#book Timeline

<div>Having female characters make unlikable decisions, as well as adding depth to complex male friendships — without resorting to caricature for anyone — is something I will always be a fan of. The subjects of doubt and colonization are handled in a way that seems believable for these characters, though some of the supporting cast seems to be there only so our main people can see their own reflection. Which is realistic in its own way, but not always necessary. I also wished some of the queerness in certain characters was less danced around, even for characters who don't quite know what to do with such feelings. Still, there's a lot about this book I liked.</div>

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43d

Rated Joyride: A Memoir 8/10

<div>Susan Orlean has a particular talent for finding the story in just about anything, and that's probably why I was first drawn to her magazine writing before I even registered her name, only realizing later whose writing I found compelling. In Joyride, Orlean looks back over her life and career, telling us what made her the person that she is, and why she feels compelled to tell stories that we might never otherwise notice.<br><br>I haven't read every book of hers — just The Orchid Thief and The Library Book — but I used to have a New Yorker subscription, and I can remember buying, during some airport layover, the issue of Vogue during some airport layover. And I was there, Frodo! I was there the night of Susan Orlean is Drunk-Tweeting! ha (Really, we were ALL losing our minds in 2020, so I think she's allowed.)<br><br>Orlean brings that same "tell me about an interesting person" energy to her own life, and I enjoyed reading this, even though I want to throw her first husband into the sun. (He's dead now, but still.) I also discovered that our children graduated college at the same time. We were rained on together!<br><br>If you've enjoyed any of her other work, you'll like this one.</div>

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