I have a tendency to read several books at the same time, usually a mix of fiction and non-fiction. My current list is no exception, although I have to say, I’m reading a much larger number of books than usual, even for me.
Actively Reading- Non-Fiction:
She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity by Carl Zimmer – the title says it all. It’s a massive book; 574 pages of text, plus the Glossary, Notes, Bibliography, Acknowledgments, and Index, coming to a grand total of 657 pages. I am finding it quite fascinating.
Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dryer. This book was a birthday gift – someone knew how much I enjoy copyediting. Not only is this informative, but it’s extremely witty.
Building the American Republic, Volume 2: A Narrative History from 1877 by Jane Dailey. I began reading this two volume set upon the recommendation of my nephew-in-law, who was a Colonial History major in college at the time. It’s a bit dry, but I learned a lot from the first volume and, since I’m a history nerd, dry isn’t a reason to skip a history book. Besides, given our current political situation here in the United States, having a better understanding of how we got here isn’t a bad idea, is it?
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear. This is a recent bestseller and was recommended to me by several friends. There’s a lot to digest in this small book, so I am reading small bits at a time, highlighting a lot, and then mulling over what I’ve read. It’s a book to be read more than once, I believe, to get the full benefit from all the great information.
Actively Reading – Fiction:
The Isaac Question: Templars and the Secret of the Old Testament (Templars in America #5) by David S. Brody. I am reading this on my Kindle and it was a free book offered through BookBub, which explains why I’m reading #5 in the series rather than starting with #1. The author assures the reader, though, that this book works as a stand-alone, which I’ve decided is pretty much the case. The author also shamelessly promotes his previous books within this book, which is rather different. The main character, Cameron (Cam) Thorne, seems to be loosely based upon the Brody himself. Cam is an historian and author who writes novels that coincidentally have the same titles and subjects as Brody. That said, the topic is fascinating, completely rewriting the Old Testament story of Abraham, Moses, Isaac, and Joseph and the span of the Egyptian enslavement and exodus. I can’t put it down at night, which has led to a few nights short on sleep!
Not Actively Reading:
Even though I’m not actively reading these, I am not ready to give up on them yet! I do intend to finish each and every one.
The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future by Ryder Carroll (non-fiction). This book has been life-changing for me. I devoured the first hundred pages or so back in October 2018, and I then immediately began putting his method into action with my own Bullet Journal, which I now use daily. Like Atomic Habits, this is a book to hang on to, read and read again, as there is so much useful information to implement that you can’t possibly do it all at once.
Jeff Gordon: His Dream, Drive, and Destiny by Joe Garner (non-fiction). I’ve been working on this book for over a year now. If you are a Jeff Gordon fan, it’s a must read. It is an over-sized book, though, and unwieldy to hold, which isn’t really a good reason for not having finished reading it. I need to pull it back off the shelf!
Fast Food Genocide: How Processed Food is Killing Us and What We Can Do About It by Joel Fuhrman. I own almost all of Dr. Fuhrman’s books and follow (mostly) Eat To Live (ETL), his dietary plan. Lately I’ve been slip sliding away, so I should pull this one back out and refresh what I already know. I need to be eating to live, not living to eat.
8 books, and only 1 fiction. Wow. I think that’s a record for me!
What are you reading?