I had to read Learning to Swear in America for my Young Adult book club. I’d started reading it a few months ago, but wasn’t able to get into it. When my Audible credit came I decided it was my best chance of reading the book in time for the book club. I chided myself a bit for “wasting” my credit on a YA novel since those are usually shorter and really quick reads. But I am so glad I did. I loved the audio for this book and I loved the book so so much that by the last 40 pages, I just gave up on the audio so I could read the pages and go faster. I loved this sweet book quite a bit and I think the wonderful audio performance had a lot to do with it, too.
I then was looking for something new to read and glanced through my Overdrive checkouts and came back to the new Jodi Picoult book, Small Great Things. I read Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper many years ago and was so devastated with the twist at the end that I swore to never read her again. But then I read more of her over the years anyway. Though I was a lot more hesitant and picky. I didn’t like her previous book all that much and wasn’t sure I wanted to read this one. But I was working on a puzzle and needed a book and just figured I’ll give it a try. I am so glad I did. I swallowed this book up. I basically listened to it until I was completely finished with my puzzle and then read the rest of it into the late hours of the night. I loved the author’s note at the end and I really am glad I read this book.
I then moved on to Mr. Terupt because it’s the book we’re reading in the Lit Club I am co-leading in David’s school for the 3-4th grade group we have. David read this book when he was in third grade and loved it. I was looking forward to reading it but had no idea how much I was going to love it. If you have a middle grader, this is a lovely book with soul (though also some tough, sensitive subject-matter if your kids are sensitive, so keep that in mind.)
I had Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us checked out and wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it but I decided to give it a shot. In the end, I ended up reading about a third of it. I am already off all the packaged goods so this was mostly a reminder that it was a good choice to turn to natural foods. And a good reminder that it’s going to be tough to get all these things out of my system, especially the sugar.
So unlike me to read not one but two non-fiction books in a month, let alone a week but I also had Organize Tomorrow Today in my Overdrive checkouts and I decided to check it out while I started my second puzzle of the weekend. I am already a pretty intentional and organized person, but this book was fantastic with specific tasks on how to be considerably more intentional and purposeful with my life. This is one I will come back to and reread as I implement it in pieces since there’s so so much in this little book.
That’s it for this week’s reading. A wide range and good mix this week.
Books I Read this Week 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
Hello, I am curious about the puzzle you wrok on when listening to a book. Are you putting jigsaw puzzles together or word search, etc. Is this a form of downtime, or a time to think things out?
Hi Dee Dee. I put jigsaw puzzles together 🙂 It’s just downtime for me. Before, when I listened to audiobooks I’d play Candy Crush which wasn’t necessarily the best use of my time, so I like this better but of course it’s my personal opinion. I will write more about the puzzles next week 🙂
I really disliked the ending to My Sister’s Keeper, too. It seemed to go against the entire point of the story up until that event. It’s not that random events can’t happen, but given why the one character even came into being, and what she fought for through the entire book, it was downright cruel to have it end that way.