November 2022 Book Reviews and Recommendations

The holiday season is upon us and that can mean a lot of extra time for reading! Thankfully, I am a person who is able to read as a passenger in the car because I hate driving. Whether you are flying, driving, or relaxing at home I hope you find the perfect book(s) to keep you entertained. Below are my four book reviews for this month.

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Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come

In the memoir, Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come a woman is a shy introvert and unhappy with her current life. Her friends have moved away and she’s lonely. The author sets a goal for herself to be extroverted for a year.

The book details how she signs up for an improv class, tries to find friends on a social app, speaks in front of a large crowd, and talks to strangers while traveling. All of these things absolutely terrify her. But she explains her process and what she learns from the experiences as well as from research and mentors.

As an extroverted introvert, I can certainly relate to many of her feelings. I hate small talk with strangers.  I often dread going to parties but unlike the author, usually once I’m there I have a good time. Performing on stage is actually enjoyable for me but traveling somewhere without a set plan would give me nightmares.

It was fascinating to read about her year-long journey that led up to her big end goal of hosting a dinner party (which she had never done before). I was impressed with how the author pushed herself completely out of her comfort zone to improve her life. We could all take a few notes.

That Summer

That Summer is about a woman who has a small business teaching others how to cook. Her husband is very wealthy and her daughter is getting kicked out of private school. The woman thinks there must be more to life than her current situation.

Through an email mixup, she befriends a woman who is very career-oriented and they make a plan to meet up.

But the friend isn’t who she seems. The woman is actually seeking revenge for past trauma. The book deals with the Me Too movement.

Swimmers

Maybe I’m not intelligent enough to understand why Swimmers is a good book. I don’t get the point of it and it seemed incredibly disjointed.

The first half is about an underground pool that people love to go to. It’s their sanctuary. There are all different kinds of swimmers. One woman has dementia, a few competitive swimmers, a former Olympian, and people who go to swim languidly. There are rules and you must obey them.

One day there is a small crack in the pool floor and the swimmers get obsessed with it. In time, the pool is deemed unusable and the swimmers freak out when they have to find other pools or hobbies.

Abruptly, the story switches to focus on the story of the old woman with dementia. She is being put in a home for people with memory loss. The story describes the building and the people who work there plus other inhabitants.

I found the book to be weird and depressing.

Cloud Cuckoo Land

Wow! Let me start by saying I almost stopped reading Cloud Cuckoo Land halfway through. The story was strange and it was taking me forever. I am so glad I finished it! By the last third of the book I was invested in the characters and loved seeing how the stories and characters started connecting. I enjoyed predicting what would happen. This would be a great one for book club.

I will warn you this book is not a fast read and you have to be in the right head space for it. There are a number of different storylines going on that span 6 centuries. Each character’s plotline centers around an ancient greek story. The characters have very different lives but the Greek text about a man who becomes a bird, a fish, and a donkey has a large impact on them.

It’s historical and futuristic at the same time. I thought the book was incredible, definitely something I could never be talented enough to write.

Want more book reviews? Take a look at my October Book Reviews!