Although I enjoy reading, I rarely make time for it. There’s so many things I enjoy doing that reading continually slips in priority. But as I was pushing my kids to read this summer, I too carved out time while sitting at swim lessons, just before bed or while in the car for hours on our road trip.
As you can see the range of interest is wide – anything from historical non-fiction to self-help books. All books that someone at some point told me I should read and I added them to my Amazon cart for quick reference. And now that I’m looking them up to link them here, I’m realizing all of them were New York Time Bestsellers. Not that it’s necessarily a selling feature, just a coincidence.
A Man Called Ove was a tender story of despair and hope and interesting/chaotic cast of characters.
When Breath Becomes Air is a memoir of a neurosurgeon who is faced with daunting odds when diagnosed with cancer.
Lauren Graham’s is also a memoir, a quick fun read. My love for Gilmore Girls is deep and I could read a whole other book on the exact subject.
Boys in the Boat is a historical non-fiction set in the depths of the Great Depression where a group of boys find hope against odds through shear grit. It’s inspiring.
Essentialism is a good read for anyone feeling overwhelmed or stretched thin or even just distracted. This was a good companion to another book I read, “The More of Less” and I started the process of decluttering life.
I found Quiet interesting. I didn’t agree with all of it, so I skipped around some but surprisingly, I found myself within the pages of this book. And the older I get, the more it fits.
(Amazon aff. links)
Consider this my virtual book club! The next few books I’m reading are from my kids reading lists so they should read fast. If you have any other recommendations, I’d love to hear them.
Thanks for sharing your list! Have you heard of Goodreads
(http://www.goodreads.com/)? I love that site for tracking books I want to read, have read, and the rating I give each one. Plus it’s a great place to get recommendations based on books you know you like. I loved A Man Called Ove!
Okay and here are a few of my recommendations: Have you read any of Willa Cather’s books? I’ve read O Pioneers! and My Antonia; they are based in the Great Plains around the 1800s, slow paced, and beautiful. I think I remember seeing Wonder on one of your (recent) previous posts about what your kids were reading. I know it’s a youth book, but I thought that one was really good and made me think about how I treat others with differences. Atul Gawande’s Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science is a great nonfiction that made me think about things I hadn’t-both medically and in life. Last recommendation, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. It’s actually a YA book, but I really enjoyed it.
Thanks for your awesome blog! Life is Good 🙂
I’ve heard of goodreads, but I’ve never actually used it. I suppose it’s a little more sophisticated at tracking books than my Amazon shopping cart! 🙂
My son just read where the mountain meets the moon and we have Wonder – I keep telling myself I need to read it before the movie comes out this fall. Thanks for some great suggestions!
Two of my favorites are Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson. It’s a longer book, but totally worth making time for. Benjamin Franklin was an amazing example in lots of different areas of life and I love his great example of not settling. Never Broken by Jewel is one that I couldn’t put down once I started it. She is such an inspiration. She hasn’t let her pain define who she is. Love, love, love.
Those are two I am unfamiliar with – but I like Walter Isaacson’s writing style. And I just looked up the Jewel book and it has really high reviews. Thanks!
I read “A Man Called Ove” this spring and also loved it. Was a little slow going at first but so glad I hung in there.
Some suggestions:
The Mitford series by Jan Karon – set in rural NC with a minister as the central character. Lovely and inspiring.
Small Blessings – Martha Woodroof
Language of Flowers – Vanessa Diffenbaugh
A Dog Year – Jon Katz
The Hundred-Foot Journey – Richard C. Morais
The Virgin Blue – Tracy Chevalier
Pope Joan – Donna Woolfolk Cross
The Samurai’s Garden – Gail Tsukiyama
Year of Wonders – Geraldine Brooks
The Aviator’s Wife – Melanie Benjamin
Riding the Bus with my Sister – Rachel Simon
Boston Girl – Anita Diamant
Acceptance: a legendary guidance counselor helps seven kids find the right colleges and find themselves – David L. Marcus
The Lady and the Unicorn – Tracy Chevalier
The Rosie Project – Graeme Simsion
So many good books and never enough time!! Our town library has a HUGE – I mean three wedding-sized tents plus all the meeting rooms in the library FULL of books for sale over a three day weekend in September. I have been known (ahem) to fill two large L.L. Bean canvas bags during these sales!
Thank you, thank you for the recommendations! Can’t wait to add some to my reading list after I finish reading a few off of my children’s reading list.