I have the sneaking suspicion that I actually read more books that I am able to list here and just forgot to note them on Goodreads and then they evaporated from my mind. And yes, I am worried about a potentially accelerated cognitive decline-- WHY DO YOU ASK?
Anyway, onto the tl;dr:
Least favorites
13. Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by KM Weiland: Maybe any book about this would be un-fun to read?
12. Never Lie by Frieda McFadden: These books are terrible, and yet I keep listening to them? **audio**
11. The Surrogate Mother by Frieda McFadden: **hangs head in shame** **audio**
Liked but did not love these
10. Private Equity by Carrie Sun: Very gossipy and compelling-- a solid memoir. **2024
9. Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum: A very entertaining listen **audio**
8. Rebecca, Not Becky by Christina Platt and Catherine Wigginton Greene: School drama, mom drama, stereotypes galore! This was so fun to listen to. **audio**
7. Anita DeMonte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez: One of those rare books where I like both stories/timelines equally. **2024
6. She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubicka: Was this twisty or just full of plot holes and missing key details? HARD TO SAY WITH THIS AUTHOR. **2024
A BUNCH OF REALLY GOOD BOOKS OMG
5. Babel by RF Kuang: Well, after reading this and Yellowface, the common theme emerges clearly: WHITE WOMEN ARE THE FREAKING WORST. **audio
4. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez: YES-- the cutest romance-- loved it **2024 **audio
3. Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering: OH I LOVED THIS SO MUCH. A little Ingrid Goes West and a lot of friend drama. **2024**
2. Who's Afraid of Gender by Judith Butler: THIS WAS SO GREAT. I love that they went with a popular press as opposed to an academic one because they were able to be more conversational and to make more sweeping arguments than an academic press might allow. This is a GREAT book and spends such a lot of careful time unpacking what's going on with TERF as well as broader conservative movements, LOVED IT. **2024**
1. Annie Bot by Sierra Greer: Oh this weird, scary, funny, devastating little book! You should read it, **2024**
The stats
This month: 13 books
Audio: 6
Print or digital: 7
This year: 57
Audio: 28
With my eyes: 29
Well this reminded me to note my two current reads in Goodreads, so thank you!
ReplyDeleteI just listened to McFadden's The Coworker and enjoyed it quite a lot. Her books are very hit and miss for me, and Never Lie was one big eye roll for me, but I thought The Coworker was fun.
Adding a bunch of your reads to my TBR!
I haven't read ANY of these. I have read a Megan Miranda, though, and I know what you mean. I will read the last two for sure.
ReplyDeleteBecause I almost exclusively read on my Kindle which automatically links to my goodreads profile, I don't have to rely on my memory - and thank goodness for that!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of these but the gender one is really appealing!
Wow. Usually, I'm lucky if I've read a book or two on your list, and this time it's FIVE!
ReplyDeleteI loved the Butler too! Very conversational as you say, and many chapters can be stand-alone readings. Love, love the way they reconsider many of their earlier positions (such as performativity, which was 35 years ago, as they point out), while also acknowledging that they have "moved along" and were perhaps "inexcusably belated."
I remember the colonialism and white fragility of _Babel_, was there a WW problem as in _Yellowface_ too? I forget!
They were betrayed by their rich white friend
Delete(that was me) Also-- I think I still like their initial concept of gender as compulsory performance, but it was one of those things that was not totally understood with correct nuance but taken up anyway-- you know? Like Crenshaw's legal definition of intersectionality and Maria Lugones' idea of world traveling
DeleteOh, yes--that did happen in Babel.
DeleteI think back in the rushing-into-theory days, lots of stuff got misinterpreted. I'll never forget someone going to town on Heisenberg's "Uncertainty Principle" based on what it sounds like in English versus what it means in physics!
Babel!! I loved it more than anything.
ReplyDelete*hangs head in shame* I know this feeling well. I honestly don't even admit to some of the trash I read on my blog. LOL.
I liked Babel a lot but have not read Yellowface. It's on my (enormous) TBR though. The Judith Butler sounds REALLY interesting!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to love Babel, and I liked it well enough, but didn't love it. I did like the crazy ending though!
ReplyDelete