Birthday Books

I finally just finished the last book that I was gifted for my birthday (September 13)! This has spurred a need (and want) to really prioritize the books I've been gifted by family and friends.

Next up: I'm going to tackle my Christmas books. I'll share those in another post (I've only made a very, very small dent). I actually read most of my birthday books within a month of receiving them, but have only read two Christmas books the past four months!

Below are some mini book reviews from the (pictured) books I was gifted for my birthday last year. All of these covers are gorgeous - and I love how they all look together.

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (finished Sept 26, 2021)

Sorrow and Bliss follows Martha, a forty-year-old woman who knows something is wrong with her. She's depressed, separates from her husband, and is a strong observer of her day-to-day life and trying to seek help/figure out what's wrong with her.

A book I was furiously annotating; I'd compare it to a more depressing Fleabag. It was quite honestly one of the most accurate depictions of depression I’ve ever read. I absolutely LOVED this book. Definitely in my top five of all time. It is very heavy, but also has funny moments and is a rather quick read.

Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney (finished October 3, 2021) I think this is my favourite Rooney so far - her characters were the most vivid, and felt like the 'grandest' book she's done. I found Normal People and Conversations With Friends were very intimate books, and I like that the scope of her latest seemed to broaden.

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good (finished November 22, 2021)

There's no way you can read this book and not be forever changed by it. This follows five children who grew up at a residential school and what their life is like when they get out. Unfortunately, even if they're physically away from the residential school the emotional, mental, and physical damage stays with them forever. It is gut-wrenching, compulsively readable, and I felt like I could have a novel of each of these five characters and consume them all voraciously. This was also Canada Reads' 2022 winning book!

Matrix by Lauren Groff (finished April 17, 2022)

I knew this one would be a heavy read, and that I'd really need to be in the mood for it (which is why I think it's taken me so long to read)! It's about 12th-century monastic life in Britain - not something I'm usually reading!

This was definitely one of the most challenging books I've ever read - Groff's vocabulary is next level. There's no doubt her writing is beautiful and lyrical - this book got some good use out of my page tabs. I liked the story, the characters were just okay to me, and the writing was beautiful; I think this book just didn't really click with me. I can see how some people loved it and some didn't!