It’s Been a Rough Few Weeks (Jan 26, 2024)

I had great plans for this week. The universe was setting up for a perfect situation for lots of reading. The cold came in and no one wanted to move. Then life happened. With the cold came a migraine that wouldn’t let go. Then came a performance that I had hoped to avoid. Dad was admitted to the hospital after going to the ER with chest pains and difficulty swallowing. (Thankfully, everything turned out okay and he’s back at home.) Just as I was about to get back into a routine, I developed a nasty sinus infection that almost wiped me out! Now I’m sitting in the airport in Houston on my way to Asheville for a much needed weekend break.

Why tell you all of that? I felt I needed to explain the next portion.

What I Finished Reading

Nothing….nada….nope! I really thought I was going to have at least one book to add to my completed list, but….yeah…..

What I’m Reading

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot. (94% complete) I have struggled to finish this novel. I loved the relationship between Tom, Maggie, and Phillip as children. I was engaged as Tom and his father raged against Wakem. But as Maggie found herself in a love triangle, it felt as though things simply dragged on eternally. I used the first leg of today’s flight to plug through some more of the novel. I’m hoping now that I’m in the last 10% of the book that I can just power through so I can start something new (and devote some time to what I have neglected).

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (p. 282 of 334). I cannot put this book down! I am fascinated by the concepts that are raised about quality of life, the struggles of the paraplegic community, and the impact that injury has on families and caregivers. Since I’m reading this on my iPad, I don’t always have a sense of how much progress I am making. I think it would have been a much faster experience if I were reading it in a traditional format, but I’m trying to get used to doing more ebooks. I’m enjoying the process and should have a finish here as well before my next update.

Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink. (27% complete) I haven’t read a word since my last update. This is also on my Kindle, so every time I pick up the device, I feel as though I need to read the Eliot instead.

What’s Next in my TBR

I’ve got a few things coming up that I’m really looking forward to. Here’s what I’m planning for the weeks ahead (in no specific order)

• On the Way to the Wedding (Julia Quinn) – It’s time for a return to the Bridgerton series.
• The Caine Mutiny (Herman Wouk)
• Yellow Face (R.F. Kuang)
• Silver Linings Playbook (Matthew Quick)

There you have it. I’ll join you again on February 9 from San Antonio and the Texas Music Educator’s Conference. Not entirely sure how much reading I’ll manage to get done while I’m there, but we will see.

Happy reading, y’all!

Off to a Good Start (Jan 12, 2024)

It’s still hard to believe the new year is already two weeks old! With lots of driving and still waiting for the new semester of classes to finally kick off, I’m happy with my reading thus far. I haven’t set any records, but I’m still on track to meet this month’s reading goals.

What I’ve Read

All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore (Book #1)

Since I was driving from Memphis to West Texas earlier this week, it seemed like the perfect time to knock out an audio book. I have long been a fan of Moore’s writing. Her insightfulness always speaks to my heart and her wit seems to be on display at the perfect moment. As she shared intimate details about her childhood abuse, the family’s struggles with mental health issues, and the unique pain that comes from betrayal by fellow ministers, I found myself identifying with Beth’s story. It was especially effective to hear this gifted teacher and speaker sharing her story in her own voice. Christian memoirs are not part of my regular reading routine — I avoid them if I’m completely honest — but this book felt like I was sitting down to have a nice chat with a cherished friend. There were tears and belly-laughs; most importantly, there was some healing. Do yourself a favor and pick up this carefully crafted memoir. Thank you, Beth, for sharing your story with us so personally.

What I’m Currently Reading

With the threat of extremely cold temperatures for the next few days, I wanted to make sure that I was equipped with plenty of reading material. Here are the 3 novels that I currently have going.

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (62% complete). This novel was assigned in my undergraduate survey of English literature. I was not a good student and didn’t take the time to read the book because other things demanded my attention. However, the little of the story that I picked up in class lectures grabbed my attention; I simply never thought to return to the book again. It was a personal albatross. Now that I have decided to read the novel and devote half of the year to the author’s opus, I am falling in love with the text. I’ve been intentional to take things slowly in order to savor the language. Maggie is a classic heroine and I find the views of education and gender characteristics fascinating. I don’t want to push too quickly, but a finish is coming this week.

Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink (27% complete). I was in the mood to read something non-fiction about reading. I enjoy seeing what books have made lasting impacts on other readers and discovering new options to add to my TBR. I’m reading this on my Kindle (along with the Eliot above), so it’s the perfect thing to digest in small doses at the end of the day. I’m not expecting to move through this one too fast…..but since it’s not too long, I shouldn’t have a problem finishing it in January.

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes (p. 30 of 334). With the impending winter weather, I went to the local library yesterday and renewed my Libby account. I decided to start a contemporary novel by an author I knew I would enjoy. I first read Moyes’ Someone Else’s Shoes last year and adored the novel. Such a great story told with compassion and understanding. I’m just starting Me Before You, but I can already tell that this is going to be another great read. I’m just going to have to pace myself and make sure that I continue reading the challenging material as well.

Well….there you have it! I’ll be back in two weeks to update you again on my progress. By then, I should also be able to share details about my plans for February. Happy reading!

Plans for the New Year…..

Greetings, fellow readers! It has been far too long since we have spoken. While there are reasons for my absence, explanations would not be beneficial at this point. Instead, I want to briefly summarize my reading in 2023 and tell you about my plans for 2024. New year, new start, clean slate.

2023 was not my most productive reading year. I read 34 books and a total of 13,823 pages. On the surface, those stats don’t look so bad. The problem is that 11 of these were audio books that I listened to while driving cross country. 18 of the 34 books are considered romances — beach reads. In other words, I did very little reading with a book (or ebook) in hand in 2023….and that’s not acceptable to me at all.

So it’s time to have a new approach.

In 2024, I will once again participate in Booklist Queen’s Reading Challenge. I like the flexibility of the prompts and how they are designed to encourage reading outside of my comfort zone. However, this year I intend to plan my reading selections for the month rather than simply reading whatever is close at hand — regardless of its quality. Last year, I was forcing my selections to meet the reading prompts rather than proactively selecting interesting works to engage my heart while challenging my mind.

Let’s look at the challenge prompts I have selected for January and the books I have chosen.

• The Mill on the Floss – George Eliot (written under a pseudonym)
• Dear Reader – Cathy Rentzenbrink (inspiring non-fiction)
• All My Knotted-Up Life – Beth Moore (audio book)
• On the Way to the Wedding – Julia Quinn (meant to read last year)

As you can see, the selections are varied with only one piece of popular fiction…..because I need to finish the Bridgerton series and get the temptation off of my plate.

While planning for 2024, I came across the idea of reading a book by a single author each month in order to dive more deeply into the style and key themes. I liked this idea a lot, but (of course) I needed to modify things a bit. I feared that I would become bored by looking at a single author, so I came up with my version of the challenge that I’m calling 12 Months, 2 Authors. I’ve selected an author of classic literature and a contemporary author that I have enjoyed and want to know more of their works. You have probably already guessed one of my selected authors. In 2024, I’ll be reading 6 works by George Eliot (1819-1880) and 6 by Herman Wouk (1915-2019). The plan is to examine Eliot’s works in odd months and Wouk’s writings in the even. In no particular order, here are the 12 books I’m planning to read.

• George Eliot
  • Adam Bede (1859)
  • The Mill on the Floss (1860)
  • Silas Marner (1861)
  • Romola (1863)
  • Middlemarch (1871-1872)
  • Daniel Deronda (1876)
• Herman Wouk
  • The Caine Mutiny (1951)
  • This is My God: The Jewish Way of Life (1959)
  • War and Remembrance (1978)
  • The Hope (1993)
  • The Glory (1994)
  • The Lawgiver (2012)

Blogging was another problematic aspect of my reading. My intention was to post a review about each book as I finished. Inevitably, I would get busy, get behind in posts, and simply never write my thoughts. Further, this pattern did not allow me to provide regular updates when my reading wasn’t moving forward. That’s an important part of my process because it allows me to examine what is getting in the way of my reading life and attempt to find solutions. So in 2024, the plan is to post every other Friday and update you on what I have finished reading, what I’m in the process of reading, and what I’m thinking about it all. Look for the first installment at the end of this week.

Let’s see if I can get my reading life back on track in 2024!

Kennith