52 Books in 2012: May & June Update

Believe it or not, since having Ezra I have been able to read more books than before. Could have something to do with the time spent sitting on the couch nursing, haha. But mostly it has something to do with the fact that I treated myself to a Nook (with Glowlight, oooo)! I can check out books from the library on it and it is ah-maz-ing! I got it in June so most of my reading for these two months was done in June. I started a lot of books in May…and just didn’t get around to finishing them until June! I read eight books total between May and June, bringing my grand total up to 19 books. I have 33 books left. With my reading spree in June, I’m not that far behind anymore which is great!

In May, I read:

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond

As part of the Keep-Amanda-Sane-During-her-6-Week-House-Arrest Plan enacted by my brother- and sister-in-law, my SIL brought this book by one day to give me something to read. It’s surprising, but you actually have a lot of down time with a newborn. This is because they sleep more than half the day away. And this means you either sleep with them or, when you’re no longer feeling like a zombie, you are productive in other ways. I choose to spend that free time reading.

Anyway, back to the book. I zipped through the first twenty chapters of this book in a couple days. But then I slowed down and basically skimmed the last few chapters. The reason I skimmed the end is because the book became very repetitive. From what I understand, Ree originally wrote these chapters as blog posts. Then, she decided to turn it into a book. Unfortunately, there is only so much you can say about how much you love someone, so a lot of the book is filler. That’s okay, though. It’s still a nice, quick read.

I hope one day Ree decides to write a memoir about the rest of her life – before Marlboro Man and after the honeymoon. I’m really curious to know where she picked up her knack for cooking. Maybe she talks about that in her cookbooks? I haven’t read any of them.

 

In June, I read:

 

Let’s Pretend this Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson

I don’t normally go for memoirs, but this book was pretty hilarious. I have read Jenny’s blog every now and then – I like her writing style – so I thought I would find the book funny. And I did. It was nice reading to start the summer out and it was also nice reading to pass the time while Ezra was napping or nursing. I definitely recommend it if you want a few good laughs.

 

Mom, Incorporated: A Guide to Business + Baby by Aliza Sherman and Danielle Smith

I think it’s pretty obvious why I read this book – my shop (which is still sitting empty as I’m trying to build an inventory… but I digress)! I really enjoyed this book for the exercises. But most of the information was stuff I’d read countless other times in other business books. It was a quick read, though, which I appreciated it since I was in a hurry to read it and get started.

I really loved the financial planning aspect of it, too. It helped you figure out how much money, realistically, your business would have to bring in to be a decent contributor to the family budget. That helps you keep a goal in mind month-to-month in terms of sales, but it also helps you figure out if your business is a legitimate idea or if it’s maybe just a hobby you’re hoping will turn into something big.

 

Momsense: A Common-Sense Guide to Confident Mothering by Jean Blackmer

I borrowed this from the library because the title caught my eye. It was a very quick read. As in I finished it in a matter of hours. It had a few exercises to think about in terms of how you approach parenting and I really appreciated those. With that said, there wasn’t a lot of deep thinking to the book – it was mostly a list of example after example of things to do. And that’s okay. I mean, it’s quick read after all. Just don’t expect anything extremely earth-shattering about it.

 

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Alex and I watch True Blood and I had been meaning to start the series of books that it’s based on. Well, the series of books is completely different than the show. The more I read into the series, the bigger the differences become. I think I like the books better because there is a lot less sex and a lot more story.

I read this book in one day. It’s a very quick read. I like the writing style, and I like Sookie better in the book than in the show. If you like True Blood, you should give the series a shot. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

 

The Swami’s Ring by Carolyn Keene

Yes, I read a Nancy Drew book, haha! I was browsing on our library’s ebooks site and couldn’t think of anything to check out so I asked my family to suggest something. My dad suggested Nancy Drew and I thought, why not? So, there you have it!

I also read this in one day – it was super quick! It was also really funny in a culturally backward kind of way. I think these books were meant to entertain young girls while also supporting culturally acceptable behavior at the time – like not speeding, obeying police officers, listening to authority figures, etc…

 

The Honorable Imposter  by Gilbert Morris

I have read this book before (…like in the 7th grade or something!) but I wanted to read it again because we vacationed to Plymouth, MA and this book is set in Plymouth at the time of the Mayflower. It’s based around the family of an actual passenger – Edward Winslow – and so I just felt like reading something set during the time period we were learning about while on vacation.

Well, now that I’m older and my tastes have changed, I’ve come to realize that Gilbert Morris is a pretty cheesy writer. That’s okay, though. I overlooked it for the sake of nostalgia and just enjoying an interesting story. I checked out the next book in the series, just for mindless reading purposes. I think this series has like 30 books or something to it so I may or may not keep going.

 

The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings

I loved this book!! I have made it a rule in our house that there will be no purchasing of new books unless the book is an absolute must-have, and this is one of those books. So far this year, the only other book that met that criteria was The Night Circus. So, this is a pretty special book.

I loved the writing style, I loved the story. It was an easy read, too. The characters were just so real. It was really great. Hemmings is a great observer of life, I think, and she has a way of just putting into words so simply and beautifully. I just can’t say enough how great this book was.

And the movie was actually just as good as the book, I think. Check both out if you get the chance.

 

So that’s what I read in May and June. For July, I’ve already knocked out two books and it’s just the first week. Clearly, I am awesome.

I should note, too, that I ended up removing one book from my list. That book is Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I picked this up with the full intention of reading it. I’ve started reading it many, many times but have yet to actually finish it. Well, it’s a little too heavy for me right now. My brain is so packed full of baby information and Ezra stuff that I can’t handle it. So it’s shelved again until my brain returns to normal functioning levels and I can process it. Oh well.

Right now, I’m currently reading quite a few books, thanks to the power of the Nook! You can keep up with what I’m currently reading by following me on Goodreads 🙂