August Book Review
Welcome to my August 2023 Monthly Reading Wrap-Up!
Before diving in, you might want to check out last month’s reading wrap-up here.
My reviews will have a fluid structure, reflecting my genuine thoughts and feelings about each book. Some reviews will delve deeply, teeming with opinions, while others will be more succinct. This diversity in my reviews is precisely the reason I embarked on this book review journey. I'm passionate about reading and craved a space where I could articulate my reflections without restraint.
This month, I delved into six books, presented in the sequence I read them. As is customary for me, there's a blend of fiction and non-fiction titles.
Forgive me, readers, for I have sinned. In my previous post, I claimed never to read plot synopses, but I must confess that I (partially) lied. Sometimes I unavoidably glimpse a sentence or two regarding a plot. However, as soon as I receive sufficient information to convince me to add a book to my TBR (To Be Read) list, I quit reading the synopsis. Since I add so many books to my reading list, and I finally get around to reading a book months or even over a year after I've added it, so much time has passed that I have completely forgotten any scrap of information about the plot I might have learned. Therefore, I do still go into it completely blind—a long-winded confession to say, I did read teeny tiny bits of synopsis, but had forgotten it all in the months spent waiting for my hold at the library and had no clue what I was getting into.
Biography of X by Catherine Lacey was a seriously serious book, and I'm slightly torn about how I feel about it. I'm giving it 4 stars.
The narrative is intriguing and bamboozling. It starts one way, and you think, "Okay, I know what this is going to be." Then something happens, and you think, "Oh, never mind! It's actually something different!" Only to realize...never mind again; it's not like that either.
It is quite meta. The novel is a fictional account where the narrator is an author writing the biography of her late wife, X, complete with fake references. It is set in an alternate history US where in the 1940’s there was a Great Disunion and the South seceded from the rest of the world and became severely regressive, conservative, and controlling. It was extremely intriguing and interesting and I wish the plot focused more on these themes.
I wouldn't say I liked or enjoyed it so much as I recognized and appreciated it as a literary and artistic feat. While it was extremely well-crafted and elevated the boundaries of what a novel could be, the character X was so unusual and bizarre, and the events bordered on the absurd, unrealistic, and, frankly, exhausting. I couldn't help but constantly be aware that I was reading a fiction novel. Instead of being completely immersed in the world-building, I was always slightly conscious of its fictitiousness.
However, it was undeniably highly original and unlike anything I have ever read. Something about it made it deeply compelling. Though a little too high-brow for my tastes, I'm glad I read it.
In conclusion, Biography of X is a remarkable literary experience that challenged my expectations at every turn. It's a novel that's bound to provoke thought and spark conversation. If you're looking for something different, you might just find it here.
I recently reviewed Percival Everett's The Trees and was so impressed that I highlighted my desire to continue reading his other works. And so, here I am with Telephone. Unfortunately, I must confess that it did not resonate as strongly with me as The Trees did. I'm rounding my rating up from 3.5 to 4 stars, reflecting my own personal preference for certain story flavors that seemed missing in this novel while still recognizing its artistic merits.
I usually make a point not to spoil plots, but in this case, I feel compelled to share some information. In Telephone, readers follow the story of a 40-year-old geology professor, navigating two separate plots. First, he's struggling to deal with the rapid deterioration of his daughter's health after a devastating illness diagnosis. Second, he's investigating a string of enslaved hostage workers in a small-town storage facility, an investigation sparked by a cryptic message hidden under the collar of a shirt he ordered from eBay.
Had the structuring of these plots been different, I might have enjoyed the book more. Both plots unfold simultaneously, but I would have preferred if the investigative plot were the main narrative. A more dramatic, thrilling investigative mystery plot as the core anchor of the story aligns more closely with my personal preference for narrative flavoring. The personal family struggles and themes about grief could have been presented as flashbacks to give the character more depth and background. As it was, since I failed to connect with the main character, I would have enjoyed it more if the plot structure had been more aligned with my tastes.
