(via @dailydidion on Instagram)
I read a lot. On the weekends, I still get up as early as I do during the week (around 5:30 AM) and sit for hours with my coffee and a book. Well, my kindle, more likely. I read a variety of genres, I think, but my heart belongs to historical fiction, memoirs, and fantasy series. And since I read so much, I use my library to check books out on my kindle as often as possible, but my library’s selection leaves a lot to be desired.
And recently, I’ve been buying physical books again, because I like to make notes; for non-fiction, and books I’m trying to “learn” things from, I feel like I retain more, internalize more, when I sit with my pen and a real book. But this concerns me, because as you may or may not know, I had a bookshelf FULL of books just last year and got rid of ALL of them, save the ones that had very special meaning to me, and I don’t necessarily want to “collect” physical books again. But the moment I set foot in a bookstore, I feel a jolt of adrenaline and joy to be surrounded by so many books. Books I can bring home with me, and call my own. Books I can make my mark in.
Which leads me to my new project: Daily Didion. I started this on 1/1 and intend to post at least one Joan Didion quote a day via the @dailydidion instagram account. I’ve been basically inhaling everything Didion I can get my hands on lately, and as I read, have to stop and think about a line or a word, series of words, before I continue reading. Her prose, writing style, is so compelling, I had to do something with it.
These words, specifically, (above) hit me over the head when I read them. Finally, I think I understand why I DON’T like having so much stuff around, things that remind me of mistakes, moments I missed. Those things, little mementos, are supposed to transport us back to the moment they represent, but do they? Many of the things I was holding on to were making me feel guilty, and sad.
Anyway, @dailydidion is just my way of keeping a notebook, as it were (another nod to Joan) and bringing to life, sharing, words that demand my attention. I hope you’ll join me there if you’re so inclined.
On to some other books I’ve read recently (below). Just this weekend I read The Nightingale, and it was wonderful, a page-turner, and a beautiful story, but I don’t think I can handle another WWII book for a while. Before that, I read H is for Hawk which was stunning to me; I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s a very real look at grief (something else I need to stop reading so much about…) and how the author dealt with it, among other things. I can’t say more about it other than just to urge you to read it.
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I read Mindy Kaling because I wanted to try, but it was not for me. Tell the Wolves I’m Home also dealt with grief and sisters; it was very very good, I thought about it for a long time after finishing it. Life after Life was very good also, and a very interesting premise, definitely worth a read, but I found when I started reading the next book in the series, I was over it.
What have you read lately? Any recommendations?
I also got rid of a bunch of books at the end of the year. They were outdated html reference books, business class books that were surely outdated. I didn’t even go the Goodwill route, I simply hit the recycle bin.
I like historical fiction as well, but my main focus has been on dystopian, fantasy or angles .. lol. Finally stopped reading vampire novels – oye.
Monica.
Gretchen– I’m putting H is for Hawk on my list right now! Last week I read Kitchens of the Great Midwest and really enjoyed it and last night I finished Where Did you Go Bernadette? Both grabbed me right away, were interesting and well written. I highly recommend them. I tend to stay away from “dark” books but my friend with similar tastes recommended A Little Life so I may try that. Thanks for the thought-provoking post about Joan Didion. Beth
Oh, The Nightingale. That book broke my heart. I’m such a sucker for WWII books, but agree that sometimes you need a break from the heartache.
I’m reading The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick right now. I was motivated by the upcoming Netflix series based on the book, but it’s totally not my thing.
Other books I’ve read recently and really liked are The Martian (lives up to the hype, and much better than the movie, even though it was a good adaptation), After You (good sequel to the wonderful Me Before You), and Trail of Broken Wings.
I don’t really believe in New Year’s resolutions at this point in my life, but I do want to read more this year and spend less time zoning out playing stupid games on my phone 🙂
Before you put aside all WWII books, have you read All The Light We Cannot See? It’s fantastic. I started Elena Ferrante’s Neopolitan quadilogy (is that a word?) My Brillant Friend, and etc. Quite the saga but very worthwhile. I’m not one for many resolutions either, but more reading (whether actual books or e-) and less time wasting on my iPad is at the top.
i read it! that’s one of the reasons i think i’m ready to make that proclamation 🙂 i loved that book and told everyone i possibly could to read it.
i’ve been wanting to read ferrante’s books – i keep hearing the NPR book critic talk about how wonderful they are. they’re not at my library though, so i guess i’ve been waiting for the first one to pop up on amazon’s daily deal or something!! i may take the plunge anyway though, thanks so much for the recommendation!
i don’t think philip k dick is for me – i like science fiction/fantasy, but from what i know of his stuff it’s WAY out there, like weird LOL…i do want to watch the show though.
