This time next week I envision a lot of you will be around the Christmas tree with your loved ones! I’ll be navigating an airport heading home from a non-snowy Christmas in Arizona. That doesn’t sound that exciting, but it’s totally worth it to get a quick couple of days in with my in-laws and then to get home just in time for my brother and nephew to arrive! It’s going to be a jampacked break and I can hardly wait!
What are your plans for the Christmas break?
In case you missed them, here are some links to my recent posts:
- Dear Santa…5 Books I Hope to See Under the Tree!
- I’d love to hear what’s on your Christmas wishlist!
- My Week in Books {12/11/19}
- Top 5 Books I Didn’t Get to in 2019!
- Try as I might, I just couldn’t get to some of my must reads!
- My Week in Books {12/4/19}
- Top 5 Surprising Reads of 2019!
- What books surprised you this year?
- 2019 Gift Giving Guide for Bookworms!
- Still looking for some last minute gift ideas for the bookworm in your life? I got you!
What have you been reading (and loving) this week?
Last Week’s Reads:
*** 📖 Recursion by: Blake Crouch (Crown) – Pub Date: June 11, 2019
I finally got to one of the buzziest books of the year and the winner of the 2019 Best Science Fiction Book in the Goodreads Choice Awards. I read and enjoyed Dark Matter a few years ago when it was released, so I was really looking forward to this one. The first (and most obvious) thing about Crouch’s books are that they’re absolutely mindblowing. His deep dives into scientific knowledge is way above my brain’s comprehension, but perhaps even more impressive, is his ability to relay this mindbending information in a way that’s (kind of) understandable. I liked this look into False Memory Syndrome and its implications for humankind. It wasn’t a total page turner for me (like Dark Matter was), but it was still a very enjoyable reading experience.
📱 So You Want To Start a Podcast: Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Story, and Building a Community That Will Listen by: Kristen Meinzer (William Morrow) – Pub Date: August 6, 2019
I borrowed this book from the library because I was curious about the podcasting process. I am in awe of people that have the technological skills to manage something like this (I can barely run this blog! 😂), and are able to come up with fresh and new content on a regular basis. This book breaks the process down really well, but I am now certain I am not cut out to be a podcast creator! Thank goodness for people like Sarah who do the meaningful work for the rest of us!
*** 📖 All That You Leave Behind by: Erin Lee Carr (Ballantine) – Pub Date: April 9, 2019
It only seemed appopriate to start this one on what would have been my sweet mama’s 65th birthday. I really enjoyed Carr’s writing style and love that she had so many pieces of advice from her father in her emails and text messges. I’ve come to realize that you can never have enough of these tidbits from your loved one. This book totally reminded me of Claire Bidwell Smith’s book, The Rules of Inheritance, which I read a few years ago. Many people really loved this book when it came out, and while I can really appreciate the tremendous loss of a parent, I found myself sort of skimming the book towards the end.
*** 📱/📖 I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by: Kimberly Jones (Sourcebooks) – Pub Date: August 6, 2019
Mostly I just gotta clear this one off my Netgalley shelf and it does seem like it’ll be a quick and easy read. I’m not super far into it, but it’s about a shooting that breaks out at a high school football game and the rest of the events that ensued thereafter. I really wanted to appreciate this as the YA novel it was, but it totally didn’t work for me. There was just way too much going on – a school shooting, a homeless person that pursues these two girls, AND a city-wide riot? There were too many storylines for the authors to do any justice to any of them. Also, while there are shots being fired, one of the girls was much more concerned with why her boyfriend wasn’t answering her phone calls. Is her cheating on her?! None of it made sense…neither girl was demonstrating the emotions I would expect from people who are fearful for their lives. I can’t even dismiss these issues as part of the YA genre – it just wasn’t very well written.
Currently Reading:
*** 📖 Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America by: Nefertiti Austin (Sourcebooks) – Pub Date: September 20, 2019
I heard Austin talk about her book on the KERA Think Podcast (“All She Wanted Was To Be a Single Black Mother”) and I was instantly intrigued. I’m only about 10% in, but I’ve learned a lot about family culture in Black families and communities.
*** 🎧 Ordinary Girls by: Jaquira Díaz (Algonquin) – Pub Date: October 29, 2019
Still making my way through this one. I like it, but I’m just not listening to audiobooks a lot right now. They’re requiring more focus than I’m able to give. I may try to check this one out of the library instead…
DNF (aka: Not For Me):
*** 📖 Africaville by: Jeffrey Colvin (Amistad) – Pub Date: December 10, 2019
I was confused by the discombobulated timeline and decided to DNF it around the 40% mark. This really could be a case of wrong timing for me as I’ve struggled lately to find a book that holds my attention.
Happiest When Reading 
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