However, I always strive to set aside personal biases and preferences and attempt to appreciate a body of work as the author's artistic expression in their own right. With that in mind, I am quite impressed and pleased with Everett's choice of themes. Minor spoiler alert: the ending is unresolved and concludes in the middle of the action. This choice would usually be unsatisfying, even infuriating to me, but in Everett's hands, it was powerful.
BREAKING NEWS! THIS JUST IN!
About .5 seconds before posting this review I discovered that Percival has bamboozled me. This novel has three separate versions, all released simultaneously, and the reader does not know which version they are reading. The information I can find online is telling me that they diverge at a certain point where the main character must make a choice, and that choice determines the outcome. Hence the title Telephone. Just like the game, everyone receives slight changes in the information, and we interpret different meanings based on what we know. And it is this type element that really elevates Everett’s artistry.
No clue which version I read or how it differs from the others. If someone else has read this, I beg you, tell me in the comments. I would love to compare notes. Honestly, it might be worth picking up just so we can try to determine the similarities and differences between our versions!
All in all, I am glad I read Telephone, and I will continue to explore Everett's other works. While this novel may not have fully met my expectations, it still offered an intriguing journey, and I recognize its artistic merits.
As someone who has had over a dozen surgeries in my life, I've always been fascinated by all things medical, particularly surgeries. I used to religiously watch Botched, a reality show where patients suffering from slight disfigurements due to botched surgeries undergo reconstructive cosmetic surgery. So, I was extremely intrigued to read In Your Face: The Hidden History of Plastic Surgery and Why Looks Matter by Dr. Bryan Mendelson.
In Your Face is a wonderfully informative overview of the history of plastic surgery, ranging from medieval "nose jobs" (reconstructing severed noses from fights, done in multiple stages over the course of months) to modern-day facelifts that take place over lunchtime. Mendelson aims to destigmatize plastic and cosmetic surgery, showing that it's not for the vain, elite, and celebrities. Instead, he reveals that the vast majority of those who "get some work done" are regular, everyday people, not seeking to achieve an idealized version of aesthetic perfection but rather to correct legitimate slight irregularities.
For Mendelson's patients, it's not about going above and beyond the standard of beauty to become the most beautiful. The goal is not to stand out but rather to blend in and appear "normal." I can see why Mendelson has this view, and I agree that those with slight but distracting disfigurements would benefit psychologically and emotionally from cosmetic surgery that allows them to function normally in social settings.
However, I don't feel like that's the whole story. The book didn't really deliver on the "why looks matter" part included in the title. I was hoping for a critical, nuanced analysis of our culture's obsession with looks, pressure to conform to beauty ideals, and the shifting power dynamics of who has access to beauty. In short, I wanted more sociological commentary, but it was instead more medically slanted. I'm not sure why I'm surprised—the author is a plastic surgeon. Of course, it's going to focus on the medical aspect of things. (And honestly, I'm not mad about it; the medical aspect was extremely interesting.) The “why” basically only went so far as to say “its just human nature to desire beauty”. I wanted something deeper. Yes, its human nature, but why?
Published in 2013, the book might seem a bit outdated since the rise and domination of social media as the driving force of values dissemination have taken place over the last decade. So while in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, the patients Mendelson saw genuinely just wanted to "feel like themselves again," I believe that narrative has changed, and there is more of a desire to achieve an idealized standard of beauty that is shown to use on social media. The acknowledgment and analysis of this fact were not only likely out of the author's wheelhouse but out of the timeframe as well.
Those conversations and narratives I'm seeking will have to come from a different, more recent book. And trust me, I'm on the lookout.
Oh, and if you want a truly fascinating read, google “face transplants'', complete with pictures. Go ahead, trust me, it's worth it. I’ll even make it easy for you. Just click here…
This is the latest edition under the category “There Is a Reason Why Everyone is Reading It and My Hold at the Library Is Taking So Long to Be Ready”. And that reason is: it's good.
The story revolves around a talented musician who abandons her lifelong dream of being a pianist to take up a prestigious job at an upscale beauty and wellness store—one so elite it makes Goop look like Bath and Body Works.
