books on tap: workin' it

There was once a time that my to-read list was more than 220 books deep. Every time I'd see a book on Goodreads that I thought might be even just a smidgen interesting, I added it to my list. It got to the point where the list was stressing me out; I felt like no matter how much I read, I'd never catch up. I would feel guilty when I wanted to re-read a book I loved, or when I saw something I wanted to read that wasn't on the list. I constantly felt behind. And it was getting on my nerves. Reading is supposed to be fun.

So I culled the list. And culled again. And again, and again, and again. And along the way, I read books and got them off the list that way, too. The result was a far-more-manageable 50ish, which as of the posting of this blog, I've now whittled down to 9, a couple of which haven't even been published yet. And it feels so damn good. I plan to not add anything to a to-read list for a long time. Instead, I can't wait to just grab a book at random off the library shelves, or pick up a book I already own that's been hiding somewhere.

Of course, I could talk about how digital clutter is as bad as physical clutter, and believe me, that's a subject that probably needs to be addressed, but for right now I'll just leave you with my reviews of these books. They are some of the last holdouts on the list, and luckily most were worth it.

xoxo,
E

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Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert. I have been a die-hard Gilbert fan since her Eat, Pray, Love days, where her description of depression was so spot-on it could have been written by a psychiatrist. It was a God-send at that stage of my life. This book - about creativity, its challenges, and its forms - is perfect, and is just what I need right now. We need not fear our creativity, but instead lean gently into it and learn to accept the fear that comes with it. I read this entire book in an afternoon, and felt so freaking inspired. I'm going to try to do more creative writing and live creatively. The question is, will you read this book and join me? Because you really should. 5/5 stars.

Wild and Free, by Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan. This book is a surprisingly deep look at how we buy into the lies perpetuated by society that women cannot be wild and free, much less in Christ. We're either told we're too "out there" or else we're "not enough," neither of which is true. Connolly and Morgan encourage their readers to live free and unashamed in the knowledge that they are daughters of the True King, and offer real-life examples of what that might look like. They also share their own struggles and experiences. The result is a really honest, encouraging read. 4/5 stars.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, by J.K. Rowling. Oh, please. You know that on the day this book came out, I dragged B to 2nd and Charles immediately after church to grab my pre-ordered copy. I'll warn you that it's written as a screenplay, not a novel, so it takes a little getting used to. But after a while you stop noticing. Although you do miss some of the character development and mood that comes from a traditional narrative, I still loved this. I won't tell you anything else because I do not want to spoil this for those of you who want to read it but for whatever reason haven't gotten around to it yet, but it's good. Like, 5/5 stars good.

Graduates in Wonderland, by Jessica Pan and Rachel Kapelke-Dale. Two best friends from Brown who chronicle their post-college travels and adventures in weekly letters to each other? I'm in. I cannot begin to tell you how I identified with their struggles to find jobs, friends, boyfriends, and their identities after graduating, because really, it sucks. But their writing wasn't my favorite. Their emails to each other sounded so forced. I don't know if they really talk like that, or if they edited some of their letters for the sake of this book, but either way it's not terrific writing. 3/5 stars...teetering toward a 4, but not quite.

The Heart of Henry Quantum*, by Pepper Harding. This is one of those whimsical, what's-going-on novels that have become really popular lately, including with me. This one was just okay, though. It didn't feel quite as quirky as others, and the author spent more time describing the city of San Francisco, the directions to get certain places, and various surrounding locations than she did the characters or plot. I've even been to San Francisco (albeit for about 4 hours), and not only could I not picture it, I couldn't make myself care. More emphasis needed to be placed on character development - they could be good. But they're not. 3/5 stars.

My Best Yes, by Lysa TerKeurst. I wanted to read this book because if ever there was a yes-girl people-pleaser, it's me. But I couldn't get into this book. Her examples were kind of stupid (seriously, being afraid of a large UPS box because she thought a criminal was hiding in it?!), and the text dragged on. But then, I've been in a fiction mood lately and this is more serious. So I've decided to remove it from my to-read list but keep the actual book on my shelves. Maybe I'll try it again. All I know is, right now, it didn't work. Has anyone else read this? Thoughts?

Life After Coffee*, by Virginia Franken. This is a novel about a woman who was laid off from her job as a coffee buyer, which involved a lot of travel to exotic places. Consequently, she doesn't really know her children, or even how her family works, and things get a little dicey upon her return. It's actually pretty good - at times, I wanted to slap her husband and her children for her, so Franken clearly knows how to invoke emotion. But certain events, such as mommy wars, the relationship with her neighbor, and her relationship with her ex, could have been delved into a little more deeply. It's trying so hard to be a four, but right now it's 3/5 stars.

