I saw this book on the shelves at the library and it jumped out at me. I have always had a fascination with infectious diseases, from the bubonic plague to smallpox and more current epidemics. Additionally, I am incensed by the current anti-vaccer movements and the resurgences of nearly eradicated diseases they have caused. Thus, … Continue reading Between Hope and Fear: A History of Vaccines and Human Immunity by Michael Kinch
reading
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
This book has been everywhere! I have seen it so many places, including in Reese Witherspoon’s book club, and was dying to get my hands on it. The library hold list was quite lengthy. I was immediately drawn to it because it dealt with America’s criminal justice system and its effects on marginalized populations. More … Continue reading Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
One Day in December by Josie Silver
I got the idea to read this from The Stripe. I was looking for something light and escapist after the heavy things I read in March. On a gloomy winter night, Laurie makes eye contact with a handsome stranger through a bus window. Usually a skeptic of love at first sight, Laurie is besotted with … Continue reading One Day in December by Josie Silver
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
I was inspired to read The Talented Mr. Ripley after reading this New Yorker article about the fraudulent activity of Dan Mallory. I had never seen the movie, and was only generally familiar with the plot, so it was all new to me. When Tom Ripley receives an opportunity to travel to Italy for free … Continue reading The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
March Short Stories
What it Means when a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka I put this book on my list for Black History Month and because some friends had recommended it, but it didn’t come in time. I thought it might be a reprieve from the other sad books I read this month, but alas … Continue reading March Short Stories
March Novels
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee My friend Jo recommended this book to me, saying she has recently been reading epics about women. This book was certainly an epic, following Sunja from her childhood in a Korean fishing village all the way to her old age in Japan. Although it stretched a long span of time … Continue reading March Novels
March Non- Fiction
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson I heard about this book from lots of people when it first came out, but somehow just added it to my hold list at the library. It was so good! I cannot believe it took me so long to get around to reading it. Stevenson is a lawyer who defends … Continue reading March Non- Fiction
February Fiction
Sociable by Rebecca Harrington Elinor’s life is not exactly going according to plan. At networking parties she tells people she is “freelancing,” but in reality she nannies two small children and hasn’t been able to find a job putting her journalism degree to work. The cramped New York apartment she shares with her boyfriend is … Continue reading February Fiction
February Non-Fiction
The books I read this month really ran the gamut! The White Album and Sociable were similar in their uneasy tone, and both primarily addressed first-world upper middle class concerns with modern life. In very different ways, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me and Kindred addressed issues of race, power, economic disparity and … Continue reading February Non-Fiction
January Favorites
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen This was by far my favorite book of the month! Do you ever read something that leaves you motionless, stunned into silence and contemplation? Sharp, witty, at times deeply sad and at others laugh-out-loud funny, The Sympathizer is one of the best books I have read in a long … Continue reading January Favorites