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2019 Book Post #1
Thu, Jan. 17th, 2019 18:42After a year of ownership, I finally bonded with my Kindle and started taking it to work with me. Since Goodreads mysteriously won't let me make an account (claiming I already have an account?) while not letting me log into the existing account I have no recollection of or reset my password, I'm going to try and organize my reading here.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty
I love down-to-earth books about lofty topics. This one felt like a dare to peek behind a curtain, a reminder to poke at a missing tooth. It also captured the sensation of obsession very well. However, the last couple of chapters took a disheartening turn for the parable. I don't want my reading about messy, complicated topics to be Morally Improving! And definitely not when it's as terrible a take as "death and suffering bring a necessary balance to the world, therefore they must be embraced".
The Little Book of Hygge/Lykke by Meik Wiking
A cute, fluffy read. I like reading about other cultures, but this was a bit too "anthro 101 for ethnocentric Americans" to scratch that itch fully. It's inspired me to buy/light more candles, and to prioritize pro-social activities a bit more. We'll see how long this lasts.
Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel
OH MY GOD THIS BOOK! This is, ostensibly, a book for and about people whose sex lives are floundering despite (and sometimes because of) their love for their partners. And I'm sure it has some good insights for those people. But I was just filled with boundless delight and smugness because never has a book so accurately captured and described how I process sexuality. I mean this in the broadest sense. It gave me a fluent language for something I'd barely been able to articulate in the past. Now, when I describe a lot of what I like as "tension, contrast, or juxtaposition", I can elaborate and point people to this book instead of going "if that doesn't strike a chord for you then idk how else to explain".
Stiff by Mary Roach
Stiff was a necessary counterpoint to Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. It has a narrower focus (cadavers!) but a broader perspective, and I'm glad I read the two books within the same week. I have shockingly little to say about this book given how much I liked it. Since I've never found bodies particularly horrifying or titillating, what interested me most was the behind-the-scenes looks at other people's research, professions, and normal*.
The State of Affairs by Esther Perel
This book was solid and interesting, but way less revelatory than Mating in Captivity. I've also done a fair bit of thinking about the nature of monogamy, boundaries, privacy, and duty** within relationships. People who are monogamous, or poly but haven't Seen Some Shit would probably appreciate it more.
* In this way, it reminds me a bit of Dick Francis. I liked his stuff best for diving deep into the mind of another, non-equine profession.
** They're all about duty!
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty
I love down-to-earth books about lofty topics. This one felt like a dare to peek behind a curtain, a reminder to poke at a missing tooth. It also captured the sensation of obsession very well. However, the last couple of chapters took a disheartening turn for the parable. I don't want my reading about messy, complicated topics to be Morally Improving! And definitely not when it's as terrible a take as "death and suffering bring a necessary balance to the world, therefore they must be embraced".
The Little Book of Hygge/Lykke by Meik Wiking
A cute, fluffy read. I like reading about other cultures, but this was a bit too "anthro 101 for ethnocentric Americans" to scratch that itch fully. It's inspired me to buy/light more candles, and to prioritize pro-social activities a bit more. We'll see how long this lasts.
Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel
OH MY GOD THIS BOOK! This is, ostensibly, a book for and about people whose sex lives are floundering despite (and sometimes because of) their love for their partners. And I'm sure it has some good insights for those people. But I was just filled with boundless delight and smugness because never has a book so accurately captured and described how I process sexuality. I mean this in the broadest sense. It gave me a fluent language for something I'd barely been able to articulate in the past. Now, when I describe a lot of what I like as "tension, contrast, or juxtaposition", I can elaborate and point people to this book instead of going "if that doesn't strike a chord for you then idk how else to explain".
Stiff by Mary Roach
Stiff was a necessary counterpoint to Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. It has a narrower focus (cadavers!) but a broader perspective, and I'm glad I read the two books within the same week. I have shockingly little to say about this book given how much I liked it. Since I've never found bodies particularly horrifying or titillating, what interested me most was the behind-the-scenes looks at other people's research, professions, and normal*.
The State of Affairs by Esther Perel
This book was solid and interesting, but way less revelatory than Mating in Captivity. I've also done a fair bit of thinking about the nature of monogamy, boundaries, privacy, and duty** within relationships. People who are monogamous, or poly but haven't Seen Some Shit would probably appreciate it more.
* In this way, it reminds me a bit of Dick Francis. I liked his stuff best for diving deep into the mind of another, non-equine profession.
** They're all about duty!
