The Business of Reading

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Last semester, I asked students in a professional program to read fiction as part of an experiment. I wanted to see if fiction would prompt discussions relevant to leadership/management in new or different ways than when we read more traditional reading assignments–like a textbook directly related to the topic.

The results were fascinating and heartening. It turns out that when smart people read and discuss fiction together, the conversations are rich, nuanced, thoughtful, and generous. The students had no trouble applying what they read to contexts beyond the page.

If you are a reader of fiction, file this under duh. We’ve always known what wonderful things fiction can do for us.

If you want to read more about fiction in business/communication classes, I just co-wrote an article for Harvard Business Publishing Inspiring Minds.

Link: https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/what-reading-fiction-can-teach-graduate-students-about-empathy-and-emotion

Achievement Unlocked: 100 Books

My Top 10 of 2020

The pandemic really upended my writing schedule in 2020, but it definitely gave me plenty of time to read. I set out to read 100 books in 2020, and I did it–by the skin of my teeth. (Shout-out to audiobooks; they got me over the hump).

My 100-book-challenge only had one rule: I had to read whatever I wanted to read. If I didn’t like something, I quit no matter how far in I was (and didn’t count it). For whatever reason, I read a lot more nonfiction than usual. I also went down several rabbit holes, reading several books on the same topic. And I reread more than ever as I searched for comfort in books during a year that felt endless.

We’re 40 days or so into 2021, and I’m finally getting around to looking at my 2020 booklist to see what stood out. Here are my top 10 books (in no particular order) from the year of the plague. (Not all of these books were published in 2020. I chose from the list I read last year).

  1. Want by Lynn Steger Strong
    A novel about the anxieties of being a woman, an academic, and a mother in a world that isn’t built for any of those things.

  2. The Leavers by Lisa Ko
    A novel that paints a tragic picture of what life is like for an undocumented worker and her son.

  3. A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum
    A novel about Arab-American women trying to find space in their families and communities.

  4. Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
    An alternative history of Hillary Rodham. Hillary without Bill is awesome.

  5. Too Much and Never Enough by Mary Trump
    A memoir by Donald Trump’s niece with just enough detail to confirm that Donald Trump is exactly the narcissist his narcissistic parents raised him to be.

  6. Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
    An incredible piece of journalism about a family suffering from schizophrenia and a mental health system that failed everyone.

  7. The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong
    A psychological thriller about a man with missing memories who must certainly can’t be trusted. The pacing and the slow reveals in this novel are perfect.

  8. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carryou
    A fascinating look into a billion-dollar Silicon Valley startup that was all smoke and mirrors.

  9. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
    A heartbreaking piece of nonfiction with proof that structural racism exists in the American “justice” system.

  10. Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
    Beautiful collection of essays about being the daughter of Korean immigrants in America. I loved the author’s voice.

Here’s to reading in 2021. May it be a better year for everyone

What Did Victorian Men Fear Most? Their Wives

Woman, Women, Shopping, Knitting, Sewing, Embroidery
Image Credit: https://pixabay.com/users/fotshot-401149/

I’m sort of obsessed with the Victorian obsession with women poisoning their husbands. (My spouse is a little concerned about how much time I’ve spent writing about it.)

So far, I’ve tracked down 20 high-profile trials in the United States alone between about 1845 and the 1912. Some of these women were probably guilty, but many of these trials are downright farcical.

The poison panic stretched across the globe, though. There are historical cases in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, France, and Germany.

Here’s an article I wrote for History of Yesterday about five women that I think were probably innocent. What do you think?

Article link: https://medium.com/history-of-yesterday/5-victorian-women-who-were-probably-falsely-accused-of-poisoning-their-husbands-89fe1299d1c2.

After Dinner Conversation: A Fascinating Publication

Survival Kit: After Dinner Conversation Short Story Series by [Seifert, Christine]

After Dinner Conversation publishes short stories about ethical or philosophical questions. It’s been fun to dive into fictional worlds that explore questions about what it means to be human. If you like short fiction, you should definitely check them out. They include discussion questions along with each story.

My story, “Survival Kit,” just hit #1 on Amazon downloads. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it or any of the other stories. Better yet, write your own and share it!

 

Totally Inappropriate Children’s Books

I love searching through out-of-print books and finding those that have aged particularly poorly. Here are my recent favorites. I found all of them on out-of-print booksellers’ sites.

Electricity experiments

 

The description of the book reassures readers that all experiments are perfectly “safe.” But really?

 

 

 

 

Adam and eve children

 

This is supposed to be a kids’ version of Adam and Eve. I know the image is blurry, but if you look closely, they are naked. What could possibly go wrong with putting nude cartoon kids on a book cover? And since when did Adam and Eve have a Dalmatian?

 

 

 

Creepy children's crafts

 

Instructions for children’s crafts to totally freak out ginger kids.

 

 

 

 

 

when nature eats you

 

 

There is no good way to explain to the kid reading this book what’s going to happen to that bird.

