An Open Book: September 2024 Reads

As I pray for world peace and for all those suffering due to natural disasters, I'm grateful that we've reached the lovely month of October. With the start of this month, it's time to link up with An Open Book to chat about the books that took me through the hot September days. Since I read a lot of nonfiction in August, I tried to focus on fiction in September (though I naturally got some nonfiction in because I couldn't resist haha!). It was a fun reading month, so let's dive in!

The Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams

Inspired by the historical development of the Oxford English Dictionary, this novel begins with Esme, a young girl who often sits under a table as her father and other men work endlessly on cataloguing words and definitions for a dictionary. The story spans the next several years as Esme grows and begins her own quest to explore language and its meanings, as well as learn about herself as a woman who comes of age in the early 20th century England. Prior to reading this book, I hadn't thought about the process of making a dictionary and it was fascinating to explore this topic. It was also interesting to think about a question that the characters address-what words should be included in a dictionary? For example, while some characters don't want to include unsavory words, Esme makes it her mission to speak with women and workers on the streets, learning the language that they use, and compiling her own collection of words and definitions. It was really interesting, though this also comes with a content caution: as Esme begins to explore language, there is a lot of coarse and vulgar language; mostly because she's learning about it in a scholarly sort of way, but it's still there. There's also some sexual content in a few areas. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and thought it was fascinating! 

The Hiding Place of Thunder, by Keith Remer

Set in the early 2000s, this novel follows Burl Hansen, a former star football player who now works as a sheriff in rural Oklahoma. As Hansen deals with various family dynamics and the conflicts of small-town life, things take a turn for the worse when a pair of teenagers go missing. This was a gripping, fast-paced story, and it kept me up late into the night-I couldn't stop reading and I had to finish it and see what happened! This was a really interesting story, and the author did an excellent job creating an immersive story and capturing the setting and characters, it all felt very authentic, and I enjoyed reading this! Content caution: many of the characters use very coarse/strong language, and there's also brief sexual content.

The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization, by Peter Zeihan

A geopolitical strategist, Zeihan argues that the golden days of the economy are over, and that the whole world is going to suffer (and is suffering). He outlines the many different factors that come into play, both in America and abroad, and it was absolutely fascinating to see how deglobalization can and will affect everything. Zeihan also spends a bit of time discussing birth rates, and how many countries have not been meeting their birth replacement levels and have aging populations that will soon retire (and come asking the government for pension checks). There is a ton of information packed into this book, and even though some of it went over my head, Zeihan does a pretty good job making the topic accessible and interjecting humor and levity into the chapters. He didn't really provide much of a good game plan for moving forward, but offered this discussion as more of a "forewarned is forearmed" approach. Content caution-wise, there's a little bit of crude language sprinkled here and there, but that's about it. I'm glad I read this book and enjoyed thinking through and discussing the different issues Zeihan brings up! 

Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story, by Terri-Lynne DeFino

In this lighthearted novel, we're introduced to Varina Palladino, an energetic widow who spends her days managing an Italian grocery store, cooking food for her big Italian family, and taking care of her elderly mom, Sylvia. Everything takes a turn for the chaotic when Sylvia teams up with one of Varina's children to set Varina up with an eligible man. Alongside the scheming and matchmaking, there's plenty of other drama going on-sibling squabbles, unexpected pregnancy, and mental health issues. The characters were vivid, and I enjoyed seeing this large family of broken people come together in love and find ways to grow and help each other, even when they are at odds. It was also fun to see the insights about Jersey Italian words placed at the beginning of each chapter, and it was neat getting to experience this setting. Content caution-wise: a lot of the included Jersey Italian words are a bit vulgar and in general, there's a bit of coarse language throughout the book. There was also a homosexual storyline and a couple comments throughout the book supporting gender fluidity, and there were one or two brief sex scenes. These particular elements made the book less enjoyable for me, but overall, this book was a mostly fun read even if it's not one I'm inclined to reread. 

Camilla, by Madeleine L'Engle

This gentle novel follows Camilla, a teenage girl who discovers that her mom is having an affair. As her parents fall apart (individually and collectively), Camilla finds refuge in a new friendship with Frank, the older brother of her friend, Luisa. Together, Frank and Camilla explore deep topics like the meaning of life, God, and death. Throughout their momentary relationship, Camilla begins to grow and mature and leave behind her childhood. I really enjoyed reading this coming-of-age novel! 

