Six Books On My Bedside Table
I am not one of those people who reads one book at a time.
I generally have at least three to ten going on at any one time.
what’s on my bedside table
Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern. What the world definitely does not need is another book hailed as “John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars meets Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park” but. . . I’ve seen so much buzz for this one and the audio was available when I looked it up that I checked it out anyway.
The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes. I really have liked most of the things written by Jojo Moyes (particularly Me Before You), and I generally like historical fiction, so I’m definitely intrigued by this story about post-WWII war brides leaving Australia for England. It came out almost ten years ago, but just got released in the US this year (the joys of having a best-seller – all your old books get a new lease on life).
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. I’m slowly working my way through the National Book Awards Longlist for Young People, and this is my third (I told you. . .slowly). It’s Jacqueline Woodson’s memoir told in verse and so far it’s lovely. I’m listening to the audio version.
Dangerous by Shannon Hale. I’ve been meaning to read this sci-fi/romance YA novel about a one-armed girl who wins a trip to astronaut camp for quite a while because I generally love Shannon Hale, and of course now I have two days before my library kindle version expires, so this one is getting my highest attention.
Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin. I’ve actually already read this one, but my mom and I spent a lot of the past week talking about it, so I’m reading it again. And it’s fantastic. Totally pre-order a copy for when it comes out in March.
The Lives of Stella Bain by Anita Shreve. I saw this one at Waterstones a few weeks ago on display and then it as on the return cart at the library so it came home with me. I like memory loss books and I like WWI books, so I’m hopeful that I’ll like this one. I started it last night during a game of Trouble with Ella when she was wrestling with Ani between every turn. Five pages in, so I have no opinions yet.
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Tell me what you’re reading right now. I’ll never get tired of reading suggestions.
If you like memory loss books, there is a twist on that with The Winter Sea. It's a bit of a romance (but only a small bit!) and I generally don't like romances, but this one had enough substance and character development that I devoured it in 3 days. I highly recommend it!
I've read Dangerous (so different from her other books, but I liked it), and I just started Brown Girl Dreaming last night. Totally jealous that you've already read Gretchen Rubin's latest book!
I just finished "Radical Homemakers" by Shannon Hayes, a book about "reclaiming domesticity from a consumerist culture" (I think that was the blurb, anyway). It was . . . radical. But I was kind of surprised by how much of it I agreed with. I guess I'm more radical than I thought.
I also just read "Still Star-Crossed" by Melinda Taub, which is a YA book about a continuation of the Montague/Capulet story from "Romeo and Juliet." I actually thought as I was reading it, "This seems like Janssen's kind of book." You know, because I know you so well and all. 🙂
I just read "The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender" for book club, and if you like magical realism, you'd probably enjoy this one. It was strange, sad, and lovely all at once. Next up for me is "Everything I Never Told You" by Celeste Ng – I've heard it's good!
Currently reading "Their Eyes Were Watching God," which I'm pretty sure I was supposed to have read in high school but I'm pretty sure I didn't because I had a bad habit of not doing assigned reading back then. Also "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," which I am not particularly enjoying, but it's a book club pick and so I feel obligated to slog through.
The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch. You'll fly through the four hour audiobook, which is excellent. It's about a professor who knows he's dying, and the stories he fits into this last lecture he was asked to present. Given that premise, it's actually quite funny at parts and rather uplifting.
I hope you are listening to the audio version of the Ship of Brides– the narrator is wonderful, she does all the accents which add so much to the book. Love that one!
GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed The Atlantic For Love. I flipped to the pictures and was tickled to find that one of the women came to baltimore and lived less than a mile from where I live now.
Reached (ally Condie). I'm struggling to finish it. It's just so boring.
The Distant Hours (Kate Morton). Very long, but intriguing so far.
I stayed up until 2 am last night reading Me Before You. I had a pretty good idea of how it was going to end, but feel fairly devastated anyway.
Three to 10 is quite a range. I'm reading three books right now: Hit by Lorie Ann Grover (this one is amazing!), The Little Stranger, and Business for Authors.
I thought Dangerous was a lot of fun, though it felt different from a lot of other work that Hale has done. I still enjoyed it. You've got me interested in The Ship of Brides! I've never read any of that author's work before.
I'm with you about reading multiple books at a time! Right now, I'm in the middle of six, as well. I always like a mix of fiction and non-fiction. Of all the books I'm reading, the one I'm enjoying the most (which I've got on audio) and am almost done with is 'Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President' by Candice Millard. It's about the assassination of James A. Garfield — a president I knew next to nothing about until this book (and now that I know about him, it's truly a shame that he is pretty much a forgotten president). It's completely fascinating and SO well written. I sent a copy to my brother (and fellow history nerd) a few months ago while he was serving in Afghanistan and he loved it, too.
Why aren't any Jodi Picoult books on the list?!?
Yay! New list from you means new list for me =)
I loved Stella Bain but found it hard to get into at first. Have you ever read The Way of the Peaceful Warrior? I haven't read it in years now but I remember finding it incredibly thought-provoking.
Yay! I'm now on the library reserve list for Dangerous & Ship of Brides.
My two favorite books which I always reread around this time of year (staying inside coldtimes) are To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis and If You Follow Me by Malena Watrous.
I just finished Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty. It's a memoir of her life in the funeral service industry. Soooo good!
I've loved all the Jojo Moyes books except Ship of Brides. In fact it ended up in my DNF pile. I hope you have better luck
I hope you love Dangerous! I did. It's like a trilogy all rolled into one. (No waiting. So nice!)
How do avoid mixing up all the storylines you're reading at the same time? I usually only read one book at a time, with the exception of simultaneously reading a graphic novel or book of poems along with the novel I'm working on.