I love when I get to start a new stack of books at the beginning of the month. I still have a couple of longer-term reads I’m finishing up this month – Don Quixote and The Genius of Birds. But I’ve got several new titles on my Current Reads shelf.
I tend to get bogged down in heavier reads – I struggled with this at the end of last year, and my reading goals suffered as a result. Last year my reading list was heavy on educational philosophy, and currently I have found myself in a season of reading about parenting, with an emphasis on special needs and issues. I want to make sure I leave enough room in my schedule for lighter reads – I’ve actually been spending more time of science fiction and fantasy, and it’s only in the last week or so that I only have a single title – Starship Troopers (I’m listening on Audible) – as a current sci-fi read.
This month I am FINALLY going to finish Don Quixote! I think the sheer volume is intimidating – I’d read and read and then with so much further to go, I would need to set it down for a time and read something else. But I have really enjoyed it -it is such a fun read!
Some of my newer titles this month:
Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren: The author relates the ordinary events of a typical day to church liturgy and to overall aspects of the Christian faith. As an Anglican priest, the Anglican church liturgy is her point of reference, but the message she brings is non-denominational. Each day I have read a chapter (I’m finishing this week and will put together a more thorough review) and while I have been tempted to tackle more than one chapter at a time, I have resisted the urged so I have time to really “chew” on the content throughout the day.
A Parent’s Guide to High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder by Sally Ozonoff, Geraldine Dawson, and James McPartland: This book is an excellent guide for parents who suspect they may be dealing with a child with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder, parents who have recently received a diagnosis, and for families who have been living with autism for a while. It starts out with a detailed explanation of what high functioning ASD is, how it is defined according to the DSM (the newest edition as well as the more familiar previous edition), the diagnosis process, and challenges that children and young adults may face. This book is very detailed but without being unreadable to the average parent. I’m finishing this up this week and will put together a more detailed review.
All the Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister: Listed in The New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for 2016, this book tackles the history of unmarried women in this country, examining various aspects of singlehood such as the political and social power of women in history, independence in an urban setting, single women and friendships, as well having children.
In the past couple of weeks I’ve also completed reading Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. It was really good, and I am ready to binge watch the Netflix series and continue reading the next book (of three) in the Takeshi Kovacs series.
Current Personal Reads
- Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes
- The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
- The Soul of Wit: G.K.Chesterton on William Shakespeare
- Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
- Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren
- All the Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister
- Getting to Calm by Laura S. Kastner and Jennifer Wyatt
- Parent’s Guide to High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder by Sally Ozonoff, Geraldine Dawson, and James McPartland
- The Out of Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz and Lucy Jane Miller
- Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff
Current Family Read-Alouds
Michelle Home Scholar 