I stumbled upon a great podcast that asks and answers the quintessential question of all readers–What Should I Read Next? By listening to some episodes, I easily added several titles I had never heard of to the list of books I plan to read in 2017. I’m keeping the list in my bullet journal (something else I’m trying for 2017) and so far, I’ve managed to read three books so far!
I challenged myself on GoodReads to 25 books this year. I’m off to a good start!
The first book I finished was actually a carryover as I started it in December. My first mother-in-law had sent me the book for my birthday and I just never found the time to sit down long enough and read it. Once I started it, though, I could not put it down. Gail Sheehy’s Daring: My Passages followed the professional and personal life of a trailblazing female journalist. She not only covered many important people and topics, but she did so in a way that transformed how important figures are covered today. The book balanced the professional with the personal very well–which makes sense given that Ms. Sheehy pioneered character portrait type writing–and followed love story with her soul mate.
My book club assigned the second book I finished this month. Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale ended up being a super quick, but good read. I read some critical reviews on Goodreads, but honestly, I could tell the women writing them had likely never been separated from their husbands by war. I could easily put myself in the place of Vianne. At least when I was alone waiting on my husband to return from war, the war was overseas and I did not have to worry about my home being invaded and requisitioned by the enemy army. It was not difficult to imagine having little to no contact with my husband and what that must have been like given that even our modern communication was sometimes spotty at best and I worried if a week went by with no word. Vianne’s weeks and months of waiting ending with the awkward hollowness of a sudden return of her soldier were far from foreign concepts to me. I appreciated the way the author ended the story too. At this stage of the game, I am so happy to sit down and read something I WANT to read, that I am not likely to diss a book I enjoyed simply because I have read other works about WWII that handled the time period in a different manner.
The third book I finished, Troublemaker, documents Leah Remini’s decades long membership in the Church of Scientology and her 2013 break from it. My entire family has been enthralled by her A&E series where she and another former Church member, Mike Rinder, travel the country interviewing individuals who devoted years to the church but then left for reasons that, while unique to each person, relate to the church’s policies and its controversial leader. This is fascinating television and the book provided an interesting look at Leah’s life, what led her family to the church and what ultimately led them from it. I especially loved the photos she included in the book and reading it was just like having a conversation with her–I enjoyed the tone.
Currently, I am reading a book suggested by the podcast called The Invisible Library. It’s a little different for me because I am not typically a fantasy reader. But, I did enjoy the Harry Potter series, so I try to remind myself that there ARE books in the sci-fi/fantasy section that could be winners. So far, this book has been enjoyable and I noted that it is the first of a series. I do enjoy series too because that’s one easy way to answer “What should I read next?”
I’d love to add some other books to my bullet journal “To Read” collection. So, name some in comments and I’ll jot them in my journal!
