Books I've Read On My Commute

I ironically read a book about people attending their final high school reunion even though I couldn’t be bothered to attend my first (let’s repeat, in 2018 we will have an open bar, not this cash bar bull shit.)

This book follows a group of young women through their twenties. Every girl can find a connection with a girl in this book.

Hey look, J.K. Rowling decided to actually write another book rather than tweak more shit about Harry Potter (let it go, Jo!).

A memoir about how an English teach developed a comprehensive educational prison program centered around the Bard. Waaaaaaaaaaaaay better commentary on the prison system than Orange is the Next Black.

I read like three more, and yes, I plan on finishing the series. Please don’t judge me. Also, people are starting to get laid, but I could really do without the gratuitous use of the phrase “blood whore.” 

Futuristic novel about an authoritarian government all taking place in a 100+ floor silo. Two thoughts:

1. I am getting tired reading about people climbing stairs. Like physically exhausted.

2. After seeing Snowpiercer last week (highly recommended), I can’t help but think maybe the concept of a fragmented authoritarian government is overdone.

I once heard someone say that this book is about an Australian Sheldon Cooper finding love. It sort of is. While the first book is delightful, the second is just painful at times (it is about the honeymoon period ending, who wants to hear about that).

Book: The Night Circus

Author: Erin Morganstern

Premise: The protégés, Celia and Marco, of two dueling magicians fight it out to the death in a magical competition where they must display their talents in a wandering magic circus that is only open at night. Also, none of the performers in this circus ever age. Through their exploits, Celia and Marco fall in love.

Thoughts: This book is a “love it or hate it” sort of book. Either you love it because the characters are incredibly compelling and you love the curiosities in the book, or you hate it because the overall plot can drag on a bit and because almost every other chapter is written in second person (which is a very weird concept). I will let you guess what category I fall into.

Book: Big Little Lies

Author: Liane Moriarty

Premise: So you think it is going to be a funny story about a bunch of parents that have run amok in the PTA, but there are a lot of really deep and crazy secrets and all the characters are dealing with heavy stuff, like an abusive husband, a child being ostracized by the parents of the other children, and a woman dealing with the effects of her divorce. The PTA parents are still running amok though, but someone gets killed. Also, it takes place in Australia, so wrap your head around that.*

Thoughts: Despite the heavy material, I did laugh several times throughout the book. Moriarty did a fantastic job of developing really complex characters that caused me to feel a full range of emotions. It is one of these books that makes me super excited when I see someone else reading it.

*Unlike when I read a British book and imagine a British accent, when I read an Australian book I imagine a cross between Steve Irwin and Chris Hemsworth doing his “American” accent (which if you don’t know what that is, just watch the Red Dawn remake. Actually, if you are going to watch Red Dawn, watch the original one. That movie is awesome.)

Book: A Visit from the Goon Squad

Author: Jennifer Egan

Premise: It is a bunch of short stories that jump between different times (ranging from the late 60s to the about 2040). Each story is connected through a different character. That is probably a very poor explanation, but think Love Actually, but adding in a time element.

A few weeks ago I read in the ABA Journal e-newsletter that there are some lawyers who switch between reading for pleasure and reading for professional development. The idea is that they read one book for fun and then the next book is a book about something in their field.

Book: You Can't Lie to Me

Author: Janine Driver

Thoughts: Ask a few basic questions to gauge someone’s “natural state.” Then ask the questions that you want to see them lie about. Boom. I just saved you several hours reading this book.

Book: Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison

Author: Piper Kerman

Thoughts: This was the autobiography that the hit Netflix show that we are all obsessed with is based on. Aside from the fact that the show is a gross exaggeration of what actually happened (something I don’t care about because TV needs a far more compelling story), Kerman falls incredibly flat. She didn’t really make it seem like women’s prison was all that terrible. It just seemed like a very diverse sorority. She did have an opportunity to talk about how the prison system is terrible at reforming and turning people into effective members of society upon release, something that Kerman briefly touches on, but she doesn’t grab the opportunity given to her. She does have some really compelling stuff on her webpage, but I am disappointed that her wildly popular book doesn’t say more.

On December 1, Tumblr sent me an email reminding me that my blog turned 1 (meanwhile, I, for some reason thought I started in March). Here are my reflections over that past year:

I have read a lot of books. By a lot, I mean about 52 in the last year (yes, an average of a book per week, thanks to a few airplane trips). About 150 books since I got a Kindle in September 2012.

Although there is definitely a type of book I prefer to read, I am glad that I have started expanding my reading selection. Not to sound snobby, but I do think it makes me a better person.

Because I have a platform, I think about the act of commuting a lot. I do not even come close to posting all my thoughts, but I have tons of them, many of which make me laugh, in a disturbing, “I-am-a-bad-person” way.

When my Kindle dies during the day (usually because an app didn’t shut down properly and it drained my battery), or when I don’t have a new book immediately lined up, my commute feels a lot longer. Excruciatingly long.

I’ve mastered falling asleep at Wheile and waking up at Farragut West. I am very proud of this fact.

At least once a week you are there outside of McPherson Square station playing your hearts out. Playing oldies, modern hits, Christmas tunes, jazz classics, and my favorite, the Mario Bros. theme song. Hearing you as I exit the metro station reminds me that today is going to be an awesome day. Thank you guys.

When I update my Nexus 7 (my primary reading device) from KitKat to Lollipop: