nathanreadsbooks

[nathanreadsbooks]

Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates. 5/5. I have read a lot of good books this year, but this might be the most important one so far. I had heard about Coates' writing before from the NWAPcast and Carrie Brownstein mentioned this as her favorite book of the year, but now I truly understand. Ta-Nehisi has a remarkable way of telling stories that I believe comes from his background in journalism and this non-fiction tale he is passing on to his son is poignant and timely. Please read this book. Since there isn't much to say other than go buy this book and read it, I'll leave you with this snippet that I liked: "You exist. You matter. You have value. You have every right to wear your hoodie, to play your music as loud as you want. You have every right to be you. And no one should deter you from being you. You have to be you. And you can never be afraid to be you."

[nathanreadsbooks]

Why Not Me? - Mindy Kaling. 5/5 Not much to say about this other than I completely loved it and I adore Mindy Kaling. From the Office, to the Mindy Project, and now this and her first book, everything she does is great. If you read and enjoyed her first book, I highly recommend this one. And if you have no idea who she is, I also would say you should read this because it is just a fun read with lots of good advice. Also, as a side note, I would like to say that Mindy and Aziz Ansari are two of the people in Hollywood I respect the most because they work their butts off to be as good as they are and they deserve all the praise that they receive. I look forward to reading/watching anything either of them put out in the future.

[nathanreadsbooks]

The Martian - Andy Weir. 5/5. I should start off by saying that I am a sucker for anything space related, especially science fiction books and movies. This was definitely no exception. I'm sure most people know what this book is about because the movie with Matt Damon just came out, but basically a dude gets stuck on Mars and has to survive with what he is left with. Like Interstellar, this movie is in the not-so-distant future and could potentially happen in our lifetimes. I love near-future movies and books because I think the ideas that we have about the future are very important for continually driving towards that imagined future. Anyways, I am always the snob who wants to read the book before seeing the movie, but I highly recommend this novel if you have seen the movie or not.

[nathanreadsbooks]

Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl - Carrie Brownstein. 5/5. I have always loved Carrie as part of the comedy duo in one of my favorite TV shows Portlandia, so I was very excited when I heard she was writing a book. However, I had forgotten that she was the lead guitarist in a very successful 90s Rock band before she ever did anything on TV. This memoir of her life and of the band Sleater-Kinney is intense, in-your-face, and incredibly honest about what it's like to tour around the country doing something you simultaneously love and hate. Carrie is an exceptional writer and I loved getting to read the story of how she got to be who she is today, which is someone I really admire. Definitely recommend checking this book out. Bonus: got to see her talk about the book in person and received and signed copy from the good people at @bookpeople

[nathanreadsbooks]

Welcome to Night Vale - Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. 5/5. At long last this book is finally out and I tried to read it as fast as I could. I have been listening to the Welcome to Night Vale podcast for a few years now, have been to a live show, and would probably say it is one of my favorite things in the world. This book did not fail to live up to this expectations. What I love most about the authors' writing style is that they can make most things that are seemingly normal, weird. Just finding the right way to word something that makes you think about it more takes a lot of skill. I also love that this book has really good representation of different races, genders, and sexual orientations without making a big deal out of it. Not something commonly found in your local bookstore. If you love a good story and all things strange, I highly recommend this book and the accompanying podcast.

[nathanreadsbooks]

The Science of Interstellar - Kip Thorne. 5/5. First off, let me say that Interstellar is my favorite movie. I have seen it multiple times and every time I find a new reason to love it more. If you have not seen it, I recommend doing that, and if you have, I recommend reading this book. In this book, Kip Thorne does an excellent job of explaining high level science in easy to understand terms, using Interstellar as a reference point. If it wasn't for the movie, I doubt any of the stuff in this book would have made sense. However, since I know and love the movie, it did. Kip is someone whose peers include Stephen Hawking and Nobel-prize winners, so he is a pretty incredible guy. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves the film and wants to know more about the things in our universe that we don't fully understand.

[nathanreadsbooks]

Reading Lolita in Tehran - Azar Nafisi. 5/5. Every once in awhile I will come across a book that in the back of my mind I always knew existed and that I wanted to read, but had no way of knowing where to find it. This book was exactly the type of account I was looking for. Azar Nafisi tells the courageous story of her time in Iran during the revolutionary period they had in the 80s and 90s that still continues today. She tells stories about the tide of change that came over the country and how she felt her freedoms were taken from her as the Islamic Republic forced her to wear a veil that she did not want to wear and teach only books that they approved. Thankfully, for the sake of the story and the sake of a better world, Azar decided to start a book club with a group of women and read books like Lolita, the Great Gatsby, and Pride and Prejudice. It was a fascinating read that not only related these great works to her time in Tehran, but also opened up my eyes to things I never knew about. I highly recommend this book for anyone, especially those who enjoy reading and empathize with someone who had that taken away from her.

[nathanreadsbooks]

Fun Home - Alison Bechdel. 5/5. Big thanks to @arlzicorn for giving me this graphic novel for my birthday. Until now, I had only known Alison Bechdel for the 'Bechdel Test' with movies, but now I love her even more. This book tells the true story of her childhood and her relationship with her father. Both of them intellectuals and both of them trying to understand their sexualities. It's entertaining, fascinating, and both beautifully drawn and written. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a unique, nonfiction account about the strangeness of growing up.

