November 2020 Reads

In November of 2020 I read five books. Three of them were fiction, and two were nonfiction. None of them were all-stars in my mind, although a couple I think I just read at the wrong time, and would like more if I were in a different mood.

The Library Book, by Susan Orlean:
This book was good. I am not as interested in the true crime aspects of it, but enjoyed the tales of libraries and the people that inhabit them. Makes me think about the increasingly important spot libraries sit in as one of the few remaining free places it is acceptable to just be, and the services they provide. Makes me appreciate all the good work Adam does at Libraries Without Borders. 65/100

The Unreal and the Real, vol. 2, by Ursula Le Guin:
I had never read Le Guin before, and I found this to be a mixed bag. I struggle to get engaged in books of short stories or essays, and I found that here. Some of the tales I really liked, but I read this mostly for one story, “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas,” and I found that one disappointing which was disappointing. Le Guin seems, from her introduction and other snippets I have read, very focused on genre for someone who thinks genre isn’t a super useful distinction. I tend to agree with her.

Many of these stories seemed to come from Le Guin questioning our society, and so setting up an alien society that differs in some way and seeing how it plays out. I am glad she has found a structure that allows her to interrogate those questions and share her results with us. 60/100

The Girl Who Smiled Beads, by Clemantine Wamariya:
A true story of resilience. This book was excellent; I loved the structure, which wove together past and present until they joined, and I loved the writing. This book had a stark focus on what “genocide” means to a person, not a people. Both perspectives are important in the world, but it’s a good reminder to treat people like people, not as one of a people. “When I spoke, I could make people feel like they cared and listened, and yet even the kindest individuals with the best intentions rarely made room in their minds for the particular person I was. “ 83/100

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, by Ocean Vuong:
This book was probably objectively better than what I got out of it. The writing is so poetic, and given that he “starts with truth, and ends with art,” this often read like non-fiction, it was so realistic and personal.

This book stands in contrast to Transcendent Kingdom, for me, as they both loosely are about addiction. Whereas Transcendent Kingdom felt somewhat contrived to me, like Gyasi knew the concept but not the story then put it together, this book felt genuine and raw. Vuong treats addiction as part of a varied life, and somehow centers it and makes it not the only thing. I appreciated this treatment. 77/100

A Children’s Bible, by Lydia Millet:
A quick, fun read. Unlike any reading I have ever done about climate change, this book just puts it in your face. One day, climate change is going to get so bad our world will become unrecognizable. This book contains that day. There are biblical allusions left and right and I’m sure many I missed, but it’s hard to put them together into the narrative of the bible. I really liked reading this, and think I will come back to it again at some point. 75/100