Books of December 2021
December was an interesting month. It was full of big steps forward in my personal life, lots of behind-the-scenes planning for 2022, and a few new books read.
This month also saw an unusual book-related occurrence and something that I have not had to deal with for a. very long time. I started a book that I absolutely hated. Once I was about an hour into it, I simply did not and could not read anymore. Generally, I force myself to finish all the books that I start, which is why I give so many books 2 stars (since those tend to be the ones that I don’t enjoy very much). I’ve long said though that the reason I don’t give books 1 star is because those would be books that I truly hated - and I wasn’t sure I could bring myself to finish any like that.
So I seem to have finally come up against the book that ranks at 1 star because I have no desire to finish it, and have decided, that I do not have to. If you are curious, the book was Influence.
Gretchen Rubin always says that she stops reading books she doesn’t like so that she has more time to read the ones she will love - while I respect this view, I have found that few books for me really fall into that “love” category, and I don’t like the wasted time feeling of giving up on a book after I have put several hours into reading it. But, I guess this month has proved that I will accept the sunk costs and move on when I read a book that I truly hate. And honestly, with how little research I do to find so many of the books that I read, I am surprised that it is not a much more regular occurrence.
For now, I am happy with my mid-way perspective - I will likely continue to finish the books that I start, unless I truly hate them and simply have to stop (in which case, they earn the necessary 1 star).
Not all of the books I read this month were ranked so low, and because I read 11 books total, there were several that I enjoyed much more. And since this is the last month of the year, it is also the last where I had to read from the 2 set categories that I planned to each month of the year:
Classic: Camille: The Lady of the Camellias - 3 Stars. I haven’t read Alexandre Dumas recently, but I know that when I have in the past I have always enjoyed his work. This book was no exception. Although I haven’t heard this book frequently mentioned, I definitely think it falls into the “classic” category. Not only is the author and style very classic, but the content is as well. I had a bit of difficulty getting interested in the story initially, and it was interesting to hear the whole story in the context of one character relaying the events to another, leaving much of the action in very passive past tense. But it was a well-developed look into social and cultural norms in past centuries and the humanity that remains the same even now.
Re-Read: Is This Anything - I read a few books with unique formats this month, this definitely being one of them. Since I have watched a few episodes of Seinfeld on Netflix recently, and since I wanted to clear my brain after reading that book I could not get through, I decided to return to this one, which I figured would at least make me laugh - and it definitely did not disappoint. Although I don’t know that the trajectory of Jerry Seinfeld’s life is different from that of most other comics, he does have an interesting story and knows how to write a joke. There are many in this book that I recognize from the show, but also plenty that I did not. This time through reading the book, I was struck by the discussion on when the show was pitched as being about how a comedian gets his material - since I had always just assumed it was an extension of the idea of “a show about nothing.” Although I guess that it can technically be both, understanding the show in that way gave me a deeper sense of appreciation of what it was trying to achieve - and for the book and its author as well.
In addition to finishing the books from my categories this month, I also read:
Alpha: Eddie Gallagher and the War for the Soul of the Navy SEALs - 3 Stars. I have rarely felt so much righteous indignation when reading a book. As I read this one, I found myself ranting to just about anyone who would listen about the unfairness and injustice depicted. But I was also saddened because it was so real - even the things that seemed true, that people saw or witnessed or believed, could be perceived as false by someone else, or just viewed as an unsubstantiated misinterpretation of events. Even the people that you wanted to support and view as “good” in one chapter could so easily slip out of one or both of those categories. I was shocked to realize how little of the story I knew, despite all of this taking place in such recent history. It was also fascinating and terrifying to read about the history of a group we have so come to respect and revere in our country - and to see how all of that has been intentional. The book, and the very real story that it tells, unfortunately, doesn’t have a great resolution, but if anything, it serves as a reminder of just how important it is to have individuals of integrity serving our country at all levels.
Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator - 3 Stars. I probably should have been able to guess from my knowledge of its contents, but I was still surprised at the slow pace of the book. Negotiations and stand-offs may be a matter of life or death, but they are often a days-long chess game because a speedy gun battle is exactly what those involved are trying to avoid. With that understanding of the negotiation process, I should’ve expected that the pace of the book would be similar to that of a chess game, but I didn’t, and it was. Beyond that, however, the stories conveyed were interesting and it was satisfying to hear about the teams working so hard to reach a satisfactory conclusion for everyone involved in these situations (or almost everyone). Negotiation, especially in the case of such high-stakes cases, is definitely a valuable skill, and I appreciated this up-close look from a safe distance.
