One of my goals this year is to journal more regularly regarding what I’ve been reading. Here are my notes from January.
Currently
Emma
I’m trying desperately to finish Emma. I love Emma and it’s probably one of my favorite PBS Masterpiece shows. I’m loving the book too, but I’m choosing terribly bad times to read it – like right before bed. I end up falling asleep after only 2 pages; which to be fair contains a lot of text, but still. The more I read Emma, the more I realize I’m so much like her. I’m so quick to make assumptions, the self-talk that Emma goes through regarding her frustrations with people around her is so similar to me…her self talk regarding Mrs. Elton, for example, absolutely cracks me up.
Upstream by Mary Oliver
I lucked into this book at the library last week and quickly snatched it up. I wasn’t sure what to expect with it, but I had seen it around the web-o-sphere so much that I felt I needed to read it. I knew it was a collection of essays, but honestly I feel like it’s more a stream of consciousness from a poet. I love the descriptions that she gives and it’s a book I do think I’d like to have on my shelf. I’ll write more about it when I’m finished reading it I think. My favorite quote so far has been:
The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work. who felt their own creative power restive and uprising and gave it neither power nor time. from p.30
Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson
This has been a great book. I’ve only got a few chapters left and overall I’ve really enjoyed her approach to writing. It is a book about humility (and pride), but it’s written in such a way that it’s truly convicting – yet hopeful at the same time. More on this when I’m finished with it too.
On Being a Writer by Kroeker & Craig
I’m on the fence about this book. I’ve liked it and I’ve participated in some of the exercises in it, but I’m not sure that it was what I thought it would be. I am about half way done and I was very gung-ho with it when I first started, but now my desire to read it has kind of waned. Honestly now I just want to cross it off my list.
The Signature of All Things by E. Gilbert
This one I’m listening to on audio. I’ve loved it for the first hour; the story and characters have been so interesting. But as I listened to it yesterday I became a little nervous about where she’s heading with these characters. There were some parts of the book that I wouldn’t want to read, let alone listen to. So I’m a little bummed out and wondering if I should keep listening or not? It’s hard to abandon a book when you’ve invested an hour of listening time versus just a few chapters of reading.
The Headless Cupid by Z. K. Snyder
Ms. Snyder was one of the first authors I read and then proceeded to read all of her books as soon as possible when I was in upper elementary school. She’s been one I’ve been eager to share with my daughter based on my own memories and love of her stories. It has been an interesting read. I didn’t remember all the witches, magic and occult stuff in it and I’ve had a hard time trying to figure out if we should keep reading it or not. I know that in the end it is a ghost story/mystery and the witches part of it really isn’t the focus. It’s definitely led us to have lots of conversations about magic etc that I don’t think we ever had while reading Harry Potter.
Finished
Heidi
We read this for my daughter’s book club and it was the sweetest book. You do have to be careful which version you read. Ours was the original version by Joanna Spyri and was a copy from Veritas. It was such a great story about waiting for God and resting in his timing from the perspective of a little girl. Such a sweet mother-daughter read.
Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders
I’m not sure about this one. I gave it 3 stars on goodreads. It was a fine mystery story and there were moments where it went along quite well, but overall it sort of dragged. It wasn’t a book where I wanted to read it during the day so it clearly remained my “just before bed” book.
Revenge in a Cold River by Anne Perry
I’ve long been a huge Anne Perry fan and honestly I think it’s more because I’m invested in her characters more than anything. Her older books are wonderful reads if you love a good Victorian mystery. The last few I’ve read of hers haven’t been quite as compelling. I do wonder how long she can keep going after having written so many books about the same groups of characters? This one was one of her better ones about William Monk, but it was really just a story focused on him. I love his wife and really missed the the interaction and just her story too.
What’s Next?
I don’t know! I have a few I grabbed at the library last week – one from my master list and then a Wally Lamb book I hadn’t read before (love him). But I am making myself finish Emma before I pick up another fiction book. I’m really wanting to read The Nightingale because I keep hearing it recommended so I think that’s where I’ll head next. After Humble Roots – I’m not sure what I’ll focus on for my spiritual reading.