[nathanreadsbooks]

Blankets - Craig Thompson. 4/5. In my quest to read more graphic novels, my friend Kevin recommended this to me to check out. The story is about growing up and not feeling like you have a place in the world, which is definitely a relatable subject for a lot of people. It also has a lot of elements thrown in about growing up in a Christian environment and church camp stories that were almost too real. The best part about this book by far is the artistry. There are some really beautiful ideas conveyed through the pictures in the book. Definitely recommend if you want a good, simple graphic novel to read.

[nathanreadsbooks]

Girl, Interrupted - Susanna Kaysen. 5/5. There are a lot of really good coming of age stories out there that have to do with mental illness coupled with adolescence. Catcher in the Rye, The Bell Jar, Perks of Being a Wallflower, etc. Some of my favorite books because it is always nice to read about someone who goes through things that you do and comes out okay. This book is similar to those, but I believe it is even more impactful because it is nonfiction. Kaysen holds nothing back and tells it exactly how it really was to just be a little bit different growing up in the 60s as a teenager. I highly recommend this book to anyone, no matter what age you are.

[nathanreadsbooks]

Push - Sapphire. 5/5. Push, or as you may know the movie title by 'Precious,' is the story of a young black girl growing up in Harlem with a terrible life. There is not a way to sugar coat this book because it is one terrible thing after another. The way it is written along with the slang in the book makes it a fast read, but a tough read all the same. I have never seen the movie, but the images in this book make me not want to. No one should ever have to experience what Precious Jones does in this book, and yet the sad reality is that it is someone's reality. This book is fantastic in the way that it presents very complex issues such as race and poverty in a way that is really just telling the story of a young girl. I highly recommend this book for those who want to challenge the way they view childhood, growing up, and what it means to be beautiful.

[nathanreadsbooks]

Modern Romance - Aziz Ansari. 5/5. When I first bought this book, I assumed it would be like other books written by comedians where it would be filled with funny anecdotes about their life with some advice they had learned along the way. And since I love a good Aziz story about Kanye West or his cousins, I decided to get it. However, I was way off on what this book actually is. Instead of just making claims about how romance and dating has changed in modern times, Ansari put in the work to do research and back up all of his statements. He worked with sociologists all around the world and found some really fascinating things about how our romantic lives have changed. That said, the book still is very clever and humorous as only Aziz can be, but I also learned a lot about our culture today. I definitely recommend this to people my age, because it gives a wide view of our generation and how we view romance, but also to any older generations who want to better understand how things have changed from their day to now.

[nathanreadsbooks]

Invisible Monsters Remix - Chuck Palahniuk. 5/5. Palahniuk is one of my favorite authors and again I am blown away by his brilliance. I have previously read 'Invisible Monsters,' but it was long enough ago for me to remember exactly how it went. Although, I do remember loving the book. In this 'remix,' Palahniuk doesn't add any extra chapters, he just puts them in a different order and actually wants you to get lost. In the introduction he says that the only way to know you have read the entire book is if you have marked every page with an 'X' to know that you have. I didn't do that, but after I reached 'the end' I actually found 11 more chapters that were just extra information about the book. It takes something I don't think most authors have to write something like this masterpiece, and I look forward to reading this one again. I highly recommend this or the original to anyone who wants to see if Palahniuk is for them.

[nathanreadsbooks]

The World of Ice and Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin. 5/5. This is probably the nerdiest book I own, but it is definitely one of my favorites. I am a huge fan of the books and TV show that revolve around Game of Thrones and Westeros, so this book was a really fun thing to read. The only thing about reading this monster is you have to be dedicated and/or as obsessed with the series as I am to finish it, because I have read textbooks with less information than this book.

[nathanreadsbooks]

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - Jesse Andrews. 3/5. This novel is the first young adult book I have read in awhile and I think for the time being I am going to avoid the genre. The book is about two high school friends who make films and who befriend a girl who is dying of Leukemia. It tries very hard to be the opposite of The Fault in Our Stars, which is an okay idea, although it goes too far and tries too hard. I will say that I enjoyed that it didn't romanticize death the way other books of this type do, but the rest felt lacking, especially how Rachel (the dying girl) seemed only there to impact the main character. Overall, if you are looking for a decent young adult novel that is a short read with some entertaining chapters, go for it, but not my first recommendation. I have heard that the film version is better, so I will probably check that out.

[nathanreadsbooks]

The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Alex Haley, Malcolm X. 5/5. "I learned early that crying out in protest could accomplish things. My older brothers and sisters had started to school when, sometimes, they would come in and ask for a buttered biscuit or something and my mother, impatiently, would tell them no. But I would cry out and make a fuss until I got what I wanted. I remember well how my mother asked me why I couldn't be a nice boy like Wilfred; but I would think to myself that Wilfred, for being so nice and quiet, often stated hungry. So early in life, I had learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise." This is not an easy or a short book to read, but I believe it is a required read. The story of Malcolm X and his life is truly fascinating, and one that is often overlooked. I could have underlined almost every line in this book because it was all so important and poignant. I highly recommend this to anyone who values an open mind and the search for truth and justice.

[nathanreadsbooks]

#FreeComicBookDay! I was able to get all of these today for free, and you should too! I believe pretty much every book store in the country has these or other free comics today, so go to your local book store and get some!

#freecomicbookday