I finished Educated by Tara Westover

It's a biography about a woman raised in her Mormon doomsday prep family Idaho and how her college education would later reveal to her all of things she missed due to her not being able to attend public (or private) school. That's like the bare minimum... What struck me the most, other than her shock at discovering things like the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement for the first time in college, was her ability to.use her education to separate herself from the abusive familial relationships of her childhood and to recognize them for what they were. It's an excellent read and uplifting. Here is Tara, uneducated in any real sense born into a strictly religious family that historically represses women, dealing with her father's psychological issues and her brothers abuse, and yet...she taught herself math and literacy that would place her in college and went on to Cambridge and exploring the world.

Am now reading Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance

Finished:

Salvage the Bones, by Jesmyn Ward

Simultaneously ferocious and poetic. The story of a poor family from coastal Mississippi, framed by their preparations for hurricane Katrina. It's told through the eyes of a 14 year old girl who finds herself pregnant, by a boy who barely even acknowledges her. There are some beautiful rays of hope and love in this story, despite the brutality of their existence: the love between Esch and her brothers; the love between Skeetah and his pit bull China, who he sends into savage fights one moment and cuddles into another; and the love of their friend Big Henry, a giant of a boy who is so gentle and protective of Esch and her siblings. It fully deserved its national book award.

In progress (Audiobook):

Educated, by Tara Westover

Like Salvage the Bones, it tells the story of a family so far out of my own experience, through the eyes of a young woman who lived through it. Unlike Salvage the Bones, it's a memoir. There are parts that are difficult to bear, but it's a compelling story.

In progress (Reading):

Annals of the Former World, by John McPhee

This behemoth of a book tells of McPhee's travel across the US via I-80 in the company of geologists who share the story of the continent's formation be examining the rock cuts made to smooth the passage of the highway. An excellent example of science writing as literature.

Finished:

Often I am Happy, by Jens Christian Grøndahl
This was beautifully written and a decent read.

Let Them Eat Chaos, by Kate Tempest
This was a long form poem, and was engaging and pretty good, if a bit too on the nose at times.

Currently reading:

Educated, by Tara Westover
I'm about 70% of the way through and I am so frustrated with this book. I was expecting to be completely swept away by it, as pretty much every other person who has picked it up has been, but I'm not. I hate to be this person, but I'm struggling to believe the story in the pages. It's especially difficult when she has footnotes explaining that people remember certain things differently than she's laid them out. I appreciate her honesty, but it's making for more of a novel with an unreliable narrator than a memoir. Obviously, I understand all memoirs come with a grain of salt, but there's something about this that is just insanely frustrating. I don't know.

Finished:

Educated, by Tara Westover

This book was a bit heartbreaking and infuriating to read. It made me want to find her family and smack them. Of course family abuse isn't that simple. She did a good job of articulating on how you can love the family that hurts you and not want to lose them. It also did a good job of not making her family caricatures of people.

The Human Division, by John Scalzi

I enjoyed this book more when I did a mental shift and thought of it as a collection of short stories about the B- Team. Which of course is how the original novellas were done and then compiled to make the 5th novel in the Old Man's War series. There were a lot of questions that the book left unanswered.

Started:

The End of All Things, by John Scalzi

The final book in the Old Man's War series. Again this was originally a series of short stories that was combined to make the final book. I'm hoping we get back to some characters that weren't in the last book. If this doesn't answer questions I will be very disappointed.

I just finished Educated, by Tara Westover. I thought it was fascinating, well composed, and well written. A window into an unfamiliar world, but also a window into the author’s psyche and growth over time. I can see why this book is as popular as it is.

I am now working on The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. This is part of my project to read more classics. I’m enjoying it so far. I admire the way the author skillfully teases out the characters’ relationships in small snapshots of different moments and subdued narration.

Started and finished reading:

The Vegetarian, by Han Kang

I found it deeply disturbing and difficult to bear. Not a good book for me.

