5 books I've read recently and would recommend

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By Jason Menayan

I've been in a book club for the past 7 months or so, and we've read some great books in it. Here they are, along with a brief summary of each.


The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion

The most recent book we read was The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion. This veteran writer writes in detail about the year of grieving and mourning that she underwent when she lost her husband, suddenly, to a heart attack. She walks you through her mental state, and struggles to understand her emotions, changes in memory and priorities, through reflection and references to literary works that deal with death and mourning. It's a deeply personal book, but heady and thought-provoking. Not a terribly long read, either, at about 230 pgs.


Infidel Infidel
Price: $8.60
List Price: $15.00
Infidel Infidel
Price: $12.00
Infidel Infidel
Price: $23.63
Infidel Infidel
Price: $12.43

Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Infidel chronicles this Somali-Dutch politician's upbringing in highly traditional, devout Muslim Somali culture, and contrasts it with exposure to other cultures (Saudi Arabian, Ethiopian, Kenyan, and Dutch) that she was exposed to throughout her life. It's a story of transformation and rebirth, as she becomes an atheist after decades of piety, and a strict believer in the right to free speech after seeing and enjoying the freedoms enjoyed by people in the West. She also explains her harsh criticism of Islam (the religion, not Muslims as people). A chain of events beginning with the murder of her film collaborator, Theo van Gogh, by a Dutch Muslim fundamentalist in 2004 led to her leaving the Netherlands in 2006 and joining a think tank in Washington DC.


Bitter is the New Black, by Jennifer Lancaster

We needed something frilly and stupid, and this book delivered (in a good way). This blogger chronicles the loss of her high-paid job and her comedic struggles with a rapidly-downgrading quality of life in the two years of unemployement and underemployment before her book was picked up by a publisher and became a hit. Not meant to be taken seriously, this is really mind-candy if you just want a good laugh. It starts off a little slow and strange, but if you like blogs' deeply personal, informal style, you might like this.


The Children of Men The Children of Men
Price: $3.95
List Price: $13.95

The Children of Men, by PD James

The Children of Men was made into a movie, so if you've seen it or even seen the trailer, then I'm afraid the plot has already been spoiled for you. If you haven't, then you're in for a treat. (Besides, the book is better than the movie) Set in the future, in which mankind has mysteriously lost the ability to reproduce, the world's population has descended into a deep funk as it contemplates the end of its species. People have given up hope, and governments have embraced the worst sort of Hobbesian behavior. A small group of renegades is trying to topple the government and restore dignity to the country's last days, and they end up recruiting a reluctant, ambivalent professor. Great read, and interesting twist at the end.

The Golden Gate, by Vikram Seth

This book was really unusual and suprisingly enjoyable, considering it's written totally in verse. Not a huge fan of Shakespeare myself, I had expected to get totally annoyed by the author's prose, but it's a beautifully written story that deftly exposes the emotions of love, rage, sadness and elation. The book is out of print (published in the mid-1980s) and not available online anymore, but you might check your library. Highly recommended if you want to try something new, and especially if you have a fondness for San Francisco (like if you are a fan of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series).

You can read a review I did with Njoke here.

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Stacie Naczelnik profile image

Stacie Naczelnik  says:
3 years ago

Joan Didion's "A Year of Magical Thinking" is such a wonderful book. I have recommended it to so many people this last year, three of whom recentely lost loved ones--and they all agreed that it is an outstanding book.

Marti profile image

Marti  says:
3 years ago

Bitter is the New Black sounds very funny - thanks for the tip!

Fitter profile image

Fitter  says:
3 years ago

Thanks Jason, noted these books into my shopping list :)

jrsanchez  says:
3 years ago

Jason, I'm joining the bookclub via San Anto! I'll try to catch up ..but let's be honest, will probably start with Bitter is the New Black. I love mind-candy reading- perfect for crazy hot days in Texas.

Jason Menayan profile image

Jason Menayan  says:
3 years ago

Jess, I'll mail it to you. I have a copy of it at home.

Angela Harris profile image

Angela Harris  says:
2 years ago

Jason,

This is some deep reading. They sound like fantastic books. I'm most interested in "A Year of Magical Thinking". I wish I lived close to a book club. And isn't the book always better than the movie? And don't I ramble?

Jason Menayan profile image

Jason Menayan  says:
2 years ago

Agreed about books being better than movies, but usually movies only have a couple of hours to play with, and seeing everything explicitly on screen can sometimes rob the magic of imagination.

You can always try an online book club if you like the interchange with other readers. I did that for a while and enjoyed it.

TiffanyDow profile image

TiffanyDow  says:
2 years ago

I'm reading The Memory Keeper's daughter and I have the made for TV movie Tivo'd so I can watch it once I'm finished. I love reading!

tiff ;)

desert blondie profile image

desert blondie  says:
2 years ago

Bitter is the New Black was an interesting read for someone, well, a bit older. Not used to seeing such an unusual character. DON"T read this if you're looking for a cute young thing a la the Anne Hathaway type from Devil Wears Prada. DO READ to see a character with all the flaws noted in title make her way through her life, her relationships, her own mental development! And look out, someone with raging case of all the flaws noted on title is pretty blind to the concept that she might just need some developing! Bitter is also the new funny.

Journey * profile image

Journey *  says:
12 months ago

Great hub Jason! Thanks.

ambersmith profile image

ambersmith  says:
12 months ago

Thanks for sharing :)

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