what I’m reading: spring 2016

Where are my book people at?

I haven’t posted a book list in a while. It isn’t because I haven’t been reading. I think I’ve just been too lazy to write the post. Also, book lists are so personal. My whole psyche feels sort of exposed when I tell people what I’m reading- as if the world is simply waiting to draw massive conclusions about my worth and sanity based upon my book choices. Which maybe it is, but I can do squat about that, and books are so fun to share, it’s worth the risk.

I hope you enjoy my random stack of pages:

This tale of a dysfunctional family was FUN. I finished it in about two days and then immediately loaned it to a friend. It’s a good poolside/beach/sit and enjoy a book read. I liked it as much as What Alice Forgot, and to me, they’re super similar in experience, although different in structure.

What can I say about this? It’s moving and meaningful, full of poetic language and science, too, which was really intriguing. Some tragic emements of the story made me angry, which may mean the author did a great job helping me to care too much about the characters. It’s WW2 Historical fiction, and I would say that if you liked the Book Thief, you will like this, too.

This is the sequel to Vango. Both are fun adventures set in Europe between the World Wars. The stories are a little complex for younger readers- lots of characters to juggle and remember, but great for older middle school and high school.

I grabbed this at the library for my son, and started reading it first. It’s fun! It’s about orphans who have run away to Venice. 

{Note: I’m on a memoir binge right now. There are several reasons for this. First, I like stepping inside someone else’s story, especially if their backgrounds and life circumstances are vastly different than mine. I enjoy mining their words and experiences for what we have in common as well as what we don’t. The other reason I’m reading a vast array of memoirs is that I am doing research for a project, so this list is a little random at first glance, event though it is strategic for me.}

Funny, of course. But not as funny as Bossypants by Tina Fey, in my opinion.

Not my favorite by Lamott, but good and worth the read. I like Lamott’s grittiness and vulnerability. She does rant a lot about George W. Bush in this one, which I think might bother some people.

One of my dreams in life is to meet BBT. When I read her words, I feel like I’ve found a friend who understands how much I love Jesus. She encourages me with our similarities, and challenges me with our differences. I’m a better human after reading her books.

I just cracked this one a little, so I can’t really say what I think about it yet. It is definitely outside my usual preference in spiritual reads, but it’s a NY Times bestseller, and I’m interested to find out what about it has grabbed readers. I’ll have to keep you posted.