This post will document the books I read throughout the year and my honest reviews of them. I hope to engage in more educational and reflective reading this year, and hopefully exchange ideas and recommendations.
I am still a physical book reader, no eBooks here, as I can't truly capture the essence of a book unless I am able to turn the pages, and flip through and go back and forth to re-read passages that stick with me.
Happy Reading!
Trust by Herman Diaz -- LINK
As usual during the Christmas and New Year holidays, I look for a fictional novel to read as I curl up on my parents couch in hibernation from colleagues and any "real work". This novel is four stories that tie into one complete story about a wealthy couple in New York City in Wall Street and philanthropy world. The book starts a bit slow, it took me awhile to get into the story of these characters and really understand the intersection of the various stories, but once I got to the third story about Ida - a young writer hired to document the life of this couple, it became more a page turner. The fourth and final story are diary chronicles from the female half of the power couple, and while it may not shock and surprise, it certainly helps tie a remarkable novel together. I feel the novel could have done its female protagonists - and unsung heroes of their time - more justice and capture just how impactful their actions were.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride -- LINK
It took me some time to get into this book, I struggled to resonate with the characters and the scene (even given the fact that it takes place in Pottstown, PA and I am from nearby Allentown, PA). It is written well and the story is definitely well developed, I just think it is a book that resonates with a certain type of audience and it needs to draw you in from the beginning to keep you hooked. I struggled through it just from an attention perspective. It weaves many cultures and classes together, and it does make you reflect on how society was so divided even just half a century ago.
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