Reading update for August & September

I finally read Wow, No Thank You. by Samantha Irby, whose previous books* I have enjoyed, and whose Blogspot-turned-Substack I have been following/enjoying for over a decade. The "finally" is both because I bought the book in 2020 from Vroman's Bookstore and because it took me 21 days to read, despite enjoying it. I read it slowly, reading just a chapter or two a sitting. Irby writes about the same kind of stuff (medical issues, family situations, her marriage, etc.) and adds to it essays about getting older, being a stepmom, online shopping too much, trying to turn her book into a TV show, etc. She is so hilarious and relatable, and I wish we were friends in real life. In one essay about making friends as an adult, she describes one hypothetical ideal friend as a plus-size woman in head-to-toe Modcloth, which is basically me. Email me, Samantha! ★★★★ 🌶🌶 TW for mental illness, homelessness, medical issues, death

*there are two links there, btw. I seem to read one of SI's books every six years, which is totally not on purpose.  

In August I reread all of the Meddle & Mend series by Sarah Wallace, as they are one of my comfort series and I needed all the comfort I could get. I previously flash-reviewed them all here. My feelings on the books are the same. Please write more M&M books, Sarah Wallace!

I was very busy in September and went on a literary England trip with Her Literary Travel. It was just wonderful; even the weather was amazing. I reread Pride & Prejudice, naturally, as most of the places we went were Jane Austen-related.  In looking over my past blog posts, I don't think I've ever actually reviewed the book here, just its modern retellings. 

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen is about the impact a group of rich young people moving into an English country neighborhood has on a local family with five daughters, the second of which is the protagonist, Elizabeth. While rich Mr. Bingley and the eldest daughter Jane hit it off, it is Elizabeth's interactions with even richer Mr. Darcy, Bingley's best friend, that are the heart of the story. He's prideful and she develops an immediate prejudice against him, but it might be their embarrassing, self-absorbed families that really put a nail in the coffin of their relationship. This book is a classic for a reason, and while I am biased, I do think it's absolutely worth reading. It's pretty funny and has wry observations about characters and human nature. I would not say this is a romance novel; obviously the main romantic relationships/pairings are very important to the story, but it's more about observing the culture the book is set in (that the author is from), class interactions, laughing at silly people, women's status in Regency England, and the character growth needed to admit one was wrong. I highly recommend it. I reread the Barnes & Noble classic ebook edition, which had the usual annoying issue with hypertext endnotes, but they did provide useful historical and cultural information. P&P is out of copyright and therefore available online for free. ★★★★   TW for an adult man grooming a teenage girl into a sexual relationship