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June Books for Katharine
Jul. 9th, 2018 08:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katharhinoI've been moving house and renovating so June kind of disappeared. I'm surprised I managed to read anything at all!
Marriage, A History, Stephanie Coontz (DNF) - This book traces how views of marriage have influenced social change, and vice versa, over world history from ancient history to the present. The author's central thesis is that the biggest change in "traditional" marriage is actually the shift from arranged marriage to romantic marriage, and that our current idea of "traditional" gender roles in marriage is actually fairly recent. Marriage has historically encompassed a much broader range even in Christianity than we normally realize. This was a fascinating and readable book, but it's thick and I was forced to give up on finishing it after I exhausted my interlibrary loan renewals. [4/5]
Never Stop Walking: A Memoir of Finding Home Across the World, Christina Rickardsson - This memoir is both introspective and physically vivid, the story of a street kid from the favelas in Brazil who was adopted by Swedish parents at the age of 8, old enough to remember her background and her birth mother. I found the more fascinating because I have seen favelas and met street kids, but I didn't realize how harsh some of their lives were. The book was well written and heartbreaking. [4/5]
Carry On, Rainbow Rowell (reread) - Yes, more comfort reading for overloaded me. Enjoyed this the more knowing what to expect, since on the first read it's an unexpected blend of cultural commentary, meta fiction, and legit adventure. The characterization is immersive, like all of Rowell's work. [5/5]
Marriage, A History, Stephanie Coontz (DNF) - This book traces how views of marriage have influenced social change, and vice versa, over world history from ancient history to the present. The author's central thesis is that the biggest change in "traditional" marriage is actually the shift from arranged marriage to romantic marriage, and that our current idea of "traditional" gender roles in marriage is actually fairly recent. Marriage has historically encompassed a much broader range even in Christianity than we normally realize. This was a fascinating and readable book, but it's thick and I was forced to give up on finishing it after I exhausted my interlibrary loan renewals. [4/5]
Never Stop Walking: A Memoir of Finding Home Across the World, Christina Rickardsson - This memoir is both introspective and physically vivid, the story of a street kid from the favelas in Brazil who was adopted by Swedish parents at the age of 8, old enough to remember her background and her birth mother. I found the more fascinating because I have seen favelas and met street kids, but I didn't realize how harsh some of their lives were. The book was well written and heartbreaking. [4/5]
Carry On, Rainbow Rowell (reread) - Yes, more comfort reading for overloaded me. Enjoyed this the more knowing what to expect, since on the first read it's an unexpected blend of cultural commentary, meta fiction, and legit adventure. The characterization is immersive, like all of Rowell's work. [5/5]
