At points in my life I have been a reader. Actually, I consider myself to be fairly well read because I took a lot of college classes that required a lot of page turning from a variety of authors.
However, over the last four years or so my reading has steadily slowed to a complete halt. By December 22, 2014 I exclusively read non fiction books because after all, if a fiction book was any good it would eventually be made into a movie and then I could see the entire book in approximately two hours as opposed to the dedication required to barrel through a 550 page novel.
For those of you who read my original 30 by 30 List you know I wanted to change the status quo, at least a little bit. So instead of setting the very vague, “read more” goal, I was more specific. I wanted to read five book between December 22, 2015 and December 22, 2015.
If you read my 30 by 30 review, you know that I didn’t just read five books, I read EIGHT! I realize that for many “readers” out there this is nothing. But for me, this was HUGE and required a major life change.
Here’s what I was reading from Dec. 22, 2014 until Dec. 22, 2015.
Kisses From Katie
I think that I would recommend this book, especially to a younger girl. I was impressed with Katie’s writing and wanted to start following her blog, but it doesn’t seem like she really maintains it anymore. It’s also important to note that not everyone can be Katie Davis. This is a book about Katie’s mission and calling, it’s not a model for missions. In fact, in most cases, I think her methods would fail horribly if attempted by other college age girls across the U.S.
Boundaries in Marriage
This book came highly recommended by a friend. It’s one of the very few marriage books that I read. It’s really practical, but it did seem to drag a bit. I really like the author’s take on the dreaded submission topic. Also, I bought a used copy and the seller had written all kinds of complaints about her husband in the margins. It was like reading a train wreck. I really hope they managed to work it out!
Duplicity
Full disclosure, I would never pick up a book like this, but my friend Natalie is the author. Natalie and I used to work together until she got a book deal and happily left me to follow her dream (and work from home in yoga pants). This book completely blew me away! Not only did I really enjoy the plot and characters, but I can’t believe I have a friend this talented and amazing. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Bossypants
I came across this book because it was recommended by Sheryl Sandberg, and I LOVE Sheryl Sandberg! If Sheryl Sandberg told me to jump off a cliff, I would probably do it. I asked my friend Amy if she had read Tina Fey’s Bossypants, and although it was on her list of books to read, she hadn’t started it yet. Amy suggested we do a two person book club, which was awesome. However, the book….was not awesome. I just couldn’t relate to Tina at all. Her parenting was nowhere close to where I would want to be and I wasn’t super impressed with her work/life “balance” either. Additionally, there was just too much SNL name dropping. If you’re looking for a good “this is my fight song” book, read or re-read Sheryl’s book instead.
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
I read this book because it was on my bookshelf and because I was number 198 in line at the library for the book I really wanted to read (All the Light we Cannot See). I bought The Memory Keeper’s Daughter at Goodwill a few years ago but I always chose watching reality TV over reading it. According to the cover it was a New York Times Bestseller, so I figured it would be totally worth the $1 investment. WRONG! This book was awful! I would never recommend it. It actually reminded me why I never read fiction. The detail just went on and on and on. The whole story could have been done in 100 pages. Plus, the plot just got more and more devastatingly sad for pretty much every character. You finish the book wanting to jump off a cliff….even if Sheryl didn’t tell you to. I gave this book away to a friend who wanted to read it and told her that when she was done she could keep it or throw it away…I just never wanted to see it again.
This Momentary Marriage
This is the only marriage book that I would highly recommend to anyone getting married. It really gives a vision for what your marriage should be. Although it does address some of the big marriage topics, it doesn’t get into the weeds. This is a short book with a huge impact!
All the Light We Cannot See
Mark my words…this book will be a movie. It gave me a new passion for fiction and single handedly gave me a love for books that wasn’t there before. Why did I waste so much time reading horrible books when things like this are out there?
The End of Your Life Book Club
Yes, that is the real cover. This book is super fantastic though. I think that Amazon recommended it to me based off some other books I was looking at. Good job Amazon! I DID like it! It’s a true story about a guy and his relationship with his mom through her two year battle with cancer. You know from the very beginning that the mom dies at the end, so I was committed to not getting attached to her. But within two chapters I was attached…darn it! She is just so darn likable. I started this book just a few weeks after my friend’s mom died of cancer so it was a perfectly timed book for me that was actually pretty practical. I would recommend it to anyone.
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