Book Stack ~ December 2021

  A monthly post about my progress toward finishing a very large stack of books. Past months' posts:

January 2021

February 2021 

March 2021

April 2021

May 2021

June 2021

July 2021

August 2021

September and October 2021

November 2021

As 2021 drew to a close and I realized I was never, ever going to finish reading all of the books in my stack if I just read books based on what I was in the mood for, I decided to take a different approach, and prioritize reading books that were given or loaned to me. My reasoning was that even if they weren't books I might have chosen for myself, they came from people who care about me and who had good reasons for thinking I might like the same books they like. So I resorted my stack into two piles: "purchased" and "given/loaned to me." (If you see a book come up in a post that you loaned me and that you want back, let me know! I might've forgotten.) From here I'm going to plow forward and read those books in the second pile, with occasional forays into the other pile (and a really strong effort to not buy any new books until both piles are depleted). So without further ado, here's what I read in December:

Nonfiction

Shrill by Lindy West. This one my brother and sister-in-law gave me for my birthday. I wasn't familiar with West before reading this--she's a humor writer who takes on internet trolls (specifically misogynistic and fat-phobic trolls) in her work. She managed to take on a lot of difficult subjects in this volume--fat shaming, abortion, rape "jokes" in the comedy world--and make an entertaining read at the same time. I'm now watching the series by the same name. I see West also has a new book out, which I'm not allowed to buy (see above) until I've made a reasonable dent in the stack.

Fiction These books were both given (loaned?) to me be the same friend. Which is interesting because they're extremely different.

The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks. After a school bus accident, a town splits in half over who to blame and how to extract payment. It's written from many different viewpoints (I think around five or six) with one really long chapter per POV character. It's an interesting look into human psychology and kind of a relevant take on today's divided world, only from a nonpolitical standpoint. I can't say I enjoyed it, because it's about dead children, but I was carried along by the story and definitely moved by the characters.

Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand by Gioconda Belli. This is a reimagining of the Adam and Eve story, which is definitely not something I'd normally pick up. I found it a little silly, especially the way Adam and Eve discovered/invented about 10,000 years' worth of human developments in their first year out of Eden (sort of like the way Ayla makes all of the human discoveries/inventions in Clan of the Cave Bear, only Eve's not as charming as Ayla and Adam's not as smoking is Jondalar). But, if you like fantasy and reimagined mythology, this might be right up your alley.

Poetry

Goldenrod by Maggie Smith. I did buy this book, before I (re)committed to not buying new books. I admit to being sold by the cover (goldenrod flowers on a blue background). But the poems inside are lovely and moving. I read a little of this each morning in November during my trip to Colorado and finished it up in December after I got home. The poems were a grounding and meditative way to start each day, and each one gave me pause for thought. I'd like to read it again to really drink it all in.

I read a total of 59 books in 2021 (including 4 audiobooks), which should have been enough to make a serious dent in the book stack, but only about 20 came from the stack. Still, that was more of a dent than I thought I'd made. Now if I can double that number, I might be able to see my floor beneath all those books!