I got off to a rocky start with reading during the quarantine, but I’m finally finding my groove. I’ve been so mentally distracted that sitting down to read felt like a chore and when I finally did sit down to read, I found myself unable to concentrate. My “hack” was to set a timer for one hour and to put my phone on the other side of the room. I can sit and stare out the window, I can fall asleep even, but the goal is to read without putting too much pressure. It worked! Maybe an hour seems daunting to you– so try to read just one page. And see if you find yourself transported.
UNCANNY VALLEY: 4/5 STARS
I really enjoyed this memoir. It was a super quick read and although it could be wordy at times, I thought it was written with such an interesting perspective. The author moved from NYC to San Francisco right as it was becoming a hot spot for big-named startups. Having worked at a failed startup myself, some chapters were harder to read than others. (I sent photos of paragraphs to friends saying, “Sound familiar?!”)
IF YOU TELL: 2.75/5 STARS
Don’t read this. It kept showing up as recommended books, but it was TOO MUCH. I don’t understand the appeal. The story is absolutely horrifying– it’s about an insanely abusive mother. But the book wasn’t that well-written and dragged on forever. I was sick listening to it for most of it. If you want to know the gist of the story, you can easily gather it from articles. No need to read an entire book.
DARING GREATLY: 5/5 STARS
I love me some Brene Brown. I LOVE her writing and research. It’s interesting and useful and is never boring. I would say this book leans slightly more to parenting (which I now realize is in the full title, lol), but I still found it to be a worthwhile, and excellent, read. Her key takeaways always stick with me and I feel like I’m better to myself and show up even better in relationships with her advice.
WHY WE SLEEP: 4.5/5 STARS
Over the past few years, I have been putting great importance on sleep. I’m unapologetic about it. I used to feel lazy if I slept too much and burned the candle on both ends by staying up too late working and waking up early to work more. I eventually hit a breaking point, and this book clearly explains WHY it was unhealthy and why my body basically shut down from lack of sleep. It’s fascinating and should be a MUST READ for everyone. I knocked off half a star because it did get a little boring at times, but otherwise I loved it.
THE GLASS HOTEL: 3/5 STARS
Meh… I didn’t love or hate this book. It just didn’t capture my attention one way or another. At first I thought it was because I was reading it when I was in a poor state of mind, and then I realized that no, it just wasn’t my kind of book. It’s kind of like a modern-day “ghost story” about a Ponzi scheme and guilt– there were a handful of story lines that seemed to be random but then they tie together, but not in an ultra satisfying manner.
OPEN BOOK: 4/5 STARS
I must confess, I’m not super into celebrity culture, but I chose to listen to Jessica Simpson’s memoir at the recommendation of one of my friends. It is JUICY. Even not being interested in celebrities I was still kind of sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what she revealed next. She doesn’t really hold back at all! I listened to the audiobook and she narrates it, though it sounds like she’s crying through half of it and I put the speed at 1.2x because the sobbing started to grate on me.
SWEAR ON THIS LIFE: 3.5/5 STARS
If you’re looking for a Lifetime Movie-esque read to distract you during quarantine, read this. The story is a little cheesy and the writing is pretty low brow (at one point the waves are described as rolling like hot dogs on a rotisserie LOL) but it was a quick, light read with a happy ending.
Read With Me
Thanks for sharing! I love these posts.
I recently finished the Bromance Bookclub books and they were so perfect for quarantine. There are two and I read both of them in a day and a half.
I would encourage everyone if they are reading a book that is awful for whatever reason may be, just stop. It took me a long time to learn that I don’t have to finish the book. I don’t get an award or recognized that hey, you stuck in there for a truly terrible book! I just wasted time.
Thank you! I needed to hear this right now. I’ve been trying to force myself through a book that just isn’t doing it for me and needed a reminder that it’s okay not to finish!
I felt the same way about Open Book! It was very interesting, and I couldn’t believe she didn’t hold back at all. But, you are right, the audiobook sounded like she was crying the whole time. Normally I really love when authors narrate their own book.
SO glad we feel the same about Brene Brown! I need to add Open Book to my list. I’m not into celeb culture either, but grew up listening to Jessica Simpson a lot haha
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Love when you do these posts! Will have to add some of these to my reading list.
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Great post Carly! I love seeing what you’re reading. I am not a Jessica Simpson fan, like at all, but after seeing positive reviews everywhere and listening to an Audible sample I decided to get it.
I’ve been feeling the same way about reading but started making it a “required” part of my morning routine to read for at least 3o minutes and usually once I start, I’m there for at least an hour! Also – I cracked up at the rotisserie hot dog description of waves… Ha!
Have you listened to the Ologies podcast 2-part episode on sleep? It was fascinating – I learned so much! TBH, though, after the episode I read the book written by the same doctor (Chris Winter), and it was not nearly as pageturning (so to speak) as listening to him talk to Alie Ward. Here’s the weblink, but the podcast is available at all the usual outlets: https://www.alieward.com/ologies/somnology
I had read another book by the author of If You Tell and liked it so I thought I would give it a chance, but no way! I didn’t know it was a true story until I was half way through and I was just sickened by it.
I love Brene Brown’s work too! So glad you loved it! I’m currently loving her new podcast!
Thank you for sharing the review! I’m glad that I stocked a lot of books to read, and some books I want to read again. I forced myself to read at least one book a month since Jan so it’s not hard for me to read these days, although sometimes I lost concentrate.
Your “What I Read” posts are my favorites! I love seeing your picks. I definitely want to check out “Daring Greatly!”
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Thank you for the good book related posts lately. I know you mean well, but the bookstore links aren’t helpful right now. Also, you must be losing money not linking to online vendors? I understand that you are a big fan of local bookstores (I love them too) but I still hope you consider multiple links that serve people’s different needs.
I love the layout of this posting!
I read If You Tell and it reminded me so much of A Child Called It that I had to read for one of my Education classes back in college. So, so sad and honestly devastating that we live in a world where those things can still happen. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for a casual read either!
Hi Carly! I’m a little late commenting on this post, but I value your book recommendations. Do you always finish a book? I’m curious because there seemed to be a few doozies this month, but it seems like you finished them. If I do not like a book I’m not at all motivated to pick it back up!