Last month I left off with Lilac Girls... sadly, I abandoned that book. I just wasn't a fan of it and life is too short for books you don't love. I always find it sooo incredibly hard to abandon a book but I'm getting better at it. Why slog through a book you don't love it when there are so many really great books to love?
I always get TONS of questions on how I find so much time to read. For me, reading is therapy and my escape... so if I am not finding time for it, I am likely a crazy person (or even crazier than I already am!). So here are my tips for finding time to read...
1. Download the Kindle app (FREE!) on your phone or iPad and always keep a book on there (I download free kindle books from my library - see if your library has the same!). It's surprising how much more reading I do when I can just pull up my Kindle and read a few pages in as many minutes as it takes me to scroll Facebook or Instagram.
2. Visit the library regularly. Our library is super close to our house so I often pop in there when I have 5 minutes to spare. Keeping (FREE!) books in the house with due dates on when they have to go back always spurs me to read more. It's like a personal due date.
3. Join a book club. Knowing I have to have a book read by a certain date keeps me moving on it!
4. Mind racing at night? So is mine! I read to fall asleep. No offense books, but sometimes you make me sleepy! It's seriously the best way to drift off to sleep. (unless the book is really good, then you may be up all night!)
5. Commit to a certain number of pages a day. I read an article where the author said she commits to one page a day (but usually goes much longer). Then work your way up from 1. 20 pages is super do-able and will get you great progress on your book!
6. Read in the bath. Hey, you can't have your phone with you in there! If I am starting a book or at a slow point in a book, I hop in the bath with it! Besides my kids barging in on me 10 times there is nothing else to do in there but read! It's great for getting past slow parts in books or starting a new book, which I always find challenging.
7. Read with your kids! There are so many great young adult and kids chapter books to read. Read the same book at the same time and compare notes with your older kids. Or dive deep into a fun story with your littles as a read-aloud (let me know if you want suggestions on titles). Reading with your kids is SO good for them!
This is what I read this month... I've been almost exclusively reading on my Kindle app. I find it so much easier and faster (for most books...) than the paper version.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance... I instantly was interested in this book when I saw it so when I randomly found it at the library I was pretty excited! I found the first 1/3 and the last 1/3 to be the most interesting, and I really just scanned the middle. As a parent of tween's it's important to me to raise kids that have perseverance and the ability to think outside the box. The author had a lot of antidotes for building grit but less practical steps or guidelines to do so. While I thought it was an interesting read, my review of the book would be "meh."
The Marvelous Misadventures of Ingrid Winter (kindle)... as I mentioned last month, Amazon Prime offers one free Kindle download each month from a select list of new releases through their Kindle First program. I chose this title this month. It's a short quick read very much in the same vein as Where'd You Go Bernadette? or I Don't Know How She Does It. Work calamities, motherhood calamities and real estate calamities - all of which I could definitely relate to - strike for rich comedy throughout. The middle gets a little strange, but I do love the ending. There were quite a few laugh out loud moments for sure.
Rare Objects (kindle)... I loved this historical fiction that takes place in Depression-era Boston. Two young ladies become friends in an unlikely setting and their lives are entwined for several years following. This book has a healthy dose of friendship, the art of reinventing oneself, love, loss all against the back drop of an intriguing antique shop. I definitely recommend this one.
The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House... Don't worry, this is the most unpolitical book you will ever read about the keystone of our nations government: The White House. This was an endlessly fascinating look inside at the inner workings of our nations first household. From the general upkeep to the home to the grand events and balls it has hosted to an inside look at the first families that have lived there, this book was a front row seat to all thing pertaining to The White House. It was also a nice quick read. The author made non-fiction a page turner like fiction.
The Dollhouse (kindle)... I got this recommendation from Grace (her book reviews are awesome!) and it didn't disappoint. To be honest this is one of my favorite formulas for a book. Part modern day story line, part historical fiction. This story weaves together the lives of two women living in the Barbazon building in NYC both now and in the 1950s. It also has a few good twists and turns to the story line which is also a literary weakness for me. I love the story lines that go back and forth in time, it always seems to make for a quick read. And this is what I would call 'smart' chick lit.
Currently reading.... The Perfume Collector (by the same author as Rare Objects)
