04 January 2009

Sunday Salon: Starting the reading year with a bang

Last week I finished off four books! Two were short books that I started that week and two were books I started the week before. I guess the lack of new shows on TV freed me up to turn to reading.

Blue Like Jazz was the Christian philosophy book I commented on last week. I didn't like it much, but I made myself finish reading it. I don't want to get back into the habit of avoiding challenging books.

The Marriage Benefit was not exactly what I expected. The subtitle, The Surprising Rewards of Staying Together, made me think that it would be full of statistics showing that married people are healthier/richer/thinner than the single population. Instead, it was filled with scenarios based on the couples the author treated in his marriage counseling practice. It reminded me of the long-running column "Can This Marriage Be Saved?" from Ladies Home Journal magazine. It was an interesting read, but not what I thought.

The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own was written by Nina Garcia, a former fashion editor and judge on the reality show Project Runway. It is another book that was fun, but not exactly what I expected. I was looking for a book that would tell me how to build a wardrobe from scratch by giving me classic pieces that will work together. The book did list some classic clothing items, but it was more of a history of when these items appeared on the fashion scene. I picked up a few tips, but I am still looking for that wardrobe-building book.

The completion of Moonlight on the Millpond marked a change in my reading habits because it was an audio version. As recently as a few months' ago, I've had trouble focusing when listening to audiobooks. I was amazed that I was able to follow this book and do data entry at the same time. True, it isn't a terribly deep novel, but it is still an accomplishment for me. I am checking my library to see if it has audio versions of some of the books on my TBR list. I have such a short lunch break that I don't get much reading done and my evenings after work are filled with family stuff. Listening to audiobooks while I work will help me pare that list down.

CURRENTLY READING: I'm only a few pages into The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible and I can already tell that it is going to be funny. The title page shows how much the author's beard grew without shaving for a year. I can't wait to dive in and read what else other biblical rules he follows.

On CD, I'm about five chapters into Just Above a Whisper, the second book in Lori Wick's Tucker Mills trilogy. Yes, I am still on the Christian pioneer romance kick. Since I tend to be a bit of a completist at times, I will probably keep reading them until I've worked my way through Wick's entire catalog.

6 comments:

Shonda said...

I listen to audiobooks during my commute to and from work. I find it helps to pass the time. Like you, I don't get the chance to read each day during my lunch break.

By the way, I like the name of your blog.

stacey @ bookthirty said...

Wow, you really are off and running for the new year! I really hope you enjoy The Year of Living Biblically. I have yet to pick that one up, but I did read (AND LOVE) his book The Know It-All. He is hilarious and has an awesome writer's voice. Good luck with all your many reads. :)

Bryan G. Robinson said...

I'm about halfway into Jacobs' book and so far, so good. I think I might have read some negative reviews also. But the positive ones outweighed the negative ones, from what I remember, at least among the bloggers I frequent. Anyway, it's good and I'll continue giving updates on my blog. Look forward to hearing your thoughts on it too.

Unknown said...

I don't have a title for you but if you look for fashion books that suggest or help build capsule wardrobes you should be pretty close to a good list of classic pieces for a wardrobe. Capsule wardrobes really rely on timeless articles of clothing to work well :).

I'm interested in that Year of Living Biblically, too. I can't wait to see your response to it!

Unknown said...

'The Marriage Benefit' sounds like a great book. I've got a couple friends who could really benefit from it. Is there another good christian philosophy book that you would recommend other than 'Blue Like Jazz'?

Dani In NC said...

GBB, I haven't read any books on Christian philosophy since I read "Blue Like Jazz". I've became enamored of Christian prairie stories so I've read a LOT of those, many more than I reviewed here. However, my library has gotten in a few more books on Christian philosophy that I've added to my TBR list. I plan to get around to them in the next couple months.