2018 SUMMER READING RECAP

It seems that summer is drawing to a close and fall is just behind the corner and I could not be more ready! This summer has been insane- I started a brand new full-time job while maintaining my part-time summer job as a farmers' market manager. I've been working my butt off and I'll be honest, it's been a busy and tough season. But reading is one of the ways I practice self-care, so even though blogging fell by the wayside, my bookwormish habits did not!

As always, I'm eternally grateful to Book Challenge by Erin 9.0 for not only keeping me motivated to keep reading when I'm tempted to shrug it off. But also for pushing me outside of my reading comfort zone. (Reminder to self: there is more to the literary world than celebrity memoirs, Harry Potter, and chick lit!)

Here is my 2018 Summer Reading List for Erin's Book Challenge 9.0!

 

5 points: Freebie – Read a book that is at least 200 pages | Still Me by Jojo Moyes (★★★)

I wasn't as excited about this book as it seems most people were, but I can't deny that it offers some redemption from the disappointment that was After You.

10 points: Read a book that starts with the letter “N” | Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer by Barbara Ehrenreich

10 points: Read a book that has a (mostly) orange cover | Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (★★★★★)

I DEVOURED this book. Such a fun, guilty pleasure read. I've already ordered the next book and can't wait for it to arrive!

    

15 points: Read a book with an unlikeable character | You Think It, I'll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld

20 points: Read a book from the list of 100 books that PBS calls “The Great American Read” | The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (★★★★)

I feel conflicted because I enjoyed the quality of the writing, but did not enjoy the characters. I rounded up to four stars simply because it is, after all, a great American novel.

20 points: Read a book with something related to water in the title | The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (★★★)

I'm continually drawn in and floored by Neil Gaiman's wild imagination, but this was a little too dark and creepy for my liking.

25 points: Read a book you’ve owned the longest but haven’t read yet | The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan

 

30 points: Read a book with an emotion word in the title | For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards by Jen Hatmaker (★★★★)

I loved parts of this (marriage and parenting) and was apathetic about others (faith). As usual, Jen Hatmaker made me smile and feel like I was catching up with an old friend.

30 points: Read a book where each word in the title of the book begins with the same letter | Gaining Ground: A Story Of Farmers' Markets, Local Food, And Saving The Family Farm by Forrest Pritchard (★★★★)

I thought the author was a little wordy at times and the first half of the book dragged for me, but I decided to stick with it and I'm glad I did. This book gave me a lot of hope in the local and organic foods system and I liked reading about the author's farmers' market experience as a market manager.

35 points: Read a book featuring a character who shares your profession or similar one | Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties by Beth Kobliner

PREVIOUS POINTS: 0
TOTAL POINTS: 115

I'm pretty proud at the progress I've made in my challenge categories. At the halfway point, I've read just over half my books! Since my last book update in May, I've also read a few non-Challenge books:

           

The Very Worst Missionary by Jamie Wright (★★★★★)

I want every Christian to read this book. As a former (and self-described worst) missionary, Jamie talks about all the way in which Christian missions can be unproductive, harmful, and sometimes downright dangerous. She articulates my own issues with Christian missionaries in a way I've never been able to. She's also snarky, sweary, and funny as hell, so you know I loved it. It's a phenomenal read.

The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood (★★★)

Some of my bookworm friends left glowing reviews about this book, but I honestly didn't understand the fuss. I think I missed something. 

I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown (★★★★)

This book really made me consider the microaggressions that people of color deal with on a daily basis and the way in which I contribute (knowingly or unknowingly) to a system that is still gravely unjust.

Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy by Angela Garbes (★★★★)

I wish I would have had this book before I became a mother, but I still really enjoyed it. It dives into so much surrounding the science and culture of pregnancy that just isn't covered in other pregnancy books. It's incredibly well-researched and informative. I would highly recommend for mamas-to-be!


What are you reading right now?