Finished listening:

Educated, by Tara Westover

This was very good. Gave me a glimpse into a fundamentalist/survivalist culture and lifestyle that are so foreign to me. It also provides a good example of the difficulties of succeeding despite PTSD, and the important distinctions between forgiveness and reconciliation

Started reading:

Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng

Not far into it, but good so far.

Started listening:

The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough

Typical McCullough. He's so good at turning what could be a dry biography into an interesting story.

Continued reading:

Annals of the Former World, by John McPhee

Very good but slow going. I have to pause to look up geological terms (there's no glossary) and consult a table of geological periods (is the Devonian before or after the Silurian?) fairly often. Despite that, his prose is crisp and vivid, and it's worth the effort. It's going to take me a long time.

Finished:

Educated by Tara Westover It was heartbreaking when it started and was heartbreaking all the way through. I'm so glad she got away from her family, but the things she went through...I can't imagine. Kind of want to just give her a big hug.

The Outsider by Stephen King This book felt like Stephen King was looking up monsters from other countries and then spent like 10 minutes writing a book about the first one he found. Not interesting or particularly impactful. A day after finishing it I couldn't name more than 2 characters because none of them stuck out except for Holly and Ralph. Gonna go ahead and drop this one into the lower ranks of books he's written.

Started:

Tiamat's Wrath by James S. A. Corey Final book in the Expanse time! Well final until they write some more. I'm only a few pages in, and this sure is an Expanse book so far.

Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover

i'm not really sure what i was expecting before i started reading this, but dang - some sections are tough to get through

Almost done with Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover. This is a very intense and emotional experience.

Starting The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

Finished: A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, by James Comey

I just returned from a conference in Portland, OR. I listened to this audiobook during my travels and this book surprised me. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! I laughed, I became angry, and I even cried, which was highly unexpected. I am very impressed with the writing in this book and I felt like it gave me an inside view into our current political climate inside our government. Highly recommend this book.

Next to read:

While I was in Portland, I stopped at Powell's Books and picked up Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover which I am excited to start reading today!

Books I need to finish:

Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

My Life as a Goddess, by Guy Branum He's definitely a very funny guy. I would say this is more of high brow memoir just because he does delve into some pretty serious topics...basically I don't consider this "light reading".

Educated, by Tara Westover Very interesting memoir about a woman who grew up off the grid and found her way out through university. If you liked The Glass Castle I would recommend.

I finished Educated, by Tara Westover. I couldn't put down my Kindle until I finished it. It was breathtaking. I feel the cri de coeur of the author. Powerful read.

I started Still me, by JoJo Moyes. I like the first one and know this one just won the Goodreads award. Can't wait.

Hillbilly Elegy, by J.D. Vance It's a memoir that provides insights on class and status in America and how and why a certain group, in this case "hillbillies" as the author refers to his people, are the way they are. In an increasingly polarized America, it might be helpful to research different groups of people, especially poor or oppressed people, and try to gain insight on what makes them tick. Two themes/quotes I enjoyed: "What unites us to the core fabric of American society?" The author is describing how people used to take pride in things like the space program and suggesting there is a lack of unifying aspects in today's world.

"Powerful people sometimes do things to help poor and less fortunate people without actually understanding poor and less fortunate people." The author is referring to the closing of Payday Lenders in this case, but I think it is applicable to a plethora of issues in the US.

Educated, by Tara Westover I absolutely loved this book. Educated is a captivating, beautifully written memoir. It's hard to believe the author could write such an infuriating story in such a flowing voice. It reads like fiction and I wish parts of it were fiction. It's both heartbreaking and motivating. Tara Westover overcame incredible challenges and trials to become the impressive person she is today. Rightfully a top book of 2018 and then some!

Starting: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover

Just finished this. It was very good. I highly recommend for anyone and everyone. I’m honestly speechless for anything else to write. I really enjoyed it.

Read Educated, by Tara Westover. All in all a very compelling read.

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Educated, by Tara Westover

Future Home of the Living God, by Louise Erdrich

Finished The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

Started Educated by Tara Westover

In the last few weeks I have finished The Green Mile by Stephen King, Gelo per i Bastardi di Pizzofalcone by Maurizio De Giovanni, Educated by Tara Westover (I loved this book!), Cuccioli per i Bastardi di Pizzofalcone by Maurizio De Giovanni.

