Emily VA > Recent Status Updates

DNF - not for me

Mansfield Park is really a feast of self-obliviousness (is that the opposite of self-awareness?).

Re-reading for a book club at work. So happy!

I am 57% of the way through this book, and I am so enraged that both Evie’s parents think she should forgive her Dad for breaking their family up without ever giving her the courtesy of an explanation, an apology, anything other than “let’s just pretend that Dad didn’t have an affair and you’re fine with the fact that he did.” It’s gaslighting and it’s obnoxious.

This book… has some interesting ideas. It also feels confused about its audience (adolescents? parents? Both?) and therefore ends up feeling kind of repetitive and scattered.

So… I’m 45% in, and I’m enjoying the plot, the science, and the snark. But I sent this to a friend:

“So, I’m enjoying Hail Mary, but… I’m having trouble suspending belief over his knowledge base and skills. He seems to know everything about… physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology, math, engineering, and linguistics… oh, and teaching.

Oh. Also coding.”

They reminded me that he’s Mary Sue.

And the on p. 266 we get the proposal and the foolish cousin’s elopement, and Pride and Prejudice’s plot is suddenly stomping all over this novel that was previously great as it’s own novel. I’m sure it will end well, but I wish they’d resisted the urge to tie this novel to P&P for marketing purposes and just let it stand on its own.

This book was a complete and utter delight until page 266 - funny, entertaining, tons of fleshed our, wonderful characters (Ayesha’s grandparents are the best), lots of fascinating questions about what integrity, assimilation, love, and marriage mean in an immigrant community defined by its religion...

The scene where the twins go visit their mother near the beginning is a sparkling, hilarious gem of wonderfulness.

The rest of the first few chapters are also wonderful, but made me glad I read Poison or Protect recently and wish I’d read the Parasol and Finishing School books more recently for all the cameos.

Started this as I was in my last year of teaching (4 years ago). Got about halfway through and lost steam, but still interested. Trying again. :)

I'm only about 1/3 of the way through, but this is an AMAZING book - history that reads like a novel, focusing on 3 specific examples of folks who were part of the Great Migration, and weaving in context from tons of other research. It's gripping and (for a white kid raised knowing about Jim Crow and the Great Migration only in the most abstract way) revelatory.

I'm only about 1/3 of the way through, but this is an AMAZING book - history that reads like a novel, focusing on 3 specific examples of folks who were part of the Great Migration, and weaving in context from tons of other research. It's gripping and (for a white kid raised knowing about Jim Crow and the Great Migration only in the most abstract way) revelatory.

Work book club book.

I’m only partway through but (a) isn’t this cover beautiful? and (b) I was thinking this might help me with work meetings and events, but so so much of it applies to teaching, which shouldn’t surprise me, but kind of did.