Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

What I Read – Spring 2021

July 31, 2021

Okay, so now let’s talk about my spring reading for the year – March, April, and May. I actually read quite a bit – nothing too lengthy but all fairly good. So grab a bevvie and let’s sip and chat (kind of long).

Learning to Breathe by Alison Wright – An amazing story of survival after Ms. Wright had a terrible accident in a foreign country and how everything she had learned up to that point helped in her healing. I generally skipped the extraneous stories and just focused on the ones of her accident and recovery. That said, I didn’t finish it because my kindle loan expired. I’ll probably reread it at some point because it was interesting and there were some good takeaways as well.

Goodnight John Boy by Earl Hamner and Ralph E. Giffin – I loved “The Waltons” back in the day and still do. I decided to start watching the episodes again this year because of my love for the show and also my mother’s love of the show (we usually watched it together). This book gives more information on Earl Hamner, how the series started, and bits and pieces about each episode from the actors, writers, and directors of the show. A surprising thing was, I thought I hadn’t seen a lot of the later episodes, but when reading the synopses I realized that I really had watched most if not every episode and movie of the series. If you are a fan of The Waltons I highly recommend this book.

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom – I read this at the request of my counselor. I can’t remember what she wanted me to get from the reading, but I saw it differently. It’s about the story of Morrie Schwartz and specifically his last days during his illness through visits by Mitch Albom. One of the biggest takeaways for me was that giving back was a big part of Morrie’s life (he said that giving was living for him) so that fit in with my “theme” for the year. It is an easy read but also thought provoking and uplifting.

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf – This was an interesting novella. It’s about a man and a woman in their golden years getting together to find a way out of their loneliness after losing their spouses. All in all it was a good read, but there were parts that grated on my nerves, and I didn’t like the ending. But that’s just me. Other than that I loved the main characters and the relationship that developed and it speaks to me as I’m also aging.

Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown – Can you believe it – I read a third novel! This book alternates between two women – one in the 1950’s and the other in 2021. One is caught in a bad marriage the other in a marriage that has barely begun. The house is the one thing that bridges their worlds as the 1950’s housewife owned it and the 2021 woman buys it. There are some old fashioned recipes in there which I thought was fun, and it was overall pretty good…but kind of annoying too. The ending is surprising to say the least and I think it’s supposed to uplift feminism but it didn’t come across to me that way. It was a good read but also fell flat in places. Take all that with a grain of salt and if you read it you can make your own decision about it.

Wonder by RJ Palacio – Read this after catching the movie one night. I had wondered (ha!) about this book for a long time and wanted to read the book but wasn’t sure what it was about. When the movie came out I read about that and thought it sounded pretty good. As chance would have it, some channel was running it one night so I stopped to watch since it had just started. It was really good! So, I got the book out of the library and finally read it. I was surprised to find that the movie follows the book fairly well. However, the book goes into more depth on the characters so you get a better sense of what is going on. The book is about acceptance of people no matter what we look like.

I can very much relate to this because even though I didn’t struggle with what Auggie did, I have been made fun of for lesser things. I was barked at by some boys in school once because I had acne, fluffy big-ass eyebrows (which are now all the rage), and whatever else they saw as ugly. I have rosacea and need to cover it. One time I went out without makeup and a “friend” was taken aback and wondered what the hell had happened to my face. Before braces my incisors looked like fangs and I got called “dracula” in the school I was going to in London. Oh and let’s not forget the four girls who sat at a big table at lunch and proclaimed all seats saved. They even did that in a restaurant on a trip to Paris (I sat with a group of high school girls then). Again – that fills your life and you make stupid decisions based on what other people think. It’s also hard to trust after all that and it’s not easy to see your own beauty when you feel no one else sees any in you at all.

The takeaway? We are ALL wonders! We all are beautiful and we all have love to give and receive. For some who have chosen wrong paths they still have a chance to change their lives. We all do – right up to our dying day. But we all come into this world as helpless human beings who are deserving of life and love and that should continue as long as we live. It doesn’t for many but it should. Okay – end of rant.

Phew! So that’s what I read this spring. I’ll be back to talk about what I’ve read so far this summer and my spiritual reading plans as well. Hope you enjoyed my reviews.

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What I’ve Read – Winter 2021

July 29, 2021

Well, well, well, it’s about time I decided to write about my reading. Actually, I did have a post written but never posted it. You know, my writing will never get anywhere unless I release it into the wild. So, time to stop all that procrastination and perfection. That said, while I haven’t read a lot I have read some and since it’s July already thought I’d break it up by season. So, let’s get started. Here’s my list for January and February 2021.

The Lord by Romano Guardini – This was for my spiritual reading, but I did not get very far into it. It’s not overly difficult reading, but it is wordy and the book is huge. I could probably read it over a year and maybe I should make that a goal with reading only the Blble, Catechism, and this book.

Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter – So, I was going to read this as part of a positive start to the new year and I can say I was really surprised by it. What really struck me is that this book seems like it’s aimed more at adults than children. The key takeaway – Pollyanna wasn’t looking at everything through rose colored glasses, what she did was try to find the good in everything that happened to her through The Glad Game. There is a difference. If you’ve never read it I highly recommend it.

The Thank You Project by Nancy Davis Cho – In kind of the same vein as Pollyanna, and part of that positive start to the new year thing, I picked up this book. It’s a letter writing gig and the premise is to write thank you letters to those people in your life who have been there for you through thick and thin or just been there. You start with family and then friends, loves, and influencers/mentors. She gives you ideas on what to write, how she wrote her own letters, and she even discusses people in your life who have been less than stellar. Those letters you wouldn’t send but it could be cathartic for you. Sprinkled throughout the book are playlists (with a cassette tape as artwork) and that really spoke to me too. I have actually thought about a letter writing campaign for years and this would be a great way to start. It’s about an attitude of gratitude and that can help shift your thinking and de-stress your life.

Life Changing Manga of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo – OK – that’s manga not magic just so I’m sure you read that right. And yes it is a comic book. I actually prefer this one to the others. It really discusses the foundation of her system in a way that’s easy to understand. With the visual of a messy home turned into a more ordered home it helps get the idea across. I think this was why her Netflix show was so popular – we can actually see the process and changes as they happen. If you’ve never read her books I recommend starting with this one and moving on to the others which are more in-depth. Am I into Konmari? No, but I do have a few areas in my house that will probably only get organized using this method.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert – I read this years ago and loved it. Last year I was going to read it but couldn’t get into it. Then, after my health emergency in February, there was a night I couldn’t sleep, so I started reading this until I was tired enough to fall back asleep. It turned out to be just what I needed – something nurturing. This time I also underlined key things I wanted to remember. I will say, my favorite part is still Italy – probably because I visited Rome and Venice in the 1970’s when I was a teenager. Also because I need another vacation. I wouldn’t say this book has changed my life, but it gave me a lot to think about and helped me to move forward.

And that was my reading this winter. Tomorrow I’ll write about my spring picks this year. See you then.

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» 2021 » July » Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

What I Read – Spring 2021

July 31, 2021

What I’ve Read – Winter 2021

July 29, 2021

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