February is the shortest month, and also the slowest. Maybe it's because we're heading toward the end of a restless winter with little kids who are sick of being cooped up, or maybe it's just my own restless spirit sick of doing adult things like taxes, but the end of the month couldn't come soon enough for me.
Surprisingly, I still managed to work in a decent amount of reading in the last 28 days. (We'll call it escapism from the dreariness of everyday life lately.) In case you're catching up, 2018 is my year of reading deeply. I'm evaluating each book based on overall enjoyment as well as a set of criteria I made up to qualify a book as a "deep read."
Now that I'm looking back on what I've read this month, it's clear I need to shake things up a bit in March. Nearly every book this month fit into just one category, which explains why I was starting to feel a bit antsy about my reading life, despite choosing a batch of (mostly) good books!
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The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan
Deep reading category: Has outstanding writing
Star rating: Two stars
Marina Keegan seemed to be going places when she graduated from Yale in 2012. She'd written for the Yale Daily News, she had a play produced at the Fringe Festival, and she had a job lined up at the New Yorker. Then, five days after graduation, she was killed in a car accident. The Opposite of Loneliness is a collection of her short stories and nonfiction essays published posthumously by family and friends.
The beauty of this book lies in its tragedy. The title essay in particular featured Keegan repeatedly noting to her fellow graduates how young they were, how much time they had left to make their mark on the world. Several other essays included lines that wouldn't have been remarkable in their own right but that became chilling reminders that the author's life was cut short: references to having children someday, or an off-hand comment about what she'd eat as her last meal.
But the tragic circumstances alone weren't enough to salvage this book for me. Keegan's writing was top-notch for a college student . . . but it was still a collection of unrevised homework assignments. If I were in her shoes, I'd be mortified to know that words I thought would never go beyond a classroom workshop or the college paper were in the hands of readers around the world. The best essay in the book is, not surprisingly, the introduction by Keegan's professor and mentor, Anne Fadiman.
Bottom line: Read the title essay here and pass on the rest.
The Sacred Enneagram by Christopher L. Heuertz
Deep reading category: Teaches something specific
Star rating: Five stars
The Enneagram is a personality typing system that's recently been gaining in popularity but that has been around for thousands of years. The gist of it is that every person falls into one of nine types. Your type describes not only your strengths, but your deepest weaknesses and inner motivations. Unlike most other personality profiles, the Enneagram encourages you to confront the worst parts of yourself, not so you can change who you are, but so that you can learn to acknowledge your weaknesses and be a better version of yourself.
The Enneagram itself is a neutral tool, but it's been applied by many major religions over the years. In this book, Heuertz delves deep into the principles of the Enneagram to help each type harness the power of contemplative prayer and grow more connected to God. I appreciated how in-depth The Sacred Enneagram is, as well as the emphasis on contemplative prayer. (I'm even using it to guide part of my Lenten spiritual practice this year.)
Bottom line: Highly recommend for people who are already Enneagram nerds (or who appreciate in-depth research) and who like having a step-by-step approach to self-improvement. If you're just dipping your toes in the waters of the Enneagram, it's probably better to start with a more approachable resource. (I hear The Road Back to You is good!)
Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-memoirs by Beth Ann Fennelly
Deep reading category: Has outstanding writing
Star rating: Five stars
Beth Ann Fennelly's writing is something you have to experience to understand. It's the perfect merger of poetry and prose. I first fell in love with her words when I read Great with Child one week postpartum with my first baby (the moment I always remember involved me sobbing in the bathtub while my baby screamed on the other side of the door). So when I saw that she had a new book out, I didn't hesitate to order it.
Heating & Cooling is one of those rare books that gets at the heart of life without wasting words. The longest essays are maybe five pages, while the shortest are just a few lines. Nearly every page had me either tearing up or laughing out loud. It was especially perfect for reading when you have just a few minutes before dinner comes out of the oven (or before your kids lose their minds screaming about who knows what).
Bottom line: If you appreciate good writing even in the slightest, read it.
The Teacher Diaries: Romeo & Juliet by Callie Feyen
Deep reading category: Has outstanding writing
Star rating: Five stars
I'm thrilled to be able to call Callie Feyen one of my writing friends thanks to the magic of Internet serendipity. I'm extra thrilled to see her first book in print after following her writing for years. The Teacher Diaries is a collection of essays that give an insider look to what teachers are really thinking when they introduce a group of 8th graders to Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. (Spoiler alert: it involves lots of flashbacks to Callie's own awkward teen years.)
Not only is Callie's writing exceptional as always, it takes you right back to those memories of your first kiss, navigating tricky friendship dynamics, and your own first encounter with Shakespeare's classic characters. I dare you to read it without gaining a new appreciation for all the teachers who guided you through the harrowing teen years. To learn more about how these essays came to be, you can hear all about Callie's book-writing process on the podcast.
Bottom line: Highly recommend for teachers, parents of tweens or teens, and anyone who's a sucker for a well-written essay.
Euphoria by Lily King
Deep reading category: Has outstanding writing
Star rating: Three-and-a-half stars
Euphoria is a story loosely based on the real-life adventures of anthropologist Margaret Mead. Deep in the heart of 1930s New Guinea, three anthropologists---Andrew Bankson and married couple Fen and Nell---find themselves thrown together as they study various tribes that live on the riverbanks of the Sepik River. Romance, violence, and rivalry are all thick in the humid air as the three take very different approaches to their work and come face-to-face with their fear that none of them may ever attain what they truly want.
If it sounds like not much happens, well, that's literary fiction for you. Euphoria's writing, characterizations, POV switches, and atmospheric setting are all front and center. The plot? Not so much. This story is a slow burn, and it's definitely not the right book for everyone. But if you see it through to the end, you'll have more than enough material to discuss with a friend (it would probably make a great book club pick!).
Bottom line: Give it a chance if you're a diehard fan of literary fiction and if you don't mind waiting until the last 50 pages to get to the juicy parts.
What have you been reading lately?
Looking for more book inspiration? Click here to see what else I've been reading in 2018!