March Show Us Your Books

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I have a ridiculous amount of books out of the library right now. I’m not sure what happened. I had been doing such a good job of keeping on top of my holds.

February was a good reading month for me. I’m doing a #AuthorAMonth challenge on Litsy, so took a deep dive into Colson Whitehead. Also, current events seem to be strongly impacting my reading choices.

Here are the best books I read last month:

Best of the Best

(One fiction, one non)

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead - I think most people know what this book is about by now, so I won’t re-tell the synopsis. After reading two other books by Whitehead earlier in the month I didn’t think I would like this, but it really is a masterpiece. I’m so glad I finally read it.

On the Clock by Emily Guendelsberger - My co-worker suggested this because she knew I had liked Nickel and Dimed. Sure enough I was fascinated by this updated version where a woman works at Amazon, a call center, and McDonalds. This book seems especially powerful in light of all the conversations we’ve been having lately about lack of paid sick leave.

It’s the End of the World As We Know It

(Where my Twitter feed and the daily news subliminally impacts what I read.)

The Stand by Stephen King - Stephen King’s plague book. My copy is an old, beaten up paperback that doesn’t include the expanded versions from the 1990’s. Sorry King purists, but I prefer it that way. I think it’s a better, cleaner story for the editing.

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice - This book was interesting- a total breakdown of society as experienced by a First Nation tribe. When phone, internet, and services are cut off they think it’s a normal interruption and go about living as they normally would. Eventually they find out it’s something more.

Zone One by Colson Whitehead - This is Whitehead’s zombie apocalypse book, although I read it as more tongue and cheek. Maybe I’m just not deep enough, but I kept feeling like there was more to the story than I was getting.

Vox by Christina Dalcher - This dystopian novel had an excellent premise. In the not too distant future the US has become extremely conservative to the point where women and girls are only allowed to speak 100 words a day. Unfortunately after a impactful opening the book just kind of fizzled. However this book did give me the momentum to finally get my real ID, renew my passport, and check on my voter registration. So there’s that.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - My second post-plague book of the month, I read this as part of my project re-read. This book gets a lot of hype for good reason.

And a Few More Good Books Worth Talking About

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson - Another book for project re-read. I think I said this last month too, but more and more I’m really starting to appreciate books that feature older people having lives and maybe even falling in love.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell - This one was a ROLLER COASTER. A girl inherits a house and a whole lot of baggage. Read this if you’re a fan of Ruth Ware.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi - Again, I feel like I’m probably the last person to have read this so I won’t re-tell the plot. I’ll just say the world building and magical realism in this YA chunkster were great fun. I’ve read that the next book in the series isn’t as good, and I’m bummed. I’ll still give it a try though.

We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg - One of my favorite themes in books is families we’re born into and families we make. This book had that in spades, and was just the feel good palate cleanser I needed during the doom and gloom of last month.

Life According to Steph

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Show Us Your Books July

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Summer reading season is officially here! I’ve been spending many hours on the porch drinking tea and reading books (and maybe eating a burger or two.)

When I first went to tally up my books, in my mind I hadn’t read much in June. But then I looked at the numbers, and I had actually read twelve books — 6 were paper and 6 were audio.

Favorite

Save Me The Plums by Ruth Reichl — This was a glorious audiobook read by the author. I thought I was signing up for tempting descriptions of food when I bought this, but there were so many other nuggets about working motherhood, corporate politics, and recovering from mistakes that I loved. I ended up taking many long walks the weekend I listened to this just so I could finish.

****

Great Beach Reads

Daisy Jones And The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid — This was excellent brain candy. It was reminiscent of a VH1 documentary, and I read it all in one sitting. I read the print book, but I heard the audio version is amazing.

****

Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser — A thriller about a missing mom, and the aftermath of her disappearance. Did she flee on her own, or did someone take her? Was it the husband? What about the missing money? This was perfect for laying on the beach while my kids built sandcastles.

***

Moody Reads To Dwell On

Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella — This is the book that Field of Dreams was based on, and I’ve been meaning to read it for years. It’s different from the movie, but it has that same dreamy and hopeful feeling.

***

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent — I read this for a book club, and it was perfect pick for that. I appreciated that the love affair I thought the author was building towards never happened.

****

The Guineveres by Sarah Domet — This book was without place or time, and it worked. I enjoyed the characters.

***

The Near and Distant Past

The Boat People by Sharon Bala — An important read considering what we’re facing in our country these days. This book gives a face to the refugee crisis. Wish I could make this required reading for all of America.

****

Tear Down This Wall by Romesh Ratnesar — A non-fiction audiobook that I downloaded from Audiobook Sync. I’m of the age where I can remember when the Berlin Wall fell, but had no real idea of what that meant at the time. I appreciate books that help fill in the gaps now. I’m going to recommend this one to my 11 year old as well.

***

The Future

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen and Owen King — This book went on a little too long for my tastes, but the afterward at the end of the audiobook by the authors made up for it. I love getting a glimpse of what goes into writing books.

***

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins — This was a re-read for me. I’m not a huge fan of this book, but I really liked the ending.

***

Audiobooks to Take Your Mind Off Things When You’re Home Alone and Cleaning For HOURS

(Or Maybe That’s Just Me)

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling — My favorite of the series. I could listen to this audiobook again and again.

****

The Lost City of Z by David Grann — I liked this armchair adventure story, minus the description of all of the snakes and other creepy things that can kill you in the Amazon.

***

Life According to Steph

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