BR: The Glass Castle, You’re Not That Great, and Dreamland

I didn’t have any photos of all the books. So, instead I’m featuring a photo of the snowstorm that I saw out of my window as I touched down in Minnesota last week. Not normal for the middle of October- but I made the most of it. Ok, now onto my latest reads…

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle is from back in the day when I used to actually buy books. Walls is a fanatic story teller and her memoir is is full of tales of her upbringing in poverty and hardship. Can’t recommend it enough, especially if you liked Educated.

You’re Not That Great by Elan Gale {Audiobook}

You’re Not That Great is pretty much the opposite from Nothing to Prove and Girl, Wash Your Face. It’s a self-help book, but in an opposite, hilarious way. Along the same vein as The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F, it’s sarcastic and dry. You have to be in the right mood to “get it”, which I thankfully was every time I listened to the book. I thought it was funny!

Dreamland by Sam Quinones

Dreamland, from my 2020 book list, is the story of how the opioid epidemic took off in the US. From Mexican drug sellers, to big pharma, to the chemical make-up of opiums, to corrupt doctors, to users, to police investigators, Quinones puts together all the pieces of the story. At the beginning of the book there are several references to Huntington, West Virginia. Since running the Marshall Marathon there last year, I could close my eyes and see the streets, university and industrial district. The book includes personal stories from several interviews with police, former users, and sellers. It’s incredibly interesting, maddening, and sad at the same time. If you’re into that sort of thing, you’d love this book.

I’m also thinking about going back and re-reading The Notorious RBG, which I read back in 2016 and then watched back in 2018.