What I Read: January

My stacks of books on my night stand to be read was getting outrageous. I'd find books at Goodwill or on sale at the library (because they were taken out of circulation) and buy them. I also had some given to me by my mom or friends to keep or read and return. I'd already have books going, have something come in on hold, or be reading a book for book club, so I just wasn't getting to the books I actually own. I decided it was time to start working on my stacks! Most of the actual books I read this month were books that came out of those stacks and even though I made a huge dent, I also went to Goodwill and added more to my stacks, oops!

Here's my before stack.

My after stack.

My after stack with new additions, oopsie!

Books:

• The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World by Shelley Emling- I was hooked in from the start of this book when the author mentioned Jane Austen visiting the town Mary Anning lived in and that Austen referenced Anning's father in a letter she wrote. It was so fascinating to think about what it would have been like to discover some of the first dinosaur fossils and how terrifying it could have been, wondering if those creatures still existed. It was frustrating at times how Anning's discoveries were attributed to the rich men who bought the fossils from her. I can't imagine what it would have been like living as a woman at that time where your accomplishments could never be your own. This was the last book I read from the library this month, the rest of them came from the stacks by my bed.
  

• The Soloist by Steve Lopez- I was perusing the books for sale at the library and saw this book had a One Book, One Tulsa sticker. Each year the library chooses a book as kind of like a city-wide book club selection. They do special events surrounding the book and have LOTS of copies of the book so as many people can be involved as possible. This one must have been a selection from before I started paying attention and reading the book selection each year. I always love the books they choose and I hadn't read this one, so I bought it. I had it sitting around for a while waiting to be read and decided to pick it up this month. I've been excited to read it for a while, but just got busy reading other books. I was really into the book and was telling Ty about it and he was pretty sure the book was made into a movie because it sounded familiar. I looked it up and sure enough, it was! Once I finished reading the book, I put the DVD on hold. At times the book was depressing, due to the nature of mental illness and the difficulties involved. I'm so glad the library chose this book. I think it is an important read to bring a personal element to homelessness and I'm sure it allowed many readers to develop a deeper empathy for the homeless in their communities.

• Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate- When I was looking at books at Goodwill, I was drawn in by this gorgeous cover. I recognized the author's name as the author of The One and Only Ivan so I bought this one. Applegate did not disappoint as this one was very good as well. I think it's one Carter would enjoy reading soon, maybe even as soon as next year. Applegate is definitely quickly becoming a favorite children's chapter book author of mine! I have another one of her books on my to read list now because there was a preview at the end of this book and it sounded really interesting.
  

• You Are Special: Neighborly Wit and Wisdom From Mister Rogers by Fred Rogers- I saw this at Target after Christmas and had to read it! The book started with the article about Mr. Rogers that was used as the basis for the movie made about Mr. Rogers. I loved the article. Then the book went into Mr. Roger's book. It was all little bits of wisdom, like quotes. I liked reading a couple quotes or pages as I got ready in the morning. It was a nice way to frame my day in a positive light. It took me a long time to read it because I slowly worked through it, but I loved doing it that way because I was able to really think about each quote and ponder over it. It was so nice to own the book because I could highlight my favorite quotes so I could come back to them.

• The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields- This was one I picked up at Goodwill. It was okay. My favorite parts of the book were the very beginning and then when the story was told through letters that were sent to her. It was interesting but not a book that I got excited to sit down and read.

• The Painter by Peter Heller- This one my mom loaned me to read. She had loaned me The Dog Stars, also by Heller, a while back and I loved it so I was excited to read this one. She told me not to get too excited because this one wasn't nearly as good. I agreed with her, it wasn't nearly as good. I did like how each chapter started with the name of a painting that was either mentioned or he painted during that chapter.

• What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons- I picked this one up at Goodwill simply because the cover was so pretty! I really enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down. I liked how it was written like a journal might be with random, short snippets and moving backward in time randomly. It was a bit odd in some ways.
  

• The 5 Love Languages: The Secrets to Love That Lasts by Gary Chapman- I saw this at Goodwill shortly after I had listened to the audiobook of The 5 Love Languages for Children. I liked that book so much, I decided to buy this one. It just took me a while to get around to reading it! I felt like I already knew most of it from being familiar with the 5 Love Languages and from the other book for children, but it was interesting to read the stories he shared about different couples he encountered.

eBooks:

• Almost Paradise by Debbie Macomber- When I was searching for more Christmas books by Debbie Macomber in my CloudLibrary app I came across a series of books that were supposedly contemporary updates of fairy tales by Macomber. This one was supposed to be Snow White. I was expecting it to be more of a modern retelling of the book. It was super loosely Snow White. The main character's name was Sherry White and she had 7 girls in her cabin at summer camp as she was a summer camp counselor, so they were like her 7 dwarves. She also had a stepmother but her stepmom was nice and loved her. That was as close to Snow White as the story went. I was disappointed but still enjoyed the story enough to finish it.
  

• Is There Still Sex in the City? by Candace Bushnell- I saw this while searching on my ebook app and decided to read it. It wasn't anything special, it was just okay. I felt the same way about Sex and the City though. I thought they took a meh book and turned it into an amazing show.

• The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin- I don't remember how this one ended up on my to-read list, but it had been on there for a long time! It was interesting and gave me a different perspective on the Civil Rights Movement.

Audiobooks:

• Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver- I saw this audiobook was read by Kingsolver. I wanted to see how she was as a narrator because I loved Joshilyn Jackson's narration of her audiobook that I listened to. I loved The Poisonwood Bible so I was excited to try this audiobook out. This book was so good. I loved the connection between the monarch butterflies and global warming. At times it was pretty depressing, especially considering conditions have only gotten worse since the book was written. Kingsolver is such a wonderful writer and I love how beautifully she describes nature in her books.
  

• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho- I kept seeing this on book lists and it was on one for great audiobooks. I was expecting it to be really good but I didn't really like it. I was constantly having to rewind because I would lose interest and realize my mind had wandered and I missed a whole bunch.

• Ordinary Grace by William Kent Kruger- I thought the cover of this one was pretty and I've seen Kruger's name on book lists so I thought I'd try this one. It was so good. I enjoyed it quite a bit.