What You Should Read in May 2019 and a New Nerdy Podcast
Hello again, book nerds!
I didn’t get quite as much reading in as I wanted to over the past month because I’ve started taking some online classes, I’m hosting a nerdy podcast now (more on that later), and because #momlife, but that’s okay. I think I can still reach my goal of reading 52 books in 2019.
In my bookish blog post for April, I mentioned two books that I was nearly finished with but hadn’t quite completed yet. I actually did end up finishing both of them before the post published, so they technically count as March reads, but I’ll give you my two cents on them here anyway, along with what I read in April.
March Reads Catch-Up
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, 5/5 stars. (Reread.)
One of my favorite stories of all time, and winner for Best Literary Couple (an award I just made up), this is a must-read, in my opinion. Moms of girls, get this book in your daughters’ hands as soon as possible – Elizabeth Bennet is the heroine your daughter needs in her life. And there is no fictional character more worthy of a crush than our dearest Mr Darcy (besides the 1992 cartoon Aladdin, says 8-year-old me). P&P averages 4.5 stars on Goodreads and Amazon.
A Storm of Swords by George R R Martin, 5/5 stars.
My, my, my, Mr Martin, you really outdid yourself with this one. A Storm of Swords (third in the A Song of Ice and Fire series) was so good the whole way through. The book is 1177 pages long and not a word is wasted. I almost enjoyed this one more than the first of the series… I’ll need to think on that, though. I’m not alone – A Storm of Swords averages about 4.5 stars on Goodreads and Amazon.
April Reads
The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker, 5/5 stars.
This book was beautifully written, and really touching. I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster, feeling sympathy then shame then anger then sadness then joy and around and around again. I kind of like having only a vague idea of a storyline before I begin reading (spoilers are for suckers), so a lot of the story took me completely by surprise, in the best of ways. I very highly recommend this one to fans of historical fiction, à la The Book Thief and All the Light We Cannot See. The Ragged Edge of Night averages about 4.5 stars on Goodreads and Amazon.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, 4/5 stars.
Well. This one also took me by surprise. I could have sworn I’d read Northanger Abbey before, but I must have been skimming the first time, or was too immature to catch the style and understand the satirical elements. Either way, it was as if I were reading it for the first time, this time. I connected on such a level with the main character, Catherine, that I was “moved” to start the nerdiest podcast ever. (More on that below. ↴) Northanger Abbey isn’t the best of Jane Austen’s works (it was published posthumously, btw), but it’s a classic, to be sure. The book averages just about 4 stars on Goodreads and Amazon.
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell, 4/5 stars.
This book was really inspiring and engaging. If you’re a teacher or a parent, or really anyone who has any influence on children, please read this book. I’d also recommend it to people in management positions or leadership roles. If you have an analytical mind and are fascinated by cultural differences, and what really sets people apart, you’re going to find this book very interesting. Outliers averages about 4.5 stars on Goodreads and Amazon.
The World of Lore: Dreadful Places by Aaron Mahnke, 4/5 stars.
The third in Aaron Mahnke’s series of books based on his podcast, Lore, I found Dreadful Places to be the most enjoyable. I rated the other two books 4/5 as well, but if I could give partial stars I’d give this one a bit of an edge over the other two. Just a bit. These books took me back to my childhood days of staying up late and hiding under my covers to read Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by flashlight. Dreadful Places averages about 4 stars on Goodreads and Amazon.
Reading in May
The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
The Possession of Mr Cave by Matt Haig
A Feast for Crows by George R R Martin
Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig (I meant to get to this one in April but it didn’t happen)
The Mistyping Podcast (For Book Nerds and Enneagram Nuts)
It wasn’t my first time attempting to type fictional characters on the Enneagram, but for some reason as I read Northanger Abbey it occurred to me just how much fun I was having. (And you thought reading books couldn’t be any more fun than it already is!) In fact, it was so much fun that I decided to start a podcast dedicated to the idea of “mistyping” fictional characters on the Enneagram.
Mistyping: Breaking the Rules of the Enneagram is the podcast for book nerds and Enneagram nuts. I’m not going to try to schedule episodes or anything, but will just upload episodes as I go so it’s more natural and so I don’t feel forced to read at a pace that I’m not comfortable with. The first book, Northanger Abbey, was split into two episodes so I could process my theories midway, and then again at the end. Click here to listen.
Let’s make it a book club!
Thanks for hanging out with me here! Until next time… what’s on your to-read list?
