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molly_cahill's reviews
99 reviews
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
4.0
Dense but very worthwhile. While it reminded me just how much I don’t know about the history of not just Palestine but the Middle East more generally, this helped me contextualize the current war with the backdrop of the last 100+ years of conflict between Israel and Palestine. The perspective/bias was clear, but it was well argued and substantiated, and the author’s retelling of his own experiences in the region added a valuable dimension to the book. I’m hoping to read more on the topic to continue filling in the holes in my knowledge.
Either/Or by Elif Batuman
4.25
Definitely preferred it to The Idiot, which I wanted to love but just didn’t quite connect with.
A big problem for me in the first book was the presence of Ivan, and in this one Selin is really making sense of her experiences with him, but not really having more. She also has some beautiful and thoughtful moments on finding her purpose as a writer throughout. Elif Batuman’s style is very honest and striking. When I heard her speak at the Strand, I kept thinking that I should love everything she’s about… so why didn’t the first book work for me the way it did for other people?
In the end, there still wasn’t the kind of magic in this book for me that I’ve heard others describe. But I’m fascinated by Batuman’s approach to many of the things on my list of “special interests.”
A big problem for me in the first book was the presence of Ivan, and in this one Selin is really making sense of her experiences with him, but not really having more. She also has some beautiful and thoughtful moments on finding her purpose as a writer throughout. Elif Batuman’s style is very honest and striking. When I heard her speak at the Strand, I kept thinking that I should love everything she’s about… so why didn’t the first book work for me the way it did for other people?
In the end, there still wasn’t the kind of magic in this book for me that I’ve heard others describe. But I’m fascinated by Batuman’s approach to many of the things on my list of “special interests.”
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
4.5
I’ve been in a big reading slump this April! And I don’t think it actually had to do with this book.
I preferred Giovanni’s Room for sure, but Baldwin is great and I see the importance of this one for him and in making sense of his family story. Really interesting perspective exercise going on here with the flashbacks from the POVs of the adult family members.
I wish I had gotten a more continuous reading experience with this one, and maybe will pick it up again at some point to try to do that.
I preferred Giovanni’s Room for sure, but Baldwin is great and I see the importance of this one for him and in making sense of his family story. Really interesting perspective exercise going on here with the flashbacks from the POVs of the adult family members.
I wish I had gotten a more continuous reading experience with this one, and maybe will pick it up again at some point to try to do that.
Bunny by Mona Awad
4.25
Far outside of my normal genre comfort zone, which makes the number rating task a difficult one.
While horror/supernatural stuff isn’t usually for me, Mona Awad’s writing cultivated a sense of intrigue from the beginning. The book ended up being a real page turner for me because I was interested to see the pieces of the puzzle and the concept get fleshed out. She really aptly created a relationship between confusion and suspense for the reader.
While supernatural stuff isn’t really my thing, I was reflecting on how the magical elements of this helped me to enjoy the freaky and/or gross stuff (at least on the surface) more than I have in other contemporary literary fiction that comes at gore from a place of realism, like, say, some of Ottesa Mossfegh’s stuff. (Sorry, Ottesa, I’ve tried.)
All that being said, there were still some things that felt like plot or concept holes to me, and it would have been satisfying to have a few more answers. But I appreciate that that probably goes against the author’s goal/vision.
In the end this one is hard for me to place on a 5 point scale, particularly on a comparative graph along with other stuff I’ve read that sits more in my wheelhouse.
While horror/supernatural stuff isn’t usually for me, Mona Awad’s writing cultivated a sense of intrigue from the beginning. The book ended up being a real page turner for me because I was interested to see the pieces of the puzzle and the concept get fleshed out. She really aptly created a relationship between confusion and suspense for the reader.
While supernatural stuff isn’t really my thing, I was reflecting on how the magical elements of this helped me to enjoy the freaky and/or gross stuff (at least on the surface) more than I have in other contemporary literary fiction that comes at gore from a place of realism, like, say, some of Ottesa Mossfegh’s stuff. (Sorry, Ottesa, I’ve tried.)
