I did ask the good folks that come across my blog if we were reading books this year or nah because this whole year has been the pits and there were times where just the idea of reading something felt like an excruciating task.
There were quite a few things that I had to put on pause to give bandwidth to more important things and of course, when you fall out of a habit, it can take a while to get back into the swing of things. Last month, I started getting back into the groove of reading and listening to my audiobooks and I thought, I might as well do a quick summary of books that I’ve read, currently reading and have my eyes on reading later on.
Currently Reading
This month, I’m completing the fifth book in the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith titled Troubled Blood. It is a British mystery, crime solving book. These books are pretty lengthy (32 hours) and I’ve been reading this book since July 24th! There’s a slow building romance between the lead detective and his partner, so I can’t wait to find out if they will take their relationship to the next level or remain friends and work partners.
I am also reading The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer. I don’t have any particular opinions on it yet. I’m reading the e-book and I often don’t put in as much time to reading those as I do listening to audiobooks, but it is a short read, which I’m hoping to finish in the next 7 days without having to renew the library loan.
Past Reads
- Atomic Habits by James Clear (Nov.)
- The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory & Janina Edwards (July)
- The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory & Janina Edwards (July)
- Lethal White (book #4) by Robert Galbraith (July)
- Career of Evil (book #3) by Robert Galbraith (May)
- Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty (May)
- The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks (March)
- The Silkworm (book #2) by Robert Galbraith (March)
- The Cuckoo’s Calling (book #1) by Robert Galbraith (Feb.)
- You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen (Jan.)
- Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher (Jan.)
This year, I’ve for sure read less than the past few years, but I’m still happy with myself that I’ve still been reading. Honorable unmentioned are French books I borrowed as I’ve been trying to learn on my own…my study habits are to be revamped for sure but, I at least gave the books a look-see.
I think I would have struggled to read even more if I had limited myself to reading only from specific categories to check boxes. Reading challenges are fun, but just getting in the mental zone to read was a challenge this year.
Future Reads
- How to Change by Katy Milkman
- The Body by Bill Bryson
- Circe by Madeline Miller
These are just a few that I’ve tagged in my Libby app to read. I try to scribble down the names of books that catch my eye but they’re not always available in my online library. My mind also keeps going back to the idea of rereading a few books that I’ve read before such as:
– Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips (because I enjoy Greek mythology)
– Born a Crime by Trevor Noah…He’s a funny guy and the book is worth the reread.
– Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman…I read this in college and it really captivated my mind. I like [some] time travel movies so it clicked for me.
Putting it out there to please take advantage of access to your local library’s digital bookshelves. I wish I could sign up for more if I lived in the US, but thankfully I’ve been able to keep access to the one in Kansas. Eagle library was not so generous.
Overall, I feel good about my reading journey this year. I recognized the need to put things on pause and not to linger on feelings of guilt about having to do so.
Life of Neu 