Given that I’ve been away from the blog for a while I haven’t had a chance to tell you about what I’ve been reading so I wanted to have a bit of a catch up. The first part of the year was really a struggle and I didn’t get a lot of reading done. Normally reading is my constant in times of stress but I was so drained from everything that was happening that I would pick up a book and fall asleep. Luckily my reading mojo returned around April.
I’ve been reading poetry, mystery, fiction and even some nonfiction. For today’s post though I just want to share about three books that really wowed me.
First up is What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer. I love poetry but it tend to prefer styles that are accessible and poems that focus heavily on nature or on themes that speak to me. This book centers on what it means to be a wife, mother and lover. The poems are raw but I felt there was real honesty there. Loved this collection and will definitely look for more by Kate Baer.
Then we have Atomic Habits by James Clear. I think I’m the last person to hear and read about this book but it was so interesting. I especially liked the ideas revolving around building good habits versus breaking bad habits. I’ve always been a list-maker so I’ve taken some good info from this book and have been putting it to use both in personal and work life.
Finally my other favorite was A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark. Mrs. Hawkins tells the story of her time living in London and working in the publishing industry shortly after WWII. Her life will never be the same after she tells a writer who is trying to win her favor to get in the publishing industry that he is terrible, more specifically she calls him a “pisseur de copie“. Of course that sets off a whole chain of events but Mrs. Hawkins won’t back down.
Let me know if you’ve read any of these books or if it’s a title you’ve been thinking about.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I plan to stay indoors as much as possible, drinking cold drinks and hopefully catching up on some good reads.
Thanks for catching us up on your reading. Hope things have slowed down a bit and that you will be back to more reading and blogging soon.
I still need to read Atomic Habits. I wanted to when it first came out, but there was always like 100 holds on it at the library, and then I kind of forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder. And I’m glad your reading mojo has come back. Hope you have a great week! 🙂
Iliana, I have been on a blogging break and have been reading posts now and then but commenting not at all. Glad to see your reading is going better. Mine has improved as well, happily. I’ve been thinking of you and your Mom. And I’ll be back around more often in upcoming days. 🙂
I loved Kate Baer’s What Kind of Women and plan to read her newer collection, I Hope This Finds You Well, soon. Glad to hear your reading is on the upswing again.
I’m glad you are back to reading, Iliana! And I hope your weather isn’t too miserably hot this week. Take good care!
I’ve always wanted to read Muriel Spark. I hope you are enjoying it. Someday I will read her! Glad you’re posting again!