At lunch I will start L’arminuta by Donatello Di Pietrantonio.

Just finished Educated, by Tara Westover and it was excellent. Really engaging memoir by a woman who was raised by survivalist Mormons and goes on to get her PhD.

Keep forgetting to share on Mondays, but I remembered today! It's been a big week because I had one of those moments where everything on hold at the library mysteriously all came in at once.

Finished...

• The Thing Around Your Neck, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• I'll Be Gone In the Dark, by Michelle McNamara
• Becoming, by Michelle Obama
• Everything Here is Beautiful, by Mira T. Lee
• My Year of Rest and Relaxation, by Ottessa Moshfegh

Started...

• Educated, by Tara Westover
• The Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse, by Louise Erdrich

Finished:

11/22/63, by Stephen King

I really REALLY loved this book. My first 5/5 star book for the year.

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Started:

Educated, by Tara Westover

The Space Between Us, by Thrity Umrigar - It was pretty underwhelming. The writing was too heavy-handed and the characters outside of the two protagonists were very one dimensional. It read like a cliched list of family tragedy and domestic abuse.

Educated, by Tara Westover - Yeesh, this was pretty insane and hard to read at times. The unusual story and writing make this very hard to put down. I guess how much one likes this book depends partly on whether one believes the book is exaggerating the details.

Finished Educated, by Tara Westover. I can understand why it's so popular, but the book just wasn't for me. This woman's life is absolutely crazy, and every chapter either depressed me or made me scared/sorry for her. I will say that the book is very well-written- at times the narrative felt like it was fiction because of her choice of words, and to think this is all real just puts the book in a whole different ballpark. I'm glad she got out of her horrible situation, and I wish her the best in her bright future.

I finished:

Lower Ed by Tressie McMillan Cottom This is a GREAT overview of what is happening with for-profit colleges. I suspect that most people who pick it up are already aware of some of the issues with for-profit colleges, but it is still very illuminating and sensitive to the folks who find themselves trapped in a bad situation.

Educated by Tara Westover I liked this, but not as much as many did! Good but not great, for me. For folks unacquainted, it's a memoir on growing up in a fundamentalist Mormon household.

Finished Educated, by Tara Westover

Started A woman is no man, by Etaf Rum

Torchlight to Valhalla, by Gale Wilhelm - Only 105 pages, but it kind of slowed me down. I really didn't connect with this one. I'm not sure if it was the writing style or the necessary limitations of writing about a lesbian pulp romance that doesn't end with one or both parties killing themselves or marrying a man. There were parts of it that were way too rushed, but parts that seemed to drag on endlessly, and I'm not sure what the author was trying to do with either. Either way, I really struggled to finish this one, and probably won't recommend it to anyone going forward.

Educated, by Tara Westover - I'm really glad I picked this one up after Torchlight. I hadn't really planned on reading it as I'm usually wary of memoirs that end up on all the CEO/politician "favorite books of the year" lists, plus memoirs aren't usually my thing. This one was really good though; I flew through the second half insanely fast. There's this horrific tension and build-up where you're just sure someone's going to die from her father's carelessness or her brother's abusive behavior, but you're never quite sure who or when it could happen. I had to set the book down during some of the gorier paragraphs. Definitely not what I expected and definitely worth your time.

Last week I finished:

Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday

Could not for the life of me figure out what the two sections had to do with each other and had to go to Goodreads to get it explained to me. I liked the second part better than the first and the connection between the two parts not at all. Why not just write a pair of novellas? Anyway, it was good but didn’t knock me over.

Parasite by Mira Grant

She just writes the best science fiction thrillers. I figured out the twist way before it happened, but it didn’t reduce my enjoyment at all. I kept looking for reasons to do chores or go for drives so I could listen.

The Book of Night with Moon by Diane Duane

A childhood favorite. It’s out of print, but the author sells it on her website. This was a nice comforting read that was hard to put down. Give me this book and the rest of the Wizardry series over Tailchaser’s Song any day.

