Fairly good reading week this week! I finished four books, one of which I’d been reading for quite some time. Two of these were even print books, which I don’t read much these days. Okay, so they were graphic novel/comics, but still. That totally counts, right? Here they are!
Just Shelved
I finally finished The Myth of Normal. I had to take this one slowly – there is so much in here about how trauma affects the body, now our own mental health issues are often having a larger impact on our kids than we know, how society is structured to create chronic mental and physical health issues (particularly for more vulnerable populations, like the poor, non-white and women). There’s going to be something in here that feels like it’s pointing right at your own sore spots, so it’s not really one to zoom through. I followed it up with Book Lovers, which is the Emily Henry I wanted to read when I read People We Meet on Vacation, but the wait was so long I tried People We Meet first. This was better, but still a stretch for this non-romantic reader! I’ve heard a lot about Fun Home, so finally picked it up. It had very powerful and insightful moments, and for what it is it is beautifully structured and really captures the secrets and hidden parts of both a family and of a relationship. It’s a lot, but a very good read. Book Love was pure entertainment. It’s a great set of comics about the things book lovers think, feel and experience. It made me laugh out loud and also feel completely represented. So many familiar things on these pages!
Currently Reading
I’m actually most of the way through Lenni and Margot, and it’s actually got a lot more depth than I expected. I’m now reading the audiobook of I Want to Die. I’m having mixed feelings about it so far, but we’ll see if it has a deeper impact when I’ve read more. I haven’t touched The Last Chairlift in a while, but plan to go back to it when I’ve finished the other two.
Up Next
I’m interested to see what Finlay Donovan is about, but don’t really have much of a sense of what it will be! I’ve been loving Alice Oseman’s books lately, so I think this will be my next of her books. I want to finally finish The Essex Serpent (I read the first half a few years ago with my mum, but never finished it) because there’s an adaptation coming out soon that I want to watch. I’ve never read any Zadie Smith, and I heard this one deals with the pandemic, so I thought I’d finally give her a try. Also it’s very, very short.
That’s it for my week in reading! What about you guys? What did you read this week? Have you read any of these? Which book are you most excited to read next?
A weekly post that encourages bloggers to share what they have read in the past week, what they’re currently reading and books they’ve recently added to their TBRs. Originally started by Sheila at Book Journey, it is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.
Thanks for the heads up about the Zadie Smith book. I admire her writing a lot. In the context of the pandemic and what we have learned since it’s onset, it seems like 2020 was a long time ago. I will definitely be reading her, but will also search for what she has written about it since.
Yeah, I hadn’t heard of it either until I saw it in a YouTube video a couple of weeks ago! It’s really short. I read the first little bit and so far it doesn’t have much to do with the pandemic – more just musings on life – but we’ll see where it goes!
I’ve only read Fun Home and Book Lovers. I’m not much of a romance reader, especially in print. I’m pretty sure I read People We Meet on Vacation but I’d have to look it up, because I don’t remember anything about it!
I didn’t realize Zadie Smith had a new book out, so I definitely want to read that. Book Love sounds like fun!
Yeah, I did audio of the Emily Henry books. I liked Book Lovers more than People We Meet, but honestly neither of them was like 100% my thing. Every once in a while I try a romance or romance-adjacent book to see if I can find some I like, and occasionally I don’t HATE them, but yeah. Never going to be my thing if I’m honest! I’m way too cynical. I don’t know if the Zadie Smith is new – but it’s new to me! It’s a really short book so if nothing else it should be quick!
Great looking assortment of books. I liked Book Lovers and really want to take a look at Book Love too. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
Book Love is a really sweet and fast little read. It’s not going to blow anyone’s mind, but if you’re a big reader, you’ll definitely recognize yourself in its pages!