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My Rating: ★★★★☆
Not knowing for certain, but refusing to give way to those who claim certainty, was a privilege I had never allowed myself. My life was narrated for me by others. Their voices were forceful, emphatic, absolute. It had never occurred to me that my voice might be as strong as theirs. (61%)
Educated is a fascinating memoir about a girl who was kept out of school by her survivalist family and yet eventually goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University. It was a hard story to read, for all kinds of different reasons. Even so, I really enjoyed how she examined different perspectives and the limitations of our memories. Her voice, as she found herself and her own story, was powerful.
History is a merciless judge. It lays bare our tragic blunders and foolish missteps and exposes our most intimate secrets, wielding the power of hindsight like an arrogant detective who seems to know the end of the mystery from the outset.
I have been patiently waiting to for Killers of the Flower Moon to come off the hold list for months! This is a crazy true story about a period of history that I knew nothing about: a Native American tribe forced to live in a region which was later discovered to be rich in oil. The greed, corruption and manipulation was difficult to read, but also so important. I’ll be thinking about this one a lot.
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Animals in zoos and prisoners sleep many hours a day. Like them I have become a devotee, a voluptuary of sleep, a connoisseur of its intense, uncharted pleasures. Sleep slips the chains of this life, snaps the intimate fetters of my skin, sets me free to travel the wild landscapes of the ungoverned mind. Each night I enter by the same door, yet find behind it something new. I plunge my hands into the lucky dip of dreams; sometimes I find sweets, and sometimes scorpions, but always, for a few hours, deliverance. (8%)
The noblest truth is “There is suffering.” The whole of history having been filled with such exotic and multifarious forms of it, “Why me?” is the question of an idiot. The sensible person says simply, “Why not?”(98%)
Girl in the Dark is the story of a healthy young woman who developed an extreme light sensitivity that required her to live in complete darkness. Can you imagine feeling like a blowtorch was burning your face, just by looking at a computer screen? It’s so hard to judge a memoir because I think everyone’s story is important, but this one was just a bit too lyrical and descriptive for my taste. Even so, it might be a good choice for anyone suffering from a chronic illness.
Amy made me believe I was exceptional, that I was up to her level of play. That was both our making and undoing. Because I couldn’t handle the demands of greatness. I began craving ease and average-ness, and I hated myself for it, and ultimately, I realized, I punished her for it. I turned her into the brittle, prickly thing she became. I had pretended to be one kind of man and revealed myself to be quite another. Worse, I convinced myself our tragedy was entirely her making. I spent years working myself into the very thing I swore she was: a righteous ball of hate. (52%)
I blew through Gone Girl in just a few days, but it was such a stressful read! I sort-of hated both of the main characters and their lack of any redeeming qualities. Lots of profanity and vulgarity. It’s hard to talk about this one without any spoilers…it was a quick read, but not necessarily a book I’d particularly recommend to anyone.
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MY 2018 READING IN NUMBERS
Kindle Books: 25 // Paper Books: 18
Original 2018 books “to-read” total on Goodreads: 443 // Current “to-read” total: 430
Educated is on my list! Hoping my library hold comes in soon 🙂
I've been waiting for this book to come off the hold list at my library as well!
You both will have to tell me what you think after you read it!
I just started Educated. I can't wait to read it!
It's a powerful one. I'll be anxious to hear your thoughts!
I have Gone Girl on my shelve to still read! I can't wait to read Educated too, sounds really good!
Have you read The Glass Castle? Educated is similar, but I'd say maybe even crazier. You'll have to tell me what you think after you read it!
I JUST finished Educated and I can now see what all the hype has been about! What a fascinating (and at times, haunting) story! Her life (and achievements) are remarkable, considering her bizarre upbringing, but she is also a talented author and has great pacing and structure that makes it read more like a horror novel at times (NO! Don't go back there yet again!!!")
YES. Like when they drove home in the snow storm and got in a car accident AGAIN! It almost read like it couldn't possibly be a true story, you know?