A Not-So-Ordinary Book Discussion
BY TIFFANY KILLOREN
SO ... WHAT ARE YOU READING? I get asked this question a lot, and I also ask it of friends, eager for the next recommendation or opportunity to discuss a book I may have already read. This column is a hodgepodge of books I’ve read so far in 2022. You’ll find the following is quite an eclectic mix, but that’s intentional. I can’t read the same type of book back-to-back, and tend to mix them up so my brain stays alert. I might sprinkle in a little Stephen King after a biography, followed by some historical fiction or a new release. It’s a weird reader thing, but I’m sure you understand. Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty (Anderson Cooper & Katherine Howe, 2021)
The Gilded Age. The term is technically in reference to the late 19th century economic boom period, but I often associate it with times of particular glamor and societal traditions that have long since passed. The Vanderbilt family’s powerful rise during this time is well-known, but the family’s tendency for selfindulgence, excessiveness, and lack of self-awareness that led to their downfall does not typically accompany descriptions of their parallel success in business. This book—written by a rather reluctant Vanderbilt, Anderson Cooper, who has never felt connected to the family dynasty— is enlightening, emotional, and touching in ways I never could have imagined. The fact that he wrote it for his son made it all the more so because, despite his celebrity, he is simply a parent who wants to make sure his child understands where he came from. Billy Summers (Stephen King, 2021) Stephen King
can be a polarizing author. If you don’t like the thought of rabid dogs or cars that have evil minds of their own, you tend to dismiss his writing as not your thing. Billy Summers is an example of his non-horror talent,
a tale about a sniper who sells his skills to less-than-reputable constituents back home who need things “taken care of.” A story about regret, relationships, and revenge, this book is a quick read (despite being 500+ pages) and even provides a fun nod to the Overlook Hotel. As a girl who embraces books that send a chill up my spine, trust me when I say this is chill-free. The Barbizon (Paulina Bren, 2021) What an enlight-
ening step back in time to the days when Sylvia Plath and other dedicated writers began their journeys in the hallways of The Barbizon, a women-only hotel in New York City that housed many famous faces and lesser knowns who still indelibly left their mark. A thoroughly researched accounting of this hotel and those who walked through its doors, The Barbizon is both history lesson and drama, the true-life tales of these women both heartbreaking and inspiring in their desire to make it in a city known for being lessthan-kind to the naïve, and the battles they faced in a time that didn’t look kindly on women who traveled their own paths.
Tiffany Killorenis a local author and lover of the written word. Her novel, GOOD WILL, was released in 2020 and she is always thinking of new stories to tell. Follow her at @readandthreads on Instagram for book and life musings as she tries to balance career, family and her passion for writing one step - or word - at a time. PHOTO BY MOLLY KUPLEN
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SIMPLYkc MAGAZINE
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MAY 2022