 

 

 

 

Messing with an old lady

 

Subtitle: How to mess with a poor old lady who, until she met you, didn’t think she was losing her marbles.

 

 

 

 

 

Sit in my lap

 

Ah, something seems terribly wrong here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pants off first

 

 

Why are we taking our pants off again? Don’t get me wrong, I hate pants, but a book on how to take them off seems unnecessary.

 

 

 

Guy in a van

 

Do not get in the van, Matthew!

 

 

 

 

 

Homunculus

 

 

What do all kids love? Homunculi. Full disclosure: I kind of want to read this one.

 

 

 

Weird Wayne

 

 

This is 100% what happens when Mom reads Twilight.  Also, given that the kid seems to be wearing a dragon suit, I’m not sure why Wayne is the weird one.

 

 

 

 

Something is growing

 

I prefer to leave this one with no comment.

 

 

 

 

 

Dad and me

 

Dad is the world’s best driver. Seatbelts and car seats are for losers.

 

 

 

 

Kids and tacos

 

Easy steps for cooking your kid and making him into a taco.  Billy hasn’t seen his brother for a while…

What I Read: April 2019

April 2019.png

Another semester is done and in the books! It’s a good thing because it really cut into my reading time.

Here’s what I read in April:

  • Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig
    A surprisingly calming and meditative book about how messy the world is. No surprise that we feel anxious all the time, given that we live in a garbage fire. Matt Haig presents essays on anxiety (and related topics) along with lists and observations that are poignant and often funny. This is definitely not self-help (that’s a compliment), but it will make you feel a little less alone on this planet.

 

  • Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie
    When your brain can’t think anymore, an Hercule Poirot mystery is just what it needs. I’ve already forgotten the entirety of the plot, but I enjoyed reading it. It was like a cup of tea on a rainy day.

 

  • Adele by Leila Slimani
    I loved Slimani’s previous novel, The Perfect Nanny, which is why I grabbed this one from the library. It’s tough to read about someone who is ruining her life because of her sex addiction, but I appreciated Slimani’s depiction of what the depths of addiction really look like. It’s not sexy in the slightest; it’s tragic.
  • Proust and the Reading Brain: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf
    Human brains were never meant to read. That is, our brains didn’t evolve to read; we simply invented reading out of pure ingenuity. And what a wonderful invention that was! I love nonfiction that tells a good story humans, history, and brains. This is a great intro to reading and what wonderful things it does for us and our brains.
  • The Narrow Bed by Sophie Hannah
    I generally love Sophie Hannah’s books without reservation. This was my least favorite in the series, though. It’s still worth reading if you are committed to reading the whole CID series (as I am). But I wouldn’t recommend it as a starting place. It’s sort of an odd book about a comedian (who doesn’t really seem to be funny) who may or may be targeted by someone who may or may not be murdering pairs of friends. The ending was cartoonish.
  • Our House by Louise Candlish
    I adore family psychological thrillers set in England. This one might be the best I’ve read in that sub-genre for a long time. After separating, Fiona (Fi) and Bram Lawson agree to take turns living in their family home (rather than having their kids moving between house and flat). Everything is going swimmingly until Fi comes home early one day and discovers that Bram has sold the house, taken the two million pounds from the sale, and fled. Subsequent chapters shift between Fi’s story (as told to a podcast) and Bram’s story (as told in what might be a suicide note). I picked up on a few twists early, but the ending was stunning and perfect. I stayed up really late finishing this one.

So that’s April 2019. My favorite book for the month was Our House by Louise Candlish.

Happy reading in May!

What I Read: October 2018

October 2018.jpg.png

Oh, October. You were so cruel. You gave me very limited time to read. And when I did find the time and energy, I didn’t love most of what I read. That often happens to me when I’m too busy to really savor books, so please accept all of my opinions with the knowledge that I’m a tired and cranky old crone.

How to Break Up With Your Phone by Catherine Price–The perfect book for anyone who has found herself spending upward of an hour a day mindlessly watching a fashion blogger try on clothes from Target. (I mean, just for example.) If you had any doubt that your phone (and your tablet) is ruining your mind, this book will be the final nail. We all have to put the devices down more often. We are messing up our brains.

The Fact of a Body by Alexandra Marzano-Lesnevich–A beautifully written braided narrative that balances the author’s memoir of her own abuse with the details of a tragic murder case. I found myself wanted more on the murder case–and a stronger take on the justice system–but that might reflect my preference for nonfiction (especially about crime) over memoir in general. I did watch Season 2 of Making a Murderer after this, and the pair make good companion pieces. 

This Could Hurt by Jillian Medoff–This is a comedy-drama set in a dysfunctional workplace that I thought would be fun, but it turned out to be a lot like working in an office: not that exciting. Ultimately, the whole thing just didn’t come together for me. I became unnecessarily (and weirdly) hung up on how much information one character’s doctor openly provided to a co-worker. (Maybe what I wanted was a comedy-drama about HIPAA.) The characters felt two-dimensional at times, especially Rosa whose boss-character swung from Michael Scott to Leslie Knope to Montgomery Burns and back again. If you work in HR, read it. I suspect it might hit closer to home.

