8 Books I've Read So Far This Year

I know this is probably a horrible way to start this post, BUT in the spirit of being honest with y'all, I've been underwhelmed by most of the books I've read so far this year. You win some and you lose some, even in your reading life. I think the stress of being a working mom has had an effect on the way I've approached reading this year, so know that even though some of these books didn't work for me, they absolutely could be a good choice for you! 

Today I'm sharing brief thoughts on the 8 books I've read so far, and next week I'm sharing what I'd like to read in these last few months of 2017 that will hopefully get me out of my reading slump!

   

1. On Becoming Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo - I started this book in my third trimester of pregnancy, and finally finished 5 months later when we took a New Year's weekend trip and I had more focused time to read. It's so crazy to think we were in such a different stage with Gabe then! My philosophy on parenting books is to read them with an open mind and low expectations. Baby Wise can make you question some of your decisions as a parent, but know that babies are little human beings, and they don't always follow parenting books to a T. We applied the general principle of the eat, wake, sleep routine (and didn't worry about sticking to a specific schedule), and that worked really well for us. If you're planning on breastfeeding, this book has a lot of information on that topic as well, even though it's heavily marketed as a sleep book.

2. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany - Of course there were so many emotions going in to the infamous "eighth" Harry Potter book. I liked the plot overall, but felt the character development was lacking because of the script format. I wish we had more time to really understand Albus, and I was specifically disappointed in how Ron was portrayed as an adult. He came across as a lump who was useless in the face of Hermoine's stronger personality, and I felt there were several others who were inconsistent with their younger counterparts. I did love revisiting the Wizarding World and seeing lots of familiar faces and a few new ones, and it's Harry Potter, so of course I'm going to love it overall. But the more I think about it, the more I wish this had been developed in to a full novel. In the meantime, though, I just saw that tickets go on sale in a couple weeks to see the play on Broadway. I guess a trip to New York is in order!        

3. Grace Not Perfection by Emily Ley - One of the first things you'll notice about this book is the beautiful layout and design (it even comes with its own ribbon book mark!). As a longtime follower of Emily Ley, I expected nothing less from her. The overall message of holding yourself to a standard of grace isn't new or groundbreaking, but it's one I have a hard time implementing in my life all the same, especially as a new mom. I loved the questions at the end of each chapter and how it gave you space to reflect, which helped me dig a little deeper and not just passively absorb the content. While I enjoyed this book, I can see how it would fall flat for some since it is targeted at a very specific demographic of women.        

4. The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan - I feel like the black sheep when it comes to this book. So many people I know love it, but it just did not work for me. I was really surprised, since the novel is loosely based on William and Kate's story and I love anything to do with the Royals. But while I was reading this, I was not excited to finish it, and only finished because I had already made it so far and wanted to see if it got any better. Spoiler alert: it did not. The time Nick and Bex spent apart especially dragged on, and made me wish that Freddie was the principal character instead. I will say the audiobook narrated by Christine Lakin was excellent and made my experience much more enjoyable, so if you do pick this one up, I highly suggest the audio version. Lakin's accents for the different characters were spot on!    

5. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid - This has been my favorite read of the year! I feel like this is one of those books that came to me at the perfect time. I loved it. The premise was heartbreaking and thought-provoking, but it also had the right amount of lightheartedness. The ending was tied up a little too neatly, but it did not keep me from loving the book overall. Now I need to read all the titles on Taylor Jenkins Reid's backlist!  

6. Very Good Lives by J.K. Rowling - This is a physical copy of J.K. Rowling's 2008 commencement speech at Harvard University, so not technically a book. But I'm counting it because the book I read next, A Court of Wings and Ruin, was 700 pages long--so basically two books in one. ;) Anyway, I'm so glad I read this! The illustrations were beautiful and the speech itself was full of sound advice, including one of my all-time favorite Rowling quotes, "We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better." So good.

7. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas - Usually I have nothing but love for Sarah J. Maas' books, but unfortunately I was disappointed with the pacing and structure of this one. It took about 400 pages or so for the story to finally pick up, and the overuse of deus ex machina throughout the book had me rolling my eyes quite a bit. There were too many convenient resolutions to problems and the characters barely had to deal with things not going their way, which just isn't realistic. Another hangup I have with Sarah J. Maas' books is the sexual content, so I recommend her books with reservations based on that aspect. I still loved the Inner Court, though, and the glimpses in to the other Courts. Maas' world building still remains one of her biggest strengths, and that aspect of this novel did not disappoint. I definitely wanted more from the Lucien and Elaine storyline, so hopefully they will play a bigger role in the next three books of the series!