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

This was a memoir about the author’s youth in a family of sovereign citizens. She didn’t go to school until she was 17, and then straight to college at BYU. Sov cits are fascinating and I will never get tired of reading about them.

Short things:

• “Spotted Horses” by William Faulkner (Uncollected Stories)
• “Nobody Listens When I Talk” by Annette Sanford (Best American Short Stories 2001)
• “Inventory” by Carmen Maria Machado (Her Body and Other Parties)
• “Lo!” by William Faulkner (Collected Stories)
• “Liking What You See: A Documentary” by Ted Chiang (Stories of Your Life and Others)
• “The Chicane” by Amy Hempel (Best American Short Stories 2017)
• “Non Quis, Sed Quid” by Maggie Stiefvater (Merry Sisters of Fate)
• “I Can Speak!” by George Saunders (In Persuasion Nation)
• “Smear” by Brian Evenson (Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017)
• “Two Men” by Denis Johnson (Jesus’ Son)

Working on:

• Metamorphoses by Ovid (Charles Martin translation)
• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (for /r/bookclub)
• White Teeth by Zadie Smith
• Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
• The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

Finished:

The Nest by Gregory Douglas Not an outstanding book but it wasn't terrible either. Bugs ate people, people killed the bugs, or did they? Could've done with more blood in my opinion.

Started:

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover This may be one of the sadder books I've ever read. I almost want to read behind my fingers for so much of it, because my heart just sinks over and over again.

Just finished Educated by Tara Westerover. Holy shit, what a hard book to read. It was incredible what she's overcome in her life and also so sad to know what her family put her through.

I'm currently reading Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. This has been on my list for two years and I kept putting it off and I'm so disappointed that I did. It's unlike any other science fiction book I've read and the main character is fascinating.

Finished

The Hypnotist's Love Story, by Liane Moriarty

Started

Educated a Memoir, by Tara Westover

Edit: formatting

Still working on Educated by Tara Westover.

Finished The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory.

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Educated, by Tara Westover

I read for my book club. not sure how I feel about it.

Finished: Educated, by Tara Westover

Started: The Child in Time, by Ian McEwan

Finished...

• Educated, by Tara Westover
• The Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse, by Louise Erdrich

Started...

• The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson
• The Golden Tresses of the Dead, by Alan Bradley

The Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse took me a pretty long time so I'm lagging behind on my library book mountain and I need to pick up the pace this week.

Finished:
Educated, by Tara Westover 5/5
I am I am I am, by Maggie O'Farrell 4/5
Slade House, by David Mitchell 3/5

Almost finished:
Becoming, by Michelle Obama

Just started:
There, There by Tommy Orange
Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie

Finished: Us Against You, by Frederick Backman and I don't know if I have words to adequately describe how much I loved it and love those characters in the Beartown world. This one really got me emotional from the first to last page.

I think I'm going to start Educated, by Tara Westover today

Finished:

Educated, by Tara Westover

Killing Commendatore, Haruki Murakami

Dune, Frank Herbert

Currently reading The Other, by Thomas Tryon a friend told me it's the scariest thing she's read. It's a little hard to follow, I'm about 50 pages in.

Finished Educated, by Tara Westover I enjoyed more of the stories of her childhood than her adult life

Finished:

Educated, by Tara Westover. I was gripped by this - it was searingly helpless and sad but also so hopeful and bittersweet. The only criticism I have about it is that I feel like she wrote it too soon - like she's not quite done with her journey yet and it was a little unfinished (but then, when does a journey like hers ever end, anyway?)

Started:

Billion Dollar Whale, by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope. Literally on page one - though I did read an excerpt and enjoyed it immensely so fingers crossed for this one.

Abandoned:

Dopesick, by Beth Macy. This wasn't a terrible book but didn't capture my attention, which is a shame because I find the subject matter hugely interesting. I found that her storytelling a bit of an uncomfortable mix of memoirist masquerading as investigative journalist - she flicks very rapidly back and forth between characters and between actual meaty investigation and fluff. She's not a bad writer at all but that inability to settle on one clear line of storytelling threw me off a bit. I'd come off the back of reading Bad Blood so I guess I was hoping it'd be more investigatory-like in its storytelling. I'll come back to it.

