It’s been a month since we all last met. In that time, Tanya fixed my website (thanks, Tanya), I watched all 16 episodes of The Boys (do NOT recommend if violence bothers you; 8/10 do recommend if you can stand it), made note of at least 8 books to buy next year because let’s face, I’m not getting shit from NetGalley, and woke up past 8:00 a.m. TWICE.
I live fucking huge, you guys. But I did figure out how to make hot chocolate bombs so there is that. And I read 6 books so hooray for me.
Let’s recap the books in no particular order except the order that I remember that I read them without using Goodreads to cheat.
Find Layla by Meg Elison. This is a YA novel that will absolutely break your heart, especially if you struggle with reading about issues like neglect, bullying, and addiction. The author got a lot right (from my experience working with DFS) and some stuff wrong but let’s just say my daughter wants to read the book now and that’s high praise from my kid (for real. She doesn’t like reading).
The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin. I’ve been trying to figure out why I struggle with certain things so I retook her Four Tendencies quiz (still a rebel) and decided maybe the book would give me some additional insight. It did but it also didn’t. I learned a lot about my tendency, as well as my kid’s, but I don’t know that it wasn’t anything I couldn’t have gotten from her website or podcast. Read it depending on how you learn.
Make Them Cry by Smith Henderson and Jon Marc Smith. Fine. This book was fine. I feel like at times it had a lot of words that went nowhere and I kind of wish everything was a little more developed but it was a decent enough book. I think I enjoyed Fourth of July Creek a little more, though, so if you’re dying to read one of his books, read that one instead.
Rural Voices edited by Nora Carpenter. The best way I can describe this is a YA-antidote to the abomination that is Hillbilly Elegy (which, the more removed I become from the reading of it, the less I like it. Also, the movie is shit. Don’t see it. I watched it so you don’t have to). It’s an almost-lovesong to small and rural towns, told through short stories written by different authors who all bring their unique perspective to everything. Like any short story collection, some are great, some are not but it was a good book. If you’re on the fence, go for it and skip the stories you don’t like.
My Darkest Prayer by S.A. Cosby. In case you missed it on IG, Blacktop Wasteland is one of my favorite books of the year, and finding out he has other books was super exciting (he’s also one of the authors in Rural Voices). This book is violent and brutal and interesting and graphic and my biggest gripe is that the proofreader at the publishing company made some seriously glaring errors. But they’re not worth not reading the book. He’s a great storyteller if you like those kinds of stories. Which I do.
Zikora by Chimimanda Ngoza Adichie. This spectacular little novel/short story fails only in its brevity. It’s free on Amazon. Get it and read it.
TL; DR: Zikora and Find Layla are this month’s must-reads. Maybe My Darkest Prayer depending on your stomach for violence. Do what you will with the rest.
Currently reading Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson (the sequel to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder).
OK. Now it’s your turn to link up and show us your books! Don’t forget to visit my co-host Steph and mark your calendars for both December 29 for our yearly favorites linkup and January 12, 2021 for the first SUYB of next year.
I’m in the minority and really dislike everything Gretchen Rubin after reading The Happiness Project. BUT, I just got Zikora on your recommendation and added Find Layla so looking forward to those! Sad to hear about Hillbilly Elegy- I was actually still on the fence about that one since I love books turned movie/series.
Dani recently posted…November Reads
The Four Tendencies is going on my TBR list right now.
I’ve heard so much about her books and haven’t read one yet! Going to change that in 2021!
This year (after March) I thought I’d read so much more (hasn’t happened). 6 books in one month is awesome 🙂
I want to know how to make hot chocolate bombs!
I have never heard of any of these books. Wow.
Confuzzled Bev recently posted…What I read in November 2020
I’m impressed you can remember what you read without looking at Goodreads!
Jill+K recently posted…Friday Top Five
I love listening to Gretchen and Elizabeth’s podcast “Happier”! I generally like podcasts and I appreciate that she give practical, actionable advice. I’m guessing you’ve also read Gretchen Rubin’s other books?
Umm what are hot chocolate bombs?? Do I need this in my life? I just grabbed Zikora from Amazon, thanks for that! Sounds really interesting. I will add Find Layla to my list.
Nadine recently posted…Books
I read Rural Voices, thought it was pretty interesting!
