Weekly-ish notes on navigating big change

Book Club

What I’m Reading: June 2017

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

  • Tools of Titans by Tim Feriss – SUPER big compendium of advice from a million awesome people. I learned a lot and rededicated to some of my best habits.
  • Essential Oils Every Day, by Hope Gillerman –  my new fave book for creating essential oil routines!
  • More than This, by Patrick Ness – fun sci-fi thriller. I wanna read everything by this guy now.
  • Six Four, by Hideo Yokoyama – Japanese thriller, fun, but a really different pace than American novels.
  • Agent to the Stars, by John Scalzi – super funny, weird almost-not-sci fi. I love anything by John Scalzi
  • The End of All Things, by John Scalzi – much more nerdy sci fi than Agent to the Stars and great.

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last June.

And in June 2015, 2014, and 2013!

What I’m Reading: May 2017

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last May.

And in May 2015, 2014, and 2013!

What I’m Reading: April 2017

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

 

What I read

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last April.

And in April 2015, and April  2014!

What I’m Reading March 2017

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

  • Hillbilly Elegy, by JD Vance – Oh man. This memoir really hit home. The author grew up just a few miles from where I did, but above that his home situation was similar to mine. The way he places it all in a social and historical context really helped me process it all in a new way. Basically, until I write my memoir you can read JD's and get a good view of my early life.
  • Vlog like a Boss by Amy Schmittauer – As I've scaled up my video production (and hired a producer/editor!) and am looking at marketing the comic book shop, I wanted to read a book that tells me exactly what to do. This is a good overview of what exactly to do.
  • Moonglow by Micheal Chabon – This novel has stuck with me even though it feels a bit slow at times. Very character-driven, with a plot that unfolds before you even know it's happening.
  • Jane Steele, by Lyndsay Faye – a fun retelling of my favorite book, Jane Eyre. If you're into the ninja nun assassin novels I read a few months ago, you'll like this.
  • The Vegetarian, by Han Kang – a super creepy novel.

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last March.

And in March 2015, and March 2014!

What I’m Reading: February 2017

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last February.

And in February 2015, and February 2014!

What I’m Reading: December 2016

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I'm reading this month

I have a complex process for deciding what to read on a trip. It has to be light enough (in tone) that I can jump into and out of it easily, but gripping enough that it will keep my attention through turbulence and noisy neighbors. And it must be a book I own and don't mind leaving behind, or on the Kindle (I have carted library books around the country, and there's nothing as annoying as losing precious luggage space to a book you finished a week ago.)

What I read

  • Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman (not the whole thing, but bits of it, and all of Song of Myself)
  • The last three Harry Potter books! Ahhhhh! Free on Kindle Unlimited, so they were the perfect thing to keep me busy on trains and planes, without having to cart around the books. But then I left my Kindle on the plane, and so I bought the 5th and 6th (and just left them behind).
  • Woman in Cabin 10, by Ruth Ware – I got it as part of my Book of the Month club membership and brought it along on my trip. (And left it in the airport for someone else to find!) Totally kept me on the edge of my seat, but not as satisfying as Girl on the Train or Dark Matter (both recent BOTM choices that I loved).
  • The Royal We, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan – a fun, modern romantic comedy. My entire reason for reading it is that I was going to England and I know nothing about the royal family and it looked like fun.

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last December.

And in December 2014. And in December 2013!

What I’m Reading: November 2016

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I'm reading for my small creative business this month!

What I read

  • Pathways to Possibility, by Rosamund Zander (I also reread her first book this month) – If you feel stuck and without options, Zander's books are an excellent reminder that there's always possibility, it's just a matter of reframing.
  • Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison – This book has been on my Great Books list forever, and after watching Luke Cage read it, I got it from the library. Soooo good. And if you liked Luke Cage, you should totally read this book.
  • The Trespasser, by Tana French – If you've been reading these posts for long, you know I fell in love with French's writing last summer. So as soon as this book came out, I picked it up from my local bookstore.

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last November.

And in November 2014. And in November 2013!

What I’m Reading: October 2016

A list of alllll the books I read this month (there were a lot!) and what I plan to read next. Read more at TaraSwiger.com.

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

  • How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, by Scott Adams – I took copious notes on this book! In it, the Dilbert cartoonist explains how he reached crazy goals (spoiler alert: systems!). So you know I loved it and recommend it.
  • The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters, by Sherri Lynn Wood – Oh man. I love this book. It gave me so many quilty ideas! It's exactly the kind of craft book I love – lots of ideas + inspiration + “how to think” stuff, without step by step instructions (which I never follow anyhow).
  • Leaving the Saints, by Martha Beck – Oof. I thought I was reading a (well-written) book about the author leaving the Latter Day Saints. And then it turns into so much more. It gutted me and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.
  • The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had, by Susan Wise Bauer – Yes, the author is a bit sniffy about those of us who haven't had a “classical education” but I always say what I learned in college wasn't so much conjugating French verbs but HOW to learn anything, and how to think critically. This book gives you the tools to apply that critical thinking to both fiction and non-fiction. It also provides a list of books in literature, history and philosophy to round out your classical education. Since it's a library book, I didn't read the blurbs for all the suggested books, but I did take notes on critical method and the books I haven't yet read. (I started a new note keeping system during reading, would you like to see it? Lemme know on Facebook!)
  • Year of Reading Dangerously, by Andy Miller – The above book led me to the “reading” section of my library (meta!) where I found this. Funny, interesting, and definitely got me re-excited about my Great Books project. (My list is here.)
  • Self-Compassion, by Kristin Neff – This book is summed in her TED Talk. If you enjoy the talk, read the book. (It's just $7.99 on the Kindle right now!)
  • Love Warrior, by Glennon Doyle-Melton – Like I said last month, I found Glennon's blog, read a ton of her archives and immediately checked her first book out from the library. And then her next book came out and I snatched it up… and then it was named Oprah's next Book Club pick. I hope that won't turn you off from this, a totally gripping memoir about a woman's understanding of herself, as a woman, in this world that objectifies and sexualizes us.
  • All the Things We Never Knew, by Sheila Hamilton – Another memoir! This one by a woman who slowly uncovers her husband's mental health diagnosis and struggles to keep him safe and alive, even after it's totally destroyed their relationship.

