ToT: Reading List

Ok, so it's Together on Tuesday, on Wednesday. 

When I was a kid, I read ALL. THE. TIME. I was a big reading nerd. I learned how to read when I was 3 or something--my mom says I was mad that everyone else could read and I couldn't. Plus, I wanted to read constantly, and sometimes mamas have to do something else. I would check mountains of books out of the library. We went to bed early every Monday night (my parents' stay-home date night)--as long as we were in our room, we were OK. So, every Monday, there I was with a stack of books and I would read until my eyes wouldn't stay open.

Looking back, I realized I read a lot of books about spunky young ladies who were in less-than-deal family situations, often orphaned in some way, who found a way to thrive with some help from someone who loved them. Think Anne of Green Gables, A Little Princess, Pippi Longstocking, Polyanna, that sort of thing. I guess it starts early.Thanks, Mom.



By the time I got to high school, I was so busy, I was lucky to get all my reading for school done. College and grad school were even busier--there was essentially no reading for pleasure for that decade of my life. During Americorps we got hooked on Harry Potter, so that took awhile, and then more grad school. And then came Book Club, which is really more of a food club with a touch of books. The reader was back!

I don't read like I used to. These days, I'm lucky if I read more than a page at a time. Truly. But I have a stack of library books just like when I was a kid. I'm usually juggling 7 or so books at a time . . . my nightstand is packed, plus I share it with the hubs. I'll spare you the infinite list and just name a few things I'm reading these days . . .

Happier at Home, by Gretchen Rubin: I am a sucker for this genre, which the NY Times called self-help memoir. Gretchen is on a mission to build a happier home (What a coincidence! Me too!), so she does some research, makes some plans, and writes about how things turn out. I think this book reads a little better than the original Happiness Project, and I look forward to reading my page a day. One day I will finish this one! (My book club is reading Happiness Project now.)

Madness: A Bipolar Life, by Marya Hornbacher: I'm listening to this one on audio as I drive around visiting my clients. I am constantly juggling various books about autism, mental illness, developmental disabilities, behavior theory, all kinds of stuff. I try to alternate between clinical, scientific books and real-life stories and experiences. This memoir is captivating, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. The writing is beautiful. Her experience is pretty extreme and covers bipolar, addiction, eating disorder, and all kinds of ensuing difficulties.. There is so much value in hearing someone's story firsthand, especially a story I've never experienced myself, but something just seems a bit off with this one . . . fascinating, but off. Perhaps it's the book you get when someone with an active mental illness writes a book. It's hard to imagine one person can have this spectrum of challenges . . . but then again, the individuals I work with have lists of diagnoses and challenges that could make your head spin, and many of them aren't able to verbalize their inner life the way Marya is. That's what I value about this kind of memoir--just because you've studied bipolar or worked with someone who has bipolar doesn't mean you know bipolar. Listening has been an emotional experience as well as an educational one . . . I find myself taking mental health breaks from the book, just like I do from work. I'm glad I'm listening, though--the actress reading the book is right on.

Help, Thanks, Wow; The Three Essential Prayers, by Anne Lamott: Is there a theme here? I am reading lots of women's stories about their own journeys through ___________________. Oh, well. I love Anne Lamott. She is unashamedly herself, and she just says it, whatever it is, better than I thought it. She doesn't worry about the rules of what is supposed to be . .. or if she is worried about said rules, she tells you every neurotic step along the way. I haven't actually started this one yet, and I am so hoping the library doesn't call it back before I am ready!


HUG, by Jez Alborough: Bobo is very popular at our house. Another book, Tall, is also getting a lot of play. But we are not interested in the third book, Yes, where Bobo apparently spends a lot of time telling his mommy "No." That book can just stay away. Hug was the first book I really noticed James understood the arc of the story and the emotional climax . . . he kept reading the part over and over where Bobo's mommy comes and gives him the longed-for hug. And I melted. And I bought it for him for Christmas :)

Other popular books around here . . . Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? and the companion Baby Bear book . . . much to my delight, Corduroy is growing in popularity (another childhood book in the theme I described above), and whatever the current library pick is. There is an absurd shelf full of baby-care books in my room, but those have been untouched for awhile . . .along with some Parents and Travel and Leisure magazines I haven't touched yet. Of course, I read all of the Together on Tuesday blogs, and I max out my allotted free NY Times articles every month. (Why don't I just pay for the subscription?) I read lots of different blogs at Sojourners. And I read cookbooks like crazy. My mom and I do this together, we just get a stack of cookbooks and read through them. Ben thinks it's hilarious, but he's not laughing when he gets a yummy dinner out of it.

Basically, I read just about anything I can get my hands on if possible, and I am so glad I've found some time to read again.

What about you? What are YOU reading? Recommendations, please!

Happy Reading!