Settle in, bookish friends! I’m sharing what I’ve been reading lately in October 2018!
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Admittedly, it’s been another slow month for reading. But I’m also posting a video every single day on my YouTube channel, so some of my leisure time has been eaten up with that. Also, I’m participating in a book club at work with my department’s diversity and inclusion office, so I’m also making my way through a book of some pretty heavy stuff and then planning how I’m going to chat about it with my coworkers during our meetings.
IT’S REALLY HARD.
But I’m glad I have this opportunity. And honestly, more work places should do this.
Anyway, with that, let’s discuss what I’ve been reading lately.
Reading Lately
The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders
I’m not sure how I stumbled onto Cait’s blog a million years ago, but I’ve always enjoyed her writing. Cait wrote seriously and sincerely about her journey to get out of consumer debt and start living a life that suited her more than the life that was being sold to her by advertisements. It’s something I’ve been striving to do myself, and I really appreciate how candid she is about her struggles. If you’re looking for a book that glosses over the hard stuff and makes everything seem so easy, this isn’t it. And if you’re looking for something that shows you what it’s actually like when you lean into the hard times and aren’t relying on numbing behaviors like drinking or binge eating or stress shopping, this book is for you.
Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
I really appreciate Brené Brown’s writing style and how she shares her research in her books, though I have to be real. There are times when I’m going through one of her books and I’m like “COULD YOU NOT WITH ALL THIS?” Mostly because I realize there’s a thing I’ve been numbing or a coping mechanism that I’m leaning on that’s keeping me from being the person I know I need to be to be a better writer. Rising Strong is great because the central metaphor for the book is storytelling and uses Anne Lamott’s shitty first draft idea and applies it to how you view your life. And there’s a whole chapter in there where she talks about how everyone is doing their best, which has fundamentally changed the way I interact with some people in my life.
What Have You Been Reading Lately?
I know I keep asking you kids for recommendations here, but I’m going to do it again. Tell me what to read. What books have really sparked your imagination? Any Halloween recommendations? Put them in the comments!
Introducing Beebo. A great childrens book with many life lessons.
The last two weeks have included “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” by Heather Morris — a true story about a man with positive resolve and great love — and then some fluff to balance the scales: “The Wedding Date” by Jasmine Guillory (amusing and a nice setup for her next book) and “The Crooked Staircase” by Dean Koontz (dark but thrilling with a KICK-ASS chick).
Next: “November Road” by Lou Berney.
Hallelujah and pass the salt for ebooks via the city library!
I’ve heard so many good things about November Road! Let me know what you think about it when you read it. Also, I love the way you balance heavy stuff with lighter reads. I need to get better about that.
Also, library ebooks are a gift from god.