I almost thought I’d have to wait til June to read my May book, but then I started Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls earlier last week, and absolutely could not put it down. I almost wanted to slow down my reading, to properly savor each line, but then I couldn’t resist and finished it before the week was out.

Usually I’m not a fan of memoirs. Not that I’ve read many, but from what I can remember, they are definitely not page turners. They tend to be slow and full of deep reflections, which, while fine when I’m the one reflecting, is kind of dull for readers. But Jeanette Walls does an amazing job. Her childhood was by no means idyllic (and was in fact quite rough!), but she puts a very matter of fact and humorous spin to it, which makes it more like a fun and exciting adventure. Definitely in a class of its own in terms of memoirs (indeed, sometimes it was actually hard to imagine that the stories were true)! Along the same lines as this essay, but even better.

Time for my next adventure. I’m looking for something fun to read on my vacation next week – ideally with reference to Russia!