I always tell myself I’m going to keep track of the books I read, and then that peters out as the year goes on. This year I’m going to divide it up into chunks so I remember to keep track. Though I’m trying to read a book a week, I’m more focused on spending the necessary time on each book to really enjoy and absorb it, instead of speeding through just to say I finished it.
Here are the books of January:
1. Daring Greatly – Brené Brown. This nonfiction book is about Brown’s research into vulnerability and shame, and the gains we make when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. I highly recommend this book to everyone. If you’re curious to hear more about the topic before you commit to the book, here is Brown’s Ted talk.
2. Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn. This book is broken into three parts, and I really enjoyed the uncertainty and mystery as the chapters switch between two different people’s perspectives, one in the present day and one in the past through journal entries, and you’re not really sure who to believe. The second part is when things start to get clearer (and more messed up), though the third part/ending left me a bit unsatisfied. I would still recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries, or would like to know a bit more about the story before the movie version (with a different ending) is released.
3. W is for Wasted – Sue Grafton. I didn’t even realize Grafton had published the next letter of the alphabet mystery series until I saw the book sitting on a self at the library. I’ve always been a fan of the main protagonist Kinsey Millhone for her smarts, independence, and willingness to bend rules. Grafton doesn’t disappoint in this installment, when the story gets a little more personal for Millhone.
4. The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera. Kundera has always been one of those writers that intimidated me, and I’d never read anything by him before. I really enjoyed this book, though it took me longer to get through than most books. The first page or so was a bit philosophical, but after that the book mainly focuses on the story of a couple in Prague during the unfolding of Communism. I will give Kundera his deserved admiration for really making me think about parts of the story, and I found myself dog earring certain pages to go back to and re-read.
A Collection of the Ordinary 