In the Midst of Wolves, by Keith Remer

This novel follows a grieving man named David, who was loved and respected by his small-town Oklahoma community--until tragedy struck, ending the life of his young daughter. Now, he's hated by everyone, with some people even pushing for his arrest. Meanwhile, there are other shady individuals lurking in the shadows who carry trauma from childhood that continues to inform their lives and actions. This was a fascinating story and I think I liked this one even more than The Hiding Place of Thunder-the whole theme of "what does it look like for a parent to protect his child" is covered in a really interesting way, and yet again, Remer did an excellent job capturing the atmosphere and character of small-town Oklahoma life (and the town mentioned in this book is one I've visited a number of times, so it was fun to read about it!). I enjoyed this, and thought that besides being a gripping story, it also provides some thoughtful points for reflection and discussion. Content caution: strong language and some sexual content. 

Pushed: The painful truth about childbirth and modern maternity care, by Jennifer Block

This was a fascinating journalistic dive into the world of modern maternity care. Through studies, history, and interviews, the author discusses a myriad of topics relating to childbirth, and specifically the medicalization of birth (the author also does spend some time with out-of-hospital midwives to provide a picture of that world, as well). This book was really good and eye-opening, and I love how it walked through the procedures and evidence found in hospitals and homes nationwide. I highly recommend this book to women who are hoping to get pregnant eventually, with a couple caveats: this book was published in 2007, so some of the statistics in here would now be inaccurate. Also, there's this pro-abortion tangent that the author launches on towards the end where she tries to equate abortion access with the right to choose your birth setting. Those elements aside, this book was great and really interesting!  

Becoming Madam Secretary, by Stephanie Dray

This historical fiction novel unveils the life of Frances Perkins, the woman who eventually worked as the Secretary of Labor under FDR. It was absolutely fascinating, the writing was great, and the story was really immersive. Getting to read about Perkins' work and life were really interesting, because I hadn't known anything about her previously. When I finished the book, I was curious to read the author's note and learn that Frances Perkins was more devout in real life than in how the author portrayed her--to the extent that Perkins is honored with her own feast day in the Episcopalian church! (interesting to ponder that and also consider how even though Perkins is celebrated by the LGBTQ community, any evidence of bisexuality is merely circumstantial-yet the author chose to hint this topic at a couple of times in the story) Anyways, all that being said, I really enjoyed this book and I liked seeing how it tackles big topics like mental health, marriage, and politics.  

The Night Train, by Lorelei Savaryn

When their grandma dies, teenage twins Maddie and Nat discover that they have inherited their grandma's ability to see ghosts. This proves to be problematic since Maddie, Nat, and their parents renovate old houses as part of their Youtube home renovation show. Plus, Maddie wants nothing to do with these ghosts, while Nat wants to help them be able to move on with closure. Yet, when their parents announce that they'll be renovating a house connected with the anniversary of a tragic train crash in their small town, Maddie discovers that she can't ignore the ghosts any longer. I loved this story! It was extremely creepy (even though it is a middle grade novel, I was significantly creeped out in parts), it had a fascinating premise, and it was fun to see family members coming together to solve a problem. It was also neat that one of the side characters is Catholic, and he occasionally referenced his faith in the story. I'm excited to share this one with my kids! (I'm starting my 8 year old on Savaryn's other books, though, since this one might be a little too creepy for him at this point in time)

I Cheerfully Refuse, by Leif Enger

Set in a dystopian America slightly in the future, this novel explores the life of Rainy, a musician who lives with his bookseller-wife, Lark. Amid the darkness and corruption of the culture and the mass-suicides that dot the country, their deep love offers them greater hope and joy. Their quiet life together takes an unexpected turn when they take in a young man as a boarder-and one day, tragedy strikes. Filled with grief, Rainy takes a boat onto Lake Superior as he goes in search of his wife's spirit and tries to escape the dark forces that are pursuing him. I really, really enjoyed this book! I like how it felt like a slightly different kind of dystopian novel, and that it was very poetic. It was an engaging story, and I liked the characters-especially the fact that the lake was pretty much a character itself.

Thanks for joining me this month! If you have any recommendations, please drop them in the comments!