May 2021 Book Recap
If I were forced at gunpoint to tell you my favorite nonfiction author, I’d *probably* say Ben Macintyre. He brings to life edge of your seat, real life spy tales that read like movie scripts—even better because it actually happened. *Operation Mincemeat* and *Rogue Heroes* are completely engrossing, often stranger than fiction. Although my favorite Macintyre book is still *The Spy and the Traitor*, these two are not far behind.
“The plan was born in the mind of a novelist and took shape through a most unlikely cast of characters: a brilliant barrister, a family of undertakers, a forensic pathologist, a gold prospector, an inventor, a submarine captain, a transvestite English spymaster, a rally driver, a pretty secretary, a credulous Nazi, and a grumpy admiral who loved fly-fishing.”
— Ben Macintyre, *Operation Mincemeat*
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*Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory* by Ben Macintyre (NF) // [History; espionage: BEYOND anything I could have hoped for, excellent in every way, every page.]
*Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain's Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War* by Ben Macintyre (NF) // [History; WWII: The Macintyre love affair continues, I can’t get enough. Epic spy adventure saga—highly recommend.]
*What I Talk About When I Talk About Running* by Haruki Murakami (NF) // [Memoir: I have a special place in my heart for Murakami, even more so after reading my first of his nonfiction books.]
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*Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic* by David Quammen (NF) // [Science; virology: We are the pandemic. (Probably closer to five stars; the bummer factor brought it down.)]
*Sister Outsider* by Audre Lorde (NF) // [Feminism; essays: “For women, then, poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence.”]
*Seeds Planted in Concrete* by Bianca Sparacino (Poetry) // [My second Sparacino book. Also a fan of her on Instagram, @RainbowSalt.]
*A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload* by Cal Newport (NF) // [Business; productivity: Not quite as good as *Deep Work* or *Digital Minimalism* yet still interesting. He suggests some workflows and processes to help deal with the Sisyphean battle against email.]
*Yearbook* by Seth Rogen (NF) // [Memoir; humor: The audiobook is read by Seth with his classic goofiness—very entertaining.]
*Leftover in China: The Women Shaping the World's Next Superpower* by Roseann Lake (NF) // [History; women’s studies: A sociopolitical look at the highly educated women in China who are marrying later and later, if at all.]
*Luster* by Raven Leilani (F) // [Contemporary; adult: A stunning, uncomfortable, and at times breathtaking debut novel.]
*You Love Me* (You #3) by Caroline Kepnes (F) // [Psychological thriller: Sorry, not sorry, I absolutely love this series as well as the screen adaptations. Joe is hilarious.]
*The Lost Apothecary* by Sarah Penner (F) // [Historical fiction; mystery: Super cute, really enjoyed the setting and the flashbacks.]
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*A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life* by George Saunders (NF) // [Writing; short stories: Not bad, but not my cup of tea either. “Fiction helps us remember that everything remains to be seen.”]
*What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures* by Malcolm Gladwell (NF) // [Psychology; business: Average and very random collection of Gladwell’s columns for The New Yorker; mildly interesting.]
*The Wives* by Tarryn Fisher (F) // [Thriller; mystery: A bit of a head scratcher at times; not a bad, twisted tale. Mucho crazy.]
*The Future of Another Timeline* by Annalee Newitz (F) // [Sci-Fi; time travel: The potential was there, getting so convoluted didn’t help.]
*Baby Teeth* by Zoje Stage (F) // [Horror; thriller: Very similar to Ashley Audrain’s *Push*: nightmare child makes life miserable.]
*Interior Chinatown* by Charles Yu (F) // [Asian American Lit: Written in a unique and innovative style that made it difficult to connect with this story of identity.]
