July 2019 Book Recap
Top two standouts were Ron Chernow’s Grant and Caroline Criado Perez’s Invisible Women. I was absolutely blown away by the Grant biography, I’d even rank it as the best biography I’ve ever read—can’t recommend it enough.
PSA: Every woman needs to read Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men. Did you know that more women die of heart attacks than men? The classic symptoms of chest and arm pain are more common in men. Women can present different symptoms, which are often misread. Just one thing I learned from this eye opening book.
Quote for Pondering:
“It's not always easy to convince someone a need exists, if they don't have that need themselves.”
— Caroline Criado Perez, Invisible Women
📚Astounding
Grant by Ron Chernow (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Biography; military history: “A self-effacing military man, a hero in spite of himself."] // GoodReads Review
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Feminism; science: *The consequences of living in a world built around male data can be deadly.*] // GoodReads Review
📚Intriguing
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Biography; politics: 1980 Pulitzer Prize winner, not as heartfelt as Chernow’s Grant.] // GoodReads Review
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Personal development; psychology: Title comes from a quote by Theodore Roosevelt, one of my all time favorites.] // GoodReads Review
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Travel; adventure: “Loneliness is not intolerable when enthusiasm for a quest fills the mind.” (Haven’t seen the movie)] // GoodReads Review
The One by John Marrs (F) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Science fiction; “thriller”: What if there was a DNA test that could match you to your perfect genetic match?] // GoodReads Review
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (F) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Poetic LGBT fiction: Mixed feelings, I liked Night Sky with Exit Wounds better. Achingly beautiful at points.] // GoodReads Review
📚Middling
The Mother of All Questions by Rebecca Solnit (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️[Feminism; essays: Technically a follow up to Men Explain Things to Me. Powerful, at points.] // GoodReads Review
Pirate Hunters by Robert Kurson (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️[History; adventure: Lots of treading water, not much pirates. Shadow Divers and Rocket Men were better.]
Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis by Jared Diamond (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️[History; politics: Underwhelming, especially compared to Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse.] // GoodReads Review
Wolfpack: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game by Abby Wambach (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️[Feminism; leadership: Basically a commencement speech in “book” form.] // GoodReads Review
Hyperion by Dan Simmons (F) ⭐️⭐️⭐️[Sci-fi; space opera: Individual vignettes Canterbury Tales style. Major cliffhanger.]
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager (F) ⭐️⭐️⭐️[Mystery; “thriller”: Felt like a Lifetime Movie remix of Harriet the Spy.] // GoodReads Review
