How I Read More in 2016

As I mentioned in my favorite books of 2016 post, I read more this year than I probably have in any other given year of my adult life.  There were a few lessons I learned this year that contributed to this bump in reading.  I thought they might be worth sharing…

Keep a list of books to read…

This year, in the back of my planner I used one of those precious few pages for notes to keep a list of books that I want to read.  Anytime I heard someone mention a book that sounded interesting, or I stumbled across a “best books” list I’d add to the list.  And when I finished something from the list I crossed it off.  Previously I’d had random notes on my phone or in my email with books that I might want to read, but I’ve never had them in one concise place.  My planner goes with my pretty much everywhere so whenever I was at a bookstore or the library I always knew what I might be looking for.

Keep a list of books that I did read…

Next to my list of books to read I also kept track of what I’d finished.  There was something so satisfying about seeing that list grow and I think it kept me reading.  In 2017 I want to include the dates of when I finished the book because I think that would be interesting to track.

Utilize the library and its book reserve system…

I started using the library more this year.  I think because I had that ever growing list of books to read at my fingertips, each trip to the library for kids books also included a trip upstairs to get some books for me.  And for the first time ever I found myself putting books on hold that were currently unavailable (rather than just trying again another time).  This meant I was constantly getting emails about books that were waiting for me.  And in a lot of ways it motivated me to read them more quickly, partly because a book with holds on it can’t be renewed, and partly because I knew that there were other people waiting and I felt bad taking my sweet time.  As a result I would fly through books.  There were times I had to let go of books I was dying to read because all the books I’d put on hold came up at once, but they’re still on my “To Read” list so I’ll get back to them eventually.

Audiobooks for the win…

I’ve always been a fan of audiobooks but have fallen out of it in recent years because they’re expensive to buy and a pain to try and take out from the library.  This year only 7 or 8 of my read titles were audiobooks, but interestingly, I found that audiobooks are really great for titles that I may have a hard time getting into, but ultimately really enjoyed reading.  If I could listen while I washed dishes or worked out, I was less likely to put the book down and before I knew it I was into it.  This was how I managed to read the 800 pages of “A Little Life” and how I discovered that I loved the Robert Galbraith series.

And finally, reading begets reading…

That old adage we throw around when our kids are babies, sleep begets sleep, also applies to reading, I’ve found.  When I’m in the practice of reading books I read more.  I realized this about a month ago when I wasn’t reading.  I’d run out of books coming through from my hold list, there wasn’t anything screaming to be read on my “To Read” list and I realized it had been a week or two since I’d picked up a book.  I was in a reading rut.  On a library run for my kids I took a tour of the new fiction section and grabbed three books that I’d heard nothing about but based on my knowledge of the authors, or, frankly, the covers, I figured I might like.  These were easy books, the reality t.v. of literature, but they were quick reads and entertaining stories and within a week or so they had helped break my rut and I was moving on to other literary endeavors.  The more you read, the more you read.

So those are my tips.  Or at least what helped me be a better reader in 2016.  I’ve got my lists going for 2017 and a goal to read 50 books this year.  I’m also going to try and finally figure out my library’s digital selection and try to check out books directly to my kindle or phone.  I don’t always love reading on the kindle, but for certain books it works, and if I can figure out the library audiobook app that could be pretty awesome.

Happy Reading in 2017!

My Best Books of 2016

I read forty-five books this year, which is probably the most I’ve read in a given year since I was ten and tearing through a Baby-Sitters Club book every other day.  I thought I’d share my favorites from the list.

The Best Books I read in 2016:

The Colors of Goodbye by September Vaudrey

I read this book on my i-phone in about 36 hours.  I am not exaggerating when I said I couldn’t put it down.  Vaudrey shares her family’s story of the unexpected death of her nineteen year old daughter Katie and the traumatic aftermath.  It is beautiful, hopeful, honest, raw, vulnerable and everything else you would hope a book about grief would be.  It is the book I now give to people in the midst of painful grief and it is one I will probably return to again.  

Columbine by Dave Cullen

There was so much I didn’t realize that I didn’t know about the Columbine shootings and Cullen’s detailed and researched account sheds so much light on what happened and how it was reported at the time.  It is incredible well written and eye-opening and I learned so much, particularly about the media and the ways stories can take on a life of their own, regardless of the truth.  It also gave me a tremendous amount of compassion for the families of the shooters.

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

I wasn’t prepared to be so struck by this book, but man did it land with me.  This is one that may become an annual read for me; the encouragement and motivation it gave me was so great.  It’s about the year Rhimes decides to say yes to everything that scares her.  The writing is delightful and entertaining, but the story is riveting.  I was a big fan.

A Little Life by Tanya Yanagihara

Content wise this was the most difficult book I’ve ever read.  This book reveals the very ugliest of humanity.  But I haven’t been that invested in a group of characters in a long time.  I found myself thinking about them when I wasn’t reading, wondering if they were ok.  It is a book that is made for discussion, so I was thankful to find a book group meeting about it at my local book store.  It is a book I recommend with hesitation, not because it’s a bad book, but because its content is not for everyone.   But man, is it a beautifully written story.