loved the martian SO MUCH!!! i read it a long time ago before they started even working on the movie. that was one book i literally could not put down. i did NOT want to stop reading it. i felt that way about the nightingale also, actually, i needed to keep moving through it – which is how i read it in two days!
okay, i wanted to read after you also, but wasn’t sure, so now you’ve convinced me! i loved me before you.
i have actually been spending a lot less time on my phone (my weakness is candy crush soda right now), which is weird, because i didn’t plan it that way, it just happened. i sort of forget about the games since i’m doing other things. which is good…that said, i totally believe in completely zoning out. i need to do it everyday, and not just by reading – enter netflix & chill 😉
oh, i really enjoyed where’d you go bernadette! it was such an interesting look at how different people see things completely differently. at least that was a big part of what i took away from it. it was also very entertaining!
i’ll check out your other recommendations too, thank you! and i do hope you enjoy h is for hawk. i honestly didn’t know anything about it when i started reading it, i heard it mentioned as a best book of the year in one of NPR’s year-end round-ups and remembered that it was available no wait at the library, so i decided to try it. i was blown away by it. i think i’d like to read it again sometime. just to see what else I can get out of it…
As far as fantasy series go–The Rook was really fun, and the sequel should be out this year.
I’m currently reading Time After Time (written 1970). I’m a little put off by the (true-to the-era) casual sexism, and I’ve just started, but it does seem like it’s going to be really good.
oh!! thanks joanna, the rook series looks great! i’d never heard of it before…
i’ll put it in the queue for after i finish the mistborn saga. i’m slugging though the second one right now, as i read other things in between!
I recommend The Night Circus. I love that book.
I checked out Slouching Towards Bethlehem on your recommendation but I confess I haven’t read it yet.
I just started Man at the Helm (I can’t remember where I got that recommendation).
I got rid of a lot of my books after we were flooded in 2010. I have a Kindle and make frequent use of the library for both Kindle and physical books.
If you like historical novels I can highly recommend masters of Rome. It is a HUGE series and it took me long to read it but it’s so well written and fascinating to read! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_Rome
Hi
Happy New Year! I just read two Jojo Moyes that I loved. (following the Nightingale myself)
Me Before You is one book and After You is another. Beneficial to read in that order.
The Girl You Left Behind- another Jojo Moyes. It is also good but very similar to Nightingale with Germans taking over a French hotel during the war. Boy did I ever feel like I had too much stuff and and want to donate half after reading those poor womens stories. I say from the comfort of my squishy bed on my fancy iPad. I am a lucky lady indeed.
Wishing all of you a wonderful 2016.
e
I haven’t been doing as much reading as usual, not sure why. I’m semi-addicted to my iPad, so that could have something to do with it. I guess that counts as reading, but not BOOKS! So, I’ve got somewhere to start, based on your suggestions.
Grief is something on my mind because my beloved niece, Sarah who died of leukemia at age 16, would have turned 21 yesterday. The pain was as fresh as ever. But sometimes it helps me to read about it because I realize I’m not alone. We all suffer loss. Thank you, Grechen.
It’s definitely way out there. But, you live and you learn! And trust me, there’s plenty of Netflix and chill going on here too 😉
happy new year!!
yes. after reading the nightingale and similar books, i never fail to feel like i have too much. of course i do have too much, not only in comparison with the women who had to survive WWII, but even too much for me. but that’s always a work in progress. at least i’m hyper-aware of my over-abundance of stuff and am always trying to do something about it.
we are so lucky. sooooo incredibly lucky. i am trying to do better to remember that every day, not just when i read about people who aren’t so lucky.
oh! thank you so much for the endorsement 🙂 i’d heard mention of those before. and how did i not know they were by colleen McCullough?? i LOVED thorn birds so much, sooo much. i know i’ll love the rome books too!! putting them on my list now 🙂
have you read blue nights? (joan didion) – that was a wonderful look at grief as well. not that i’ve suffered much, or at all really, but i guess i’m trying to prepare myself? i don’t think anything helps, maybe just putting words to feelings? or at least knowing it is something we all have to bear? h is for hawk is also wonderful, as i mentioned, in a more roundabout way than blue nights, or even the year of magical thinking…
I traveled to Naples for the first time this year, and I thought about reading Elena Ferrante’s books beforehand because I really like to read fiction as well as travel memoirs about places I travel, but they seemed like they might be too melodramatic… I haven’t heard any NPR reviews. I’ll definitely try them now. I’ve read a bunch of non-fiction this year– decorating books, Garance Dore’s book, mixed with fairly terrible murder mystery novellas written for the Kindle market. I don’t know why I keep reading them!