I read (& only read) Zikora this month. It was beautiful. It struck me in such a different way than it would’ve before having M. I recommend it, too!
Audrey recently posted…What I Read…
Rural Voices I could get on board with. I refuse to read Hillbilly Elegy and the movie seems like trash.
I found Better than Before to be more helpful about the tendencies than the actual Four Tendencies book. Overall, I’ve thought about her tendency framework SO MANY TIMES so I know the concepts have seeped into my life a bit but I’m not a diehard fan. Going to check out Zigora!
Heather recently posted…Walking in a Bookish Wonderland (Short Book Reviews for December)
I mean…Zikora. LOL. Ahh. Sorry.
Heather recently posted…Walking in a Bookish Wonderland (Short Book Reviews for December)
Shocker that I feel the same way about Hillbilly Elegy – loved it at first, but I’m with you on current feelings. Just got Zikora, and hope to dive into it today.
Macy check out Zikora. A short story is just what my attention span needs 😉 Thanks for sharing, and enjoy your holidays!
Becki recently posted…12 Days of Christmas – Day 8
I was a big fan of the Four Tendencies book, but I think that is fitting for being an upholder and general type-a person who likes to put things in categories 🙂 Of course my husband said something like , “What is this framework? What authority does this person have?” and was immediately pegged as the questioner that he is.
My Darkest Prayer sounds, well, a little dark for me – but I’m still very much looking forward to getting my hands on the copy of Blacktop Wasteland that I gave to my dad for his birthday because I thought he’d like it and also because I wanted to read it…
Thanks for hosting!
Anne recently posted…wearing lately: coat outfits, v. 3
Find Layla is going on the list. Thanks for keeping the linkup going this year – sure helped to have a bit of normalcy in the midst of everything weird.
Karly
https://www.whatkarlysaid.com
Karly recently posted…What I Read in November 2020 + Reviews
Happy to help get your website working again. 🙂 I wish that I had read something last month but womp – I did not. I keep religiously checking out books from my library but return them unread. And yes, I’m the jerk who keeps them the full 3 weeks too. I feel like my reading mojo will miraculously come back … say January 20th. 🙂 For some reason, I thought your daughter DID like to read, so it’s definitely high praise when a non-reader wants to read something. I had Blacktop Wasteland but never read it. Some day!
I have heard a lot of similar reviews of Hillbilly Elegy and that the movie is absolute trash, but I would love a love song to the small towns. (Although. Gilmore Girls really did set my bar too high before I personally moved to a small town and I was SEVERELY disappointed at the lack of zany town hall meetings…)
Kasey recently posted…Show Us Your Books – What I Read in October/November
I have also grown an attitude toward Hillbilly Elegy the further I get from it. I liked it when I read it.
I just downloaded Zikora
I’m reading Americanah right now and it is SO good, so I will definitely have to check out Zikora. I’ve never read anything by her that I didn’t like. I love Gretchen Rubin but feel similarly about the Four Tendencies book. I feel like I learned enough about that concept from her Better Than Before Book + quiz + podcast and didn’t need a whole book about it. But I do love the concept and find it to be so relevant to so many parts of life.
Shea recently posted…books to read {december reading round-up}
I am currently waiting for Find Layla and excited to read it. Rural Voices also sounds really good. I didn’t mind Hillbilly Elegy at the time I read it but I thought the movie was sort of meh… not one of my favorites.
Megan recently posted…recent reads | november
Not a bad reading month! I haven’t read any of these, but The Four Tendencies is one that I hope to read soon. I liked what I’ve read in the past.
-Lauren
ShootingStarsMag recently posted…Mightier Than the Sword: The Edge of the Word (Book Review + Giveaway)
I need to reread The Four Tendencies, I think I might actually have a copy of it, I can’t remember which one I am! Adding Rural Voices to my list. If there’s one thing instagram is making me want, it’s the hot chocolate bombs & I’m not even a big hot chocolate person usually.
I need to reread The Four Tendencies, I think I might actually have a copy of it, I can’t remember which one I am. Adding Rural Voices to my list. If there’s one thing instagram is making me want, it’s the hot chocolate bombs & I’m not even a big hot chocolate person usually.
The 4 tendencies are so amazing to me. I’m an upholder in every single sense of the word! Thanks for hosting!!