Book reviews: Winter 2021

In 2020, I set a goal to read 20 books for the year. And I read… *drumroll…* 21! I have always loved reading, but as an adult, I’ve struggled to make it a priority. So I was pretty proud of 21 books! I can say pretty definitively that’s the most I’ve read in recent years. This year I’m lowering my goal a bit to 15, to account for the fact that I will probably have less time to read once the baby comes, but I’m still trying to make it a priority.

I’m always looking for book recommendations, so I thought I’d start a seasonal series of book reviews. I read mostly novels, with some nonfiction mixed in, and I try to read a mix of what you might call high-brow and low-brow fiction. You know, some easy reads, and some that require a bit more commitment. So you’ll see all of that here.

I’ll link the English and Danish versions of each book if I can find them, but I’m curious — if you’re Danish, do you prefer to read the Danish version of books that were originally written in English? My husband, a Dane, always wants to read the English version of English books, so I wonder how common that is!

Also, a lot of the books I’ve been reading lately are pregnancy/parenting related, so I think I’ll do a separate post on those books for anyone who’s interested!

For reference, this is roughly my star system:

• 1 star: I hated this book. I probably didn’t finish it (life is too short to read bad books), or if I did finish, I was waiting for it to get better and it never did.
• 2 stars: This was not the worst book I’ve ever read, but I also probably asked myself, “Why am I still reading this?” a few times.
• 3 stars: This book was fine, but nothing special. I didn’t struggle to get through it, but I’m probably not going to sing its praises to anyone.
• 4 stars: I really enjoyed this book and am glad I read it! But it isn’t an all-time favorite.
• 5 stars: This is among the best books I’ve ever read and I’m absolutely recommending it to everyone!!

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

English / doesn’t seem to be available in Danish 🙁

In The Flatshare, a woman named Tiffy is broke and desperate for a place to live, so she agrees to a “flatshare” with a man she doesn’t know named Leon. He’s a nurse and works nights, so the idea is that the flat is his during the day, and hers at night (and they sleep in the same bed, just at different times). Apparently this is a thing? In theory they are never even supposed to meet, but the reviews called this book a “romance,” so I’m sure you can guess a little bit about what happens. I definitely enjoyed this one; it was fun and I found the plotline to be pretty original. And both of the main characters have some real issues that they’re working through, so the book had a little more depth than I expected, to be honest!

Rating: 3.5 stars

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

English / Danish (I could only find audiobooks and ebooks in Danish!)

I’m going to be honest here–this was my second attempt at reading this book. I tried to read it a few years ago and just couldn’t get into it. I tried it again a couple months ago after my mom raved that it was among the best book she’s ever read (moms know best), and I enjoyed it a lot more this time! (Not the first time this has happened — see also: All the Light We Cannot See.)

A Gentleman in Moscow centers around Count Alexander Rostov, who is sentenced to lifelong “house arrest” at his residence, which happens to be a fancy hotel in the middle of Moscow. The story spans over 20 years (1922-1954) and is a fascinating look at Russian life and culture in the 20th century, even though it’s told through Alexander’s limited view. Alexander is such a well-written character that he totally carries the story. His commentary is thoughtful but also quite funny, which I didn’t really appreciate the first time around. It is still quite a dense, serious novel, so it took me some time to get through, but I’m glad I gave it another try.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

English / Danish

I heard a lot of hype around this book, and for me, it lived up to it! Such a Fun Age begins when a young woman named Emira gets accused of kidnapping the child she babysits–because the child is white and Emira is black. They move on from this incident and Emira continues working for the family. The rest of the book is a really interesting look at Emira’s relationship with the family she babysits for, especially the mom, Alix. Alix is like… an extremely stereotypical, rich, white woman with a lifestyle brand. And she’s very proud of herself for having a black babysitter. The story is told from both Emira and Alix’s perspectives, and it feels like you’re getting a very intimate look at their secret lives. I want to say it felt like a juicy read, but race is at the center of everything in this book, so I’m afraid “juicy” makes it seem shallow, and it’s really not. Such a Fun Age is insightful, thought-provoking, and thoroughly enjoyable, in my opinion!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Have you read any of these books? What are the best books you’ve read lately?