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

Yeah, so I read a LOT this month. I didn't even share them all here (I skipped the ones I didn't love, or wouldn't recommend.)  Here's to another great month of reading!

What I read last October.

And in October 2014.

What are you reading?

What I’m Reading: September 2016

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

 

A list of the books I read this month, with mini-reviews, and a preview of what I'm reading next. Join the informal book club & share your recommendations at https://taraswiger.com/im-reading-september-2016/

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

  • My Age of Anxiety, by Scott Strossel – This is an occasionally interesting history of Anxiety disorders and their treatment, told through the lens of the author's own life-long experience. Much of it was very interesting, but he left out solutions and history that he didn't personally experience and discussed some medications with mind-numbing biological detail.
  • Missing, Presumed, by Susie Steiner – I got this as part of my Book of the Month Club (which I SO recommend!) and I loved it. Creepy, without being graphically violent. I look forward to reading everything else by this author.
  • Switched On: A Memoir of Brain Change and Emotional Awakening, by John Elder Robinson. This is the tale of an autistic man who undergoes experimental treatment that dramatically alters the way he perceives his world. I heard about this treatment first on Invisibilia and then spotted this on the New Non-Fiction shelf at the library so I picked it up. A friend's son was recently diagnosed with Autism, so it's timely.
  • Shoot the Damn Dog: A Memoir of Depression, by Sally Brampton – This is the best memoir I've ever read about dodgy mental health, and one of my Top 5 memoirs, period. Right after finishing it, I dropped it in the tub… so now I own this library book and I'm secretly thrilled. If you worry you might be all alone in how you feel, read this.
  • The Girl on the Train, by Paul Hawkins –  Confession: I saw this book all over social media and so I picked it up when it appeared at my library. Another creepy sorta-thriller. If I didn't read so many great mysterious novels this month, this would have fared better.
  • Before I Go to Sleep, by S. J Watson –  Another mystery that sucked me in! The premise is the same as 50 First Dates (woman loses her memory every night), but without the romance and with a dash of spine chilling secrets.
  • Carry On, Warrior, by Glennon Doyle Melton – I don't know how I stumbled on Glennon's blog, but I got totally sucked in. I read tons of the archives and then requested this book from my library. If you like her blog, read the book.
  • Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch – This was one of the Book of The Month Club options that I didn't choose, but it looked good so I got it from my library. Um, yeah, I read it in one late night gulp. A barely-sci-fi thriller (ie, it's set in a world just like ours, but with one big scientific discovery). It's a novel I'd recommend to any of my friends (even the non-nerdy ones).

Special Mention: Harry Potter, books 1, 2, and 3.  Yeah, so. It's time to come clean: I've never read or watched any Harry Potter. I know, I know. I just wasn't the right age to read it when it came out (really busy reading tons of French literature, in French!) and I didn't get around to it. So I decided to fix that, and sped through the first three last month.
To be honest, and at the risk of losing all my readers, I gotta admit: I didn't get it. The first two books were just…okay. Not as gripping or fast moving or even as well-written (gasp!) as other YA I've read. (Hello, Lord of the Rings! Anne of Green Gables!)

However, by Book 3, I started to get it. I'm at least hooked enough to start in on Books 4 & 5 this month.

 

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

Yeah, so I read a LOT this month. I didn't even share them all here (I skipped the ones I didn't love, or wouldn't recommend.)  Here's to another great month of reading!

What I read last September.

And in September 2014.

What are you reading?

 

What I’m Reading: August 2016

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list in the comments and find all the posts here.

 

The business books and novels I'm reading in August 2016

Please note that I read 90% of books from my library, but I just got a new Kindle (this one) this month (after my old iPad finally died) and am reading more on it! The usual disclaimer applies.

What I read

  • Rising Strong, by Brene Brown – I've read every book by Brene Brown (a friend recommended her first book a couple years before everyone discovered her) and this is one of my favorites.
  • Full, by Kimber Simpson – A fascinating memoir of someone who struggled with (and found refuge from) disordered eating.
  • The Border of Paradise, by Esme Wang – A strange, beautiful novel that had me totally gripped for the last 1/4 of it.
  • 10% Happier, by Dan Harris – After hearing the author on several podcasts, I was curious about the book.

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

 

What I read last August.

And in August 2014

What are you reading?

 

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