I've been meaning to post the books I read in June for a while now. So without further ado:
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
I was expecting to be scandalized by this book after all the flak the author received when it came out. I wasn't at all. In fact, I found these musings on parenting fascinating and helpful. Chua, who is also a professor of Law at Yale, was raised by immigrant parents. As such, she found herself between two cultures: American and Chinese. Chinese parenting is very strict and demanding. American parenting (at least from Chua's perspective) is less so. Chua set out to raise her daughters the Eastern way (we're talking six hours of piano practice a day here, people!). One thrived and one did not. I walked away with the message that each kid requires different things from their parents and that our job as parents is to give the kid what he or she needs. Overall, this was a quick read and I enjoyed this window into another mother's experience raising daughters.
A Visit from the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan
I always like to check out the books they give the Pulitzer Prizes to. I mean, you're guaranteed a well-written bit of fiction, aren't you? This book was no exception. It was a little strange. The characters were a lot strange. But it was an interesting look at the music industry over the last few decades. And the last chapter, which offered a peek at what the future might be like in terms of social media and consumption, was intriguing. I gave it three stars on Goodreads. (Speaking of Good Reads, do you want to be friends?)
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obrecht
Speaking of weird, here's another odd little novel. It was kind of slow going for me (it took me almost three weeks to get through it, which is pretty long for how short this book is), but I did enjoy it. It has a definite Eastern European flavor, which I like. It also weaves fables and modern life quite effectively. I didn't love it, though. Another three star-er.
June was an odd month because I attempted two books. I rarely quit books. But these two were so depressing to me (and they came at a time where I just couldn't handle more bummers, even if they were fictional). I got about 100 pages into each of these, but gave up after that.
Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman
I've been wanted to read something by Mrs. Chabon for a while. (Yes, she's married to Michael Chabon, who is one of my favorite authors. And yes, sometimes I try to imagine what it's like at the dinner table in their house!) This one, which starts off with a terrible car accident that kills a bride and groom on their way to the reception, just wasn't for me right now. WAY TOO SAD. I can tell she's a talent, though, and have added a couple of her others to my library request list.
2030 by Albert Brooks
I love Albert Brooks. Defending Your Life is one of my favorite movies of all time (please, do yourself a favor and watch it as soon as possible if you've never experienced it). Brooks is hilarious and wonderful. I can't think of a time when I wasn't delighted by him on film. Novels, on the other hand, turn out not to be the best medium for me to enjoy him. I was expecting belly laughs from this book about the near future, but what I got was the most depressing read ever. Tax problems, health care problems, gangs trying to kill the elderly so they wouldn't have to work to support them. That kind of thing. I found I could only handle this book if I had a tub of frosting to eat as I read. No book is worth gaining 15 pounds over, though. So I quit. Here's hoping the actual 2030 isn't as bleak as this book is!
I'll try to be more timely about the July books (I've already read three! And they are good ones!). Thanks for reading. And, as always, if you have any suggestions on what to read next, I'll take them!
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