Lori Cameron

–American Housewife: Stories by Helen Ellis
Short stories (some very short) about women who have adapted (or are seeing the need to adapt) to meet the demands of being perfect wives and mothers. Wry and creative and funny and a bit vicious, at times. I liked it a lot.
–The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (Audio)
Still gut-wrenching, decades later. Narrated by the author and I’d like to listen to her narrate everything.
–Collected: City + Country by Sarah Richardson
The first of a series, apparently. I don’t know what the print version is like, but the ebook felt more like a magazine. Lots of pretty interiors for pristine people.
–Do You Mind If I Cancel? (Things That Still Annoy Me) by Gary Janetti
I thought this would be a book of humourous essays, but it’s a boring, disjointed and repetitive autobiography by a man who is known (I have since learned) for being very funny. This came as a surprise.
–Dumpty: The Age of Trump in Verse by John Lithgow
Clever and a lot of fun to write, I bet.
–Fantastic Mr Fox and Other Animal Stories by Roald Dahl (Audio)
Loved it. Great narration by Chris O’Dowd, Geoffrey Palmer, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.
–Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life by Nir Eyal
Tips for maintaining focus, but nothing I hadn’t heard before or learned on my own.
–Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner (Audio)
Now this is an autobiography. What a fascinating life, well-told.
–Lake Success: A Novel by Gary Shteyngart (Audio)
I wasn’t sure whether to persist with this one; heaven knows there are enough novels out there following the escapades of rich, powerful, white male protagonists. I did enjoy watching the failures mount up for Barry Cohen, the clueless main character, but he still got off way too easily for his various misdemeanors. Frustratingly true to life.
–Live Beautiful by Athena Calderone
Decor inspiration for rich people who live in homes that look like movie sets.
–Meatless by Martha Stewart
Nicely done, Martha.
–Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food by Alicia C Simpson
Lots of good ideas to try.
–Vegan on the Go by Jerome Eckmeier
Hmmm, I seem to have been feeling very vegan this month. This is another good one.
–A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America by Carol D. Leonnig and Philip Rucker (Audio)
Never could I have imagined I’d be interested in reading/listening to so many books about a politician, but I guess that’s what happens when a clown is put in charge.
–The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West
I wish I could express myself half as well as Lindy West. Great essays.

–All My Friends Are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman
I read this on a recommendation from a friend and it was a good recommendation. It’s unusual and funny and I was still thinking about it a week later, which is really rare for me.
–Bibliostyle: How We Live at Home with Books by Nina Freudenberger
See? I’m not the only one with A LOT of books.
–Edible DIY: Simple, Giftable Recipes to Savor and Share by Lucy Baker
Some nice, easy ideas.
–Everything Chocolate by America’s Test Kitchen
I want to make every single thing in this book.
–Grow Food For Free by Huw Richards (Audiobook)
Worth listening to just for his Welsh accent, but lots of good advice for gardening on a budget.
–Lean Out by Tara Henley
A strange book. After working herself into the ground for a couple decades, the author takes three years off to discover she needs to rest more, get fresh air and eat properly. She refuses to do any internal work on her difficulties with life (she dismisses meditation as a “life hack”) and focuses only on her conviction that all modern problems stem from a lack of community. For some reason, all of this is interspersed with long passages about all the travelling she’s done. I’m glad she feels better, but I didn’t relate.
–Planting the Natural Garden by Henk Gerritsen and Piet Oudolf
A really good resource I’d like to own.
–Shetland by Ann Cleeves
Beautiful photography.
–Simple Farmhouse Life by Lisa Bass
I’m always skeptical when I flip through books of perfect homes decorated by perfect women with fifteen perfect children, but who knows? Maybe she only needs an hour of sleep a day.
–Talking to Strangers by Marianne Boucher
My first graphic novel, I think. The author visits California as a teenager and is swept up into the Moonies cult. I identified more with her parents, of course, who must have been terrified.
–Untamed by Glennon Doyle (Audiobook)
I almost gave up on this one several times because I found her introspection and need to talk about how much she loves her wife kind of tedious, but it picked up a bit when she got into what women can do for ourselves and each other and society at large.
–Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis by Ada Calhoun
A book for and about the women of Generation X. Like me. Excellent.

