Book Round-Up for August 29: Finishing Up Summer Reading

Something I've learned about myself is that I have a latent competitive streak. While it doesn't always manifest itself, it can be a dangerous and powerful thing when it does emerge. It doesn't translate to sports (at which I am terrible at) or even in situations that seem competitive (think trivia night contents). However, it comes out in full force when I am competing against myself. This is particularly true when it comes to reading and books. I keep up with the books I read each year on my personal LibraryThing account, and I always want to beat my previous year's tally.

This usually translates to a great excuse to spend lots of quality time reading during the summer, which is really one of the only times I have to dedicate myself to pleasure reading for an extended period. However, summer is also a time to read books for the new school year, particularly in preparation for the YAL and trade book suggestions I provide for my students. So, without further ado, here are some books I read this summer but that I didn't write about in another round-up.

picture from
Jacqueline Woodson's website

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson has received numerous awards and for good reason. This memoir in verse paints an evocative  picture of what it is like growing up when you feel somewhat disconnected from others. In free verse, Woodson describes her childhood in South Carolina and New York. In South Carolina, she is separated from others because of race, while her religion makes her different when she is in New York. Although this book is a quick and compelling read, it is also one that invites rereading. The masterful use of language as well as the recurring themes and ideas invite readers to return to learn more about Woodson and get a better sense of her craft. I can't believe it took me this long to read it - it had been on my TBR pile for years. However, it was well worth the wait!

picture from
JacquelineWoodson's website

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson. After waiting two years to read Brown Girl Dreaming, I found myself on a bit of a Woodson kick this summer. Therefore, when I had the chance to read her adult novel, Another Brooklyn, which was just published, I jumped at the chance.  Told from the point of view of August, an African-American girl growing up in Brooklyn in the 1970s with her father and brother, Another Brooklyn depicts the changes that come when innocence gives way to experience. It also details how friends who think they will be together forever can grow up and grow apart. 

Despite being an adult novel and fiction, Another Brooklyn seems like a spiritual sequel to Brown Girl Dreaming. Like Brown Girl Dreaming, this is a book that you can read quickly but that rewards you the more you return to it. Furthermore, although it is definitely meant for an older audience (mature high school students and older), it is easy to see how August could be Jackie in a parallel universe. At the high school or college level, it would be interesting to teach these books together to see how they compare and contrast with one another and to let students explore how an author might approach the same general topic (growing up) from different perspectives and with different purposes and audiences in mind. 

picture from HatchettBook Group

So We Read On: How the Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures by NPR book critic and literature professor Maureen Corrigan explores the legacy of the book from both a critical and personal standpoint. Corrigan's book details her literary-inspired tourism, ranging from a Gatsby-related tour of Long Island to her former high school, while also offering insight into Fitzgerald and his well-known masterpiece. While it can be difficult to find the right tone and balance when discussing both personal and critical viewpoints, Corrigan does this with ease and panache. She never veers into being too informal in her style, but she also keeps the writing lively and engaging. This is a must-read for any Gatsby fan; even though So We Read On sometimes covers familiar territory, Corrigan's perspectives keep the book from becoming a retread and offer some new (or, at least, new-to-me) thoughts on Gatsby.

picture from Hachette Book Group

Pen and Palate: Mastering the Art of Adulthood, with Recipes by Lucy Madison and Tram Nguyen is a book that I checked out on impulse from the library. I'm always intrigued by books that combine essays and food, but more often than not, I'm often let down by the results. In theory, these books seem like a good idea, but the reality is more problematic (I've never quite recovered from my disappointment in Voracious: A Hungry Reader Cooks Her Way through Great Books). However, I was pleasantly surprised by Pen and Palate. Based on the blog by the same name, the book is told from the perspectives of Madison and Nguyen as they describe their friendship, their college experiences, and their adventures and misadventures in their 20s. Each essay is written by one of the authors, and one of the most intriguing parts of the book was seeing how these women contended with similar struggles and doubts separately but in similar ways. Their thoughts that the other person was more together was particularly resonant, since that is the mindset that many people share when looking at their friends.

Although I found the book and its authors relatable to an extent, I'll also offer the caveat that reading it during my mid-30s proved to be somewhat maddening. There were a few times when I wanted to be able to talk to the authors to tell them to stop dithering and get it together. However, this is also something I grew to appreciate about the book, since it gave me a much better idea of the mindset that many of my students, who are in their late teens and early 20s, have. Besides the dose of empathy it provided, it also has some great-sounding recipes from people who do love food and eating. In the end, the book was perfect for the summer.