Reading Challenge 2019-June Update
A little note: I sat down on July 3rd to complete and publish this update, something that I’ve loved doing during the course of my personal challenge to read 52 books in 2019. While I was working on this post I received a phone call letting me know that one of my closest friends had died in a tragic accident. It’s taken me some time to be able to come back to this space. I love sharing about the books that I’m reading and Gina was a part of this conversation in my “real life” on a daily basis. Today it feels like the right time to finish this post. June started out with a rather surprising read for me. How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals by Sy Montgomery I was drawn to this book at a local bookstore. It was on display and I loved the cover and the title just spoke to me… how to be a good creature. It ended up being offered on a Kindle special a few days after I had noticed it in the store. I’m not an animal person, and I usually don’t love animal books. However, this was delightful. The story of the author’s friendship with an octopus is one that I continue to think about. It’s an easy, fun, whimsical, lovely read. If you are looking for a gentle, fun book this would be one to read. Books For Living by Will Schwalbe I listened to a podcast with Will Schwalbe and I really enjoyed the interview. This book is a book about books and the reading life. He writes a chapter about some of his favorite books and the lessons learned. As someone who loves books, I enjoyed his reflection on all kinds of books and how they impacted his life. You’ll notice another book I read in June was from this book. I have a few others on my reading list that came as a result of these essays. This book leaves one with the question, what books would be on my list of “books for living” and what are the lessons these books have imparted? A fun question that I will be considering more over the next few months! Becoming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail by Jennifer Pharr Davis Hiking the Appalachian Trail is not, and probably will never be on my list of things to do. I did enjoy Wild, by Cheryl Strayed about her solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. I think that’s why this book caught my eye. I enjoyed reading the author’s stories, experiences, and difficulties on the trail. Davis decided to hike the Appalachian trail after graduating from college. It was a bold move. It was fun to read about the community of hikers that develops and to learn more about “trail culture.” Again, it’s something I have zero interest in ever doing, so this book was a window into a world that I didn’t know existed. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn I really enjoyed this book. It was surprising, mysterious, and very well written. It is the story of two women, strangers and in different decades of life who find themselves trying to understand the impact of historical events in both of their lives. The Alice Network was a (real) ring of female spies that worked for Britain in World War 1. The book is a fiction book, but according to the endnotes, many of the more surprising events in the book are based on true events. This was my first book by Kate Quinn, and it won’t be my last. This was a very solid, enjoyable read. Bitten by a Camel: Leaving Church, Finding God by Kent Dobson I heard Kent Dobson on a podcast several years ago and this book has been on my “To Be Read” list since then. It wasn’t life-changing, but I did enjoy it. The one thing that I took from this book was a better, more provocative understanding of the verse in the bible about a camel going through the eye of a needle. (As is often quoted (misquoted and misunderstood?) I really enjoyed listening to Kent. I honestly wanted this book to be a bit more about his faith journey and evolution and it didn’t quite get there for me. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert I found this book in a used book store just weeks after it was released. It felt like such a lucky find I bought it. I really enjoy Elizabeth Gilbert as an author and I realized recently (a few weeks before reading this book) that a few of her books continue to influence and impact me (I’m not thinking of Eat, Pray, Love, I am thinking of The Signature of All Things… it’s a book that is a bit about moss and EVERY time I see moss growing on the side of a rock I think about that book, and Big Magic ) I enjoyed City of Girls. It’s was fun, light-hearted, surprising and swept me into a time and space (New York City in the ’40s) that was just fun. A well-written story, a little bit racier than I usually read, but it was just so well done! What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami This book was one that I discovered in Will Schawbe’s book (Books for Living.) As a runner, I loved the application that Will shared in his book and I really enjoyed this book about the running life. It wasn’t life-changing. But it was enjoyable. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hector Garcia Puigcerver This was just okay. Honestly, a month after finishing it, I’m trying to recall what stood out to me about this book. I wanted more from this book, and can’t really recommend it since I can’t even remember what it was about! At the end of June, I had read 46 books in 2019. I’m just a few books away from my goal of 52! I’m super curious to see if I make 52 by the end of July! Stay tuned!
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