Are you a reader? Rumour has it that this is an endangered species, but maybe they’re asking the wrong people. I facilitate two book clubs that I’ve begun in the last year and have willing people ready to read and discuss the ideas found within. Not only that, a quick look at the membership numbers for the popular book tracking groups Goodreads and Story Graph suggests this idea is misleading. Between the two, 190 million folks are tracking their reading records. That’s not nothing.
I’m not an active member on Goodreads, but if you enjoy a good read, I thought I’d take a moment to share my current selections.
Non-fiction and Fiction On My Shelf
Where do your tastes run? Fiction, non-fiction? And in what format – physical or digital? When I was commuting, I found audiobooks and have enjoyed both fiction and non-fiction. Now that I’m retired (sort of), I’m once again enjoying having a book in my hands and seeing their presence scattered about my home. It’s like having quiet friends ready for a conversation, whenever you’re ready to sit to enjoy them.
The book clubs are keeping me busy, with two different but enjoyable non-fiction selections-
1) At a Loss for Words, Conversation in an Age of Rage, by Carol Off. In this book, the author explores six words that have shifted in meaning. She examines the historical background and meaning and then explores the shift into current understanding. She is a respected Canadian journalist, and the group is enjoying discussing each chapter. (We meet every two weeks and focus on one chapter. This week, it’s Truth.)
2) The Book of Joy -Lasting Happiness in a Changing World – The Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams. Abrams is chronicling the 5 day meeting of these two respected spiritual leaders and writes of their ideas about the obstacles to joy and the pillars of joy. Our group is just beginning to read it, but folks are already expressing their excitement to dive in.
The fiction books, yes in the plural, contain an audiobook that I’m listening to with my husband, and a physical book that’s just for me. As I mentioned, the audiobooks became my commuting friends, and now that I’m not doing that, my husband and I enjoy listening to them together when we travel.
Below are my fiction choices for the next few weeks while on holiday:
1) Audio - The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown.
It’s tagged as both fantasy and science fiction. We’ve only just begun it (on an errands run preparing for our trip). The book is already intriguing, and now we’re waiting to begin it again and discover how someone can be dead for two years.
The drive to the East Coast is a long one, so we’ll certainly need to find another book for the trip. I’m grateful to the public libraries for having audiobooks and saving my book budget.
Physical fiction books include the following:
2) The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. It is a tome, but if you like historical fiction with women as the main characters, I believe you’ll like this. It’s a fascinating read especially as you consider the current political and societal situations we’re navigating. I’m two-thirds of the way through and expect to finish it while on holiday.
3) On the “to be read shelf”, “Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi.
This last selection holds interest for two reasons. The first is its best-seller status, and the second is more personal because it’s based on how it was initially marketed. (That’s a post for another time.)
And there you have it fellow reading rebels, my current reading list. Thank you for reading this post, and if you are reading or have read any of these books, please drop a comment with your thoughts. I will read and respond to all your comments.
