5. Come As You Are

By Emily Nagoski PhD (345 pp)

You don't know how much it pains me to not give this book a glowing review. I love Nagoski's website The Dirty Normal. There were so many times I read something there and thought: Well that would have been handy information 30 years ago. I love all the science and also reassurance that normal is a spectrum and barring health issues, you're normal. Again, would have been great to hear 30 years ago. I'm sure it was the publishers but this is a self-help book with exercises and fictionalized anecdotes about people who come in weeping about their problems and then do a few exercises and find miraculous change. In addition, the book is long and feels like a slog, sometimes repetitious, too often referencing other chapters. And finally, the casual tone grated at times. I think the information is worthwhile and would never discourage anyone from picking it up, but not a love.

4. M Train

By Patti Smith (253 pp)

I'm sorry I didn't decide to make notes of pages I wanted to go back to until page 139 where I made a note that Patti returned from an overseas tour and upon taking stock, realizes she only lost one pair of glasses. I had low expectations for this book. After Just Kids I suspected this was an easy money grab. You could probably make that argument. It's still terrific. It's a quiet, aimless memoir with the kind of writing that makes you want to slow down and savor every word. I always have so many books to read, I'm in a hurry to finish. With this book I took my time and was sorry it was finished. Luckily, Bob gave me a tiny volume of Patti that's a memoir finished on her 45th birthday.

3. Vintage

By Susan Gloss (263 pp ebook)

This is a light and sweet chick lit book that follows several women connected to a vintage clothing shop in Madison, Wisconsin. I met the author when I was in Madison. It's not my usual type of book but I grabbed it during the great ebook buying binge of 2015. I loved all the characters and the way each chapter started with the description of a vintage item. It made me wish I knew more about clothes

2. All Clear

By Connie Willis (641 pp)

It snowed  yesterday morning so I stayed in bed and almost finished this book. I had to wait and read the last bit today. I enjoyed it just as much as the first time but sheesh, the middle is a major slog. So much repetition. I get that a lot of it is relevant to the story developments but I think this could have been one shorter volume that read a bit tighter. Still recommend.

1. Blackout

By Connie Willis (491 pp)

I read this in 2010 - I didn't realize it had been that long. This and the sequel All Clear came out 10 months apart. It's deceptive to call it a sequel because it's really one giant book chopped in two. Book 1 doesn't even pretend to be a self-contained volume. Since I finished them the first time I've wanted to read them back-to-back and even though I have 3 other books partially read, I decided to pick these up now. It's about time travelers in WWII and it's hard to put down. Recommend.