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

This should be required reading for the 21st century.  Stevenson writes about his work for the Equal Justice Initiative which is concerned about inequality and injustice in the criminal justice system particularly against the poor and minorities.  The book goes back and forth between a particularly moving case Stevenson worked on in his career and other cases/issues he continues to work on today.  It is an eye-opening and powerful read and I just found out it’s going to be a movie (starring my favorite, Michael B Jordan!).  More of us need to be talking about what’s really going on in our prison systems and how we can change it.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

This is not my typical read, science fiction/thriller, but it had been recommended by more than one person as just that, a science fiction/thriller for people who don’t usually read them.  It was kind of mind trippy and I couldn’t think to much about the science behind some of it or I’d get way too confused, but it was an incredibly interesting story that left me thinking about the choices we make and the lives that those choices lead to.  It was really good.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by Jack Thorne and JK Rowling

This is a play that went up in West London sometime in the last year, I think.  It’s set where the very end of the last Harry Potter book leaves off, with Harry and his crew grown adults who have children attending Hogwarts.  It was a little weird reading a play and I couldn’t wrap my brain around how they did this live with the magic and what not, but all in all it felt like a few hours with some old friends and that was lovely.

Honorable Mentions:  Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton, Very Married by Katherine Willis Pershey, The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander, The Girls by Emma Cline and Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Three authors I got into this year.

I discovered a few new authors this year and went deep into the rabbit hole of their books and/or series, all of which were so good, it felt redundant to add them to my best of list.  I found Rainbow Rowell and read five of her books this year (Fan Girl, Carry On, Eleanor and Park, Attachments and Landline).  I started and finished the Robert Galbraith (which is actually just J.K. Rowling writing under a pen name) Cormoran Strike series which was excellent.  (Those three books are A Cuckoo’s Calling, The Silkworm and Career of Evil)  And while I discovered Liane Moriarty last year, my deep dive of her stuff continued into 2016.  I’ve read everything she’s written and thoroughly enjoyed all of it, but my favorites would probably include The Hypnotist’s Love Story, Big Little Lies and What Alice Forgot.

I read a lot of really great stuff this year and so while this list may just be my very favorite, there were a bunch of others that I would enthusiastically recommend as well.  In fact, of my list of 45 books there were maybe only two or three that I didn’t like.  I just finished my first book of 2017, Hatching Twitter by Nick Bolton, a super fascinating look at the birth and growth of Twitter.

What are you reading??

Happy New Year

A terribly cute/terrible toddler with some current sleep issues kept Tommy and I from ringing in the New Year together this year.  He took the big three kids to the Farm while I stayed home with the youngest.  My NYE consisted of sushi with my mom, and binge watching New Girl alone in bed, all of which had me asleep well before midnight.  NYE looks a little different these days and that is fine by me.

As a result, however, nothing about the last few days felt like any sort of “holiday” and I kind of forgot that there was any real significance to the day, other than the fact that I got to bust out my brand new Paper Source Art Grid calendar.  Instagram reminded me quickly though and I watched as many people posted their joy that the dumpster fire of a year that was 2016 was finally put to bed.

2016 was a crazy making year and unfortunately much of what made me crazy will be coming with us into the new year.  For me, when I look at our country and our world, the things that produced anxiety and hopelessness in me this past year are still very much in play.  And I don’t really know what to do with that as I look ahead to 2017.  The scary things feel too much outside of my control and out of my ability to produce any kind of change.

I really haven’t written much since the election.  I haven’t known how to start or finish anything.  When I write I’m looking for grace and hope and redemption and, well, that’s been harder for me to find.

But it’s a new year and I want to get back to old practices. I want to look at life a bit more like a camera lens this year.  My resolve in 2017 is to zoom that lens in and out this year.  I want to remember to zoom out, to look at the big picture and to care about what’s going on in the whole world.  For me this will look like paying attention, getting involved in whatever is resisting bigotry and hatred and injustice, and using whatever cards I have to speak up when necessary.  I’m going to read and listen and learn.  I’m going to be extra aware of what’s going on when I zoom that lens out and see the big picture.

But, that big picture can be overwhelming at times and I can seem powerless.  There is a lot I can’t fix or do.  And so I’m going to remember to zoom that lens in real close too and pay attention to my people, my kids and my husband, my family and the friends that have become family.  I’m going to focus the lens on them and their needs and how I can be of service.  I will make my world very small and settle into it, because this is where I can do the most good, this is where my actions produce the strongest ripples.

There will be a time for zooming the lens out and pulling it back in close and I need to do both.  My job this year is to pay attention and respond accordingly.  I can’t forget that there is a greater world out there that is hurting, that there are real injustices and abuses of power that need attention and resistance.  And I must remember that first and foremost I am called to the people in my home and in my community.  That making dinner, or reading stories or listening with full, undivided attention to my four-year-old as she rambles on about a weird dream she had last night about a unicorn, wonder woman and her best friend is often my most important ministry for the moment.

So this year I’m attempting to zoom in and out with my lens, to remember both views and forget neither.  

Happy 2017, friends.