Hello! Welcome to my MEGA BOOK CATCH-UP POST Part 5, the final chapter! In case you missed them, here’s Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

As a reminder, I’m using the GoodReads rating convention here:

• One star – Did not like it.
• Two stars – It was ok.
• Three stars – Liked it.
• Four stars – Really liked it.
• Five stars – It was amazing.

• Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 by Mitchell Zuckoff. By this point you’re probably thinking, wow Jenny, your quarantine reading is pretty dark. YES. This book is really good though – heartbreaking, of course. It delves into a blow-by-blow account of 9/11 and the aftermath in searching for survivors at the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Shanksville, PA. Four stars.
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – This novel tells the story of two sisters trying their best to survive World War II in France – one sister, a teacher, tries to keep her young child safe while her husband is at war and Nazis stay at her home. The other, fights with the French Resistance. I feel like I’m in the minority with this one, but I really didn’t like this book. The writing and characterizations were cliché. Two stars.
• Submerge by K.Y. Robinson – The author talks about her struggles with romance and mental health with this collection, using water as the overarching theme (a little too heavily). Three stars.
• Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh. One of the unexpected joys of 2020 was realizing that this long-delayed follow-up to Hyperbole and a Half was finally being released. While I didn’t love it as much as its predecessor, Brosh unpacks a multitude of heavy topics (her health, divorce, and sister’s suicide) with her trademark humor. Four stars.
• Missoula by Jon Krakauer – Jon Krakauer is one of my favorite writers, but I had kept this one on my shelf for years. I finally decided to start it during my quarantine book binge. He examines the stories of several women who were raped in Missoula, Montana during the 2010-2012 timeframe by members of the University of Montana football team, and how the culture there protected their alleged rapists. The material is difficult to read at times, but he effectively captures the plight of the brave women who fight for justice. Three stars.
• No Hard Feelings by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy – If you don’t follow Liz and Mollie on Instagram, please do yourself a favor and subscribe. The page, which has hilarious, relatable doodles about work culture and dealing with life as an introvert, is one of my favorites. After following them for awhile, I knew I had to read the book. The book walks through dealing with difficult emotions at work and how learning to sift through them can help you thrive, with the humorous art I love so much from their Instagram page. Four stars.

Thanks so much for for following these catch-up posts!