I am reading more books. Oh, let me clarify; I am actually reading the books I have been purchasing. The phrase “read more books” has been on my to-do list for quite some time. However like most adults, I have gotten so busy with errands, reading for work and trying to “live my best life”. So all of those books I purchased were left sitting on my shelf and only given a quick glance for dusting. During that time, I would read a couple of books a year but now I am motivated to try and read a couple of books each month.
Every other month or so I create a list to keep track of the books I plan to read. It’s a surprisingly simple method to maintain my new reading habit. I use Goodreads to create these lists and record my progress. I had originally planned to create a monthly checklist that I would start & finish by the end of each month but I wanted to make a flexible reading plan that would fit my schedule. This reading list has mostly fiction novels but I also like reading biographies and stories of non-fiction, which is included below. Some of the books are expected to have heavy themes with substantial statements to consider while others are just fun stories that will help lighten the mood.
Current Reading List
Wura’s Woodin Adventures and Lara’s Lace Adventures by Sharon Abimbola Salu. These are the second and third books in a series of novellas called the Aso Ebi Chronicles. The series does not have to be read in order as each of the stories is about a different set of characters. The link between the stories is that each of the main characters in the book has been invited to a wedding and need to purchase an aso-ebi (1) for the event. I have recently read books 1 and 4 . The novellas are an easy read that you can start & finish during a flight or while sitting for an hour in a coffee shop.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. From what I can gather, this is a story about two families in a quiet Cleveland suburb and their clash of morals over an adoption. This is one of the book titles that was mentioned often this past summer. It was awarded a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fiction 2017 and Hulu plans to create a mini series based on the book.
Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Brunder. In this non-fiction book, the author tells the stories of “transient older adults” who live life on the road and work seasonal jobs to make ends meet. It was a finalist for the 2018’s Helen Bernstein Book Award and J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize.
China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan. This is the second book in the Crazy Rich Asians series. I had read the first book, Crazy Rich Asians –which by the way, is different from the movie. The second book continues this dramatic family saga and I am interested to see where the author will take these characters.
A Kind of Freedom by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton. This is a fiction novel that tells story of a family and the impact of racial disparity across the generations. It was chosen for the 2017 National Book Award Longlist in Fiction.
(1) An aso ebi, or “family cloth”, is the clothing worn by a group of people at a particular event, usually weddings and major celebrations. It’s kind of similar to a group of friends in the US deciding that they will all wear a color scheme, like pink & green, to a party in support of the host.