Want to Read vs. Need to Read
My reading selection used to contain books I wanted to read and books I needed to read.
Before I became a teacher, tackling that “needed to read” pile made me feel less inadequate. I filled in my educational and social gaps by following lists with titles like “Books Everyone Should Read” or “Top 100 Novels.” After I began teaching, I added the goal of reading books referred to or sampled in the history and literature textbooks I used.
The American literature book had about three chapters of Moby Dick (the very beginning and the end), and as a teacher, I was expected to relay the entire scope of the book based on a sample size that didn’t make sense, so I made a point of reading Moby Dick. I discovered that the selected chapters were pretty much useless when it came to understanding the story.
The British literature book did the same thing with Beowulf. The writers of the textbook provided a small sample size of an epic poem, and I, as the teacher, was expected to fill in the blanks. Eventually, I started writing my own literature program and included full-sized reading books in the curriculum. I could pull great examples from different eras throughout literary history because I’d read them. It also allowed me to close the gaps in the old curriculum, like the fact that the British literature textbook had NO WOMEN WRITERS in it. That’s right—an British LITERATURE TEXTBOOK with no mention of Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, or the Bronte sisters. The old American literature textbook wasn’t even in chronological order and contained zero Native American myths or legends. It also ignored the Harlem Renaissance. (How can you ignore the poetry of that era?)
Not every “needed to read” book was enjoyable. Sometimes, I kept with them to discuss them if they ever came up in conversation. I pushed myself, and, for the most part, I benefitted from doing so. In other instances, though, I could have donated the books I didn’t care for and gone on my merry way.
About a month ago, one of my sons was teasing me about my practice of sticking with books I don’t like, and I told him, “I don’t do that anymore.” He didn’t know it then, but I had just quit listening to an audiobook that had already consumed TWENTY hours of my life. I had three more to go and decided, “You know what? I don’t care about this. I don’t even like it.” I ended up returning the book, unfinished, and getting a book I knew I would love. I didn’t have to stick with it because I felt I “needed to.”
I’m in a new stage in my reading life. I read only the books I WANT to read — and I’m having a blast doing it. I have so many new favorite authors that I’m almost overwhelmed with great choices, including:
When I traded in the audiobook I wasn’t enjoying, I replaced it with A Corpse in St. Andrew’s Chapel by Mel Starr. It’s the second book in The Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton, surgeon, and follows the exploits of a medieval man of medicine whose main job as bailiff allows him to use his medical knowledge to solve crimes. The books are beautifully written, and Hugh is a fascinating character.
I’ve also become a fan of Pepper Basham as a result of reading this book:
Jane by the Book is a love letter to Austen as Pepper Basham takes the writer’s familiar tropes and gives ’em a little shake. The result is a story about a well-read writer who visits Bath for inspiration and a tightly-wound hospitality manager whose time in that famed city is focused on getting a hotel ready for the public. But when the writer discovers that the manager has a juicy family mystery that connects her to Bath, he can’t help but pursue her and get the whole story.
A more serious book, Shadow Dancing, deals with the grief of parents who have lost a child. Their marriage is on the rocks, and neither partner is able to heal or reconnect because blame looms over them. There is beauty in this novel, however. Both parents are given time to grieve. They are given space to heal. Family and friends protect them as they work through the pain enough to finally address the big questions and face each other once again.
The first book of this series, Broken, ended with a tentative friendship between Jinxie and Dean. In book two, Broken Silence, that relationship is rocked when Dean sustains a traumatic brain injury while on duty. Dean’s personality changes are difficult to live with, but his mother, Janice, is determined, with Jinxie’s help, to help him through the healing process. As rough as Jinxie’s home life has become, it’s nothing compared to what has happened at work. No matter how hard she tries, her past keeps coming back to haunt her.
This is my favorite Katy Cross Mystery to date. I felt like KC Hart let her main character really get into the thick of things with this volume. I love a good mystery, but I am horrible at trying to solve them. Fortunately for me, Katy Cross can put all of those pieces together and drive the enjoyable stories forward so that even readers like me can understand them.
In Memories, Murder, and Small Town Money, Katy Cross discovers a body in the Piggly-Wiggly dumpster and begins her search for how and why this particular town favorite was targeted. It doesn’t take long to discover that things in Skeeterville aren’t as charming as they appear. Fortunately for the overwhelmed sheriff’s department, Katy is a natural detective.
The third in the Discerning God’s Best series, Matters of the Heart, is probably my favorite. Heidi Gray McGill keeps her characters light with good humor as they deal with heartbreaking realities. This book is set in the years after the Civil War and deals with issues such as PTSD, homelessness, and sexism. The magistrate of Shumard Oak Bend has a vision for “his” town and no compassion for the widows and orphans who are passing through, looking for a new place to call home. Fortunately, there is a young woman in town who secretly helps those in need.
I don’t have a link to the newest Catherine Brusk novel because it’s still in its editing stage, but I GOT TO READ IT EARLY! What a rush! Catherine’s newest book should be out around Christmas time and is called Forgiving St. Nick. It is going to be amazing! I can’t wait for it to be released!
What would you do if you came face-to-face with your high school bully only to discover that he will be officiating your best friend’s spontaneous wedding? And that he had changed? If you’re anything like Anna, you’d know better than to be taken in by his charismatic personality and good looks. Besides, you don’t have time to worry about your old bully. You’re too busy trying to deal with the bully who calls himself your boss.
While you’re waiting for Forgiving St. Nick, I heartily recommend reading What Love Washed Up, the novel that made me a fan of Catherine Brusk FOR LIFE and prompted me to write this review for Amazon and Goodreads:
“A remarkably powerful book, What Love Washed Up by Catherine Brusk, explores the deep and life-long ramifications of child sexual abuse. Nineteen-year-old Jessi Campbell is in her sophomore year of college. She’s driven, focused, and constantly under threat of having her past come back to haunt her. Just nine years earlier, she’d been forced into the world of sex trafficking by her stepfather. The trauma of repeated rape and physical abuse has left her with anxiety and PTSD. She journals, attends support groups, goes to therapy, and refuses to let anyone touch her. Jessi has no patience for flirting or dating, so of course, she ends up working with one of the most flirtatious and promiscuous guys on campus. Kip Parks thinks he’s God’s gift to women and can’t understand why Jessi has no time for his shenanigans. Getting shot down time and time again prompts him to pause and reevaluate his outlook and behavior. Instead of being always on the make, Kip learns what it means to be a friend that cares for another’s needs. While he comes to realize that something horrible must have happened to Jessi in her past, he learns not to push but to be present. An excellent novel with a fast-paced storyline and engaging characters that never stop evolving. It earns every one of the five stars.”
I hope you are reading what you want. If you are reading what you need, then I wish you nothing but the most interesting “needful” books. If you are looking for suggestions, then I hope this blog post helps.
Also, don’t forget, after you read, PLEASE leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads and/or Book Bub. Authors rely heavily on those reviews.
Let the author know you WANTED to read their books. You’ll make their day.
