Luggage and Literature

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. - St. Augustine

March 2017 Reading List

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Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. And this year I’m participating in the 2017 Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenges, so I’m also going to be listing which category my books fulfill. If you want to join in on the fun, you can check out the list of categories here! This is my March 2017 Reading List, my brief reviews and book recommendations for March 2017. Hopefully I’ll provide you with some inspiration for your future reading as well!

Books Finished:

A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz

I’ve been working on this one for a while now, and almost gave up in the middle when it felt a little slower. I’m glad that I didn’t because the story really is incredible, and very moving. The ending is especially poignant. The book is a memoir set during the author’s life growing up in Israel. It was a fascinating look at the changing Middle East and world from the perspective of a boy in Israel living through it.

The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life by Ann Voskamp

I’m a really big fan of Ann Voskamp, and own all of her books. They are beautiful to look at, and are simply beautiful to read. I took this one slowly and enjoyed the language that she used which made the words come alive in my mind. I recommend her other books as well, One Thousand Gifts and The Greatest Gift, in case you decide to read this one and like it as much as I did.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

2017 MMD Reading for Fun Challenge: a book you were excited to buy or borrow but haven’t read yet

I’ve seen the movie The Hobbit, as well as all of the Lord of the Rings movies. But I’d previously never read any of Tolkien’s books…shocking, I know. I’ve meant to get into them as the fantasy, odyssey elements make them right up my alley. But they just ended up at the bottom of the ‘to read’ stack largely because of the length of the books and the undertaking seeming overwhelming. What convinced me to get started was an Audible sale where I got The Hobbit for free! Can you believe it?! I really enjoyed the narration (kudos to Rob Inglis!), and will probably try to get through the Lord of the Rings books on Audible, since Inglis narrates the rest of the series.

The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan

The premise of this book is that if you want to do something really well, you need to approach it with singular focus. Multitasking is simply a fallacy that causes us to do many things poorly. It was a good reminder to stop dividing my attention, even though it is easy to do in this age.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

2017 MMD Reading for Growth Challenge: a book in translation 

To tell the truth, I didn’t really care for this book. It was my book club’s March book, so I gave it a shot. And others in the book club really did like it. There were moments when I thought that the book might pull me in and make me like it. But it just didn’t really click for me. There were some grammatical issues that I wonder if are due to the book being translated from Swedish. But the bigger issue that I had was that the story felt incredibly predictable, while the main character’s actions seemed inconsistent. The back story of Ove sets him up as a strong, silent type of man who has strong morals and is very handy. But his present day (and some historical) actions are simply curmudgeonly, without rational explanation for them, I guess other than it sets up some slightly humorous situations. In visiting with my husband about the book, he thought it sounded like the plot to As Good As It Gets, which didn’t strike me as a particularly good movie. So I’m content to say that perhaps it was just that the book (and the movie As Good As It Gets) simply aren’t for me. I’m just not the right audience.

Sand: Omnibus Edition by Hugh Howey

I was interested in reading this book, because it appeared to combine my love of scuba diving with my love of dystopian fiction. And it did…with a twist. The divers weren’t diving in water, in fact water was scarce. The divers were diving through sand. It was clear that the author has at least a basic understanding of diving equipment, but of course twisted things such that the equipment was used for diving through sand. I thoroughly enjoyed the dystopian future, the family drama, and the hints of love and romance.

 

Books in Progress:

The Tools of Argument: How the Best Lawyers Think, Argue, and Win by Joel Trachtman

The House by the Lake by Ella Carey

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

 

Books Abandoned:

None.

What I Read (February 2017)

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Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. And this year I’m participating in the 2017 Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenges, so I’m also going to be listing which category my books fulfill. If you want to join in on the fun, you can check out the list of categories here! This is What I Read in February 2017, my brief book recommendations and reviews. Hopefully I’ll provide you with some inspiration for your future reading as well!

Books Finished:

The Family: A Journey into the Heart of the Twentieth Century by David Laskin

2017 MMD Reading for Growth Challenge: an immigrant story

This is the story of three branches of a Jewish family originally from an area that was part of Russia/Poland/Germany at various times. One branch remains in the area during the Holocaust; another moves to Palestine and are settlers of Israel; and a third moves to America and founds the Maiden Form Bra Company (among other ventures). The writing is solid and kept me extremely interested in the story. Although the names were a bit tricky for me (think the difficulty of keeping people straight in Russian literature), there was a family tree at the beginning that helped immensely.

