Nonfiction
Small Animals: Parenting in the Age of Fear by Kim Brooks
I finished this book in about a day because it was hard to put down. After leaving her four-year-old in a well-ventilated car within sight for a few minutes, Kim Brooks found herself under arrest and trapped in a system that believes every thing we do or don't do is a threat to our kids.
Small Animals is vastly researched while still being personal. It explores the sexism of most neglect claims, the statistical realities of risks to our children, and the consequences of living in a world that teaches us to fear everything all the time. Brooks' straight talk about anxiety will likely resonate with most parents, especially since it shapes our lives more than facts at times. I highly recommend.
A Big Important Art Book (Now With Women) by Danielle Krysa
I am still working my way through this one but wanted to include it. It would be a great gift for any art or book lover (I purchased it and I hardly ever purchase books). Current female artists are featured in each section, and assignments are also given to the reader to help him or her explore the creative side of life. It's beautiful, inspiring, and well written.
The Great American Read: The Book of Books by PBS
This was a fun book that I was able to scan instead of go through thoroughly. It lists and summarizes 100 books that are considered great reads for a variety of reasons. I skipped the ones I had already read and instead added more books to my list that I haven't gotten around to yet. I wasn't taken with every recommendation, but it was still a worthwhile read. It's a great reference for any book lover.
Hygge and West Home: Design for a Cozy Life by Christiana Coop, Aimee Lagos, James Carriere
The word hygge is in the title, so of course I had to read this one. Hygge and West is written by the owners of the Hygge and West company, something I didn't know existed until I read this book. They interviewed people whose homes have a hygge-like feel to find out what they value when designing a place to live. What I loved is the advice is just like hygge in that it's specific to each person.
Some people recommended leaving all walls white while others swore by color. Some said a small home where everything is close is best while others said space was essential. Everyone was right because creating a hygge environment is about finding what is cozy and right for the individual.
The pictures were lovely, and I savored this one.
There Will Be No Miracles Here by Casey Gerald
I read this book early in the month, and it took me a while to get through. However, I never lost interest. Gerald's memoir explores his life as a gay black man growing up in the south who finds himself at Yale for college. Gerald explains the allure and trap of playing football, family issues, and adjusting to life at Yale. Finding his way through tragedy helps him see himself clearly, and he is wonderful when giving readers perspective on a variety of issues.
And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready by Meaghan O'Connell
This was one of my first reads of the month, so I remember more how it struck me than the details. It was an honest, hilarious, and shattering view of motherhood when it is thrust upon a woman who wasn't planning it. It details her experiences while pregnant, how her relationship changes, and the struggle of staying yourself while becoming a mother. Very enjoyable.
Feminasty: The Complicated Woman's Guide to Surviving the Patriarchy Without Drinking Herself to Death by Erin Gibson
This book was put in my hands by a friend and I fell hard for it. Hilarious, accurate, and well-researched, Erin Gibson explores all the ways females can live in a world that offers us Mike Pence, periods, and a variety of other women-torture devices. D caught me laughing so hard at this one that I had trouble breathing, but I was also deeply disturbed by how stuck we still are in a patriarchal world.
This book is for everyone, so go read it now.
Everything's Trash, but It's Okay by Phoebe Robinson
Phoebe Robinson made me a fan after her first book, You Can't Touch My Hair. She brings research and humor, true stories and knowledge. No subject is off limits, from money to sex to racism, and she uses her comedic abilities to tackle hard topics with perfect results.
My friend said, "Phoebe is challenging me. I don't want to just say I'm a feminist. I want to be one and do the right thing according to that." It is so hard to write work this funny, so the fact that it has such a strong impact as well is nothing short of a miracle.
Fiction
Those Who Knew by Idra Novey
When we know someone has the ability to be violent, what is our responsibility? That is the question at the center of Those Who Knew. The death of a young woman who knew her former lover leaves Lena wondering if she should have made known what he did to her years ago or if it would have made a difference.
This book was captivating and hard to put down, but the ending felt anticlimactic. The whole book felt like it was building towards something, but I guess I didn't feel as satisfied as I expected when I turned the last page. I felt the same way about Severance, and I would still recommend both books because they were great stories.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Taking a myriad of pills prescribed by the worst psychiatrist in the world, the narrator of this story decides she needs some time to herself. She has the money to hibernate until she makes it through whatever it is she's experiencing, so she attempts a year of drug-induced rest with frightening results.
Set in 2000, this book offers a personal story of discovery in the shadows of the last pre-9/11 days. It's a hard book to categorize, but I enjoyed it.
Graphic Novel
The Three Escapes of Hanna Arendt: A Tyranny of Truth by Ken Krimstein
This is a hard book to review because I loved it and also feel unqualified to explain why because I am so unfamiliar with philosophy. This was my introduction to Hannah Arendt and, in true book overlap style, I have now started running across her name everywhere.
This graphic novel explores her life in three parts and breaks down her beliefs, their genesis and evolution, for those of us who didn't major in philosophy. I am excited to read books by her and further understand how he she thought. This book does a great job of illustrating her life and all that she offered to the world.
Poetry
If They Come for Us by Fatimah Asghar
Poetry has a way of opening me up and then slaughtering me. Asghar's book is a great example. It's beautifully written, female-focused, and shattering. I sat on the front porch one night and tried to absorb the words, needing every intake of breath just to make it through.
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