–50 Knitted Wraps and Shawls by Marisa Nöldeke
Is it possible to have too many wraps and shawls? No. No, it isn’t.
–The Blue Zones Kitchen by Dan Buettner
What a relief to read a cookbook that isn’t all photos of the author looking glamorous in an expensive kitchen.
–The Crafty Gardener by Becca Anderson
A weird hodgepodge of gardening information, personal reflections and pretty photographs. The ebook formatting was bad so it might be less weird in paper form.
–The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (Audiobook)
Finally got to this one a mere 17 years after everybody else. It was very good.
–Effin Birds by Aaron Reynolds
Pairing Audubon illustrations with curse words is genius and I’ll never forgive myself for not thinking of it first.
–Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo (Audiobook)
All I really remember about it is that the author is very successful at everything she tries.
–Hello Color: 25 Bright Ideas for DIY Decor by Rachel Mae Smith
Not my taste, let’s leave it at that.
–How to Be Fine: What We Learned from Living by the Rules of 50 Self-Help Books by Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer
Disappointingly low on details about the self-help books they studied or, contrary to what the title suggests, what they learned from those books.
–How to Eat by Mark Bittman and David L Katz (Audiobook)
The answer: a plant-based diet. Which we’re already doing. So that’s good.
–Longbourn by Jo Baker (Audiobook)
A really interesting concept: Pride and Prejudice from the viewpoint of the Bennet household’s servants. A smidge too long, in my opinion, but I liked it. Emma Fielding was a great narrator.
–Making Space, Clutter Free by Tracy McCubbin
Why did I read this? I don’t know. It’s fine as far as de-cluttering books go, but I like having lots of resources to draw upon (i.e. clutter).
–Martha Stewart’s Cookie Perfection by the editors of Martha Stewart Living
God, I love cookies so much.
–The New Family Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen
Always good recipes, even if the ATK people do tend to get a bit fussy.
–Open Kitchen by Susan Spungen
Seemed fine, just not the kinds of things I cook.
–The Self-Care Solution by Jennifer Ashton MD
Boy, do I have a lot I could say about this one. Every month for one year, this doctor (as she reminds the reader nine million times) who appears regularly on Good Morning America (another nine million times) challenges herself to a healthy habit even though she does not need to because she is incredibly fit, thin, strong, healthy, disciplined, rich, gorgeous and perfect in every way. Absolutely nauseating and her single-minded obsession with body weight and having a flat belly is disturbing.
–That’s Not English: Britishisms, Americanisms and What Our English Says About Us by Erin Moore
An American ex-pat living in London points out small cultural and language differences. It was fine.
–Upcycling Celebrations by Danny Seo
Take random pieces of garbage and hot glue gun them together to make garbage decorations that 100% look like glued-together garbage.
–Weather by Jenny Offill (Audiobook)
Short, linked vignettes in lieu of a plot. I liked it.
–Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby (Audiobook)
I enjoy everything Samantha Irby writes and this did not disappoint. Most enjoyable read of the month, by far.

–A Warning by Anonymous
Yet more confirmation that Trump and the current American government are just as awful and dysfunctional as they seem.
–Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
I’m not sure about all the magic stuff, but she has a lot of really smart advice on living a creative life.
–Bowls by America’s Test Kitchen
Lots of appealing ideas.
–Bunny by Mona Awad
Audiobook. Weird, but I liked it.
–Everyday Decorating by Jeffrey Bilhuber
Not my style.
–Find Your Pleasure by Cynthia Loyst
Fine (if somewhat common sense) advice on self-care, but good grief, the book is half photographs of her.
–Grit by Angela Duckworth
Audiobook. Really interesting food for thought on how and why to work on one’s grit. Do hard things.
–Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
Very enjoyable. My kind of book.
–Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden
Includes some seriously outdated information on nutrition, but her repeated recommendation to take magnesium checks out with other things I’ve read.
–Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Needed this after A Warning. Absolute perfection.
–Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown
Audiobook. Dual narrators are not my favourite device because one is inevitably weaker than the other and I end up wishing the dud’s part had been discarded entirely.
–Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
A super-stylised gothic detective story. Intriguing and entertaining.
–Ultimate Veg by Jamie Oliver
Yeah, I’ll try some of these.