May June and July Book Report

I've fallen a little behind on my goal of 60 books this year... but anything can happen, right?

First up was Modern Lovers by Emma Straub. It was a quick and easy beach sort of read.

Ya'll know I'm obsessed with WWII books and I totally loved We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter. When I read these books, I constantly ask myself if I would be able to endure this and if I would be strong enough.... I really don't know.

I needed to read a lighter book after such a heavy one, so I read This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance! by Jonathan Evison - it was so cute! And my jaw dropped a couple of times when a bombshell dropped. I think this was a free Amazon First read.

I listened (on Audible) to Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff. Good stuff. My biggest takeaways were reframing your goals - what if you extended the timeline? Or cut your goal in half?

I borrowed The Blinds by Adam Sternberg and it was really cool. It's about a community made up of criminals who have been given a second chance.

Next up was The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin. SO GOOD!! It's about 4 siblings whose lives were impacted by a fortune teller's prophecy. I couldn't put it down.

I listened (on Audible) to The Obesity Code by Jason Fung. I'll admit, this one took a while. It's very scientific and a bit boring at times - but packed with good info.

Then I read An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. Wow! I can't imagine this happening to me when I first got married.

What's the best book you read this summer?

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March and April Book Report

How's your reading life these days? I'm keeping up for the most part... to get to 60 books for the year, I need to read an average of 5 books per month. I just started book 19 so I'm doing well! I didn't listen to an audiobook for the past couple of months but I can make that up easily.

Artemis by Andy Weir - it was good, but a little bit (ok, a lot) too technical for me. It was good, though!

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - AMAZING! UN-PUT-DOWN-ABLE (that's a word, right?)

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer - I read this because I saw am movie preview for it... It was weird but good. It's the first of a trilogy but I haven't read the other 2.

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King - It took me a while to get through this one, but overall it was good. I thought the ending was disappointing.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman - I'm ready to read everything Alice Hoffman ever wrote. I can't put her books down.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate - I (still) have a hard time believing this book even though it's based off real events. Wow!

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn was really good - the chapters are super short and I couldn't put it down! It keeps me guessing all the way to the end.

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February Book Report

I'm at 11 books out of 60 so far and am charting my progress on Goodreads.

My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent - UGH. I liked it and yet I didn't. It was disturbing.

The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews - I needed something quick and light after the previous book, and this fit the bill.

The Universe Has Your Back by Gabby Bernstein - this was my Audiobook listen this month. It was good and I'd like to listen to it again. I prefer self help and nonfiction books on Audiobook.

Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich - This book was good/weird/interesting...

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult - SO GOOD!

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January Book Report

So my goal is to read 60 books this year. That's just slightly over 1 book per week and as long as I can read an average of 5 books per month, I'll meet my goal. You can keep up with my progress on Goodreads and I'd love to be friends if you are on there!

The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins - I actually listened to this one on Audible and loved it. It's a great kick in the butt to get stuff done.

Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan - This was the third book in the Asian series by Kevin Kwan. Fast paced, fluff reading at its finest.

Fellside by M.R. Carey - I didn't love this book as much as I loved The Girl With All the Gifts by the same author, but it was still very very good!

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman - Love love love this book! I made my mom read it too. I can't wait for more books in this series. And I definitely need to read more by this author. I liked this one too, but she has TONS of other books.

Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson - I honestly don't recommend this one. The whole time I was reading it, I kept asking myself "why are you reading this? Put it down." But then I didn't and before I knew it, I was 75% done and wanted to see how it ended. Lame.

The Whole Town's Talking by Fannie Flagg - cute story but not what I expected!

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June and July Book Report

Reading has slowed a little and I'm going to have to get serious if I'm going to reach my goal. I'm on Book 24 for the year (which means I'm about 4 behind since I set my goal for 48 this year). There's still time to make it happen and I have some Audible books to listen to as well.

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan - This is an awesome WWII book based on actual events. So good!

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum - I didn't realize this was YA until I started the book, but it was cute. It's about a new girl at school and someone is trying to help her. They communicate via text for most of it.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee - This book was great, but seemed long. I read on a Kindle and don't have an idea of how long books are.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh - Great read. I loved another book of hers (We Never Asked for Wings)

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Bachman - I really wasn't sure if I was going to like this book - but I ended up LOVING it!! I liked it so much that I followed up with another book by the same author:

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman - This was a sweet story and a fantasy at the same time. So good! I have a couple of his other books on request on Overdrive.

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April and May Book Report

I've been continuing to read this year and have a few more books to share with you! I was in a bit of  rut for a while...

The Special Power of Restoring Lost Things by Courtney Elizabeth Mauk - Is it bad that I truly can't remember anything about this book? Even the synopsis doesn't trigger much for me!

