Book Report

[stormkeeper_lovedoris]

 Lots of books by dudes this time!

 

The Comfort Book by Matt Haig  - Got this from a Little Free Library. It’s “nothing fancy”, just a collection of very short chapters, each with some wisdom on getting through life. I found plenty in here to dog-ear and make a note of. Much as I’d like to pass this along to someone else, I think I will keep it by my bedside and return to it occasionally. Grade: 7

 

The Words That Remain by Senio Gardel – Fiction about a gay man in Brazil who comes out, is rejected by his family, and is determined to find his own path. He’s illiterate, and before he flees town, his lover gives him a letter. Decades later, he is finally learning to read and he still has the letter. I had trouble with the long, almost stream-of-conscious paragraphs/dialog blocks. And too many of the characters sounded like each other; I don’t think the author differentiated them well. (The book was a National Book Award Winner though, so I guess I totally missed something.) Grade: 4

 

Fuck Feelings by Michael Bennett and Sarah Bennett – A book of practical advise written by a therapist and his comedian daughter. They break it down into different challenges. Each chapter has a section on “Here’s what you wish for and can’t have” and “Here’s what you can actually do”. There’s a lot more to it than that obv. The advice seemed very practical and useful. Grade: 7

 

Failure is Not Not An Option by Patrick Hinds –  The subtitle is “How the chubby gay son of a Jesus-obsessed lesbian found love, family, and podcast success….and a bunch of other stuff.” This was a very fun memoir. The author came from a financially-strapped family and apparently hit it big with a true-crime podcast. I loved his anecdotes. The book is funny, easy, and he loves lesbians. I actually wanted more! Grade: 8

 

These Precious Days by Ann Patchett – I listened to this collection of essays on audio, and it’s read by the author. Damn she’s a good storyteller! Wikipedia says she’s 10 years older than I am, and I felt like I was in the hands of a wise, cool, successful older sister full of tips and good tales. Okay, not every essay is a winner (I skipped the ones on Snoopy and on her husband’s flying airplanes hobby – meh). But there are so many great ones in here. Especially when she writes about being childless, and people’s reactions to it. And her lifelong friendship with Tavia, and how an encounter with Tom Hanks led to a friendship that changed her life. Grade: 7