Huang delves into thought-provoking questions surrounding consumerism, self-worth, race, and society's fixation on beauty, scrutinizing which particular aesthetics are deemed beautiful and the extreme measures people take to attain them. (Extremely pertinent coming in hot off of In Your Face!) She amplifies and exaggerates facets of beauty culture, underscoring the absurdity of creams costing hundreds of dollars and procedures costing even more—all in the name of beauty. However, in Huang's fictional universe, the stakes are far higher and considerably darker than just financial costs.
The book is contemporary, relevant, and timely, balancing drama and mystery in a compelling narrative. Skillfully shifting between surreal and relatable moments, it weaves a story that feels both absurd and familiar.
Me the whole time I was reading it: this would make a killer limited television series.
Constance Wu: I gotchu.
It wouldn't be a P Lydi monthly book review without a celebrity memoir, and Pamela Anderson's has been on my radar for some time. Before diving into her book, I'll admit my knowledge of her was somewhat limited. I had never watched "Baywatch" and had only a vague understanding of her as a pop culture icon. My exposure was mainly through Hulu's limited series Pam and Tommy. While entertaining, I knew it was a fictionalized account and not an entirely accurate portrayal of Pam and Tommy's lives.
Going into her memoir, Love, Pamela, I expected juicy details and behind-the-scenes gossip about scandalous headlines. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a memoir that was more poetic and philosophical than sensationalist. Instead of fueling the "he-said-she-said" rumor mill, Anderson chose to share introspective musings on her unique worldview and spirituality. While she did recount her rise to stardom—as a model, playmate, and actress—the book was far from the name-dropping, tea-spilling exposé many might have anticipated.
What I particularly enjoyed about Love, Pamela was how authentically it captured Anderson's softer, more artistic and intellectual facets. Each memoir I read feels distinct due to the personal flavor the author brings to the table, and Anderson's did just that—wonderfully so. It felt different and uniquely her and is a refreshing and valuable addition to the celebrity memoir genre.
Rating: 5 stars
The cover is hideous but it gets a pass because it was so incredibly well-written. This book exemplifies why I adore nonfiction. Over the years, I've delved into countless nonfiction books on a wide array of subjects, many of which I had never even heard of before. These are not topics typically covered in school curricula, which often offer a limited scope designed for younger audiences. Which is why I could tell you the name of Christopher Columbus’s boat, but not much else. Gimme the big girl topics now. If you don't explore nonfiction as an adult, you risk operating with a childlike understanding of the world. I liken reading nonfiction to microdosing introductory college courses on any topic that piques your interest—be it incredibly specific or broadly sweeping.
I don't say this lightly: Fasting Girls: A History of Anorexia Nervosa by Joan Jacobs Brumberg was both revelatory and astounding in its depth and breadth of information. It is even used in women and gender studies college courses, perfectly illustrating my earlier point about the educational value of nonfiction.
As someone deeply fascinated by cultural history and societal evolution, I relish the opportunity to trace thematic threads that weave through hundreds of years of human experience. Brumberg excels at unraveling these threads in an eye-opening and compelling manner. A professor in history, human development, and gender studies, Brumberg presents a riveting account of women's food refusal practices dating back to the sixteenth century. She shows how anorexia is not “new” or a modern-day phenomenon; the cultural seeds have been sprouting for hundreds of years.
She takes us from religious martyrs who used starvation as an act of devotion, to "medical marvels"—women who claimed they could survive merely by smelling flowers. These narratives continue through to the slimming regimens of silent film stars and modern-day celebrities whose waif-like figures captivate generations.
This book was a fascinating read, packed with information while avoiding the stale tone of a typical school book. I am awarding it 5 stars and placing it at the top of my list of favorite nonfiction works. I'm already looking forward to diving into Brumberg's next book, which sits on my shelf, waiting to be read.
Thats all for this month. What have you been reading lately? Anything I absolutely must add to my reading list? Let me know in the comments below. If you need something to read, I have tons of reviews and recommendations on the blog.
Check out my nonfiction book recommendations.
I’ll catch ya soon with more reviews :)