Yeserday I finished Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover (4.5/5) Tara is a great story teller with an unbelievably story to tell. I am amazed by her resilience. Reminded me of The Glass Castle in many ways but there were also very startling differences, the main one was the way religion played a roll in Educated.

Starting Asymmetry, by Lisa Halliday today. I have heard mixed reviews about this one, interested to see how I feel.

Started Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover. I enjoy her writing style and look forward to seeing her story progress.

Halfway done with Make Something Up: Stories You Can't Unread by Chuck Palahniuk. Really fucking weird short stories.. good ole Chuck

Finished Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover. I liked it, reminds me a bit of people I've met in the south. I think The Glass Castle is very similar theme, but more entertaining.

Started The Life of Elizabeth I, by Alison Weir. I enjoyed her book on the Wives of Henry VIII, so I'm sure this one will be a good read as well.

Finished:

• Godslayer, by Jacqueline Carey - I liked the overall story of this series (first book is called Banewreaker) but they're so damn repetitious.
• Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover - I really enjoyed this book and it made me so mad at the same time. I'm really interested if her family learns about this book. (edit: I found an article with the family's response)

This week:

Not sure yet. I have some borrowed books on my kindle that's been on airplane mode for months. I'll probably start one of those.

Started:

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Fiction. What an amazing story so far. It’s a hard one to stop.

Finished:

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Wilnik and Leif Babin
A+ Leadership book. No fluff. Very direct and easy to understand the the leadership principles. Highly recommended

Educated by by Tara Westover
Non-fiction memoir. Best book I’ve read this year. An amazingly well told story of a girl who grew up without ever attending primary school. She overcomes being raised in an uneducated, survivalist, and extremely religious family to attend prestigious universities.

Just finished The Woman in the Window, by A.J. Finn now finishing Educated, by Tara Westover both excellent

Educated, by Tara Westover

Finished: Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens No crawdads were harmed or did much singing in this novel Educated, by Tara Westover Buck's Peak is about 60 minutes from where I live. I'm surrounded by Mormons, so the religious element was particularly intriguing.

Starting: All We Ever Wanted, by Emily Giffin

Earlier this week I finished Educated by Tara Westover, and was blown away by how well it was written. It's not exactly a happy story, but it's extremely fascinating, eye-opening, and inspiring. What a life she'a lived, what a family! I easily gave it 4/5 stars.

Just an hour ago, I also finished The Book of M by Peng Shepperd. Another instant favourite and 4/5 stars. Incredibly unique and creative concept, and had a few plot twists that had me genuinely stunned. So well done.

(I'm on such a reading high now, I'm terrified I might pick up something crappy next lol.)

Educated by Tara Westover

Really enjoyed it. Would definitely read another book by her.

Educated, by Tara Westover

Just finished Educated, by Tara Westover

Starting Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight . Still reading Sapeins, by Yuval Noah Harari

Finished:

My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior by Robert O'Neill

Started:

Educated by Tara Westover

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

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Educated, by Tara Westover

Started Educated, by Tara Westover and like it so far.

Finished Warcross, by Marie Lu which I hated, and Bridge of Clay, by Markus Zusak which I absolutely loved!

My mom gave me a copy of Educated by Tara Westover, which is currently on the NYT best-seller list. Someone had given it to her but she hadn't read it yet (my mom is a bibliophile like me but has terminal cancer & doesn't read much any more). For some reason I'd never heard of the book so I took it home & from the first page I could not put it down, finished it in two days. Great reading!

Life-Changing Foods by Anthony William

The Best Cook in the World by Rick Bragg. Love his books, particularly his autobiography All Over But the Shoutin'

Grateful American: A Journey from Serve to Service by Gary Sinese

Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind & Defy the Odds by David Goggins

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Got a bunch more books on the waiting list at my local library. I go every Saturday & hit the thrift store a few times a month. As you can tell by the titles, I love non-fiction.

Finished educated, by Tara westover

Started eleanor olyphant is completely fine