meg reads and reads

Title: World's End Author: Upton Sinclair World's End was my very first introduction to Upton Sinclair, and it absolutely will not be my last. It is a compelling coming-of-age novel that captures the upheaval surrounding World War I with remarkable historical breadth while never losing sight of the people caught inside it. What makes the novel work is its protagonist, Lanny Budd. Because of his birth and upbringing, Lanny has access to worlds that rarely intersect. Growing up on the Côte d'Azur as an expatriate American, he is equally at home in French salons, English country estates, German castles, and conversations with servants and peasants. Through his eyes, starting as a thirteen-year-old in 1913, we watch society stubbornly deny the impending conflict right up until it ignites, and then navigate the stark realities of surviving it. Sinclair's political leanings are well known, but he resists reducing the conflict to heroes and villains. He weaves in competing per...

Title: Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come Author: Jessica Pan As a devoted introvert whose ideal afternoon is one spent in blissful solitude, I approached Jessica Pan's Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come with a healthy dose of side-eye. The premise alone--a self-proclaimed shy introvert pledging to spend an entire year acting like an extrovert--sounds less like a self-improvement journey and more like a custom-designed psychological thriller.  I wasn't expecting it to become one of my favorite nonfiction books of the year. What follows is hilarious, deeply relatable, and unexpectedly moving. Most motivational "get out of your comfort zone" books feel like they were written by innate extroverts who simply don't understand the physical drain of a crowded room. Pan, however, writes entirely from the trenches of true introversion. After her closest friends move away, she realizes she's left with the adult version of an almost impossible task:...

Title: The Silent Patient Author: Alex Michaelides Thank goodness for a little cooling-off period, because if I had rated this book the exact second I finished it, it would have walked away with a glowing five stars. But after taking some time to actually sit back, process the whole thing, and let my mind chew on the details, the plot holes started multiplying like gremlins. The initial high definitely dropped. I know I have a few friends who are going to see this three-star rating and wonder what is wrong with me. To be fair, it is a decent thriller, and I can completely see why it's a massive hit for so many people. At the same time, it's just as easy to see why someone would totally trash it. So I am going to park myself right comfortably in the middle. The absolute best part of the book was the final resolution. The buildup to it was fine, though it never truly hit a peak level of suspense for me; a lot of the journey was heavily padded with exposition. It didn't help t...