These are the books I read in May 2020 with a rating reflecting my opinion on them. I am leaving books not in English out for your convenience. At the bottom I will be sharing some recommendations that fall under the category fiction, non-fiction or non-fiction political. These recommendations are books I have not read myself, so proceed with caution as I cannot speak to their actual quality.
Read
Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
A solid start for a children’s fantasy adventure series. The story is engaging, weaving greek mythology in with modern life, there are a few good plot twists thrown in and the characters are vivid and offer a great foundation for future adventures!
Journal 3 by Alex Hirsch
Part artbook, part story, Journal 3 is a great collector’s item for fans of the show Gravity Falls. With beautiful sketches, mysterious codes and riddles one follows the adventures of Ford and Mabel and Dipper starting before the events of the show all the way up to the end. Throughly enjoyable!
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
Read for VC Book Club, this is one of the most unique stories I have ever read. 4 people’s paths cross on the roof of a building on New Years Eve. Martin, Jess, JJ and Maureen all have troubling lives and plan on killing themselves. After meeting, they decide to keep on living to see if things would change and perhaps even improve. Some of the characters are a bit unlikable, but the humor and interesting plot mostly make up for it.
The Playboy of the Western World by J.M. Synge
A short play about a small irish village that is visited by a young fellow who claims to have killed his father. I had to read this for a college class and although the language of this play is a bit wieldy and some of the cultural elements hard to grasp, this was the most enjoyable reading experience I have ever had with a play! It’s quite funny and its satire is pointed even 100+ years after its publication.
The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis
This book, while short, takes a passionate look inside three government agencies, the Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy and Department of Commerce, as well as several of its leading employees. In very easily accessible writing, the author offers a window into how government works and why it is important. A great read for all who are curious.
What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
A wonderful book about a summer romance in New York City. Searching for the ever elusive love, there are hits and misses and sometimes forever doesn’t last. Accompanying these characters through their world was a pure joy!
The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell
This book was a bit of a rollercoaster to read, as I went from liking it to disliking it to liking it again. The writing format is very pleasant, the characters quirky and the events interesting. The coarseness of the author took some getting used to, but he grew on me a lot. A pleasant experience, especially for those who love books, have worked with books or in any form of retail.
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
A guy in his mid 30’s and a 12-year-old strike up an odd friendship in this book about growing up and finding one’s place in the world. The writing is very accessible and there are quite a few funny moments, but I didn’t end up connecting to the story as much as I wanted to. The characters and plot left me wanting more than I got.
Cooking on Campus by Good Housekeeping
While there were a few recipes in this book that I enjoyed, most where simply ill-suited for daily life, especially as a college student. From 1 1/2 hr cooking and preparation time to expensive or obscure ingredients, this book really misses its audience. Having read other cookbooks targeted towards students, this is one of the weakest I have seen.
The Submission by Any Waldman
A contest to design a memorial commemorating the lives lost during 9/11 spirals out of control, touching the lives of many. Some story strands felt a little short cut, some scenes were a little awkward and in general the book felt a little off sometimes, like the author didn’t have enough space for what she wanted to do. Still, this book was very impactful and suspenseful and necessary.
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki
A summer holiday of change is the center of this beautifully illustrated graphic novel. Rose’s family visits the same small seaside town every summer where they relax and she hangs out with her summer friend Windy. But this summer, everything is changing. Roses parents are fighting, her mother withdrawn and her younger friend no longer on the same wavelength as her. This story perfectly captured the confusing, sad and exciting experience of reaching the end of childhood and the beginning of teenager-hood. A powerful read dealing with serious and relatable issues.
Recommendations
Fiction
Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott
“In a moment of self-absorption, Clara Purdy’s life takes a sharp left turn when she crashes into a beat-up car carrying an itinerant family of six. The Gage family had been travelling to a new life in Fort McMurray, but bruises on the mother, Lorraine, prove to be late-stage cancer rather than remnants of the accident. Recognizing their need as her responsibility, Clara tries to do the right thing and moves the children, husband and horrible grandmother into her own house–then has to cope with the consequences of practical goodness.”
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere by Alice Furse
“Go to university, get a degree they tell you, and a successful, happy future will be yours. So how has she wound up living with a traffic warden and working in office hell? As her days fill with low-paid office work and her boyfriend abandons ambition, a young woman believes there must be an apocalypse on the horizon and hatches a dramatic plan to escape the life she picked by mistake.”
Political
The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World by A. J. Baime
“The dramatic, pulse-pounding story of Harry Truman’s first four months in office, when this unlikely, small-town Washington outsider had to take on Germany, Japan, Stalin, and the atomic bomb, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.”
Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System from Crisis — and Themselves by Andrew Ross Sorkin
“Andrew Ross Sorkin delivers the first true behind-the-scenes, moment-by-moment account of how the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression developed into a global tsunami. From inside the corner office at Lehman Brothers to secret meetings in South Korea, and the corridors of Washington, Too Big to Fail is the definitive story of the most powerful men and women in finance and politics grappling with success and failure, ego and greed, and, ultimately, the fate of the world’s economy.”
Nonfiction
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein
“What’s the most effective path to success in any domain? It’s not what you think.
Plenty of experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill, play an instrument, or lead their field should start early, focus intensely, and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible. If you dabble or delay, you’ll never catch up to the people who got a head start. But a closer look at research on the world’s top performers, from professional athletes to Nobel laureates, shows that early specialization is the exception, not the rule.”
Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World by Matt Parker
“Our whole world is built on math, from the code running a website to the equations enabling the design of skyscrapers and bridges. Most of the time this math works quietly behind the scenes . . . until it doesn’t. All sorts of seemingly innocuous mathematical mistakes can have significant consequences.”
The Congressional Report 