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel - Ugh. I liked it, and I didn't like it. The premise is cool - pieces of a large robot/human are found across the world and are joined together to try to figure out what it means. I just didn't love the characters.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch - crazy and good! A guy goes to another dimension and suddenly his life isn't his anymore. The book is about him getting his life back.

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! by Fannie Flagg - easy, fun, beach read. Because you need that every now and then.

Deep Dark Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free by Hector Tobar - Good story. I haven't read many memoirs (or whatever you might call this) so it was interesting. I CANNOT imagine being down in a mine for that many days!!

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett - I think this book could have been a lot shorter and still got the point across. I did like the character development though.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance - Again, I liked it and I didn't like it. Being from Appalachia, I don't like being characterized as being ignorant and uneducated. We aren't all like that. That being said, I know many people that fit right into this book.

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue - I should have put this down. It had great reviews though!

Have you read anything good lately?

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February and March Book report

I'm late getting February's books up on the blog, so I'll just combine February and March together. I'm making pretty good strides towards reading 48 books this year. I've read 9 and have started book 10. I'm tracking on Goodreads.

Commonwealth by Anne Patchett - This is my favorite kind of book... it's just about people's ordinary every day lives. This story follows 2 families and how a chance meeting at the beginning changes everything.

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert is filled with travel, science, reflection, and love. I read it in a few days because I couldn't put it down.

Someone recommended The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman in a Facebook group. It was available thru my Overdrive app so I downloaded it. It's about the relationship of 3 sisters and the people around them. Loved it!

I read The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood while flying back from Paris earlier this month. I LOVED IT!! I kept seeing it pop up on reading lists and finally sent for it when it was on sale. It's about a friendship between a young boy and a 104-year-old lady. He's obsessed with world records and pushes her to achieve her own. I may have even shed a tear on the last page of this one. So good!

The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin is about reincarnation. A little boy named Tommy dies and is possibly reincarnated as a little boy named Noah. This story is about their journey to find peace for him. It's really interesting and there are examples from real life stories about this phenomenon.

What's the best book you've read lately?

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January Book Report

My reading goal for 2017 is 48 books and I've finished 4 so far. I'm keeping track on Goodreads.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah was absolutely amazing. It's another WWII historical fiction novel and I couldn't put it down! SO GOOD! There's no wonder it was the Goodreads Book of the Year in 2015.

The Singer's Gun by Emily St. John Manuel is about a guy trying to get it right. He grows up in a family that doesn't see anything wrong with working an illegal business. He tries to escape that but things don't go as planned. This book didn't pull me in as much as Station Eleven, but it was still good.

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver was very good. I may be a little biased since it's set here in the Appalachians. It has to be close to me because they mention Knoxville more than once. A woman sees something unexplainable and it changes everything for her and her town.

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty had a super long wait at the library, but I finally got to borrow it! I like her books a lot, but this one seemed to drag just a little. You learn bits and pieces of the story at the end of each chapter and I must say, my jaw dropped in the chapter about the unfriendly neighbor!

Have you read anything great this year? I'm always adding books to my list!

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November and December Reads

I read several good books in November and December!

The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman was really good! I love reading multigenerational novels. This one has a twist, though!

I read through When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi very quickly while we were on a weekend trip away. This memoir is about a neurosurgeon that is diagnosed with stage IV cancer. He has just a short time to live and has to figure out what really matters in those final weeks. Quick read.

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly was AMAZING. I've read a few historical fiction books about World War 2 in the past year or so and I can't get enough. This book focuses on 3 girls - a volunteer/socialite in New York, a Polish teenager, and a German doctor that gets hired at a Nazi concentration camp. Of course their lives intertwine (and you know that's my favorite!).

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi is a book that covers seven generations of a family. There's a lot of unfamiliar names to keep up with but I was able to pretty well. This book has won a TON of awards.

The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain is about a family that lives a lie until one of the kids starts digging for answers. I did figure out part of it, but some of it was a surprise. Good read.

I got News of the World by Paulette Jiles for just $2.99 (gotta love those daily Kindle deals!) and couldn't put it down!!

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How to Get More Reading Done

So I actually surpassed my reading goal of 30 in 2016! For 2017 I've set a goal of 48 (4 per month). I think it's doable, but it will stretch me a little bit and force me to be more consistent. I read all the time when I was younger but quit reading for pleasure sometime in pharmacy school. I had enough to read during school! It's taken me years to get back into a reading routine and I'm so glad I finally got back into it.

I thought it might be helpful if I shared how I've made reading a part of my life and where I get all these books!

