So here we are at the end of September. I’ve been working at the FCC for eleven days now, and I’d like to say I get a little less confused every day, but that might be an optimistic assessment. I’ve been told not to worry, because the government is alphabet soup and the satellite division has even more jargon and I’ll catch on. So I’m taking the small victories, like the fact that I haven’t gotten turned around between the front door and my cubicle for a few days now.
Work-life balance is still pretty tricky. I’m having a hard time getting my sleep schedule in order, so I’m really tired, and I feel like there are so many things to do besides work—eat, sleep, exercise, write, hang out with friends, blog—and no time to do any of it. Welcome to adulthood?
I have learned a few important lessons. Lay my clothes out before I go to bed, move my alarm clock across the room, and set a second alarm just in case. You guessed it, I have already managed to sleep through my alarm and wake up an hour late with no idea what to wear to work. On the plus side, I now know exactly how fast I can move and still get to work on time, and I never want to do that again.
It’s the end of September, so I’m taking the time while my chicken and fennel are roasting to talk about the books I read in August.
I read three books in August. Okay, technically I read four, but the fourth book was Beartown, which is not only a reread but a book that I read six months ago, so I’m not counting it toward my 2019 reading goal. I included it in the picture again because it was so much easier to make a collage of four books than three and I didn’t want to fight the app. Of the three books, one was a classic, one was middle grade fiction, and one was sci fi. Two of the three were rereads.
First, I read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I was actually almost finished with this book at the end of July but a week of taking the bar stalled me, so I finished it in August. I first read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school. Who didn’t? To Kill a Mockingbird follows a young girl, Scout; her brother, Jem; and their friend Dill for a few years of their childhood as they grow up in Depression-era Alabama. Scout’s father is a defense attorney charged with defending an African-American man accused of raping a white girl, and we see his trial and its aftermath through Scout’s eyes. I remember thinking that it was just okay. I enjoyed it, but I found it pretty slow for most of the book. I absolutely loved it this time around. I’m older and a much more mature person and reader than I was in high school, so I appreciated the issues and how they’re woven throughout the book much more than I did then. I also just loved the level of detail in this book. Scout’s voice is so rich and vivid, and the world felt so authentic. I also loved all the lawyer jokes and legal references that went right over my head before I was a law student. I’ve heard people complain that this book shouldn’t be held up as the best example of fiction confronting racism in America, and I one hundred percent agree with that, because there are many more modern books, written by people of color, that tackle the issue. However that doesn’t make To Kill a Mockingbird a bad book. If you haven’t read it, it’s definitely worth a read. If you have read it but it’s been a while, it’s worth picking up again.
Next, I read Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Somehow, I never read this growing up. One of my roommates mentioned it while we were studying for the bar, and when she found out I’d never read it, she insisted that I had to. So I got it out of the library. Bridge to Terabithia follows two fifth graders who become unlikely friends in a poor town in Virginia. Together they create the kingdom of Terabithia, where they are kings and queens and have great adventures. It’s such a short book, so I’m not going to say more than that. I enjoyed this book. It made me cry. I particularly liked how Paterson wove the real, everyday troubles of her two protagonists together with the fantastic adventures they had in Terabithia. This book is not a fantasy, but it felt like it could be. It so beautifully captured that time when I was a kid when I invented magical kingdoms in the forest with my friends. Who am I kidding? I still invent magical kingdoms, just in my head now because I live in a city and there is no forest to speak of. And then there was the last third of the book, which was incredibly powerful, and which made me ball my eyes out, but also felt like it came from nowhere, and in retrospect I’m not sure how I feel about it.
Third, I reread The Martian by Andy Weir. When the third manned mission to Mars is aborted because of a dangerous sandstorm, Mark Watney is stranded on Mars. And he has to survive. By himself. On Mars. I first read The Martian the spring before I started law school. I really enjoyed it, but I thought it got too into the weeds with the science, and I found the writing style to be too cinematic for my taste. We were almost never inside a character’s head. Even Mark’s journal entries were more tell than show. While the writing-style still wasn’t my favorite thing in the world on this reread, I definitely liked this book a lot more. Part of that is that I have embraced my geeky science side and in addition to actually working in space law, I now read a lot more science fiction. My science fiction tastes tend toward (1) space, (2) fun, and (3) realistic science. All of which The Martian has. This was yet another book that I enjoyed the first time through and pretty much loved on reread. So if you haven’t read The Martian, I highly recommend you give it a chance.
Finally, I reread Beartown by Fredrik Backman. This wasn’t my original plan, but I gave a copy to my mom for her birthday, and she really loved it and was talking about it to my dad, and he proposed listening to it on the drive down to Virginia when I was moving. I loved Beartown the first time I read it. I loved it even more the second time, because knowing what was coming, I was able to really dive in and appreciate every moment. Also, it took a second reading for me to realize that this book is set in Sweden. This book was so powerful, and it remained powerful on reread. It’s definitely one of my favorites of 2019. If you haven’t read Beartown, you need to go read it now. If you have read it, it’s honestly worth a second read. And if I haven’t convinced you, I have a full review of the book right over here.
Writing this post has taken me through dinner and my toasted banana, and now it’s time for dishes and bed. I hope to have full reviews up for the other three books I read in August soon, and I’m planning to get back on track with reviews for my September books this week, so stay tuned. And as always, if you’ve read any of these books, I’d love to know what you think.