I joined a book group at work because I heard Robin DiAngelo speak recently at a conference and I liked what she had to say. The book group was arranged around DiAngelo’s book, What Does it Mean to be White? Developing White Racial Literacy. The book, while somewhat hard to read (not because of the writing, but because of the content) is a must-read for anyone struggling to figure out what is happening in the US right now and why racism is so perplexing and systemic. I “pen-in-handed” the text and have so many sticky-notes throughout the book that it would be impossible for anyone else to pick it up and read it. That’s how good and thought-provoking it is. It’s a must-read in my opinion.

Here are some favorites (but you really need to read the whole book to “get it”)…

“Racism is a system of unequal social, cultural, and institutional power – not individual acts of prejudice.”

“We need to build the capacity to sit with the discomfort and pain of the story rather than…sweep it away with denial, minimalism, and invalidation.”

“…the best antidote to guilt is accountability and corrective action.”

“Anti-racist education seeks to interrupt relations of racial inequality by enabling people to identify, name, and challenge the norms, patterns, structures, and traditions that keep racism and white supremacy in place.”

As I have said before, I love Alice McDermott. While her books are quiet, they are beautiful pieces and enjoyable reads. The Ninth Hour is much like her other works, focused on the Irish experience in New York. The story is told by the children and grandchildren of the main characters, which is an interesting structural choice and one that works well. We begin with the suicide of a husband soon-to-be father. His wife, Annie, ends up becoming employed by a Catholic order of nuns. She brings her daughter, Sally, to work with her until Sally is old enough to go to school. And, then we follow Sally’s life as well. While I would not describe this story as an edge of the seat kind of experience, there’s enough drama to keep you reading.

I love Elizabeth Berg for writing solid, enjoyable stories. And The Story of Arthur Truluv is no exception. Arthur recently lost his wife and spends most days having lunch with her at the cemetery. While there, he befriends a lost teenager. And, their triad is complete with their relationship with Arthur’s neighbor, Lucille. It’s a heartwarming quick read that you’ll blaze through.

Before Reese Witherspoon picked The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine as her December book club pick, I had chosen it on the recommendation of a reader of this blog. So, it was a doubly good choice! I was skeptical at first, and thought the storyline was a bit far-fetched, but once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. Amber has designed a complicated plan to acquire wealthy Jackson Parrish by befriending his wife, Daphne. And that’s all I want to tell you because it’s more fun to learn what happens by reading. It’s a great lose-yourself book.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid has been on more lists than I can count lately. And, while I read the description and thought, “that’s not for me,” I was finally convinced by the NYT’s 10 Best Books of the Year List that I should try it. After all, if Pachinko (reviewed here) was on it, I should reconsider. As an aside, I have also added The Power by Naomi Alderman to my TBR list based on the NYT List. Has anyone read it already and liked it? Exit West was good, but not great for me. I liked the omniscient voice and the central story of Nadia and Saeed falling in love and ultimately having to flee their country of origin (in an unorthodox and fantastical way), but the little side stories didn’t fit in and took away from my full enjoyment of the story. Ultimately, the writing was beautiful, but the story went in too many directions.

I received a most thoughtful and delightful gift of a personally autographed copy of Anne Fadiman’s The Wine Lover’s Daughter (photo is of title page – how amazing is that inscription?!). I love Anne Fadiman. If you have not had the pleasure, begin with Ex Libris, an absolute delight. This book too is a treat in every way. Designed with chapters that can function as individual pieces or read as a whole, it tells of Anne’s father, Clifton Fadiman (quite famous in the book world), his relationship with Anne, and his relationship with wine. I loved this book!

Sing, Unburied, Sing, by Jesmyn Ward, has been everywhere this season, so I was eager to pick it up and find out what all the hype was about. And, as has been the case for the past few weeks, I was disappointed. The book was lyrical, and beautifully written, without question, but I felt not only dispirited (probably part of the point) and unsettled but also unmoved by the story. The story is about families, specifically dysfunctional ones, and the ties of extended family members. The central story is of Jojo, thirteen, and his toddler-aged sister, who travel with their drug-addict mother and her friend to pick up Jojo’s father, Michael, from prison. Jojo’s mother, Leonie, is a mess, confused about herself, her life, and her relationship with her children and her children’s father. Ghosts play a part in the story as well. The story weaves in and out of time and between the perspectives of Leonie, Jojo, and a dead inmate from the prison. And, while I enjoyed the writing, ultimately, this was not a favorite.

Watch Me Disappear, by Janelle Brown, began as a somewhat satisfying way to spend a few hours. But as the book wore on, I became increasingly annoyed with the mother character, and I figured out the plot line before the mystery was uncovered. A year earlier, Billie Flanagan (a mom in Berkeley, CA), disappeared on a wilderness hike, and her body was never found. Billie’s daughter, Olive, begins to have weird hallucinations of her mother and believes that she must still be alive. And, while at first, her father doesn’t believe her, he too starts to doubt Billie’s death. As he and Olive delve into Billie’s past, they realize that they didn’t really know who she was at all. This story didn’t feel too original and wasn’t a favorite. The meh streak continues….

I resisted The Lying Game, by Ruth Ware, even after Reese Witherspoon picked it as a book club selection.While I liked In a Dark, Dark Wood (reviewed here), her next book, The Woman in Cabin 10 (reviewed here) was not as good. I liked The Lying Game, but I didn’t love it (following the trend of the last few weeks). The ending, however, did keep me up late one night. To begin this tale, a woman’s dog finds a human bone along an estuary. This discovery prompts Kate to text her three high school best friends, “I need you.” The friends come immediately to Kate’s aid, each one having spent their days since high school, covering up this death. The book had a somewhat original premise and a good rush-to-the-resolution ending, but it wasn’t great.

Hello Sunshine, by Laura Dave, was not a recent favorite. Even though I finished it, I wished I had given the book a pass. Hilariously, the post I wrote about her previous book, Eight Hundred Grapes, could have been the post for this book too. So I will quote myself: “I don’t usually say this, but I didn’t enjoy Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave. It wasn’t believable to me and the characters were too shallow. You knew right from the beginning what was going to happen and the story just felt meh to me. In fact, even writing about it feels meh. Too bad, because the premise had potential: [celebrity chef, Sunshine Mackenzie seems to have it all, and then she gets hacked and all her secrets are revealed to the world. As she falls from grace, her whole life gains perspective, shifts, and becomes more real] and she discovers what’s important in life. I’d give this one a pass if I were you…” Ha. Saved myself some time by copying and pasting that one! I’m not going to be grabbing any more of Laura Dave’s books, I’m afraid.