memoir of Love and Death, Hope and Resistance by Ady Barkan

Looking for some inspiration amongst the sadness, I highly recommend this audio book, from LibroFm, narrated by Bradley Whitford. I remember Ady Barkan, the man in the wheelchair who confronted Jeff Flake during the tax bill debate, who toured the halls of Congress during the ACA repeal debate, who suffers from ALS but does not let it define him. THIS is his story. It shows that Ady was a hero long before any video of him went viral, who fought for the people who most need a hand up, who pushed constantly at the powers who control all the levers, who loves his his family and shows us every facet of his life in this incredible memoir. High recommend!