Tuesday, September 3, 2019

What We Read in August

August was another strong reading month as I finished 8 books, bringing my 2019 total to 73! I was surprised to see how many non-fiction books I read. That is a genre I've been more drawn to this year! My favorite reads of the month are in italics.

Non-fiction Reads:



Bringing of Bebe was an interesting examination of the French approach to parenting. There are approaches I'd like to borrow but it's tough to completely mimic what they do since their culture is so different from ours! I was surprised to read that many French parents send their kids to week-long sleepaway camps as early as age 5!

Cribsheet was an excellent book that looks at the decisions parents make from birth to preschool. My takeaway was that, at the end of the day, quality of parenting trumps all of the decisions you make. For example, the decision to stay at home, have a nanny or send your child to daycare doesn't have a super meaningful impact on the child - what matters more is the quality of child care and quality of parenting you provide. The author said it's better to focus on what works best for the parents/family than feeling like a certain decision is best for the child.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone was an interesting look inside the relationship of a therapist and their clients. I kind of love being a voyeur so it was enjoyable to take a peek inside a therapist/client relationship and see how they help people work through the challenges in their life.

The Year of Less was a short memoir about the author's decision to give up shopping for a year (with some exceptions like toiletries, replacing clothing that is damaged/worn out, etc). I'm not much of a shopper so I couldn't really relate to the author's tendency to turn to retail therapy before embarking on her shopping ban, but it was still interesting to read about how she pared down her belongings and broke her addiction to buying things.

Fiction Reads:



Resistance Women is a WWII fiction novel set in Germany. Unlike other WWII books I've read, this book starts in the early 1930s and really focuses on the rise of Hitler. I'd say 75% of the book is set before the start of the war. The novel did drag a bit for me as it was about 600 pages! I think the author could have cut 100 pages and still adequately covered the subject matter. Nonetheless, it was still a good read.

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating was a easy, breezy romance novel. I needed something light to offset the heavy fiction and non-fiction books I read and this novel delivered. The ending is predictable but that's often the case with romance novels.

Waiting for Tom Hanks was another book from Modern Mrs. Darcy's summer reading guide. It was a light, predictable romance. After a string of heavier books, it was a good way to close out the month!

Paul's Reading:

I picked up some new books at a children's book store earlier this month and they've been a hit! I also pulled a truck book off the shelf that we got when he was born and he loves it. There is a flap on each page that plays a different sound like a tractor, ducks, and a horse.



We also checked out "Duck on a Bike" from the library. Ducks are Paul's favorite animal so I've been trying to find duck books. He really loves this book so I think we need to purchase a copy. The illustrations are awesome! In the picture on the right below, he is kissing the illustration of the cat. He does this anytime he comes upon cats in a book! He also kisses other animals but it changes based on the day!

 What have you been reading lately? 

8 comments:

Stephany said...

Ooh, two romances on your list this month! This makes my romance-lovin' heart very happy. Some people find the stories formulaic and predictable but I find comfort in knowing I'm going to get a Happily Ever After at the end of the story. Life and most fiction are unpredictable enough, so it's nice to come to my romances and know I don't have to worry about that! It's more about the journey, not the destination. :)

I read some GREAT books in August, favorites being Where the Crawdads Sing and A Man Called Ove. Those will probably end up on my top-10 list at the end of the year!

Nicki said...

I have enjoyed following your blog over the past few months as I have a boy about a week younger than your little guy and I find myself relating to so much of what you are going through. I have always wanted to comment, and I cannot hold it back this time. We returned Duck on a Bike to the library (which we loved!) On Saturday, and checked out Truck Full of Ducks, which is also brilliant! - Nicki

Jeanie said...

You're aceing it when it comes to reading these days! I just finished a wonderful book called "The Gourmand's Way" about six Americans who were key influences in the French food movement -- Julia, Alice B. Toklas, MFK Fisher, and three men, less well known to me but fascinating. It's a combination foodie book, biography and look at the period post WWII. Plus oh, the descriptions of the food and wine!

I'm struggling through Lilac Girls. About half through. I picked it up after giving it a six week rest but I'm still finding it a little too upsetting. So, today I put it down again and picked up Julia Baird's 500 pager, Victoria the Queen. Already captivated!

Gracie said...

So cute how much he likes cats! I'm reading A Bridge Too Far, the WWII classic about Operation Market Garden, and it's really struck me how much every job is alike - it's all about managing people and supply chains!

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

Ohh, does Paul have any Duck and Goose books? Those are cute! I have been a reading fool all summer. It helps that Isla loves to read too and we would curl up together and read our books for hours at a time! I am reading The Runaway Midwife by Patriica Harman which is my 2nd book by her this summer. I really like it, but I'm just having a bit of a struggle reading at the moment because my mind is going 332434 of the things that need to be done. I don't think I will hit 11 books in September like I did in August ha! The next book I'm going to read is a long one, around 500 pages so it may be a very short list for Sept for me! As I say this on the 4th.

Charbelle said...

I love summer reading! I've been able to read so many books this summer!!!

Amber said...

Omg him kissing the cat is ADORABLE. I bought Olivia the Pout Pout Fish book on my recent work trip and it's been in HEAVY rotation lately, I might have to hide it soon as we read it every night right now and I'm getting quite sick of it! I love taking out kids books from the library, it's fun for them to have some different books to check out for a while. We got one called Toilet Tales as I slowly try to make the toilet more and more familiar to Olivia and it's all about different animals trying to use the toilet. It's quite funny and she loves it.

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

I think I would really like all four of those non-fiction books! I LOVE non-fiction and really branch out when it comes to the range of topics I'll read about. Even though I don't have kids, I love parenting books and find that things I learn in them even guide my teaching, and how I build relationships with students.