One of my New Year’s goals was to read one book per week this year. Sometimes I think about this WSJ article where Karl Rove talks about President George W. Bush reading 95 books one year. While he was BEING PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Always makes me feel like I really need to step up my game.
Anyway, my plan is mini-reviews of each book at the end of each month. So, let’s do this:
The Wicked City
Reading a Beatriz Williams book is the literary equivalent of a hot bath and a full glass of red wine. She weaves fun stories of primarily strong—and primarily wealthy—female characters throughout the 20th century. This one was all speakeasies, jazz music, and New York in the gilded age. Perfect indulgent book to curl up with on a cold winter weekend.
The Perfect Horse
My friend who is an equestrian vet recommended this to me. She called it “a page-turner.” In retrospect, this would be like if I was recommending a book on dachshunds and cheese and called it a page-turner. Slightly biased. It is a fascinating story though that gives a unique angle on WWII. It focuses on the heroic efforts from a variety of sides of the war to protect some of the world’s top horses. It’s heartbreaking at times—as any war story—but it’s a remarkable tale.
The New Jim Crow
You know how now you hear about things from the Civil Rights era and they seem so obviously wrong? Like, of course “separate but equal” was a farce. But at the time it was just accepted. This book feels like reading the future’s view on our current state. Like, of course mass incarceration of black men for minor drug arrests is completely insane. But for some reason we’re all just accepting it. This one is like getting a peek at how history will view our era—and it’s not pretty.
Slow Days, Fast Company
I can’t stress enough how much I loved this book. It genuinely feels like stepping back in time to the 60s and 70s in Southern California. The writing is beautiful. The stories are fascinating. I didn’t want it to end. It’s a book with descriptions that make you feel like you can literally taste and feel the moments she’s describing. So good. (Fair warning: It was the 60s in California. If heavy drug use and unconventional sex offend you, don’t read this.)
The Kind Worth Killing
I love stories with crazy, smart, manipulative women seeking revenge. Think Gone Girl. I was one hundred percent pulling for that brilliant psycho to get away with it. I should probably talk to a therapist about this. Anyway, this book has more than one of these type of characters. It’s a fun thriller full of juicy plot twists. I’m ready for the movie now.
Sarah Crosland 