For some reason, I finished no books in all of July. It was pretty much full of travel. I also got very behind on my emails and would read those before sleep at night.
In August, I definitely made up for it with 20 books! I thought that instead of listing them alphabetically, I’d list them in order of my favorites, so if you have limited time, you can just glance at the top of the list. You’re welcome! According to my Goodreads tracker, I’ve read 74 of 110, my 2024 reading challenge goal. So I’ll need 9 or 10/month going forward, which I don’t think I’ll be able to do. We’ll see.
In August, we got a long list of small house repairs done. I sealed, trimmed, and mounted (almost) all my diamond painting projects. I have over 50 of them! I plan to offer them to a retirement home to brighten up people’s rooms. I put a bunch of things away and my art room is organized again into a bright, airy space to enjoy. I also cleared out and organized a bunch of closets.
I wrote my Symposium speech for October. I wrote an essay for The Mussar Institute’s Elul program about this time of year (approaching the High Holidays) as a prompt for growth and change. I’m also finishing a scrapbook of all our summer adventures.
And this week, the fall trimester begins! I’ll be taking Intro to Mishnah, Shabbat Liturgy, and Hebrew. Always more Hebrew! This will be the 4th in a series of 6 required courses. I’m a bit nervous because I haven’t thought about Hebrew for a month, and I usually start on the first day of class sounding like I know nothing, but it quickly comes back. The Mishnah class is the first in a 4-part series of Talmud courses.
I had a prayer published in a school publication, which I’ll share here soon. Happy reading to you!
On to the books…
How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth by Meg Bowles – 5 stars. This is full of practical advice and anecdotes about crafting and delivering a compelling story.
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama – 5 stars. Very different kind of book. Stories of a few people who change and grow as a result of a random encounter with a librarian.
Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster – 5 stars. Tara shares her personal experience of a less-than-ideal childhood and how she took charge of things at age 25 to create a life of purpose and satisfaction. Her advice includes doing one nice thing a day for yourself , learning how to be comfortable in your body, taking yourself seriously (I’m working on this one!), and moving toward creating the life you want to live.
The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain – 4 stars. I had no memory of reading this in 2015 and writing a review here about how charming I found it. I enjoyed it just as much this time.
The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe – 4 stars. I love historical fiction. This was a well-crafted story that I didn’t want to end.
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods – 4 stars. Quick, fun read and extra interesting because it’s semi-literary.
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa – 4 stars. I bought this in Amsterdam at a lovely English-language bookshop and read it on the plane home. Very sweet coming-of-age story. I want to read the sequel.
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult – 4 stars. Besides knowing a lot about the supposed authorship of Shakespeare works already, I thought this was a compelling story. I appreciated the double plot lines. I would give it 5 stars if it had a quicker tempo and smarter, subtler references to plays.
Did I Ever Tell You? By Genevieve Kingston – 4 stars. The author lost her mother to cancer at age 12, but she had put together gifts and letters for each birthday and milestone of her life, up to age 30 and her first child. Very poignant.
Enough by Cassidy Huchinson – 4 stars. Cassidy was Mark Meadows’ chief of staff, and I enjoyed learning all about the workings of the Trump White House. He may actually be more knowledgeable than I gave him credit for. I love behind-the-scenes peeks into the workings of politics. Cassidy was incredibly naive, but still a good storyteller.
The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl – 4 stars. Reading this slowed my heart rate way down. It’s as much about nature’s stages as it is about changes in life.
The Journey Home: Discovering the Deep Spiritual Wisdom of the Jewish Tradition by Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman – 4 stars. This was a suggestion to prepare for a webinar I’m speaking at about “connecting the dots” to find meaning in life. I loved this book! I have so many astericks and underlined parts!
It Ends with Us and It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover – 3 stars. Great stories. Book is better than the movie, of course.
Inciting Joy: Essays by Ross Gay – 3 stars. I do like Ross Gay’s point of view, but this one got annoying for me and I didn’t read the last few essays.
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah – 3 stars. My daughter had to read this for school, so we read it together. It’s not particularly compelling, though I’m glad we read it, if only to know a little background about growing up in South Africa when he did.
Death Valley by Melissa Broder – 3 stars. Odd. Woman seems to be hallucinating with visions of people in her life from other time periods. Alternating between present tense and this, she heals her relationships.
You Are Here by David Nicholls – 3 stars. Actually similar to The Burnout for some reason, but with a theme of walking. Two people, similar stories, LACK of communication, resolution.
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew by Emmanuel Acho, Noa Tishby – 3 stars. I think I am not the target audience of this book, obviously, but I was curious. I listened to the audiobook and was quite disappointed to hear Noa Tishby not be able to pronounce any common Hebrew words. I know she has a lot of interviews coming up and that worries me too. She clearly worked hard to learn from someone in order to present correct information.
The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella – 2 stars. I got this free from the library, started listening to the audiobook, and thought it was annoying, but then I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I did listen to all of it. It was a cute story, but nothing great. Two people, similar stories, attraction, MIScommunication, resolution.
