As
the end of 2012 approaches, I 've
re-assessed the books I read throughout the year.
Some
of the books I read were biographies
of Cleopatra and Audrey
Hepburn, an
assortment
of business books, a self-help book and
a fairy tale about a girl who saves
her
eleven brothers. None of those books is
mentioned on this list, however.
Furthermore,
only two of the books on this list were previously reviewed on this blog.
Lastly,
the list includes Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs. Though
this blog is
about
women authors/subjects, I chose to make an exception of Steve Jobs as he was
such a cultural
icon—changing all of our lives,
including my own.
1. Ali in Wonderland by Ali Wentworth—This book is a candid,
witty, heartfelt,
at times amusing take
on TV/media personality Ali Wentworth’s life (especially when
she finds herself in absurd
situations). Ali in Wonderland begins
with the author’s
break-up with her fiancé
(who had proposed in an Irish castle).
She left him.
Imagine her distress
when, six weeks later, she discovered a
message on his answering
machine that implied
that he’d gotten married and was departing on a trip to the
Bahamas.
2. Married to Bhutan by Linda Leaming--the author's well-written
memoir of a
year-long
stay in Bhutan, which is—according to
Leaming--“a tiny Buddhist country”
that
borders India and China. There she
taught English, learned and struggled with the
Bhutanese
language, got acquainted with their
customs and met and wed her husband.
3. My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss—My
complete review may be viewed at
http://yreidbooks.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-berlin-kitchen-by-luisa-weiss.html.
4. Sempre Susan
by Sigrid Nuñez--I really enjoy Sigrid Nuñez' writing. She has a
thoughtful,
cultivated--one might say, intellectual—approach to writing. She rarely
chooses
the obvious word. I like that. The night I was reading this book, I had
to
look up ungemutlich--although I spent
a summer trying to learn beginner-level
German,
years ago. It's a German word for messy or nasty. So I learned
something
new (though I doubt I'll EVER use this word).
Moreover, no one should
be put off by the title. "Sempre"
just means always (in
Italian). That said, the book is a memoir of Nuñez'
non-romantic relationship with
author/writer Susan
Sontag. Nuñez was Sontag's personal
assistant, even as she
dated/lived with
Sontag's son, David.
A well-crafted and
bittersweet tale, Sempre Susan is a
sort of "All About Eve" for the
literati or literary
set.
5. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson--I'd been a fan of Steve
Jobs from the time my
mom bought our first
family PC (an Apple). So when this book
was published, I felt
compelled to read it. I got to re-live Steve Jobs' brilliant
meteoric life. Also, the dark
moments. Though I did not know him personally, I liked
Steve Jobs. But--as with
every biography I’ve
ever read--the subject (Steve Jobs) is revealed as flawed and
imperfect. Nevertheless,
I loved this book.
6. The Happiness Project by
Gretchen Rubin--I read and really liked this book earlier
this
year. My complete review is posted at http://www.yreidbooks.blogspot.com/
the-happiness-project-by-gretchen-rubin.html.
--Yolanda A. Reid
_______________________________
Copyright ©
2012-2013 by Y.A. Reid
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