How to get more reading done:

1. read on your lunch break *this one is huge for me - and it stops the endless Facebook/Instagram scroll that I would normally do*

2. read before bed *I don't always do this, but I'm always glad when I do*

3. read while drinking coffee/tea in the morning

4. read when you're in the carpool line/Starbucks line/whatever line

5. keep a list of books you want to read so you aren't scrambling to find your next book *I use Goodreads for this*

6. give yourself permission to quit reading a book if you don't like it

7. keep your Kindle/current paperback in your purse so you always have it with you

8. be part of a reading community (Goodreads, a Facebook group, neighborhood Book Club)

9. audiobooks on your commute or while crafting, cleaning, exercising

10. ask friends for book recommendations

Where do I find all of these books?

I'm a big fan of Anne Bogel, aka Modern Mrs. Darcy. This year she put together 2 fun reading challenge lists, she has a podcast called What Should I Read Next? where she interviews people and performed literary matchmaking, and she has a daily Kindle deals email. I'll be honest y'all - this daily email is dangerous. Best selling books for $2 and $3?! If it's a great deal, I sometimes buy the book. Other times, I search for it as a library eBook (see below!)

My favorite way to get books is for free! I downloaded the Overdrive app and signed in with my local library card. I can borrow Kindle books for 2-3 weeks (it's set by the publisher/library). You can put a hold on a book and it will email you when it's ready for you to check out. I've found 2 downsides to this method - (1) you can't always get the book you want when you want it (2) the book won't be readable anymore after the expiration date... so if you won't be done in time, you have to put your kindle on airplane mode. I didn't realize the date was coming up (even though I got an email reminding me!!) and only got through 80% of a book. I immediately put another hold on it, but had to wait 2 months to read the other 20%!!

I pin things to my board called The Library on Pinterest too! I have book lists and more pinned there.

This year, I tried audiobooks for the first time. You can get an Audible subscription (and there are several membership plans from which to choose) or borrow them from Overdrive. I've found that I prefer non-fiction books on audio, but many people like fiction as well. I get annoyed by the reader's voice when they try to speak as different characters. I know, I'm weird.

I did a reading challenge in 2015 where I chose my own books from a list of prompts. It was fun and got me to read books I might not have chosen otherwise. It definitely helped me get back into reading on a regular basis. If reading isn't a big part of your life currently, you might want to start with a challenge. I found this "master list" of reading challenges that might be helpful!

If you want to track your books, consider Goodreads. You can connect with friends, rate/review your books, keep a running "to be read" list so you don't forget good titles, and join groups. Friend me if you're on Goodreads!

Any tips you'd like to share?

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Fall Book Report

In September and October, I continued reading and working toward my goal of 30 books this year.

I finally got to read Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. It's been on my list for quite a while and it did not disappoint! It's about 2 young people that marry and the book follows their life. You get to hear both sides of the story and I couldn't put it down.

I first heard about The Girls by Emma Cline from a reading list someone posted on the inter webs. It's about a young girl that gets swept away into a cult like group. She spends most of her time with the group, but goes back and forth between them and her mother. Overall, I liked the book but it was somewhat unsettling.

I listened to When I'm Gone by Emily Bleeker because it was another free Amazon book. It's about a family with kids and the mom passes away. The husband gets letters from her after her death and can't figure out who they're from. It was pretty good, but I should have read it instead of listening on Audible. Again, I realized I prefer nonfiction audio books vs fiction.

I really liked I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. A mom and her little boy are walking home when he runs out in front of a car and is killed. It's a hit and a run so the book is all about tracking down the guilty party. I was shocked a couple of times!

Another book that's been on my list for a long time is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It's set during World War II and follows the stories of a blind French girl and a German boy. Her father works at a museum and is entrusted with carrying a very valuable item (or one of its 3 copies) when they have to leave France. So good!!

Another nonfiction book I listened to on Audible was A Return to Love Workshop: The Basics of A Course in Miracles by Marianne Williamson. Another amazing read from her! It's about letting go and letting miracle happen. Loved it!

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Summer Book Report

Since I'm a little behind on posting, I thought I'd combine the July and August books into one post. I tried Audible for the first time this summer and it got me back on track to reading my goal of 30 books this year!

First up was Water from My Heart by Charles Martin. It's the first time I've read anything by him, and I'm interested in reading more. This book is a love story, but isn't sappy. So good!

I heard about The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber on a podcast and it sounded cool. It's a science fiction/fantasty sort of book where a husband leaves Earth and travels to another planet. He's a preacher and thinks he is going to spread Christianity to a different species. I wasn't a huge fan of the main character, but couldn't quit the book. It was strange but good.

I listened to The Law of Divine Compensation: On Work, Money, and Miracles by Marianne Williamson on Audible. A friend recommended it and it was fantastic!! It talks about a scarcity mindset vs an abundance mindset.

