I'm writing this with my head hung in shame. Normally, it's no sweat for me to cross a book per week off of my reading list. But February marked the start of my various side gigs and so reading completely fell by the wayside. Every spare moment I had was devoted to blogging, scheduling social media, creating a website and fundraising letter, reaching out to business contacts (more on all that to come!). So yeah, reading really didn't happen the last three months. However, now that I'm traveling more for my part-time gig, I see many more audiobook reads in my future. My librarian friend assured me that audiobooks totally count as reading, so if a librarian says it, it must be true!
Here's what I read in February, March and April:
The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith (★★) | I picked this up because I wanted to see if I could learn more about decorating my home on a budget. Smith is a blogger and self-taught decorator so I thought her writing style would resonate with me more than it did. It felt a little redundant and kind of unmemorable. I wasn't a huge fan.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (★★★★★) | Motivated by the recent Hulu series based on the book, and let's face it, by the current political climate, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with this book. I knew it was a dystopian novel about a future where our country is run by a fundamentalist theocracy, but nothing could have prepared me for how chilling this book was. It hit much too close to home and the fact that the ending wasn't neat and tidy made it all the more haunting. This is definitely a feminist must-read.
Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame by Mara Wilson (★★) | Oh, Matilda. Poor Matilda. This book really wasn't that bad. It just wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it might be a humorous look at fame from a former child star. Instead, it was really, really sad. Mara lost her mother to cancer right in the middle of filming as a girl, she then couldn't continue to act because Hollywood didn't feel she was "pretty" enough, and she struggled with mental health issues her entire life. That about sums up the book. If you love Mara Wilson, by all means, read it. But be prepared that it's not exactly uplifting.
Currently, I'm reading After You
by Jojo Moyes and listening to Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler in the car. Check out what I read in January!
Here's what I read in February, March and April:
The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful
by Myquillyn Smith (★★) | I picked this up because I wanted to see if I could learn more about decorating my home on a budget. Smith is a blogger and self-taught decorator so I thought her writing style would resonate with me more than it did. It felt a little redundant and kind of unmemorable. I wasn't a huge fan.The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood (★★★★★) | Motivated by the recent Hulu series based on the book, and let's face it, by the current political climate, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with this book. I knew it was a dystopian novel about a future where our country is run by a fundamentalist theocracy, but nothing could have prepared me for how chilling this book was. It hit much too close to home and the fact that the ending wasn't neat and tidy made it all the more haunting. This is definitely a feminist must-read.Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame
by Mara Wilson (★★) | Oh, Matilda. Poor Matilda. This book really wasn't that bad. It just wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it might be a humorous look at fame from a former child star. Instead, it was really, really sad. Mara lost her mother to cancer right in the middle of filming as a girl, she then couldn't continue to act because Hollywood didn't feel she was "pretty" enough, and she struggled with mental health issues her entire life. That about sums up the book. If you love Mara Wilson, by all means, read it. But be prepared that it's not exactly uplifting.
The Sea of Tranquility: A Novel by Katja Millay (★★★★★) | Literally every single one of my friends on Goodreads who has read this book gave it five stars. That's completely unheard of! I had to see what the fuss was about, and as it turned out, they were right. I completely lost myself in the story and stayed up until 5:00 AM to finish it because I was so enraptured. It completely broke me of my reading slump and was one of the best books I've read in a long time.
by Katja Millay (★★★★★) | Literally every single one of my friends on Goodreads who has read this book gave it five stars. That's completely unheard of! I had to see what the fuss was about, and as it turned out, they were right. I completely lost myself in the story and stayed up until 5:00 AM to finish it because I was so enraptured. It completely broke me of my reading slump and was one of the best books I've read in a long time.
Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foods-and Helping Your Baby to Grow Up a Happy and Confident Eater by Gill Rapley (★★★★) | I did not enjoy the solid foods transition when Charlie was a baby so I was eager to try a different approach as Crosby has started eating solid foods. I knew several of my friends had raved about the baby-led weaning approach, so I decided to give it a go. I seriously can't rave about it enough and this book was such a good resource as a I found my footing! The only reason it didn't get five stars was that I found the "real life testimonies" from parents to be more distracting/annoying than helpful.
by Gill Rapley (★★★★) | I did not enjoy the solid foods transition when Charlie was a baby so I was eager to try a different approach as Crosby has started eating solid foods. I knew several of my friends had raved about the baby-led weaning approach, so I decided to give it a go. I seriously can't rave about it enough and this book was such a good resource as a I found my footing! The only reason it didn't get five stars was that I found the "real life testimonies" from parents to be more distracting/annoying than helpful.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (★★★★★) | This book. How do I describe this book? Aside from some of the best writing I've ever had the pleasure of reading, this book, just woah. Now that it's over, I'm not quite sure what to do with it. I do not know how to move forward with what I have gained from it. All I know is that it profoundly changed me and the way I think about the world. Coates achieved something through his writing that I don't know if I've ever experienced before. For the briefest of moments, I felt the physical pain of how it feels to be a black man or the mother of a black man in this country. Written as a letter to his son, this book will wreck and transform you. READ IT!
by Ta-Nehisi Coates (★★★★★) | This book. How do I describe this book? Aside from some of the best writing I've ever had the pleasure of reading, this book, just woah. Now that it's over, I'm not quite sure what to do with it. I do not know how to move forward with what I have gained from it. All I know is that it profoundly changed me and the way I think about the world. Coates achieved something through his writing that I don't know if I've ever experienced before. For the briefest of moments, I felt the physical pain of how it feels to be a black man or the mother of a black man in this country. Written as a letter to his son, this book will wreck and transform you. READ IT!
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Currently, I'm reading After You
by Jojo Moyes and listening to Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler in the car. Check out what I read in January!
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