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay–A horror story about a family (Eric, Andrew, and daughter Wen) who just want a quiet vacation on the lake. When some post-apocalyptic nutbags show up claiming that one of the family members has to kill the other to stop the world from ending, the family is understandably freaked out. I loved the suspense of not knowing how (and why) someone in the family murdering another could possibly save the world. I also liked the tension the author creates by never letting readers forget the invaders might be right or they might be totally insane. The ending didn’t pay off for me, but if you like your horror thoughtful and creepy, then this might be for you.

Clock Dance by Anne Tyler–Here’s another beautiful book by Anne Tyler. This one is about Willa Drake, a woman who has spent her whole life doing what men tell her to do. When a woman she barely knows calls on her for help, Willa leaves her home and husband in Arizona to go to Anne Tyler’s beloved Baltimore to play devoted grandmother to a child she’s never met. I loved how skillfully (and very subtly) Tyler shows all the ways that what we do in our early lives seeps out into our later lives. Willa’s triumph feels like the triumph of all women who have never been allowed to assert their independence. This book was my favorite of the month.

His Favorites by Kate Walbert–This one is about a teenage girl who makes a really stupid mistake, one that has life-altering consequences. Away at boarding school, she becomes the victim of a manipulative male teacher who targets her and a number of other “broken” girls who are too shattered and unsure of themselves to realize he is grooming them. I’ve read a lot of books lately about male predators, and this book is a fine addition to that sub-genre, but I didn’t feel like it brought anything new to the table. That said, I think it packs a huge punch in under two hundred pages. And it exactly pins down the structure that allows rape culture to thrive. (Hint: We’re living in it.)

Happy reading in November!

Review: The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth and The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

Elevator Pitch: Both books are about mothers who are facing difficult (even tragic) events related to their children, their marriages, and their friendships. Both books feature strong, smart women of means who are grappling with what it means to embrace their identities as mothers without losing themselves. While Hepworth’s book is set in laid-back Melbourne, Australia, and Molloy’s is set in upscale Brooklyn, both authors present characters who are so obsessed with the way they think they ought to be that they fail to see what they’ve become.The Family Next Door

My Tagline: All of Liane Moriarty’s books meets a dash of Desperate Housewives meets all of Slate’s coverage of parenting with privilege.

My Opinion: I don’t want to say too much about plot because I think the less you know the better. Both books are heavily plot-driven, but that’s not a criticism on my part. I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened.

The Perfect MotherBoth books are solidly written and structured, with the authors moving back and forth among characters’ perspectives. While both books are about young(ish) mothers, none of them are cardboard cut-outs. All of the characters in both books were finely drawn enough that I didn’t mix any of them up–even though I read the books one after the other.

Hepworth’s book is more thoughtful in that she dives deeper into her characters’ psychological profiles. Because of that, the characters’ behaviors and motivations make more sense. There were times in Molloy’s book that I felt like characters were making decisions because those decisions moved the plot along. I also found the pacing of Molloy’s book a little too slow.

The characters–in both books–are pulled in multiple directions as they try to be everything to everyone. They are also sleep-deprived, anxious, overwhelmed, and confused. I imagine that’s exactly what it feels like to be a new mother. (I’m a nonparent who is far too lazy and far too interested in sleeping and reading to attend to a baby’s needs. Part of the reason I like books like these two is that I get to read about motherhood without having to actually do any of the dirty work.)

Both books present a kind of competitive parenting in certain subcultures that’s deeply performative and self-absorbed. Both books give shape to that, and both authors are sympathetic. Rightfully so. Kids are hard, especially for these women who have complicated lives and deep secrets. Hepworth does a better job of unpacking the unfair cultural expectations of motherhood. Molloy’s feels more banal.

Verdict: I found both books readable and enjoyable, though I like Hepworth’s book much better. I’d recommend it if you’ve blown through Liane Moriarty and want another fix.

Molloy’s felt a little too “beach read” to me, and maybe my mistake was that I didn’t read it on the beach. If you want a quick whodunnit read, this is your book.

Review: Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda

Elevator Pitch: Crappy husband plans exciting vacation day for his hot wife with a bad digestive system. Psychological thrills ensue.Best Day Ever

My Tagline: Sleeping with the Enemy meets Anthony Weiner

My Opinion: I love a good unreliable narrator, and Paul Strom is pretty unreliable. He’s also arrogant and socially clueless, which makes him an even more interesting character. You know he’s up to something, but you’ll keep reading to find out what it is.

Paul’s wife, Mia, is wholly sympathetic. (Of course, I would think that: I too have been in a relationship a Paul Strom.) But Mia throws a few curveballs that will make you wonder if you really know her at all.

Verdict: Borrow it from the library when you have an entire weekend to read it in big gulps. Pairs well with sweatpants and slippers.