What I'm Reading: July Recap

	$	$$	$$$	$$$$	$$$$$
Recommend-ability	I highly recommend not reading this book.	Don't bother.	You might enjoy it.	Would definitely recommend	Absolutely loved it. I will likely recommend to every person I talk to for the next month.
Writing Style	Extremely poor	Well, they know how to spell and what a period is.	Average. Just… Average.	Good job. I might be a little envious of their way with words.	I stand amazed.
Likelihood of Reading Again	Are you kidding? I lost enough brain cells the first time.	Nope.	Maybe, but doubtful.	Probably will read again.	I will definitely re-read. Way too many things I found fascinating.
Thought-Provoking	What thoughts?	I think there was a thought somewhere.	Sort of basic thoughts, but accurate.	Some lingering thoughts. That's a good sign.	So much to think about. My brain is on fire!
Subject Matter of General Interest	There should not have been ink and paper wasted on this book. I now understand tree-huggers.	Not my style, personally, but might be interesting to someone of a different temperament.	Interesting, but may be specific to my personal tastes.	Fun things to think about. May be quotable. Likely to appeal to a variety of personalities.	Positively fascinating. I will be quoting this for years. Absolutely everyone should read this book.

 
 
Ten Days in a Mad House
By Nellie Bly
Narrative Journalism, Nonfiction; 98 pages, 2 hrs. 56 min.
Audible
 
Have I read it before?
Yes. Read it and enjoyed it.
 
How did I find it?
I honestly don’t know. I think I was searching for books on immersion journalism several years ago and discovered this one. The exposé brought Nellie overnight fame when it was first published in 1887.
 
What is it about?
In a time when the 19^th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, had not yet been adopted by Congress, Nellie Bly was truly an unusual woman. At only 23, she was asked by her newspaper to go undercover as an insane woman in order to gain access to the infamous Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island. Her boss told her that in ten days he would get her out, although he didn’t know how. Bly managed to convince those around her that she was insane and was soon given passage into the Asylum. Once there, she claims to have dropped all pretense of insanity and simply presented as herself. She mentions several women who were as sane as she, but had no way of being released. After the ten days had passed, Bly wrote this book, a stunning tell-all that detailed the abuse, poor food, and lack of proper clothing endured by the inmates of the Asylum. She states that two months in the place would have made even a perfectly sane woman lose her mind. The book angered its readers, prompted an investigation by a grand jury, and saw New York City increase its annual budget for the asylums by approximately $1,000,000, which would be around $35.28 billion today.
 
Any warnings?
Cruel treatment, but nothing terribly gory or untoward. Bly writes with a sense of decorum suitable for the era.
 
What’s a quote?
“The insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island is a human rat-trap. It is easy to get in, but once there it is impossible to get out.”
“I have watched patients stand and gaze longingly toward the city they in all likelihood will never enter again. It means liberty and life; it seems so near, and yet heaven is not further from hell.”
 
Recommendability: $$$$
Writing Style: $$$$
Likelihood of Reading Again: $$$$
Thought Provoking: $$$$
Subject Matter of General Interest: $$$$
 
 
Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come: One Introvert’s Year of Saying Yes
By Jessica Pan
Journalism, Nonfiction; 272 pages, 8 hrs. 52 min.
Audible
 
Have I read it before?
No.
 
How did I find it?
Yet another person did not believe me when I said I was an introvert. Nonetheless in the course of conversation this book was mentioned.
 
What is it about?
The author is a solid, bona fide introvert who is also shy. In the midst of what she calls a quarter-life crisis, she decides to challenge herself to a year of living as an extrovert. This includes many attempts at making new friends—some online, most in person. She tries to strike up conversations on the tube or in random shops. Along the way she signs up for all sorts of adventures—public speaking, improv and stand-up comedy, and a book club among them. At one point she takes a “Surprise Me” tour alone to a different country, finding out only a couple hours before departing for the airport where she is going. The culmination of the year is celebrated by Jessica hosting her first-ever dinner party: a Thanksgiving feast where she invites many of the people she has met along the way throughout her experimental year. Is it possible to change from an introvert to an extrovert? You’ll have to see for yourself. Whether you read the book or not, I’m interested in what you think.
 
Any warnings?
Some bad language. I suppose I should tell you there is a chapter about magic mushrooms. Also a few sentences here and there containing adult content.
 
What’s a quote?
“Some people are great at talking to strangers, building new relationships, and making friends at parties. I’m really good at other things, like loitering palely in dark doorways. Disappearing into couch corners. Leaving early. Feigning sleep on public transportation.”
 
Recommendability: $$$
Writing Style: $$$$
Likelihood of Reading Again: $$$$
Thought Provoking: $$$$
Subject Matter of General Interest: $$$
 
 
 
The Prince and Betty
By P. G. Wodehouse
Fiction, Comedy; 154 pages, Not available on Audible
Physical Copy
 
Have I read it before?
Not that I remember.
 
How did I find it?
I have been a fan of P. G. Wodehouse for years. I’ve listened to many, many of his books, though I’ve read relatively few physical copies. By which I mean almost none. But how could I travel to London and peruse bookstores there without coming away with at least one or two by the quintessential British humorist?
 
What is it about?
The Prince and Betty was published in 1912, the same year as the sinking of the Titanic. It follows typical P. G. Wodehouse tropes—wealthy heirs and heiresses, a character struck penniless, someone somewhere falling madly in love, unusual situations, a person taking on a pseudonym in an effort to hide their identity, and a grand resolution, usually brought about by some unusual circumstance. This particular book involves a young lord who is proposing marriage to Betty, the girl of the Prince’s dreams, being thrust outside on a window ledge and having the window closed on his coat tails so he dangled there in an undignified way whilst the lover proceeded to propose himself. I would not say this is my favorite book by Wodehouse, but any Wodehouse is worth reading.
 
Any warnings?
Nope. Part of the reason I love this author is that his work is always clean and it’s safe to just relax and read.
 
What’s a quote?
“Defending her conduct later, she said that the laugh was hysterical. It may have been so, but to the uninformed listener there is no substantial difference between a hysterical laugh and one of the more ordinary kind. Lord Arthur was no connoisseur of guffaws, able to note and classify. To him a laugh was a laugh. And Della’s, ringing out in the silence, conveyed but one impression to him—namely, that he amused Della.”
 
Recommendability: $$$$
Writing Style: $$$$$
Likelihood of Reading Again: $$$$
Thought Provoking: $$$
Subject Matter of General Interest: $$$$