July/August/September: What I Read

I’ve been having so much fun sharing my recent reads that I’m continuing the series. Not surprisingly, my reading has slowed down a little bit since we got Tommy. I’ve also worked my way through several long (10+ hour) audiobooks, which has lowered my total. But I’m still reading and am excited to share my reads from the past few months with you today.

Over the past three months, I’ve listened to:

Data: A Love Story: How I Gamed Online Dating to Meet My Match by Amy Webb. Amy Webb is a crazy Type A nerd. I don’t think she’s a fraction as smart or as interesting as she thinks she is. Webb’s expectations for a perfect mate are laughably unrealistic. Her pursuit to find this perfect mate isn’t very compelling. If you’re interested in online dating and the modern dating world in general, Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari is ten times better.

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen. I waited over half a year for this 18-hour audiobook from the library. I really wish I didn’t get it three days before Tommy was born. I pushed through it, though. I’m sure it’s not shocking that Bruce Springsteen is a decent writer. This remark may be incredibly obvious, but a lot of the book is very lyrical. It’s a long listen but worth it.

Open by Andre Agassi. Open is…humbling to say the least. If you know anything about Agassi’s story, I’m sure you can imagine that large chunks of Open are pretty tough to process. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d make it past the first few chapters, but I’m glad that I did.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is so different from anything I normally read, which is a good thing. It was a great change of pace after reading two 18-hour autobiographies. I’m not burning to read a ton of Neil Gaiman, but I can definitely see his appeal. I’m sure I’ll read at least a couple more of his books at some point.

Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun, and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes. The premise of Year of Yes is okay. There are a lot of universal elements which are relatable to anyone. But Rhimes is quite self-indulgent and doesn’t offer her readers much substance, which just doesn’t really fit with the theme of the book.

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher. Raw. Honest. Funny. Carrie Fisher presents a candid, hilarious, touching perspective on the early Star Wars slice of her life. She strikes the perfect balance that you’re looking for in a celebrity memoir with just the right mix of personal background, behind the scenes peek into show business, and priceless famous people stories.

Grace, Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicty, Celebrating Joy by Emily Ley. Ley should include a disclaimer that she’s writing Grace, Not Perfection for new, Christian moms. The book is really not applicable to any other audience. For this audience, it’s a great resource. My biggest gripe with Grace, Not Perfection is that she mentions her planners about 10 too many times. The book just reads too much like an ad for the planner line. You can take her tips for achieving grace over perfection without purchasing her one of her planners.

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks. I read Musicophilia after reading Waking the Spirit, in which the author mentions it several times. The subject matter is fascinating. I learned a lot and enjoyed so many of the case studies. Musicophilia is medicine and psychology heavy. Even listening to the book, it took me a few times checking it out to get through the whole book.

Over the past three months, I’ve read:

Reached by Ally Condie. If you’ve been reading my book posts this year, you know that I’ve been working my way through Ally Condie’s Matched triology since the spring. I really enjoyed all three books. I still haven’t read the Divergent series (and probably won’t in the near future since I just finished this series), so I can’t compare it to that series. It’s not quite as good as The Hunger Games but is definitely worth a read. The premise is more like The Giver than The Hunger Games, which I like.

What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum. What to Say Next is one of my favorite books of 2017. I absolutely loved Buxbaum’s Tell Me Three Things and didn’t anticipate liking What to Say Next more, but I did. Her writing style is fabulous with well-drawn, interesting characters and a plot that keeps you turning pages right until the end. I don’t understand why books like What to Say Next get labeled as YA just because they have high school aged main characters. It’s a much better book than so many best selling fiction books.

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