I borrowed As Close to Us as Breathing by Elizabeth Poliner on Overdrive. I love free library books!! This story is about some Jewish sisters and their families. They vacation together but are all affected by a tragedy later. I learned a valuable lesson when reading this book... pay attention to when your library loan is over OR put your Kindle in airplane mode! My loan expired when I was 80% through the book and I had to reborn it (2 months later!!) to finish the last 20%.

I wanted to love Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling. I mean, it's Harry Potter and I love Harry Potter. However, I just couldn't get into this book.

I listened to Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson from Overdrive (free books for the win!). IT WAS AWESOME!! Each chapter is told from the point of view of this little girl and each chapter is just a scene or a short story. Amazing.

I think Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim was a free Kindle book or something. It's about a slave and the white child to whom she is a wet nurse. It might have been better if I was actually reading it, but I listened to it on Audible while doing a massive craft room purge and reorganization. I realized that I don't particularly care for listening to fiction on Audible. The reader used different voices for each character and I found her voices annoying.

I went back to nonfiction and listened to Daring Greatly by Brene Brown on Audible. It's all about being vulnerable and more courageous.





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May and June Book Report

I added a few books to my list in May and June.

First up was The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney. It's about a dysfunctional family and a trust fund. Their plans to use that money don't go exactly as planned.

Next I read The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee. It follows 3 women living abroad. Their stories are all different but end up intertwining.

I first heard about The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz when i was in yoga teacher training, but didn't read it until recently. It teaches you how and why the four agreements (Be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, Don't make assumptions, and Always do your best) will make your life fuller and richer. Pretty good stuff here! It takes practice and intention to make this happen! 

I read The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani in June. This is the author who wrote Big Stone Gap (which is also on my list!). It's a historical fiction novel based on the author's grandparents immigration story. So good!

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April Book Report

I read a couple of books in April and one was from my local library! I recently renewed my library card and brought my up Goodreads app to see what I had listed under "Want to Read". I found a couple of books and grabbed them. I only got through one before we left for Disney, so I returned the second - but I'll get it again!

First up was We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. It's about a Mexican family that lives in California. The grandparents return to Mexico and the mom has to step up and be a real mom for the first time in her life. The story follows the kids and is a coming-of-age story. It was great!

I also started reading The Flip Flop CEO by Janine Finney and others. I recently started using (and quickly selling!) Rodman and Fields skincare. This book is about a mother and daughter's journey in direct sales and is pretty entertaining!

I've already started a couple more books in May and am loving them!

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March Book Report

I'm making some progress towards my goal of reading 30 books in 2016!

First up was Among The Ten Thousand Things by Julia Pierpont. It is her debut novel and it's about a family falling apart in New York. It was a good book, but maybe not quite as riveting as the reviews made it out to be ;)

Next I started How To Be Here: Creating a Life Worth Living by Rob Bell. Rob is a preacher that has a podcast (The Robcast) and he is AMAZING to listen to. His book is written much like how he speaks on the podcast. I'm taking this book slow and trying to think about the chapters instead of finishing them quickly.

On March 31 (hey, it counts!) I started The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney. It's the kind of book I love - lots of characters and how their lives are woven together. So far, so good!

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February Book Report

Still loving reading... but only finished a couple in February. That brings me up to 6 this year - my goal is 30!

First up was State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. It's a fictional book about studying people in the Amazon rain forest and developing a drug that could change how infertility is treated. I loved the characters and it was easy to get sucked in. I definitely want to read more of her books!

Second was Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. It's about a woman who becomes a caretaker for a terminally ill man. It was very good, but I had a hard time buying in all the way. I read reviews where people were sobbing at the end of the book, but I didn't connect to the characters that much.

Read anything good lately?

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January Book Report

I loved making reading a priority in 2015, so I'm doing it again this year - but in a different way! I have a big list of books I want to read so I'm just going off that list instead of following a prompt. My goal is to read 30 books in 2016. You can click the affiliate links below if you want to read the summary and other reviews of the book.

I started with The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan. I've always loved books about Chinese culture and history and I've read several of Amy's books. I liked the way the character's fates intertwined. This wasn't my most favorite book of hers, but it was good.

Next up was The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a Fck. It's a spin-off on Marie Kondo's decluttering book. It was a funny read but (obviously) uses a certain four-letter-word A LOT. Like every paragraph. It talks about how to get rid of mental clutter and self-imposed obligations.

I found The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry on Kindle Unlimited. It's about a persnickety bookseller in a small town. He gets a second chance at life and takes full advantage of that chance. The story is so cute and it's a fast read.

I started reading The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. I've heard nothing but good things about this book for years but am just now getting around to reading it.

What's the #1 book on your To Read list?

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