Inside My Kindle Library

Did you know you can read Kindle books on your iPhone?! Mind. Blown.

I discovered this about six months ago, and since then it’s been a blessing and a curse. I’ve always been a hardcore REAL BOOKS ONLY holdout, insistent that words on paper are the only truly satisfying way to experience a great read.

For the record, I still believe this and plan to one day add my most recent favorites to my collection in paperback or hardcover form, because if they’re not sitting on a shelf in your spare bedroom collecting dust, did you actually even read them?

I have to admit, though, the ability to get any book under the sun delivered to your phone instantly is pretty delightful (my bank statement, however, might disagree. Being able to hit ‘Get It Now’ on Amazon any time a new read is tickling my fancy has been, um, expensive).

Anyway. Ebook pros and cons aside, here’s what I’ve been reading lately. Some I loved, some not so much. Maybe you’ll find something that also compels you to hit ‘Get It Now.’

Brain On Fire, Susannah Cahalan

This book came recommended to me by everyone and their mother, who raved about how they couldn’t put it down. Were we reading the same book?

Brain On Fire is the first-person account of Susannah Cahalan, a journalist who spends weeks in the hospital after inexplicably descending into psychosis. Doctors far and wide have no idea what’s wrong with her, and her family thinks she’s partied so much she made herself crazy.

It’s a great premise, right? But for me the storytelling just… wasn’t. It read more like a diary or a reporter’s notes, trudging from one day’s events to the next without a common underlying thread or broader story arc.

I tried to soldier through it but ultimately gave up about a third of the way through.

The author ended up fine, in case you were wondering (thanks, Google). She was eventually correctly diagnosed with an auto-immune disease and received treatment, so I’m allowed to pan her book.

The Devil In The White City, Erik Larson

The Devil in the White City is the story of H.H. Holmes, a serial killer who lured dozens of victims to his “murder castle” during the 1893 World’s Fair. I expected it to read more like a horror story (uh, murder castle) but was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the actual format, which is better described as historical nonfiction.

Erik Larson does an amazing job interweaving Holmes’ murderous exploits with the struggle of bringing the World’s Fair to Chicago, which is a fascinating story in itself. I got my true crime fix while also learning a bit of history, which I’ve already whipped out to sound smart answering a Jeopardy question about who designed Central Park (Frederick Law Olmstead, and I can tell you’re impressed).

The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule

This story is fucking insane.

Imagine being a rookie reporter doing tabloid crime write-ups and working an overnight job to pay the bills while trying to catch your big break as a writer.

Now imagine that your coworker winds up to be Ted Bundy.

It’s too good to be true, and yet it’s exactly what happened to Ann Rule, who would go on to become the de facto queen of true crime.

The Stranger Beside Me was her first book. In it, she takes us from the late-night shifts she spent working side-by-side with Bundy (at a crisis hotline of all places) through the string of gruesome murders that gripped the Pacific Northwest and ultimately, Bundy’s arrest and execution.

It’s as much the story of Bundy as it is Rule’s twisted journey as she learns—not believing it for several years—that the cold-blooded killer she’s been covering for so long has been at arm’s length the entire time. Cray!

Helter Skelter, Vincent Bugliosi

I know, I know. The Stranger Beside Me and then Helter Skelter? 1981 called and it wants its true crime back. But hear me out. If you’ve ever accidentally watched six hours of Forensic Files reruns, you have no room to judge.

Helter Skelter is the definitive narrative on the Manson family murders, which had always fascinated me though I never knew the full details. It’s written by the lead prosecutor on the case, who spent more than a year of his life obsessively piecing together the evidence, in many cases where the police fell short or simply refused to do their jobs. If it weren’t for him, it’s very unlikely Charles Manson and his “family” members would have ever been brought to trial.

This book is long and excruciatingly detailed, but definitely worth a read if you’ve ever wondered about Manson’s cult and eerie control over his followers.

I Remember Nothing, Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron is the brilliant and hilarious writer who brought us When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and my favorite movie of all time, You’ve Got Mail. I Remember Nothing is the last book she published before she passed away in 2012, and it doesn’t disappoint.

It’s a collection of short essays on life and growing older, and if you’re a female you’ll be nodding, rolling your eyes and cracking up the whole way through. It’s short and light, the perfect read for the beach or on a plane.

If you find this is your cup of tea, definitely check out I Feel Bad About My Neck, also by Ephron. Genius.

In The Garden Of Beasts, Erik Larson

I liked Devil in the White City so much I couldn’t wait to pick up something else by Larson. In The Garden of Beasts is the story of the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, told through the eyes of the American ambassador to Germany in the 1930’s.

I’m about a quarter of the way through and while it’s an amazing read so far, there’s so much that’s troubling about the story.

How most people in the establishment thought Hitler was just a wingnut, not to be taken seriously.

How people who voiced early concerns about him were told not to interpret his words so literally.

How his cabinet was a hotbed of conspiracies and backstabbing, with his ministers spying and leaking dirt on one another.

His concept of the ‘Big Lie,’ and repeating a lie so frequently that people come to believe it, and of sticking to your lies even when they’ve clearly been disproven.

It’s eerie.

Anyway, it’s a great book so far and I’m planning on curling up on the couch tonight to make more of a dent in it.

What are you currently reading? I’d love some new recommendations!