The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein. This book was a discarded selection for the book club in which my participation was ill-fated, partially because I was moving to France, partially because everyone there was really boring - what is a book club without wine?! But this book intrigued me, so I added it to my personal to-read list. I'm glad I did. It offers a unique perspective of the lives of humans, because it's narrated by a dog. On the eve of his death, Enzo, a Labrador mix, chronicles his life and that of his family, particularly his race car-driver master, Denny. And if the ending doesn't make you cry, I don't know what will. 4/5 stars.

How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. I received this book as a gift from my brother when my own book was published five years ago. I'm a little ashamed to admit I only read a couple of chapters before pushing it aside. It's been on my to-read list since then, and I finally got around to it. It is really, really great. It's not for anti-social nerds; it's for everyone. Carnegie does a great job being concise and kind to his readers, with plenty of real-life anecdotes to illustrate each tip. This should really be a must-read for every high school and college student. I'm only sorry it took me so long, Wes. 5/5 stars

The Vacationers, by Emma Straub. I grabbed this book at Greenville Literacy Association's annual book sale, because I'd seen it around, I'd heard fairly good things, had read a review or two. Apparently I didn't read those reviews closely. This covers an extended family (and a couple friends) who go on a two-week vacation in Mallorca, a trip rife with betrayal and drama, and yet nothing seems to happen. There's no tension. None. Zero. There's no heart-wrenching moment where you want someone to succeed or fail. It's just a lot of pages of...blah. 3/5 stars.

Chateau of Echoes, by Siri L. Mitchell. Another book sale impulse buy; it had the obvious incentive of taking place in a chateau...in France. Her descriptions of the chateau and grounds are sufficient to make my heart hurt, but the story plods. Only until nearly 100 pages in did it start getting even a little good. She mentions God vaguely, but it seems to come out of left field. And she over-describes what people are wearing. To a certain point, it doesn't matter; it's distracting. But it's an okay French boring love story with some mystery and intrigue thrown in. 3/5 stars.

Gossip Girl, by Cecily von Ziegesar. I just-I...shut up. I don't want to hear it. I know. This is the book that spawned the TV show of the same name. But...it was 50 cents at the book sale. I was curious. And I've not been in much of a concentrate-y mood lately, so I wanted something easy. And easy it was, since I've seen some of the show and can picture the characters. The writing isn't the greatest but the drama makes up for it, and I have a pretty good feel for everything. Maybe not the best book ever, but it worked for me in the here and now. Everyone needs a guilty pleasure sometimes. 3/5 stars.

Story Genius*, by Lisa Cron. I've been trying to do more creative writing lately, so when I saw this book about how to use brain science to make your novel more riveting, well, it seemed like fate. This book needs to be on college creative writing programs' curriculum lists. Because wow. I read through it for the purpose of reviewing it, but I will be going back through each of the steps to make sure the new novel I started truly has a story (an electric "third wire" tying everything together) instead of just a series of unrelated events. Realistic examples are given, and Cron explains everything so well that you wonder, Why didn't that occur to me before? 5/5 stars.

French Rhapsody*, by Antoine Laurain. This book previously wasn't available on NetGalley, but I "wished" for it (a feature of the site). And it was granted. Unfortunately. It got off to a bit of a slow start and I kept getting the band members' names confused. Then the narrator started changing, along with the POV (first person vs. third), further confusing me. I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, and by the time certain chapters rolled around I couldn't remember their back story. I don't know if this book just isn't as good or if something got lost when it was translated to English, but this is nothing like his other two books. 3/5 stars.

Truly, Madly, Guilty, by Liane Moriarty. This book was about a lot of characters who were all affected by something that happened at a "barbecue" a few months prior. It drove me nuts, partially because it took so long for her to get to the actual point, and partially because I am from North Carolina and BARBECUE IS A NOUN. It alternated in present-tense and flashbacks, but it was a good 150, 200 pages in before we ever had an idea of what happened. There's suspense, and then there's just plain boredom. Moriarty's other books are much better. 3/5 stars

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*Disclaimer: The titles notated with a star (*) above were given to me for free by either NetGalley, BookLook Bloggers, or Blogging For Books, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
**Also - the books linked in this post are affiliate links, meaning that if you click on any of the book links and order one (or any) of them through Amazon, I may earn a small commission. B thanks you in advance for helping to support my psychotic book-buying habits.