It’s back – my reading life that is. I’m so happy about that! It got a huge jolt when I attended the Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Book Club Stay at Home Retreat last month. I will have to talk all about that in another post. And I continue to be four books ahead of schedule in my goal to read 40 books this year.
Read
- Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L’Engle. A thought-provoking read by the author of A Wrinkle in Time. I haven’t read Wrinkle or watch the corresponding movie but this book makes me want to. And pick up everything else L’Engle has ever written, for that matter.
- Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld. This is my second book by Sittenfeld and I love her writing style. Plus, the premise of this novel – what if Hillary hadn’t married Bill – was fascinating. I LOVE alternate histories/the-road-not-taken stories. As a kid, I enjoyed chose-your-adventure stories. I have been wondering what that says about me as a person but we will save that for another post.
- Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Although I have adamantly proclaimed that I can’t get into audiobooks, this is my second audiobook in as many months. Technically it’s an audio short story but Goodreads counts it as a book so I will too. A short read, er, listen, I finished cleaning my house to keep this one going. I really enjoy Taylor Jenkins Reid’s work and this was no exception. This is an Amazon Original.
- Dream Work by Mary Oliver. I have finally completed a book of poems since graduating from college with an English degree, if I don’t count Cleo Wade’s Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life which I don’t but thoroughly enjoyed. I have enjoyed Mary Oliver’s essays and when we were just beginning social-distancing and reading was a struggle, someone suggested shaking things up by reading a book of poems. Sometimes, I understood what Oliver was saying and the words were so profound. Other times, I didn’t understand a thing and the words were incoherent. That being said, I will probably try another book of poems very soon.
Currently Reading
- Untamed by Glennon Doyle. Yep, still dipping in and out of this as the mood strikes. Since I have a number of other exciting things to read, not as often as before but I plan on finishing reading and journaling through it this year.
- The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner. This is my third must-read pick from the MMD Summer Reading Guide and happens to be August’s pick for the MMD Book Club. I’m found myself struggling to read this one in a digital format so I switched to audio and am now making good progress.
- A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny. This is my fourth book in the Inspector Gamache series and as I said two months ago, I LOVE this series. One thing that I really like is that these are written during a particular season, IE A Rule Against Murder takes place during the summer. I am enjoying reading them in the season that they take place. Another interesting thing to note is I am reading this on Kindle and audiobook at the same time. Who knew I was pronouncing all those French words so wrong?
- The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis. It’s here! My Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Summer Reading Guide Pick. I could fly through this in a matter of hours but I am enjoying it slowly. So far, it’s got everything that I love: writing, books, library, artifacts, alternate historical timelines. So excited! I also enjoyed this interview with Fiona Davis, sponsored in part by the St. Louis County Library and HEC Media.
In Case You Were Wondering
Yes, I talk a lot about the Modern Mrs. Darcy’s space here and I always have. If you’re looking to kindle, or rekindle, your reading life, she’s the place to start. Her Summer Reading Guide has been the described as the “Christmas” of book lovers and her Book Club is one of two that I participate in. I’m so excited because she has decided to have “Christmas” all year long and have a Fall Book Preview on Tuesday, September 1 for the members of her Book Club and What Should I Read Next Patreon communities. This will be very much in-line with her Summer Reading Guide but have 40 (ish) books for Fall. My TBR may not recover.
Anne also does a Quick Lit post every month discussing what she is currently reading, to which I am linking this post. If you’re here because of her, I thank you and her. As Anne would say, “Happy Reading”.
enjoy life…
shannan enjoys life! 
Hi Shannan. Just dropping by to say I’ve missed your end-of-month posts. 🙂 It looks like you haven’t posted much in a while–I hope just due to general life busyness.
It was a bit of a learning curve to get used to audiobooks without getting distracted, but once I did, I loved them. I started listening when we moved and I had a longer commute to visit my m-i-l in assisted living than I was used to. I don’t really enjoy time in the car, so started listening to audiobooks to help the time pass. Then I got hooked. 🙂 Now I listen while getting ready in the morning and sometimes while cleaning.
