We’re three whole months into the new year now (…too late to still be calling it “new”? Let me know), so I figured a book list was in order. We also just lost an hour of sleep this weekend – YAY SPRING – so clearly we could all use a reason to smile.
Life has been a bit crazy for me at the moment (luckily with mostly exciting things!), so I haven’t been able to attack my ever growing reading list as much as I’d like. Is anyone else’s book shelves newly crammed with Christmas-gift books, best-of-last-year’s books, and this-year-I’ll-read-more!!!!!So-I-can-buy-these books? Just me?
Just finished:
Ruler of the Night, David Morrell
If you read my 2016 list, you know I got slightly obsessed with this series in December. This is the last book, and although not as good as the first, still a great novel. I’m really hoping Morrell is planning on writing more in this particular series – I’ve grown equally fond of the characters and the brilliant historical fiction + murder mystery – but I’m interested in trying out his other works!
Someday, Someday, Maybe, Lauren Graham
I’ll be honest… I probably only finished this because Lauren Graham wrote it. It’s not bad by any means, it just isn’t wonderful. She insists (in her other book, which I did love!) that she didn’t write this novel based on her own life experiences, but it’s fun to imagine the struggling actress in NY being at least a little based on the eccentric Graham.
Swing Time, Zadie Smith
Although incredibly well written, and I can see Smith’s talent shine through in this novel everyone could NOT stop talking about…. I’m gonna be real and say I don’t think I enjoyed this one. I read the whole thing. I didn’t hate it. But I didn’t like it. I was kinda waiting the whole time for the story to get better and by the end found it a bit lacking. Buuuuut all of America apparently disagrees with me, so give it a shot for yourself.
(Definitely some interesting social commentary on race, poverty, savior complex, and international adoptions which I did enjoy!)
Hidden Figures, Margot Lee Shetterly
Oh. My. Goodness. Go buy this book RIGHT NOW because trust me, you will love it. If you didn’t see the movie – um, who are you?! Go do that right now, too, as you’re waiting for Amazon to deliver this goodness to your doorstep. This book takes the stories so beautifully depicted in the movie to a whole other level. Not only is it wonderfully written, but it is SO well researched and vast in it’s scope – I learned so much about NACA (which became NASA), civil rights era laws, grassroots movements, and pieces of history that have been long glossed over. I can’t begin to tell you how inspiring this book is as a whole.These stories need to be shared, and you won’t want to stop reading them. I’m just rambling right now because I want you to buy it already.
Seriously. Buy it. Now.
Currently Reading:
Traveling Mercies, Anne Lamott
I’ve long wanted to read some Lamott, and long have had this book on my shelf. I’m about halfway done and so far have been loving the honest, sassy, and welcoming way she invites people into her journey. I can only hope to write a book like hers one day.
Bad Feminist, Roxane Gay
Can I tell you a secret: I’m lucky enough to know some wonderful, badass, intelligent, feminist women who meet once a month for book club and IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY. We’re currently reading this one and I’m SUCH a fan of Gay pointing out that we’re all bad feminists – we’re all making mistakes and will say wrong things at some point and will never be perfect feminists.
The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective, Richard Rohr
I’m just a little ways into this one and already nerding out hard core. I have loved everything I’ve heard / googled about the enneagram and have long wanted to dive a bit deeper in. So far this book has been utterly fascinating and I can’t wait to learn more about it!!
Some Anne Perry Mystery….
I was hanging at the library the other day (yes, that is something I actually do) and wanted to grab a new novel to mix in some fiction (I’m forever on the hunt for good novels!). I had read one of her William Monk novels a few years back and was more than pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it, so I snagged another one. So far, it’s okay. So okay, in fact, I have no idea what the name is…. oops.
To Read:
Uhhhh like I said before: way too many. My books shelves are overflowing at the moment. But I’ve been excitedly getting some Kindle books for an upcoming trip – the book gods have been nice, and a few books I’ve been eyeing for a while had their e-books for super cheap in the past month or so – Breathing Room by Laeana Tankersley, Speak by Nish Weiseth, and How People Grow by Henry Cloud.