November 2019 books read

  • The Parable of the Sower – Octavia Butler, 1993. Re-read, quotes TBD.
  • The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin’s Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World—And Us – Richard Prum, 2017. Quotes pulled, TBD.
  • Jonathan Livingston Seagull – Richard Bach, 1970. Re-read for the umpteenth time (it’s so short!), but my opinion of it drops a little each time.
  • Round the Bend – Nevil Shute, 1951. Umpteenth re-read (yes, I was needing comfort reading) but holds up still.
  • Homage to Catalonia – George Orwell, 1938 – quotes pulled, TBD
  • Dancing at Lughnasa – Brian Friel, 1990 – For Irish Writers book group. Only one quote so not enough for a separate post: Gerry, who’s signed up to go fight in the Spanish Civil War (coincidental, having just read Homage to Catalonia), is asked why he’s going.
    Not so sure I know either. … And there’s bound to be something right about the cause, isn’t there? And it’s somewhere to go—isn’t it? Maybe that’s the important thing for a man: a named destination—democracy, Ballybeg, heaven. Women’s illusions aren’t so easily satisfied—they make better drifters.
  • The Countess Cathleen – W.B. Yeats, 1912 – also for Irish Writers, quotes pulled TB.
  • Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind – Jocelyn K. Glei, 2013 (99U series) – This was really good! Short chapters with nice graphic design.
  • The Circadian Code: Lose Weight, Supercharge Your Energy, and Transform Your Health from Morning to Midnight – Satchin Panda, 2018 – It seemed really good, but mostly because I already do time-restricted eating (Panda’s major recommendation) and it’s worked really well for me. So I was nodding along & patting myself on the back, which is not the most objective frame of mind. In general I’m super-suspicious of “this is The One Answer!” books, but clearly less so when it’s something I’ve already adopted…
  • My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag… and Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha – Jolie Kerr, 2014 – I read the whole thing but I’m not 100% sure why. I may have learned a few things but I mostly forgot them again (OK, I do want to try using ammonia) and the jokey tone was fun in small doses, annoying in large. I guess I kept expecting Captain Awkward or Ask A Manager level advice/entertainment, but that bar is unreasonably high.
  • Drunkard: A Hard-Drinking Life – Neil Steinberg, 2008 – Ah, I thought maybe I had read this already – yes, back in 2010. Why did I put pub year of 2009 – maybe it was the paperback?
  • Started Chronicles of Narnia