If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.
-Haruki Murakami
Reading in 2020.
As promised, I’m sharing what I’ve been reading during the month of March. I’ve just finished a book, so it’s unlikely I’ll finish another before month-end. Plus, I typically post on Tuesdays…so here we are.
Following my original format, I will be sharing a quote from each book and if I check off a category from the reading challenge, Modern Mrs. Darcy’s reading challenge, I will share which category it fulfills.
Since this is a running list for the year, each month will start with the number that follows where the prior month ended.
If you missed my first “What I’ve Been Reading” post, you can find the Jan/Feb reads in this post. Originally, I was going to share my reading posts every other month, but as I shared in my last post, due to being housebound, I’ve moved it to monthly for the foreseeable future.
Normally, I have a good balance between fiction and non-fiction. However, the non-fiction books on display at the library looked appealing. The fiction kept getting relegated to the back burner since new releases have a shorter checkout period.
So, let’s get into the reading for March!
Reading List.
18. The Passion Economy: The New Rules for Thriving in the Twenty-First Century – Adam Davidson
“A truthful brand, built on passion and real value, tells a story even if the person who created it is shy and generally lousy at storytelling.”
Quite an interesting read, especially given that I started it well before the reality of our current economic situation.
19. Invisible Americans: The tragic cost of child poverty – Jeff Madrick
“About one in six children in America are not sure where their next meal will come from.”
I had just put a hold request on my book #20 when I saw this on the new release shelf. I took it as a sign to read this one as well.
20. Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope – Nicholas D. Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn
“I’m a work in progress…it’s a tightrope that I’m walking. And sometimes it seem to be made of fishing line.” -(Drew Goff)
I saw the authors of this book interviewed on Marie Forleo’s MarieTV and was curious about what more they had to say.
21. Keep Going: 10 Ways to stay creative in good times & bad – Austin Kleon
“Your attention is one of the most valuable things you possess, which is why everyone wants to steal it from you.”
Steal Like An Artist, his bestseller, was checked out. So, I put in a hold request for it and checked out two of his other books. There were quite a few gems in this one.
22. Make Noise: A Creator’s Guide to Podcasting and Great Storytelling – Eric Nuzum.
“Doing something original? That shit’s hard. But it doesn’t need to be as hard as most people make it.”
Podcasting is something I’ve considered here and there and when this book showed up in my perusal of the new releases, I snagged it.
23. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft – Stephen King
“Being swept away by a combination of great story and great writing – of being flattened, in fact – is part of every writer’s necessary formation. You cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you.”
I was an avid reader of Stephen King during my teen years. I have vivid dreams and in my early 20’s, I went through a phase where too many were nightmares and so I gave up reading horror.
I think I’m ready to dip my toe back into it though.
Do you read horror books?
Obviously, this is not a horror book.
It’s about writing.
As evidenced in the title.
And I took away so many nuggets of wisdom from it.
24. The Ten Thousand Doors of January – Alix E. Harrow
“I wanted to write a different kind of story, something I could crawl into if only I believed hard enough.”
This quote!!
I’ve talked before about wishing that I could just crawl between the notes of some music and just live there (Gratitude + Music). I feel the same way about words in a story.
This book was for the category: Debut Novel.
And what a wonderful debut it was!
More Thoughts on Words.
I also talk about cadence in the above post on Gratitude and Music That was the only word I could think of to describe the way that words flow through my head and onto paper. My way of hoping to have you crawl inside the words and journey along inside the story. And in case you’re short on time and don’t read the post, here is what I say in that section.
Cadence is defined as a rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words.
I think about how I would speak the words in a way that would have you journey along with me in the emotions that I am experiencing. Sometimes as the words pour out, they feel like a rushing stream, gliding over rocks and sweeping around bends. At other times, I can’t find the exact words to sweep you along the journey and I recognize that there are spots where the stream is broken, only to pick up again. I think of these moments like the skipping of a rock. Each splash creating a ripple and yet there is a space before the next.
Each concept beautiful in its own way.
Ways that I can’t do justice in trying to describe.
Perhaps this is how I express my music.
With this flowing of words, this spilling of thoughts…
Writing and reading. I love them both. There is something quite magical about the way words flow and shift and spin our thoughts and imaginations into being. Entire worlds that are created by letters strung into words and words woven into sentences. Each one changing us, imperceptibly, possibly, but changed nonetheless.
Now Over to You.
Finally, it’s your turn.
Have you read any good books lately? I’m always looking for recommendations!
Is your favorite reading fiction, non-fiction or an eclectic mix of both?
And what about words?
Who was the last author that just left you flattened by their words?
What tale made you want to crawl inside the story and be swept along with the characters?
Let your light shine!
Amy