The Music Lesson by Katharine Weber

I really enjoyed this short little book written by a woman who teaches fiction writing at Yale. It was extremely well written, and very tight without wasted words or extraneous materials. It is the story of a Vermeer stolen by an IRA splinter group, and an art historian/research librarian who gets mixed up in the plot. I would recommend it.

Social Media Marketing by K.L. Hammond

I picked this book (or rather three books in one) out on Amazon, because I was hoping for some tips to better promote Luggage and Literature and my law office on social media. This was a real beginner guide, things that I’ve been doing for quite some time, so it wasn’t terribly helpful. But if you were brand new, this might be good for you. There were a few typos in it, which drives me nuts.

THE ENDLESS JOURNEY: 50 YEARS OF PINK FLOYD by Mick Wall

I received two credits from IHG toward Kindle Singles and picked out this one (in addition to The Syrian Tragedy that I talked about last month). Lately I have found that I sort of enjoy memoirs and biographies about bands and musicians. I liked this one, and it even got me started listening to a bit more Pink Floyd. I’d listened to their music before, mostly on the radio, but never full albums. Their music is simply weird and wonderful. And this is a great book all about the band.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

2017 MMD Reading for Growth Challenge: a Newberry Award winner or Honor book

I really love Lowry’s books, but have only really started reading them as an adult, which is strange for books geared more toward children. The Giver was amazing. I’d had Number the Stars in my wish list for quite some time, and read it this month due to Amazon’s newest program, Prime Reading. With Prime Reading, there are a whole host of books that can be downloaded for free, and this was one of them. So it was a perfect opportunity to read it.

This book is about two little girls who are best friends in Denmark at the beginning of World War I. Germany has occupied Denmark, and is beginning to persecute the Jews, including the family of one of the girls. This book looks at friendship, bravery, and doing what is right even when it is difficult. I recommend this book for readers of all ages.

Travel Writing: Expert Advise from the World’s Leading Travel Publisher by Don George, Lonely Planet

Another free download from Prime Reading that I’ve been meaning to get to for a long time, this book is helpful to writers in finding a unique voice about subject matter that’s been extensively covered already. It gives me hope that I too can tell a new story about old subject matter. But it also showed me that I need to focus more on creating a story, rather than just a bunch of information about the places I visit. So, be prepared if you see a few essays on the blog from time to time. 😉

 

Books in Progress:

The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life by Ann Voskamp

A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz

 

Books Abandoned:

None.

Friday Five 6-24-2016

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Friday 5This is the ninth installment in my new weekly series, called the Friday Five. In this series, I’ll tell you about five random things that I love, whether they be books, travel, music, movies…or whatever. So without further ado, 6-24-2016’s Friday Five!

1–Revisionist History. Malcolm Gladwell launched a podcast called Revisionist History. As with everything else that he’s put out, I love it! I’ve listened to both of the episodes, plus the introduction, and have enjoyed them both. You can check it out here, or on whatever app you use to listen to podcasts (I like podbean).

2–Fitness Walking. So it’s probably not a secret to those who know me very well, but I’ve struggled with my weight for my whole life. I’ve done Weight Watchers several times, done Curves, read books, and tried to go it my own way. It has been less than successful, as people can probably tell from my increasing size over time. Being overweight is incredibly painful to the psyche, especially of someone like me, who is used to being in control, and making things happen or bend to my will. Ultimately, I’ve been successful at continuing to track my calories using the MyFitnessPal app, which at least makes sure that I’m at least mindful of what I’m eating (even if I don’t always reduce my portion sizes, make good choices, or skip snacks). What I’ve struggled with the most is making exercise not suck (and I honestly really hate exercising), so that I’ll actually do it, and continue to do it. I like going for walks, so I’m hopeful that the tips from this post might get me moving a bit more, which in turn will help me to lose some of the pounds.

3–Caleb Hawley. I saw Caleb Hawley at one of the Rehmsworld concerts, and loved him. His music is just downright fun. He put out a new video on youtube, a song called Dive Bar. Hope you’ll enjoy it too! And he’s coming back to Loomis, NE to perform at The Balcony again in the fall. I’m looking forward to it!

4–Mornings. I find it so much easier to get up earlier when it’s summer, and it’s light outside in the mornings. This means that there is more time to accomplish the many tasks on the to-do list, as well as just to enjoy the sunshine and the birds chirping. I really liked this post on becoming a morning person.

5–Ann Voskamp. I’ve read a couple of her books and loved them. I read her blog regularly and enjoy it as well. Periodically she just has posts that speak to me, heart-to-heart. This post did. I hope that you enjoy it as well.

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