Today I’m linking up with Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy fame to talk about what I’ve been reading lately.
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Admittedly, my reading has slowed down considerably since the summer. Do any other teachers out there feel personally victimized by the school year? Like, yeah. I want to shape the young minds of America, but I also need to escape into two epic fantasies, one romance, and some post-WWII fiction each week to stay sane.
The things I give up for those students…
Anyway, on with what I’ve been reading lately.
Reading Lately: September 2017 Click To TweetGirl Walks into a Book: What the Bröntes Taught Me Life, Love, and Women’s Work by Miranda K. Pennington
Admittedly, I started this one during the summer, but didn’t finish it until fairly recently. That isn’t because it wasn’t good or that I didn’t like it. In fact, I loved everything about it. However, after the breakup, I’d been kind of in a weird place mentally, and the level of introspection in this book made me think too damn much about my own life for the state of mind I was in. However, once I finally got my head on straight and was able to finish it, I loved it. My good friend and Lit Gang leader, Mike, sent me a copy. Pennington writes about her lifelong love of Jane Eyre and Charlotte Brönte, and how it shaped her as a person. She’s so frank and honest about life and love and the complications of relationships, and how the Bröntes LITERALLY TAUGHT US EVERYTHING WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THAT OMG WHY HAVEN’T I PAID MORE ATTENTION.
One side effect of reading this book is that you begin to wonder about what book it is that has completely shaped who you are as a person, and what book is always there for your when you need a guiding light. I’m not ashamed to say that mine is The Hobbit.
Reading People: How Seeing the World Through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything by Anne Bogel
Early I did a full review and talked about how writer’s can use Reading People to shape characters and conflict. As a member of the launch team for this book, I was really excited to get a copy. And if you’re the type of person who wants to know more about personality types in layman’s terms, I can’t recommend this book enough.
The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham
The structure of this book was interesting, in that the author did something that I would generally think of as inadvisable, but it virtually made the story. Halfway through the book, I thought to myself, “You know, I know the town people better than I know the main character.” But the book kind of relies on you HATING the town’s people to an immense degree, so this had to be done. Also, the protagonist’s backstory is revealed at a really frustrating pace, but when you finally get everything about her back story, the ending pay off is perfect. More books should end by burning the patriarchy to the ground.
The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell
The novel starts with two sisters burying their parents in the backyard of their house in Glasgow. And if that shakes you a bit, just know that by the end of the book, you’ll wish the girls would’ve buried their parents a lot sooner. Marnie is a teenager dealing with love, drugs, and all the big things that kids in an urban environment often deal with. Nelly, her little sister, has developed all manner of personality quirks to deal with their terrible life situation so she can escape it as much as possible. I fell in love with these two girls, and their neighbor, Lennie, who steps in to help the girls in anyway he can. If it sounds sappy, it ain’t. This book is a black comedy through and through, and I loved every last minute of it.
Additionally, I’m currently making my through It by Stephen King (and I anticipate finishing this thousand-page monstrosity sometime in 2067) and Code Red: Know Your Flow, Unlock Your Super Powers and Create a Bloody Amazing Life. Period. by Lisa Lister. (Check out Marie’s review of that one!)
What have you been reading lately? Click To TweetWhat about you? What are you reading?
I did a book report a few posts ago for August. Just finished Euphoria by Lily King last week and loooooved it. Currently reading Ilsa by Madeleine L’Engle. And I listened to Anne read her first chapter of Reading People on What Should I Read Next and I can’t wait to get the book and read it!
I will have to look those books up! And I’m glad you’re going to read Reading People! I think you’ll love it.
Is this the same Dressmaker that was adapted into a film starring Kate Winslet? If so, it is SO. VERY. AUSTRALIAN. With pacing and the things that happen in the story. Umm…a big vat of molasses, right?
It’s the same one! I didn’t know it was already out. And in the book it’s petroleum.
Honestly I have no idea what it was in the movie. I was already kinda over it. Australian movies are long.
Hahaha! I read the book in one evening. It went so fast.
I think I need to read Code Red! It sounds great!
I’m definitely enjoying it! It’s super no-nonsense while simultaneously being a fun read.