Reading While Eating

NEW YORK TIMES  BESTSELLER •  TIME ’S #1 FICTION TITLE OF THE YEAR •  NEW YORK TIMES  NOTABLE BOOK OF 2018 AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION'S NOTABLE BOOK LIST 2019 FINALIST for the MAN BOOKER PRIZE and the NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD LONGLISTED for the ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL If I could review this book in two words it would be "Holy S***!"  This book is an intense ride that will lull you into thinking the worst is over, then hit you over the head again. The book is the story of Romy Hall and what she believes to have led to her being incarcerated at Stanville Women's Correctional Facility with two life sentences hanging over her head, as well as being taken out of the life of her young son Jackson.  Romy talks about her upbringing and how she got into dancing at a strip club that led to her meeting the man that would become the reason for her downfall.   Interspersed throughout the story of Romy is a glimpse into the lives of oth...

I received a copy of this at the American Librarian Association's conference in January.  I specifically sought this book out after hearing about it at one of the Book Buzz sessions.  The story is divided into 9 parts.  Each part is narrated by someone who has loved and or been loved by an unnamed woman.  They recount impressions, experiences and how the woman affected their lives.  The book is a quick read and a very moving account of human relationships. How interesting would it be to be described by people from your past?  What would they say about you?  What would their memories be?  The book itself focuses on romantic love.  I think honestly it could have been more interesting if it was about not just romantic love, but about other types of love as well.  But I understand that romantic love is often the type of love that affects us most, both positively and negatively.  We can have the same people as family and friends th...