Beth and Amy - 4 Stars. When I started this book, I was inspired to re-read its predecessor, Meg and Jo, and so I did last month. I’m glad I took the time to return to that first half of this story (despite being intimately familiar with the original and just about every iteration since), to be reminded of the characters and context. It definitely made me appreciate this half of the story more. Although I have always preferred Meg and Jo as characters, I didn’t mind them taking more of a background role in this story and it was interesting to see them as supporting characters, as well as to see more of modern life and perspective imbued into such a classic story. Of course, it has the almost-predictable ending that you would expect - whether you have read the original or not. But that doesn’t detract from the sweet, special story of the sisters who, in this iteration at least, are not-so-little women.
The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War - 2 Stars. As with Alpha, this book too covers events that technically took place in the recent past. And it was another where I felt like much of the information was news to me. I don’t think that is surprising, however, since it seemed to be largely why the book was written. Since the book seeks to convey so many facts from so many people who held so many positions with regard to the war, it is more than a bit dry at times, hard to follow, and even more difficult to stay engaged. But that doesn’t mean that the content is unimportant, although it is something that I suspect each reader would interpret based on their own feelings and views on the war. I appreciated that the book was relatively recent and could thus, provide a relatively up-to-date perspective, but it would have been nice to hear a discussion on the developments of the last few months as well.
The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self - 2 Stars. I started out enjoying this book and the discussion of integrity, especially because it seemed very in line with my planned word of the year for next year. Also, Martha Beck is someone who is mentioned frequently in my coaching and personal development circles, so I was curious to read something directly from her. Beyond the connection to my planned focus for next year, I didn’t really enjoy the book. I disagreed with some of the ideas and exercises, and I never connected with the underlying metaphor that was the foundation of the whole book. With my focus for next year in mind, I will likely not read more from Martha Beck and instead content myself with continuing to learn from others who choose to learn from her and how they distill her ideas into their own.
Miss Moriarty, I Presume? - 3 Stars. I started this book with the belief that it was the start of a series, rather than the end of one, which it is. Or at least, the end for now, since this book definitely left plenty of things to be resolved. I wasn’t too surprised by the ending, but I was surprised several times along the way since I felt like I had been dropped into the middle of a world I knew nothing about, which, in essence, I had. I would’ve enjoyed the story more if I had to spend less time figuring out what was going on, but I did still manage to enjoy the story. I may go back and actually start this series at the beginning because I suspect that I would like it, but that is a mystery that will remain unsolved, at least for now.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - 3 Stars. Although I haven’t watched the Netflix film based on this book, it was largely the reason I decided to read it. Since I had heard good things about the movie, and always try to read a book before watching the movie created afterward, I knew that was where I needed to start. The core story is good, not all that unpredictable, but good. I did find it a bit difficult to get into, whether that was because it was largely written in letter-form or not, I never quite decided. The book has a unique title and slightly-less unique premise, so although it didn’t quite live up to my (admittedly high) expectations, I will likely watch the movie at some point in the future.
I also took the time this month to re-read another of my old favorites, The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. I try to re-read this book at the end of every year or the start of a new one to remind me of the transformation that is possible over the course of a year and to help me feel excited and motivated for the fresh start. This book never disappoints, although I do take something different away every time. It helped me do feel even more confident in my goals for 2022 and I can’t wait to get started.
Finally, I ended 2021 with a re-read of Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World. It wasn’t quite all that I remembered it to be, but it did still have some ideas and concepts that I found to be particularly powerful. It also felt a bit scattered while I was reading it, but I guess in hindsight I can see how it was all loosely tied together by the tread of “non-conformists” and how to enact change through their ideas. I’m not sure I fall into that category, but this book always encourages me to look for ways that I can.
This was also the last month for me to purchase at least one of my favorite books - per my 2021 resolution. This month I got The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done and The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet. I love each of these books, although for admittedly different reasons. I even got a signed copy of the Anthropocene Reviewed, which was extra exciting and made it a very special purchase. I also took a few minutes this month to go through lists I made in previous years of my “favorite books” (see Best Books of 2019 and Best Books of 2020), as well as the books I read this year, to make sure that I have purchased all of the books that I truly want to own - and as a result, I ordered two more, Rich Bitch: A Simple 12-Step Plan for Getting Your Financial Life Together...Finally and Is This Anything. Now I have officially purchased every book that I want on my shelves - at least for now! So that resolution is not only checked off, but complete in a way that resolutions rarely get to be.
I’ll be sharing all my goals for the coming year soon (as well as whether any are reading-related). But until then, I will be celebrating another year completed, resolutions kept, and books read.
Until next time,