One area of my life that has suffered since Lawson is my reading list. Ever since I was young, I’ve been a reader. From The Babysitters Club to Sweet Valley High to Harry Potter, as long as it’s not too scary I’m in. Actually, I used to read mysteries, but at some point I decided I wanted to escape with my reading rather than be scared.
I’m writing this post while watching the women’s gymnastics Olympic trials. These girls are amazing! I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty excited for the Olympics to start on August 5th!
Okay, back to books. While I don’t have as much time to read now, I am trying to commit to it again. Making it part of my nightly routine has really helped. In the past couple of months, I’ve made my way through a mix of parenting (oh how times have changed!) and a few “fun” books.
All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood: My favorite parenting book I’ve read so far. Maybe because it is less how to parent, but more on how becoming a parent affects you with a great mix of proven research and personal anecdotes. I found myself nodding and saying “yes, that’s exactly how I feel” through the first two chapters. I highly recommend this book for new parents, as well as parents of teenagers.
Modern Lovers: I loved the author’s first novel, The Vacationers, and quickly downloaded this one when it came out last month. I read it on our vacation in Hawaii and really enjoyed it. There were moments I didn’t want to put it down, which is always the sign of a good book.
When Breath Becomes Air: The memoir of neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi who was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 36. A moving book that has stayed with me since I read it late this spring. Paul grew up in Arizona, which made it even more interesting to me.
First Comes Love: This is another book that I sped through after seeing it on a few Instagram posts (the power of Instagram, right?!) It’s a quick, easy read which is exactly what I was looking for.
No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame: Now that we’ve managed to keep Lawson alive for his first year, we’re entering true parenthood territory. He’s becoming more independent and testing our limits. He definitely knows the meaning of “no” and often chooses to ignore it while giving us a mischievous grin. I don’t want to always be telling him “no.” The real-life examples of how to respond to different scenarios were really helpful. At times I wonder how I’ll exercise the patience to adopt some of the methods in this book, but I’ll keep trying!
Everybody Rise: A Novel: I just re-started this book. I originally started it last year and couldn’t quite get into it, but wanted to give it another shot after seeing it on a few other summer reading lists. So far I’m having a much easier time getting into it. I’ll report back when I’m finished.
What have you read recently? What should I add to my list next?