December happened to turn out as the month of reading thought-provoking books! This month, I’ve really started to think about my own novel, and how I want to structure it. Looking back on all the books I read this month, I can see each one having a significant impact on my own writing and storytelling. I hope you find some value in these reviews, and maybe they’ll help you find your next favorite read!
Walking to Listen: 4,000 Miles Across America, One Story at a Time - Andrew Forsthoefel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I picked this book up in a local book store, after skimming the back and seeing that it was written by a local author. After reading the first few pages, I realized this book was very similar to what I wanted to do one day and explored the heavy questions that have been staring me in the face since I stepped out into the world in my early twenties. Andrew Forsthoefel chronicles his journey of walking across America, with a sign on his backpack that reads “Walking to Listen.” He reveals the difficult, existential questions he’s been wrestling with while incorporating the stories and lives of Americans all across the country who open their doors and their hearts to him. As someone who has always wanted to travel and listen to peoples’ stories, this book struck a nerve with me. If you’re at all questioning your future, your place in this world, or feeling like the future of humanity is hopeless, I highly recommend giving this a read.
Know My Name - Chanel Miller [unrated]
This book is unrated because I follow the practice of not rating memoirs. I’m fairly late to reading this book, as it was published in 2019, but having remembered the trials and news about this case, reading Chanel’s story brought it all back to me in a new light. This book is an incredible piece of writing and I can’t even imagine how painful it was to sit down and actually write it. Listening to the audiobook only enhanced the experience, as it was read by Chanel herself. It’s powerful and important, and I think everyone should take the time to read it at some point in their life.
Ask Again, Yes - Mary Beth Keane ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There are two things I’m finding I love about fiction novels — when they have multiple character perspectives and when they follow the lives of people over decades. This book had both! The novel begins by following Francis and Brian, two NYPD cops who were partners for a brief stint and end up moving next to each other with their families. Not only do their lives become intertwined, but so do their children’s. This novel explores many difficult topics ranging from mental illness, tragedy, cancer, affairs, addiction, and more. It focuses on the trials we face in life and the strength it takes to forgive one another and move forward. This book had a profound impact on me and I loved the way that Keane made every one of her characters real people with real faults. Highly recommend!
November 9 - Colleen Hoover ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was really excited to read this book, after seeing it mentioned literally everywhere. The story follows two young adults who make an agreement to meet on the same date every year (November 9th) after one of them decides to move across the country from the other. Let me start out by saying, I love this premise. In the first half of the book, I loved how it was structured as the telling of their lives through an interaction on a single day. It was interesting to see how much had changed in their lives, and how much had stayed the same. I felt like the premise alone was interesting enough without having to tie in Ben writing a book about it. However, this book lost me after the first half. The way Hoover tried to create a mystery and connect Ben and Fallon’s stories together even deeper felt too forced to me. The happy ending felt fake, rushed, and unrealistic. Overall, I enjoyed the premise and first half of this book, but I felt severely let down by the second half.
Beautiful World, Where Are You - Sally Rooney ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I hate buying hardcover books, so I waited for months for this to become available as an ebook through my library (I also hate buying ebooks). Anyways, I’m so happy I finally got to read it! I love the way Rooney writes about the most typical and mundane parts of life in a way that’s still engaging and interesting. None of the relationships in this book are particularly magnificent, none are intense love stories with perfect, happy endings. I absolutely love reading about normal, average people living normal, average lives and yet still highlighting the incredible and heartbreaking things that can happen to them. I absolutely loved this book, and I’ve just started reading Conversations With Friends, as well, which happened to become available at my library immediately after I finished BWWAY! Highly, highly recommend.
What have you been reading this month? Do you want to go pick up any of these books now? Let me know!