Six Great Reads
Now that we’re well into the semester, summer is a distant memory. Those days of soaking up the warm sunshine, 9 p.m. sunsets and constant ice cream cravings seem far away. For me, this summer was extremely hot (not in a good way), but also lots of fun. I worked at my school’s writing center for a large chunk of the summer. And luckily for me, that job was coupled with ample time for reading.
1. Paradise by Toni Morrison
This was my fourth Morrison novel, a journey that started my senior year of high school when my English class read Sula. To this day, Sula remains my favorite of hers. However, there’s no such thing as a bad Toni Morrison book.
Paradise centers on a fictional all-Black town, Ruby, founded by descendants of freed slaves. It is a patriarchal community based on rigidly enforced moral law and fear. However, there exists a group of exiled women living in an abandoned convent just outside of Ruby that challenge the moral status quo.
The novel begins with a chilling first line that Toni Morrison was so skilled at crafting: “They shoot the white girl first.” It is a story about violence but more than that, it’s about the reverberations of historical violence and myth.
I found this novel to be sociologically fascinating. It centers around the concept of a safe-haven’s exclusivity, and how a safe haven can only be safe for certain people. And who are those people? Who regulates this? Morrison illustrates how mechanisms of oppression are recycling in different contexts.
Each line was written beautifully. This is an expertly crafted story. Something you could read again and again and you’d ingest a new meaning each time.
2. TO THE LIGHTHOUSE BY VIRGINIA WOOLF
Years ago, I read Virgina Woolf’s Ms. Dalloway and I was struck by her stream of consciousness style of writing. It was unlike any style I had previously read at the time. While in To the Lighthouse Woolf maintains similar stylistic tendencies, I found this novel to be more intimately emotional.
To the Lighthouse centers on a summer home in Scotland; the home of the Ramsy family. They spend every summer in this holiday home. But as time goes on, lives change. Family members die, dynamics change and what once felt like forever is poignantly temporary.
You know when you’re reading something intimate from the past – like an old love letter — and there’s a thought or feeling depicted in it that you’ve had before? And then you’re like “wow these human feelings are timeless?!” That’s exactly how this whole novel felt to read. I found the descriptions — of people and setting — to be precise. I particularly enjoyed the observations about mortality, change, time and gender roles.
It’s a story really about change and how we as humans navigate that. While reading this I was going through a time of change and grief myself, so it felt like the perfect book to read. It’s funny how books find you at just the right time.
3. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
This was definitely my favorite book of the summer. I couldn’t put it down! I was in awe of Angelou’s writing skill and emotional vulnerability.
This is a memoir of Angelou’s childhood. It captures both the blissful naivety of childhood and the harsh reality of bigotry. Angelou’s childhood is characterized by turmoil with multiple cross-country moves, various kinds of parental abandonment, abuse and freedom.
It is an incredible story of resilience, love, motherhood and strength. Not only was I astounded by the story, but the writing was immaculate! Her imagery, metaphors and crisp neat lines, each word was carefully selected. She has an incredible way of combining poignancy, humor and truth in this memoir. She uses her own coming of age as a lens to illustrate the conditions in which young black women grow up in America — it’s very impactful.
After reading this, I went through a period of slight obsession with Maya Angelou. I watched countless interviews of her spewing wisdom in a perfectly articulated and intelligent way. While reading this at the writing center, one of my co-workers, Hayley, informed me that it’s only the first of seven memoirs. She has many more memoirs of other points in her life that aren’t as famous as this one. Consider those added to my TBR!
4. Bunny by Mona Awad
I was lended Bunny by my roommate who read it and recommended it to me. She described it as unlike any other novel she had read. I had seen it on social media a few years back and was curious; it definitely was not what I imagined.
The novel follows a MFA student at New England’s Warren University, Samantha, and her fellow cohort members who call themselves the “Bunnies.” When Samantha receives an invitation to one of Bunnies’ parties, she becomes pulled into their off-putting world, abandoning her best friend Ava.
I found this reading experience completely disorienting. The story is totally absurd and extremely creative. The metaphorical ties to female friendship dynamics was intriguing and even a bit funny. Awad does a great job displaying the complexities of these dynamics without merely transcribing them. It’s a well done piece of fiction.
However, I can’t say I enjoyed reading the novel. The dark comedy and horror undertone of the novel didn’t resonate with me. Just not my cup of tea! I think I’ll still read the sequel because my roommate said that it was better than this. I’ll keep you posted…
5. all about love: new visions by bell hooks
I completely adored this book. In fact, I think it should be required reading. While reading this, I was deep in the world of Love Island and I came up with a genius idea for a challenge. I call it The Book Club Challenge. All islanders must read this book, cover to cover, and work with their couple to write a reflection to present to the group. Whichever couple has the most thoughtful reflection (judged by Dr. Orna from Couples Therapy) receives a night in the Hideaway. It would make for very boring TV, but it would surely improve the islanders’ quality of life. I can already hear Iain saying “Will hooks be the one text nobody survives?”
all about love is a collection of essays about, you guessed it, love! hooks examines her own search for emotional connection and society’s failure to provide a model for learning love. The chapters explore various aspects and forms of love while unpacking dominant socio-cultural ideologies. It’s dense, but very easy to read. hooks write so powerfully and directly. I know I’ll be coming back to this one and re-reading it again and again.
6. The Guest by Emma Cline
I finished out my summer by reading a book set during one singular Labor Day weekend. It had a great late summer atmosphere, with the combination of fun, reflective and ever so subtly unnerving.
The novel follows a young woman named Alex who drifts through Long Island with nothing but a gift for charm. She takes couch surfing to an extreme, hopping from one stranger to another in order to survive.
I found the premise of this novel to be extremely compelling; however, I wasn’t necessarily captivated by the plot. Very little is revealed about the main character, something I later learned while watching an interview with the author was actually a thoughtful decision. But this causes some character flattening and decreases my investment in her journey. However, I did find the commentary about gender and class roles to be interesting to analyze. I could see this book being an interesting subject matter for a feminist theory thesis of some sort.
I’m missing the days when I had ample time to read for pleasure. Now, I spend most of my reading energy with my nose in academic articles. However, I still try to make time for reading when I can. It’s a beautiful way to explore the world and all the possibilities that float amidst us.