Welcome to Friday Reads. Each Friday, I’ll review any books I’ve completed that week, as well as share what I’m reading right now. And by “Each Friday,” I mean “some Fridays.”

Finished:

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy – Kelly Jensen 3* (Aug 30)

(This is actually an August book, but I finished it after I completed my last Friday Reads post)

I bought this on impulse and I’m not sure what I was expecting. It was a worthwhile read if only to extend my understanding of how mental health affects people in different ways. I already knew that, but reading more specific examples is always good for broadening my knowledge.

I’m not sure that I found the book particularly helpful or life-changing, but I appreciate the effort to present the situations people live through in hopes that something will help a reader, if only to not feel so alone.

The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald – 4.5* (Sept 1)

4.5*. Of all the classics I’ve read, this one feels somehow the most contemporary in style and genre. Fitzgerald did a fine job with the twisted relationships and the events of the final act. The era depicted in the story is ripe for conflict with the emphasis on appearances and the acceptance of departures from those expectations—while it wasn’t theoretically acceptable to have a relationship outside of marriage, it was also fairly accepted that everyone was doing so.

I’m dropping .5* for some lack of clarity (no spoilers, but the last paragraph of chapter 8 suffered in storytelling for an attempt to be artistic in his description). Also, I’m not sure if this was specific to the edition I read (Kindle via the library), but there were a lot of editing errors that I found hard to ignore. Also, the movie (2013 version) made me physically ill, but that’s another review for another time.

Currently Reading:

A Curious Beginning – Deanna Raybourn (19%)

I was ready for a new book but my husband was working in the office where my physical TBR shelves live. This novel was a recent Kindle purchase and so far, the main character definitely has my attention. She’s quite feisty.

Becoming – Michelle Obama (11%)

I haven’t picked this up in months but I like to keep it here as a reminder.

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