What I Read in 2024 Pt. 2
Wrap it up!
PART TWO
Rapid fire wrap up of the books I read on 2024. I will say, I think I like this part a little more than the first part. Here we go!
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner - (5 STARS) This book floored me. I started it early in 2024 after seeing the accolades it got in the book world. For some reason, I put the book down and moved on. After remembering that I was half way through the book, I picked it back up and finished it in 2 days. Mommy issues come to the front. This memoir really hits home for the children of immigrants that grew up in a different environment than their parents. Michelle does a great job of illustrating her feelings about her mother, and the struggles she went through trying to find her identity growing up in the Pacific Northwest as a first generation Asian American.
The Night of The Gun by David Carr- This memoir was given as an assignment in class last semester. It tells the story of former New York Times columnist, David Carr, and his struggle as a drug addict and a serial criminal. The reason we were assigned this book to read was to focus on how reliable memory can be and if it is something that can be used when it comes to taking accountability. The question of the reliability of memory is the theme of this memoir, and if you analyze the title close enough, it may just give away the answer.
15. The Little Ghost Who Was A Quilt by Riel Nason- This was just a cute little kids book I found at B&N while book shopping with my little brother. It was Halloween time, and in an attempt to get my little brother to read more, I picked this up to show him and ended up reading it myself. I will never hate a kids book.
Cath and Kill by Ronan Farrow- Ronan Farrow is the son of the iconic actress, Miss Mia Farrow, and notorious, despicable, disgusting director, Woody Allan. Ronan comes from quite the A list, yet highly troubled family. This book is about the shift in Hollywood during the #MeToo movement that took place in 2017, specifically focusing on the Harvey Weinstein case. I don’t want to focus too much on that man, so all I will say is if you want to know the beginning stages of that case, read this book.
Everything for You by Chloe Liese- In an attempt to read more LGBTQ+ literature, I read Everything for You, an enemies to lovers about two professional soccer players trying to navigate captaining a team to a championship, while fighting feelings for each other. While I did enjoy this fun and light read, I will say it dragged on for far longer than it needed to. There were at least 3 chapters that could have been completely eliminated.
Coming Home by Brittney Griner- I read this book not only because I love memoirs, but because I wanted to support and spread the word about Brittney Griner’s story. For those that are not aware, Brittney Griner is a championship winning WNBA player that was convicted if smuggling drugs into Russia. The adversity that Brittney faced while in a Russian prison is eye opening and a rough journey that I highly encourage everyone to read.
Natural Selection by Erin Hilderbrand- This was my introduction to the legendary Erin Hilderbrand. I have seen so many people recommend her books because they are the ultimate comfort read. While I doubt I will be picking up another book by Erin, I did find this short, 45 min. read fun, cute, and enraging because of what the man in this story had the nerve to do to this girl. (eye roll).
20. Bluets by Maggie Nelson- Bluets is a book of poetry about a woman’s love affair with the color blue. It’s quite a simple concept, and it is the most beautiful thing ever. There were quite a few poems that took my breath away. I think in think in the future I will have a stack of these on hand and give copies of them out as gifts to friends for special occasions. I feel like everyone should go on this journey of being in love with a color.
21. Punch Me Up To The Gods by Brian Broome- This was also a class assignment for our memoir study. This memoir is about Brians life growing up black and gay while living in a poor black neighborhood, while attending a white school in the 80s. This story is not for those that are unfamiliar with being uncomfortable. Navigating life as a queer person in the 80s was already unimaginable, add being black and weird to it, and you have Brian’s life.
22. Knife by Slaman Rushdie- Talk about the come back of a lifetime. Salman Rushdie is a highly regarded and extremely intellectual author and essayist. One day while at a conference in upstate New York, he is stabbed in the eye by a crazed opposer of his political opinions. Knife tell the story of what led up to, and followed the attack. This is a graphic, yet intriguing book.
Well, we have finally reached the end of my wrap up. I am not sure how I went from 24 to 22, but I don’t have the time, nor the patience to figure it out. See you soon with a new mood. Until then…
“That’s all.”- Miranda Priestly