My February Reads!

This month I mostly read/listened to audiobooks because I only brought a few books to Dakar, but this month’s reads took me from the US during the 1930s - 70s, to San Francisco, Argentina, Cuba, Palestine, Senegal and beyond. The settings in the book were wide ranging and between politics, big tech and romance, I found some new favorites.

1. The Devil’s Chessboard by David Talbot: For anyone interested in US foreign policy and understanding how multinationals came to be, this book is for you. It is long nad worth every minute of audio and every page of reading. When they said “make American great again,” I believe these are the times that they were referring to. This is their blueprint. Eisenhower, the Dulles Brothers, JFK’s assasination, it is all here and based on declassified documents and diaries. MUST READ! 5/5

2. Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto: This is the second book that I have read in this series and I have fallen in love with Vera and the love that she gives to her band of misfits. Vera’s story and actions are a strong reminder of the importance of community, and while it got a bit dark towards the end, there is a beautiful ending. 4/5

3. What I was Doing While You Were Breeding: A Memoir by Kristin Newman: This book was recommended by a friend and it was a quick, interesting listen. This is a comedy writer that does extensive solo travel when she isn’t in a writer’s room. She details the men she meets and sleeps with on all of her adventures. Her travels could not be more different than mine. It also made me reflect on why I didn’t meet more men while traveling. 3/5

4. If I Ruled the World by Amy Dubois Barnett: I really wanted to love this book as I have known Amy and her work for years. I enjoyed the nostalgia of the book and reminding me of life in NYC, in my early 20s, during the early aughts, especially having visited the Honey offices and worked at Time, Inc. So many memories were unearthed. I never quite connected with the protagonist and felt that parts of the story were rushed, but appreciated the look at the internal workings of the music/publishing industry of the late 90s as well as nods to actual events and characters. IYKYK 3.5/5

5. Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams: I found this book to be quite fascinating. It was very interesting to get insights into the personalities of some of the world’s most powerful people and have it confirmed that they are all ego maniacal twats that lack empathy and integrity. It was also interesting to get a first hand account of the timeline of Facebook’s rise to global dominance and destruction of the world as we know it and to see what happens when toddlers, essentially, are given too much power and money. 4.5/5

6. Next Year in Havana by Chantel Cleeton: A beautiful story of love, loss and longing. The writing itself is incredible and the story sucks you in and holds you there. Set in Havana, Cuba, one of my favorite places in the world, the book broke my heart and left me longing for the place I love so much. This was our book club pick for February. 5/5

7. The Message by Ta-Nehesi Coates: I didn’t love this book. In fact, I struggled to get through it. Something about the prose didn’t click for me. He is obviously highly intelligent, but I just felt like he was to complex in his writing to convey his ideas clearly. I did learn about some historic events that took place in Israel and Palestine. My visit to the West Bank felt quite similar to his , in terms of the revealing understanding of the conflict, that one can only receive by being there on the ground. His time in Dakar, where I live, fell flat for me and that is probably because, as he said, he traveled “in pursuit of my own questions, and thus had not fully seen the people on their own terms.” I can appreciate that he acknowledges this short coming and would love to see him spending more time abroad to continue unlearning so much of what America has instilled in him. 2/5

8. When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton: I really enjoyed this sequel to Next Year in Havana. I fell like in many ways, my life is similar to Beatriz; her character gave me hope. The story is gripping and left my heart full of joy. 5/5

9. The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton: This book was excellent. This is the third book that I have read by the author and she is great at what she does. Creating characters and brining them to life in historic settings which give a view into lives past, even if fictional. This book in particular intersects in a surprising and beautiful way and can be read as a stand alone novel. The tenderness that she brings to human emotions such as love, hate, loss, and desire made this story come to life. 5/5

Have you read any of these books? Did you enjoy them?

As always, if you have recommendations, please send them over. But only share if you would rate them 5 out of 5!

I started a monthly book club last month, aptly titled “Catch Us Reading.” Our next book is The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. If you are not already on the book club email list, please sign up here.

Be well. Travel well. Live well. Until next time: catch me if you can!

- Jessica