All that being said, there were still some things that felt like plot or concept holes to me, and it would have been satisfying to have a few more answers. But I appreciate that that probably goes against the author’s goal/vision.
In the end this one is hard for me to place on a 5 point scale, particularly on a comparative graph along with other stuff I’ve read that sits more in my wheelhouse.
The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by James Martin SJ
4.5
Lovely to read a book by a friend! :)
I picked this one up to accompany me through the last few weeks of Lent, and it helped me approach some of the foundations of Ignatian spirituality in a fresh way. Personal, accessible and practical. I’m recommitting to my Examen and also to a generally more prayerful and loving attitude.
I picked this one up to accompany me through the last few weeks of Lent, and it helped me approach some of the foundations of Ignatian spirituality in a fresh way. Personal, accessible and practical. I’m recommitting to my Examen and also to a generally more prayerful and loving attitude.
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
4.75
My first Baldwin! Stunning prose, did not disappoint. And I loved remembering my time in Paris along the way.
I had been coming into this one really hoping for a win after a few recent middling reads, and it delivered. Short but rich, and exactly the kind of internal experience writing I was craving.
I had been coming into this one really hoping for a win after a few recent middling reads, and it delivered. Short but rich, and exactly the kind of internal experience writing I was craving.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
4.25
I have owned a copy of this book for over a year and was saving it for a time when I was up for a longer read. I had heard amazing things about this story and had high hopes. While I enjoyed plenty of things about it, I think my expectations were a bit too high.
The best part of reading this for me was learning about the Korean diaspora. I came in with very little context/working knowledge, and this ambitious project brought me through several decades in the lives of a Korean family living (and experiencing serious discrimination) in Japan.
A big part of my struggle to connect with this book was, I think, due to its narration style. I found the omniscient narrator to be soooo zoomed out/distant that I missed out on any interiority from the (very likeable and interesting!) central characters. I also felt like the very short chapters, especially in a ~500 page book, gave the pace a kind of clipped, cut-off-at-the-knees feeling. While I got to follow characters over the course of several decades, spending 6-10 pages with them before the POV changed to another character wasn’t super fulfilling. And when we were following so many characters in and around the family, I found that the many threads never came together for me in as satisfying a way as I had hoped.
The best part of reading this for me was learning about the Korean diaspora. I came in with very little context/working knowledge, and this ambitious project brought me through several decades in the lives of a Korean family living (and experiencing serious discrimination) in Japan.
A big part of my struggle to connect with this book was, I think, due to its narration style. I found the omniscient narrator to be soooo zoomed out/distant that I missed out on any interiority from the (very likeable and interesting!) central characters. I also felt like the very short chapters, especially in a ~500 page book, gave the pace a kind of clipped, cut-off-at-the-knees feeling. While I got to follow characters over the course of several decades, spending 6-10 pages with them before the POV changed to another character wasn’t super fulfilling. And when we were following so many characters in and around the family, I found that the many threads never came together for me in as satisfying a way as I had hoped.
Atonement by Ian McEwan
4.25
What I thought worked well about this book: The first and last sections were very nicely done. Section 1 was often slow but in a good way, allowing for some poignant writing about characters’ internal experiences. And the final section was both heartwarming and then ultimately surprising. The metafictional turn was well done. This was clearly a book for writers on many levels, and I enjoyed that element.
What didn’t work: Much of the pacing. The middle two sections were often unnecessarily slow and lacking the emotional poignancy that bookends the story.
What didn’t work: Much of the pacing. The middle two sections were often unnecessarily slow and lacking the emotional poignancy that bookends the story.
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
4.0
I first heard Priya on Glennon Doyle’s podcast, and I loved her! As I’m in the early stages of planning a wedding, I bought her book to think more deeply and intentionally about the kind of gathering I hope to have.
For some reason, it took me a while to get through this, which I think was more about this being a busy season for me than about how engaging (or not) the book was. I marked it up and will certainly be returning to it as a practical guide for my wedding next year.
For some reason, it took me a while to get through this, which I think was more about this being a busy season for me than about how engaging (or not) the book was. I marked it up and will certainly be returning to it as a practical guide for my wedding next year.