16) Pope Joan by Donna Woodfolk Cross
Pope Joan is an awesome book, and I gave it four stars. It is a historical fiction novel based on research of the fabled ninth-century female pope. I love when authors do a lot of work to make historical fiction as accurate as possible, and this is one of those kinds of books for me.
This book follows a brilliant, multilingual girl through her life as she defies gender expectations, disguises herself for safety as a man, and rather passively rises to the position of pope. Yeah, like THE pope. The story felt mostly plausible and was full of intrigue. I really enjoyed it.
This time in history was so weird. Europe was one country. Christianity existed (though I have NO IDEA how--truly a miracle). People still spoke Latin, which is now a dead language. Some people lived in tribal settings, and Rome was falling apart. I enjoyed placing myself in the midst of these peoples and appreciating their everyday struggles for just a time.
I think the thematically-worst scene of the book involves an observed pillage and rape (ugh). The rest is pretty tame, but it is the darkest of the dark ages.
This was a book club selection, but it was on my list anyway. I'm planning on keeping it around. My edition has fascinating research notes in the back. I like to think Pope Joan was a real person because legends start somewhere. I did a research paper once on Robin Hood and concluded that someone like him really did live. Likewise, even though the Catholic church has done its best to blot Joan out, there are many other documents supporting her existence.
Either way, it's nice to think that Joan's legend may have inspired other women to transcend the female fate expected of them by oppressive societies. Go Joan!
17) We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist
This book is written by the same author as Just Don't Fall, which I have already reviewed. Josh decided to set up a formal retrospective investigation involving all the girls he ever dated...because obviously that's the normal thing to do. It makes for great entertainment though. This process was used in order to scientifically deduce whether there was something askew about him that caused him to still be without a girlfriend into his twenties.
In a series of entertaining-to-hilarious stories, hand-drawn graphs and diagrams, and scientific analysis, each relationship is recounted and examined. The end conclusion to Josh's problem was a revelation that made me think about crying, in a good way (and I am not an easy crier).
This book isn't going on my favorites shelf, but it was still fun. Three stars.
18) Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
This book IS going on my favorites shelf. It has some swearing, like, kind of a lot of it (take off two stars). But I have not laughed so hard in...I don't know how long (add one star). Maybe I'll go through it with a sharpie one day when I care more.
I think this would be classified as a graphic novel because it is made of both paragraphs and cartoon illustrations by the author. In that case, it's my first graphic novel I've ever read! Though they look roughly and haphazardly sketched, the pictures are meticulously crafted for maximum effect, capturing complex emotions that can never be conveyed in words. They. Are. So. Funny. You. Will. Cramp.
The book is made of a bunch of blog posts the author wrote; I recognized a couple that I read a few years ago. The author talks about her dogs' mental problems in detail; a horrifying run-in with a goose; what depression feels like (not hilarious, but extremely accurate!); how she tricks herself into thinking she is a good, not-selfish, planet-saving person, even though she proves she's not; and a lot of other hilarious accounts.
It killed me. I literally gasped and shouted to my husband as a shapeless, quivering blob from the couch while I was reading the chapter on fundamental concepts her dogs don't understand--"This book is literally killing me!" He cooed back to me, "Aw, you're so cute when you laugh." I kept reading even though it medically unsafe because the endorphin releases outweighed the implosions in my lungs...and my boo thought I was cute. :P
When I read the blog years ago, I imagined that the author was a hunched, emo college student with a pile of empty pizza boxes as a desk. But she is actually more of the over-caffeinated, perky, blond cheerleader type. Somehow, this makes her more relatable to me? Like, it shows you can look positive on the outside but still hide behind a blanket from a goose or hate all the things during depression or want to throw sand in faces for no explicable reason?
I think I'll sleep with this book tonight. It gets me. Thank you, Allie Brosh. ("Clean all the things?")
19) The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork
A note on the cover of this book indicates that it has the potential save lives, and I believe this true. From the protagonist's progress to the list of hotline information in the back, this book drips with subtle, believable hope for people with mental illness.
This is a young adult fiction novel about Vicky, a teen who awakens in the hospital after attempting to take her own life with medication. She is admitted to the mental health unit where she meets a very caring doctor and other teens with mental health challenges. Vicky goes through a lot of growth and self-discovery and is able to eventually emerge from the depression fog that led to her drastic event, while saving other lives, finding her voice, and grasping purpose for living.
I felt like this was a realistic and uplifting read. There were several points that really spoke to me. For example, I really appreciated how one character found out three things Vicky liked, and he pointed out that those are three things to live for. Who would think of that? That something as simple as gardening roses could keep a person going? Is life really so mundane and simple? Perhaps. I appreciated also the value of menial labor (we need more of this), family support, and space to heal.
This is a book I would hand to a friend who is struggling if I was as brave as Vicky. For now, it's going on my favorites shelf. Five stars for accuracy and greatness.
20) Choosing Glee by Jenna Ushkowitz
What a fun book! I read this book in an evening and felt fantastic afterward. Jenna worked on Broadway, then on network TV. She is full of pep and hopes we find our own "personal brand of happiness" through her ideas in this book. It holds such a positive vibe with its bright colors, tips, and anecdotes. So many points resonated for me.
I recommend especially for fans of Glee since it was written around the context of wrapping-up of the third-ish season. (Confession: I LOVE a lot of the Glee music.) There are lots of photos included. Note that Jenna swears sometimes, meep.
Here are a few quotes I liked.
"Hope is chasing your dreams and standing up for your beliefs." p. 21
"...my differences really did turn out to be my greatest advantages." p. 139
"Becoming an adult is realizing that you don't have all the same beliefs as your family and friends, and that's okay. You have that right. I used to be scared of being 'wrong.' Now I own my thoughts and opinions..." p. 152
And that's a wrap, my friends. I still have 32 books to go, but I committed to myself that I would work on my continuing education nursing credits for a little while after I finished my twentieth book. We'll see how long I hold out, because I may or may not have begun three books just for a taste between the subtitles in one of the articles...
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