Reading with Mandy

This month there were a lot of ups and downs with reading, and I’m going to take a moment to reflect on my reading life as a way to model for those that might be curious. I used to use goodreads to keep track of my reading and deleted my account a couple years ago. The main benefit is not thinking my reading needs to be about how many books I finish. Instead it’s about what is resonating and filling my soul. As I’ve already mentioned, reading is about thinking and exposing yourself to new ideas. It’s amazing for teaching empathy when you read fiction while nonfiction lets you learn about a variety of topics. The highlights from this month were getting into a daily reading rhythm, realizing I need to make a weekly trip to be around books whether that is the library or a bookstore, and the other thing was to figure out a reading system that works for me. There is a fine line between being overwhelmed by the pile of books and not having a big enough pile. My main goal for next month is to start adding books I’ve purchased but haven’t read yet into the mix with the books from the library. My current reading pile is 15 books deep at the moment. I’ve been reading on Kindle for 15% completion and making sure I finish at least 50 pages of the physical books. Making sure to incorporate both each day is allowing for progress being made and since I started all 15 around the same time that means I should be finishing up around the same time. In the future this needs to be way less in terms of pile but the right number is going to take time to figure out. The book that is surprising me the most is The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma because it’s told in a narrative structure I wasn’t expecting. Coincidentally, I had started getting into a morning routine when this book became available off my waitlist on Libby. I also finally found on Libby a book I had seen in the library but had not taken out called The Darcy Myth by Rachel Feder which is making me want to go back and read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The other book that became available off my waitlist on Libby was It Begins with You by Jillian Turecki. I am noticing a collective move towards books that are feminist in nature. A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages: The World Through Medieval Eyes by Anthony Bale is making interesting connections to Christianity while making me think about why hospitality was a virtue and value in Ancient Greece. Thinking about how people travelled back before cellphones and airfare makes the world feel big again. The fiction novels I picked out seem to be related but also not which includes A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke, The Naturalist Society by Carrie Vaughn, and We Shall be Monsters by Alyssa Wees. The overall theme in what I’m reading seems to be about finding your place in a world that seems to be monstrous. I always find it interesting how the horror genre can be sprinkled in without realizing it into some works. It’s also making me think of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia which was an excellent Horror novel that combined several different threads that were all well done. Sometimes reading more than one book or starting and putting down to absorb provides unforeseen insights that I always enjoy. While I have not finished the books I’ve mentioned in this post (except for Frankenstein and Mexican Gothic),  I would recommend all of these. The only thing I seem to be lacking in my reading right now is Biography. The audiobook I’m currently listening to is Dare to Lead by Brene Brown who I’ve heard on podcasts but need to read more of her books. I also finished Trapped by Kevin Hearne and enjoy the Iron Druid series immensely. I just like to space them out so I can thoroughly enjoy them. I also usually listen to one great course lecture everyday and am currently on A Day’s Read which is inspiring me to maybe add in short stories to the rotation. I have a collection of American Short Stories that was put together in a gorgeous hardcover Barnes and Noble Edition that I started years ago. I’ve read more than what I’ve mentioned here this month but this seems to be the highlights for February. Considering I had a week that I hit a dry spell I’ve recovered nicely. The most important thing is to always keep reading. As a challenge for this month, pick up a book that looks appealing in a genre you usually avoid. This means it might be time for me to finally add Dune since science fiction is always something I’m lacking. Happy Reading!