November: Old Favorites, Graphic Novels and American Voices
Hello Everyone,
November was a big month for me in terms of my 2020 reading. It started with a lot of escapist reading as we waited with bated breath for the results of the election, and ended with a lot of escapist reading when I got hit by Covid-19 and spent about a week in bed. I also started leading a graphic novel book club, and had a great time doing “research” for it!
Today I have three pairs of books for you that fall into some fun categories. These books cover YA to adult, brand new to old classics, and I hope there is something for everyone for you!
Great non-fiction about American culture
Bad Land by Jonathan Raban and Just Us: An American Conversation by Claudia Rankin
These two books are incredibly different, but they both spoke to the American experience in really unique and interesting ways.
Bad Land is Raban’s deeply researched and compassionate portrait of settlers in Eastern Montana. It specifically looks at the way that today’s culture was shaped by the wave of homesteaders in the early 20th century who believed in the false promise of abundance perpetuated by the government and railway companies. This book was well written, heartfelt, and sympathetic to a group of people I often struggle to understand.
In contrast, Just Us, which came out in September of this year, is a deeply personal examination of the stress, yearning and confusion that comes with trying to communicate across lines of privilege and race. It is not a perfect book, but I think what she tries to do in this book is close to revolutionary, and that makes it worth the read.
Fun graphic novels that appeal to all ages
Compass South by Hope Larson and The Time Museum by Matthew Loux
I came to these two books when looking for good graphic novels to read with my book group. These were my two favorites because I feel like the stories are enjoyable to a wide range of ages, and I enjoyed the artistry behind them.
Compass South is an historical coming of age tale about two pairs of twins and has buried treasure, pirates and is just so much fun! It is a pretty straightforward adventure with beautiful art, and I really enjoyed it.
The Time Museum is a great ensemble cast book about a group of young people from multiple time periods who must team up and save the world, and the story has some great messaging about uniqueness, bravery and honesty. The art is fairly simplistic but the story and concept are utterly fun.
Classics
The Godfather by Mario Puzo and The Martian by Andy Weir
I recognize that these two books seem very different, but they share one very important quality: they are deeply satisfying stories, with compelling settings, plenty of problems and tidy endings which leave you feeling sated and happy. I read both of these (and watched the movies) while I was sick, and they were exactly what I needed.
The Godfather is Puzo’s masterpiece of a revenge novel about the Mafia in New York, which is one of my old favorites for so many reasons. I am the first to admit that the way that African Americans and women are talked about is deeply problematic, and the romanticization of the Mafia isn’t great, but this book is an incredible piece of rich storytelling with a satisfying and brutal ending.
This book is a little too recent to be a true classic, but I still feel that The Martian is deserves classic status. The story of an astronaut stuck on Mars, this is told with wit and genius, and the technical stuff (almost) never interferes with what is an incredible story. It was published for free online and gained a following before being picked up by a publisher, which is a testament to the power of this story.
I’ll be back later this week with some weekend fun, and stay tuned for a 2021 book challenge update and a sneak peak of my annual re-read challenge coming soon!
