Book Report

[stormkeeper_lovedoris]

  

Future Tense by Tracy Dennis-Tiwary – Short book that I listened to on audio, about understanding anxiety and even using it and making friends with it. Though I can’t say the book changed my life – and damn the author uses a ton of examples from her family and kids (yawn) – perhaps this is the type of book that you just page through and adopt a few things that feel useful to you. One idea that resonated for me: A lot of anxiety is wrapped up in a failure to deal with uncertainty. Get better at handling uncertainty and the anxiety will likely decrease. Grade: 6

 

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff – I think I need to read everything she has written. I had another of her novels, “Matrix”, on a recent book report. This one is equally amazing. The story: a few hundred years ago in what is now the northeastern US, an unnamed indentured servant is brought with her “mistress” from England, their settlement slowly starves, she witnesses something horrible, and she flees. There’s so much more than the plot here, though I could not put the book down as I had to see if and how she would survive in “the vast wilds” alone. There is gorgeous writing (I love when the minister is described as beautiful and looking like “a feasted cat”), thoughts on love and life and identity, and a few very skilled flashbacks that give us the girl’s backstory and that feel like punches to the gut. Grade: 9

 

Build the Life You Want by Arthur C Brooks and Oprah Winfrey – Overall, I’d recommend this book. There’s a lot of good wisdom in here about ways to do what the title says. A lot of it rehits stuff from other books I’ve read, but that’s okay. It’s good to have reminders. Some aspects of the book were annoying. Like when the authors (and I want to say author, singular, as I am going to guess that Brooks wrote more of this than Winfrey) say that if you’re searching for a life partner, looks for compatibility over things like political views. That part actually makes a degree of sense to me, but more than once in the book, the authors say that politics is trivial. Okay, yeah, cishet white dude, maybe for YOU it is. There’s also a whole section on faith, which the authors begin by adamantly stating they are not trying to convert you to their beliefs, but then there be a whole lot of Christianity in this section. They do cover meditation and a broader view of spirituality, but I can’t help but to feel like this book is written for people like Mr Brooks. (Yo, cishet white Christian dudes). I’m actually disappointed that Oprah has her name attached to it? The authors could’ve done a better job at casting a wider net, I guess. And yet despite all of that….well, like I said, there’s some good wisdom in here too. Maybe approach the book like a cafeteria and just take the parts that make sense to you. Grade: 5

 

Bluebeard’s Castle by Anna Biller – What is this book. A feminist fantasy/horror? A send-up of gothic romance and mystery? A subversive take on modern romance? I don’t know, and all I can say is that I initially enjoyed the ride but the book and its protagonist quickly grew grating. Grade: 2

 

Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education by Stephanie Land – This is the author of the best-seller “Maid” (which Netflix turned into a miniseries). Stephanie Land seems to have the magic talent for hooking a reader! The book covers her final year of college when she’s raising a 5 year old, dealing with an abusive ex who has joint custody, barely able to keep a roof over her head, deals with government agencies who really never seem like they want to help at all, and gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby. It’s so wonderful to get a glimpse into someone’s life and mind. I’d have liked to read a chapter on her life after “Maid” but unfortunately we didn’t get that. I honestly don’t think I’d like Land as a person that much, but hey that’s not the point and she sure knows how to write! Grade: 8

Comments

[nytshd3]

I thought future tense looked good. I looked at the library app and they don't have it in their collection, boo. Does it give tips on how to deal with uncertainty?

Groff sounds like a great author! Always so good to find one that you enjoy (and are consistent!!)

I feel like the more kinda self-help/life tips/lifehacks/etc that you read, the more they all kind of blend together. I totally agree with taking some nuggets and leaving the rest. I am baffled that they would say 'politics is trivial', especially with Oprah signing off on it, and ESPECIALLY if it was not written in the pre-trump years.

LOL at "What is this book."

One of the things I always enjoyed about reading non-fiction was getting a glimpse into the life of people who are very different from me. Really interesting to read about how other people live.

THanks for sharing, as always!

[stormkeeper_lovedoris]

Re: "Future Tense", the answer is....sorta? I'd say this book isn't really a masterclass on dealing with uncertainty or anxiety but there are some good glimmers in here. Could you order the CDs and just listen to it when you drive? It's short so even if you don't drive much, you can eventually finish it.

Very true, it is just always fascinating to read about how other people live. Land's life is so different from mine and she....makes different decisions than I would've. Her work is never boring.