Lincoln in the Bardo

 Lincoln in the Bardo by George Sanders

2018

Weight: 14 oz

Method of Disposal: Donating

I always love reading a unique, experimental novel.  It is not always easy, but sometimes you just have to let go and let George Sanders.  I struggled at first to understand what was happening, but I ultimately decided to blindly trust the author and believe.  I was not disappointed.  I loved that the characters this book revolved around were the Lincolns.  It was so intriguing to see Lincoln in this new, fictionalized way, grieving his son, Willie, who the real Lincoln did lose in real life.  It made me think differently of the actual Lincoln, the Civil War, and his personal crises.  What a thing to go through and what a terrible time to go through it.

This author's imaginings of the afterlife were so different to anything I had or have ever thought up.  It was bleak, humorous, and often depressing, but I appreciated all of it.

All My Puny Sorrows

 All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews

2019

Weight: 12 oz

Method of Disposal: Donating

I had heard amazing things about this book, and I understand why.  I found it to be challenging and difficult, like dealing with mental illness is.  It was not unskilled, and the author had clearly put her heart into it.  It is a book about a sister who spends her life trying to stop her own successful sister's death by suicide.  It was heavy, dark, and frustrating.  I cannot say I enjoyed it as much as others did, but I see the value in it.  

I am glad there was no reason given for the sister's desire to die, though I see that many reviewers craved that.  But, that is the problem with mental illness, isn't it?  There is not always a reason or a clear reason other than it is something that resides inside a person and takes over their life.  It IS frustrating.  There is no easy fix.  If there was, so many people could be saved and this book would not likely exist.