I have increased my reading exponentially this month.  I read seven books from the beginning of the year to last month and this month I have read ten! How’d I do it, you ask? Well, I intentionally made time to read this month.  On the practicality side of things, I stopped watching Netflix and Xfinity On Demand and read instead.

Read

• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Loved this but I wasn’t surprised. As an English major I read Homer’s Illiad, and have been fascinated with the Greeks and the Trojans since. Madeline kept me engaged with this page-turner and I loss a significant amount of sleep that I can’t put on the Buddy Man. Madeline has written another based on The Odyssey entitled Unfortunately, I’m #11 in line for three copies at my local library. Ugh! Gives me something to look forward to. No Modern Mrs. Darcy Category; just the sheer joy of reading.
• The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena. Read this for our Rocket City Mom Virtual Book Club. I have a full-review on that site. It boils down to this: quick but disappointing read.
• Sunburn by Laura Lippman. This was the first book from my 16 of the 26 selections from the MMD Summer Reading Guide (MMDSummer#1). I enjoyed it.
• The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey. This is the first of a series. It was very interesting to read about Indian culture and history. This is also the first in Massey’s series about Preveen Mistry. I will read the next one when it comes out. MMDSummer#2 and MMD Category: A book by an author of a different race, ethnicity, or religion than your own
• I’ll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa de los Santos. Lovely read. MMDSummer#3
• The Ensemble by Aja Gabel. This is a debut novel that is still sitting in my bones. It’s about a classical string quartet over a few decades of time. This book reignited my love for classical music. The novel being a debut for Gabel means that there is no back list for this author.  I guess I’m waiting… MMDSummer#4
• The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory. Quick and enjoyable read – The quintessential beach read. It’s a shame I wasn’t on the beach when I read it. MMDSummer#5
• The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin. If you like ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, you will probably enjoy reading this book. The medical terminology, which I am not familiar with and unlike Grey’s you cannot physically see, may have gotten in the way of my really enjoying this one.  MMDSummer#6
• We’re Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union. Laugh out loud funny but raw and authentic at the same time, this is a collection of stories about Gabrielle Union’s life as an actress and activist. I absolutely LOVED this one. I read it in one evening.  My only regret is that I didn’t read this sooner.
• The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin. Interesting premise; how would you live your life if you knew the exact day that you were going to die. I loved this one. Right now it is in the top three books I have read this summer.  It will be interesting to see who, if any can bump it down for me.

Currently Reading

• When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön. Continuing this one still; this is one to read slowly, contemplating each chapter before moving on. It was going to fulfill the MMD Category: A book by an author of a different race, ethnicity, or religion than your own but The Widows of Malabar Hill did that.
• Art of the Memoir by Mary Karr. Still taking this one very very slowly. I don’t think I am ready for this.

Doing these Quick Lit posts are so fun!  I love reading but sometimes go about it in a more haphazard fashion.  These posts, along with the Modern Mrs. Darcy’s (MMD) Reading Challenge, help keep me focused in my reading life.  I have missed not doing them. And today, I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy to tell you what we have all been reading lately. Check it out!

enjoy life…