8. Reading People by Anne Bogel - Since I preordered this one, I received access to a free copy of the audiobook, which Jenny and I listened to during our recent girls trip to Florida. Now that I've finished the audiobook, I want to go back and read the physical copy to really dive in to the different personality tools. I will say that from listening to the audiobook, the information contained in this book was very repetitive and more surface level than I was expecting. Most of the information in the book is already available online and it felt like a simple compilation of the different tools out there. That being said, I am excited to learn more about the Enneagram, which is all the rage right now, especially in the podcasting world. This book is our book club pick for October, so I'm really looking forward to our discussion on personality and how self-awareness can help in our day-to-day lives!  

You Can Help!

One of the best parts about reading, in my opinion, is that it gives you the opportunity to view the world through a different lens. I enjoy reading books from perspectives that are vastly different from my own, and I find that I am more thoughtful, more patient, and more empathetic because of it. The ability to read is a gift. It is often squandered, neglected, or unappreciated. Reading opens doors that often hard to open.

Take 30 seconds to think about all the benefits you derive from reading.

Pretty easy to come up with several, wasn’t it? Reading is something that we, in the first world, take for granted. There are a lot of our peers (probably not those of you reading this blog because you are enlightened and understand the beauty of reading) who look at reading as a chore, punishment, or necessary evil. And that is okay… not something I relate to at all, but okay. If, however, you are excluded from quality education, from learning to read well, by race or socioeconomic status, that is a different story.

One of our (Lesley Anne’s and mine) best friends lives in Romania. Her family moved over there when we were seniors in high school (a looong time ago). She came back for college, married, paid off her student loans, and left for Romania permanently. She and her family run an after school program (among other things) for the poor and the Roma in their village, as well as a couple of others. The quality of education available to Romanians is pretty low, even in the cities. The people of Sintelec, our friend’s village, are either too poor to afford the daily bus fare to a better school or are Roma. The Roma are one of the most heavily persecuted people groups in Europe. The first time I visited, I watched as cars would literally speed up as they passed through the village; they did not slow or stop for children in the street.

Belief in Motion, the organization our friend’s family started, works tirelessly in many areas to fight poverty, injustice, and lack of education. Belief in Motion is the feet of Jesus in its small corner of Romania. There are many opportunities to help, but one that is near and dear to my heart is the book drive. You can donate books, written in Romanian, to the after school program. That might not seem like a lot, but the cycle of poverty the children are caught in is the stuff of nightmares. BIM seeks to give these children exactly what the need to help break this cycle- Jesus and education.*

I urge you to check out Belief in Motion here. You can find more information about the book drive here. Look around the website. There are plenty of opportunities to help. Even if you do not have the ability or inclination to help, thank you for looking. Just being aware of the problem is a start.

*BIM in not concerned only with education. They have programs for literally everyone, from grandma down. 

Series Spotlight: Flavia de Luce

  The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

  Release Date: 28 April 2009

  Page Count: 374

  Genre: Historical Fiction; Mystery

  Target Audience: Anyone 11+

  Series: Flavia de Luce

  Source and Format: Borrowed :: Paperback

  Amazon | Goodreads

  I was introduced to this series this past summer by my aunt. She
  said they were quirky and fun—perfect beach reads. I tried the
  first one and finished it in one day while laying out by the pool.
  Flavia, the protagonist, all but leaps off the page right from the
  start. She is definitely in my top 5 favorite female protagonists of
  all time.

  The series takes place in 1950s England. The country is
  recovering from the horrific events of WWII and every member
  of Flavia’s family has been affected in some way. Flavia herself is 11 and I would not be surprised to find she is Hermione Granger’s grandmother. Flavia is curious, intelligent, stubborn, and young. (Side note - Alan Bradley does an amazing job of keeping her true to age. She lacks self-awareness the way all children do). Flavia uses all of these qualities, plus an astonishing understanding of chemistry, to solve murders that happen around her.

It is a long series— book 9 releases next year— but worth it. Some of the middle books are slower and not as engaging, but the pace picks back up as a new story arc is unfolding. I highly recommend them. Flavia is a character that I do not want you to miss out on! 

We're Back!

Long time no see, friends! Jenny and I just got back from the most incredible girls trip to Universal, and we spent a lot of time talking about our goals for the blog while we were together. We definitely want to get back in the habit of blogging, and we've got some fun plans in the works! Stay tuned for recaps of what we've read so far this year, books we want to read this Fall, holiday gift guides, a full review of our trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and more!

We're so excited to be back and spread the bookish love!

Lesley Anne and Jenny