Katharine's April and May books
Jun. 12th, 2019 09:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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christianreaderOkay, yes, we're practically halfway through June (HUH?) but I'm still doing my book post because I was already behind.
The Self-Driven Child, William Stixrud and Ned Johnson - I thought this book was a little mis-titled. I would have called it The Resilient Child or The Empowered Child but maybe those are too catch-phrasey. "Self-Driven" has a slightly negative connotation to me but really the book is about allowing your children appropriate levels of control over themselves and their lives so that they can make mistakes safely and learn decision making and good judgment. It's written in a very easy, readable, approachable way. Much of it is directed at parents of older-school age children. Some chapters covered things like academic pressure at school, getting ready for college, and addiction to social media/screens. I found the book after my mom linked me to an article by the same authors advocating for relaxing the extreme pressure for kids to meet academic goals younger and younger. That's a hot button for me so I immediately requested the book on ILL. I found it encouraging and although I've read a lot of parenting books, some ideas from this one stuck with me. I've been practicing allowing the girls more choices even when I think they are crazy (like going outside in shorts when it's 45 degrees). [4/5 stars]
Option B, Sheryl Sandberg (DNF) - I looked this up because a friend mentioned it, and it's good but after I skimmed to get the main points I didn't feel like reading the whole thing. It probably would have meant more to me if I got it right after my experience at Hillsdale. The book is written by a woman (also known for writing Lean In) who was living a very successful life as a Facebook exec in a happy marriage when her husband suddenly and unexpectedly dropped dead of heart failure. The book explores how she dealt with grief and recovery. [3.5/5]
The Middle Moffat, Eleanor Estes - Continuing to read some of my old favorite chapter books out loud to the girls, I am really delighting in rediscovering this series. They are charming and funny and as an adult I appreciate the richness of the every day history captured in this portrait of a child's experience of life during WWI. [4/5]
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, Natasha Pulley (REREAD) - This quirky alt-history steampunky novel is becoming one of my all-time favorites of the last few years. I see more depth to the themes of choice and determination every time I reread. [5/5]
The Lonely City, Olivia Laing - Part memoir, part art history, part social commentary, this well-written and meditative book reads like a string of interconnected essays. Sparked by the author's experience of moving suddenly to New York City and living alone in a series of sublet apartments, each chapter focuses on a different artist and how his work comments on loneliness and human connection. I found the book fascinating, sometimes a little depressing. It covers artists I mostly knew very little about, some of them outsiders and/or gay, which contributed to their feelings of isolation. I only wished the author had tied some of the ends together a little more carefully. As is, the book was somewhat meandering. I did enjoy the thoughtful experience of reading it, though. [4/5]
La Perdida, Jessica Abel - My first graphic novel!! Jessica Abel is the author of Growing Gills, the book on productivity and motivation for artists I keep referencing. (I haven't reviewed GG yet because I'm reading it really slowly chapter by chapter and trying to implement its ideas as I go.) So since I'm admiring Abel's writing so much I thought I would look up her own creative work out of curiosity. I can't compare to other graphic novels since I haven't read any, but this one was pretty dark. It follows a young woman who impulse-moves to Mexico City to explore her own heritage. Despite her determination to fully embrace the culture she brings her own preconceptions and they cause her to miss cues and and make poor decisions. She gradually gets further and further over her head with the wrong group of people. It reads like a classic tragedy in which you can see the protagonist's flaws and how they are leading her astray. The fact that they are believable makes it all the more painful. The drawings are in black and white and are a little looser and more expressive than the classic comic style although they seem to be referencing that look. I thought this novel was well-crafted but it does end a little abruptly and without much closure. [3.5/5]
April and May books: 5 + 1 DNF
2019 Total: 20 + 2 DNF
The Self-Driven Child, William Stixrud and Ned Johnson - I thought this book was a little mis-titled. I would have called it The Resilient Child or The Empowered Child but maybe those are too catch-phrasey. "Self-Driven" has a slightly negative connotation to me but really the book is about allowing your children appropriate levels of control over themselves and their lives so that they can make mistakes safely and learn decision making and good judgment. It's written in a very easy, readable, approachable way. Much of it is directed at parents of older-school age children. Some chapters covered things like academic pressure at school, getting ready for college, and addiction to social media/screens. I found the book after my mom linked me to an article by the same authors advocating for relaxing the extreme pressure for kids to meet academic goals younger and younger. That's a hot button for me so I immediately requested the book on ILL. I found it encouraging and although I've read a lot of parenting books, some ideas from this one stuck with me. I've been practicing allowing the girls more choices even when I think they are crazy (like going outside in shorts when it's 45 degrees). [4/5 stars]
Option B, Sheryl Sandberg (DNF) - I looked this up because a friend mentioned it, and it's good but after I skimmed to get the main points I didn't feel like reading the whole thing. It probably would have meant more to me if I got it right after my experience at Hillsdale. The book is written by a woman (also known for writing Lean In) who was living a very successful life as a Facebook exec in a happy marriage when her husband suddenly and unexpectedly dropped dead of heart failure. The book explores how she dealt with grief and recovery. [3.5/5]
The Middle Moffat, Eleanor Estes - Continuing to read some of my old favorite chapter books out loud to the girls, I am really delighting in rediscovering this series. They are charming and funny and as an adult I appreciate the richness of the every day history captured in this portrait of a child's experience of life during WWI. [4/5]
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, Natasha Pulley (REREAD) - This quirky alt-history steampunky novel is becoming one of my all-time favorites of the last few years. I see more depth to the themes of choice and determination every time I reread. [5/5]
The Lonely City, Olivia Laing - Part memoir, part art history, part social commentary, this well-written and meditative book reads like a string of interconnected essays. Sparked by the author's experience of moving suddenly to New York City and living alone in a series of sublet apartments, each chapter focuses on a different artist and how his work comments on loneliness and human connection. I found the book fascinating, sometimes a little depressing. It covers artists I mostly knew very little about, some of them outsiders and/or gay, which contributed to their feelings of isolation. I only wished the author had tied some of the ends together a little more carefully. As is, the book was somewhat meandering. I did enjoy the thoughtful experience of reading it, though. [4/5]
La Perdida, Jessica Abel - My first graphic novel!! Jessica Abel is the author of Growing Gills, the book on productivity and motivation for artists I keep referencing. (I haven't reviewed GG yet because I'm reading it really slowly chapter by chapter and trying to implement its ideas as I go.) So since I'm admiring Abel's writing so much I thought I would look up her own creative work out of curiosity. I can't compare to other graphic novels since I haven't read any, but this one was pretty dark. It follows a young woman who impulse-moves to Mexico City to explore her own heritage. Despite her determination to fully embrace the culture she brings her own preconceptions and they cause her to miss cues and and make poor decisions. She gradually gets further and further over her head with the wrong group of people. It reads like a classic tragedy in which you can see the protagonist's flaws and how they are leading her astray. The fact that they are believable makes it all the more painful. The drawings are in black and white and are a little looser and more expressive than the classic comic style although they seem to be referencing that look. I thought this novel was well-crafted but it does end a little abruptly and without much closure. [3.5/5]
April and May books: 5 + 1 DNF
2019 Total: 20 + 2 DNF