I am really learning to love audiobooks. I am learning what works for me.
Thanks for commenting about my end-of-month posts. Just haven’t been inspired to write much with everything that is going on. But, we are all well. Thank you for asking and thanks for being here.
I love the writings of Madeleine L’Engle. I waited to watch A Wrinkle in Time so I could watch it with my girls since we all had read the books, but we waited too long. ha.
I picked up a Mary Oliver book of poetry this month too! I didn’t finish it before it was due back at the library, but it reminded me that I need to read more poetry. I hardly ever, ever read poetry. But it was a good stillness practice.
Today was the first day I actually went back inside the library. I had still been picking up books curbside as of a few weeks ago.
I love the idea of reading poetry as a stillness practice. Thank you for being here.
The Lions of Fifth Ave is next on my To Read list-sounds perfect for me! I am currently reading From Scratch by Tembi Locke, it is an amazing memoir!
I also just finished a Louise Penny, The Nature of the Beast-#11 in the series and it was So Good.That series just keeps getting better!
Sorry for all the exclamation points… 🙂
Stephanie, there is NO NEED to apologize for exclamation points with me! Apparently, I am always screaming online. LOL Thank you for being here.
🙂 Love following you on IG and cannot believe I’ve completely missed your blog!?
Glad you’re here!
I enjoyed Walking on Water but preferred L’Engle’s A Circle of Quiet, which had a similar feel but had more personal stories. I will link my recent reads, which include a review of it, if interested! A Wrinkle In Time is definitely worth picking up too!
https://elle-alice.blogspot.com/2020/07/july-book-reviews.html
Thanks for being here, Elena. Circle of Quiet is on my TBR.
Yay for getting your reading groove back!
Lions of Fifth Avenue is sitting on my library stack to start reading – I can’t wait to pick it up, a book that includes books and a library 🙂
Oooh – I’m so glad you found Evidence of the Affair on audio – I’ve actually relistened to it a few times because it is so short and quick, but also because I couldn’t help myself – Taylor Jenkins Reid is a favorite of mine.
Here’s my Quick Lit for the month including The Switch (on audio – absolutely delightful especially with two narrators!), One to Watch, and some of my family’s reads too. https://www.everyoneslibrarian.com/blog/quick-lit-august-2020
I want to read The Switch. I LOVE the movie, The Holiday, so it seems like it will be up my alley. One day. Thanks for being here.
Shannan, hi! Yep, Rodham is next on my ever growing stack on my dusty desk. So many books to catch up on now that the library is slowly reopening.
I couldn’t be happier!
Glad to hear it, Linda. Thanks for being here.
I have listened to A Rule Against Murder twice. The actual & literal heat rises off the page. Glad you’re discovering audiobooks you like.
It was an appropriate read for the heat of August for sure. Thanks for being here.
Thrilled for you that audiobooks seem to be “clicking” now and giving your reading a boost. I was able to do audiobooks pre-pandemic under certain conditions (had to be the right reader/story while I was doing specific activities), but haven’t been able to do them since. They’ve always been a struggle for me – my attention tends to wander away from a story. I may try again at some point, but in the meantime, I’m plugging along with my books and ebooks.
I really identified with your description of reading Mary Oliver’s poetry – some being profound, and some flying right over my head. I’ve felt that way with nearly every poetry collection I’ve ever tried. (As Anne would say, “it’s never just you.”) I have that L’Engle title sitting on my shelf that I haven’t gotten around to yet, but I do love her writing. I might even love her nonfiction more than her fiction.
August has been my slowest reading month yet this year due to the chaos of new puppy + long overdue work on our house, but I’m constantly telling myself, “it’s a season, reading will return.” 🙂
Love these updates from you, and love that you’ve got your reading groove back! Happy weekend, friend!
Congrats on the new puppy. I remember when we got Bimmer. He was a handful also.
Thank you for your encouragement! I appreciate you being here.