Monday, May 4, 2015

April reading

One of 2015 goals was to read at least two (non work related) books per month.  You can find my a brief description of what I've read to this point here, here, and here.  This month was a bit slow on the reading front because life (ok, work) took over my free time a bit.  Anyway, this month I read one book and then read a second on May 1, but I'm going to count it for April since it was almost April...

This month I read:

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.  I've come to the conclusion that I'm just drawn to historical fiction, particularly from the World War 1 and 2 eras.  This is no exception, with the bulk of this book taking place in occupied France in WWII with a small bit in Germany.  I really liked this book.  It was a fairly fast read because the story was just so engaging that I had to keep reading until I finished the book.  It was written in such a way that I felt like I was there.  I was so invested in the characters, the story, the place.  It's definitely worthy of the 4.6 stars from over 11,000 readers on Amazon.

My kinda sorta cheated a little bit to count it as an April book read was:

Finally Heard: A Silent Sorority Finds Its Voice by Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos.  It's a short book, a one sitting read (I read it in around an hour), but I think this was by design.  It was a great book, an excellent balance of staying true to the facts while maintaining readability for those without a degree in science or medicine.   I love it when a book makes me think!  The impeccable writing we've all come to expect from Pamela was on full display. She examines many aspects of the fertility industry that people either just don't think about or don't want to think about while weaving in updates on her post active grieving life.  It's a good book.  It's a needed book.  Find a spare hour or two.  Read it.  You will be glad you did!  Better yet if you know someone who is struggling with infertility or who is starting down the ART path, gift this book to them.

I think my book total for the year stands at 9.75.  Pretty darn good for me! :)

7 comments:

  1. Off to find the Doerr book. Have you read The Regeneration Trilogy by Pat Barker? From Goodreads - "A trilogy of novels set during World War I which mingle real and fictional characters. The Ghost Road won the 1995 Booker Prize."

    And yes, Pamela's book is much needed.

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  2. I've heard good things about "All the Light We Cannot See." And I just finished Pamela's book & will be reviewing it soon. A welcome addition to my ALI bookshelf!

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    1. You should definitely read All the Light We Cannot See!

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  3. Hello there :) found your blog thru Mali's and I've read all your posts and loving them. I used to write about my struggle with infertility, even submitted articles to Lifewithoutbaby.com; but it is writing about books that I really love. I'm trying to read more fiction too (I am a lecturer and mostly read textbooks, duh) hoping that we can be reading buddies or something of that sort? :3

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    1. Hi! I started writing here because I just needed an outlet since people in my life don't understand. I'm sure you understand that.

      I'd love to be reading buddies! Sometimes I get buried in academic reading too, but I'm really enjoying reading fiction. My strategy is pretty much to walk into a library and start pulling books off of the shelf that look interesting. Not the best strategy but it works for me, at least so far. :)

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  4. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and share your thoughts on Finally Heard. You have validated the reason I sat down to write it. So very glad it resonated! xo

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    1. I'm so glad you wrote the book and I was happy to take the time tor read it and write a few lines about it. I just know that it will be even more meaningful to me in the years to come!

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