Books I Read in December

I was moved by Joan Didion’s Blue Nights. I read this book late into the evenings, once my kiddos were tucked in bed and the house was still. It’s less about the frenetic lives we undertake as parents, but rather the fleeting time we have with our loved ones. Our very mortality is explored, imploring that we be present with the time we do have. Didion writes beautifully, I felt as though I were listening to stories from an old friend.

Pachinko sat on my bookshelf for many months. Once I finally picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. This book was a labor of love, written and then re-written over many years. Min Lee writes from the omnipresent perspective, giving you insight into all of her characters. This book was a surprise and delight!

Bartleby, the Scrivener. This short story is still sending shivers up my spine when I think of it. I also had no idea what a scrivener was until picking this up. This story was written by Herman Melville who also wrote Moby Dick. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus about the ending of this short story and I am still not quite sure what to make of it.

And last but not least, Flowers of the Killer Moon by David Grann. This story chronicles the Osage murders and the birth of the FBI. It was a gut-wrenching story about one the largest oil fields in North America, the wealth, and the fallout from it. I had no idea about this very dark part of our country’s history. This book left me with the feeling of wanting to learn more.

If you have any littles in your life, check out my newest Zine for kids (ages 4-8). Just a few pages long, it’s a place for kids to start writing, coloring, and dreaming big. This is a great tool for kids to be creative- every single page in it is interactive. It goes out in the mail, which is totally fun. Getting mail from someone is always a nice and easy way to show someone you are thinking of them.

Be well :) Thanks for reading!