Another Year in Books

Wow, what a year in reading. I completed 41 books, and I'm trying to get to 42 by midnight tonight. More than anything, these 41-almost-42 books affirmed my love of reading (and handily supported #mjyearofaffirmation).

I set out to read more, to interact with more readers, to carve out space to read. I saw my reading goal (#30Books) as the floor, and not the ceiling, and asked - what would it be like to read 3-4 books every month?

Within twelve months of these intentions, I can firmly say that I feel great about my reading life. I read more in 2018 (see the numbers below) but even more than that, I felt like the reader I was as a kid - mostly always having a book and being content to read it wherever, anytime (I was that kid at summer camp who read by the pool). And still, my reading didn't (and has never) made me sheltered from the world or less social.

This year in particular, I leaned into the social side of reading both online and in real life. Online, I got ideas from Bookstagrammers or found myself engaging in bookish conversations on Facebook. In real life, I talked with people about books, I invited them to book events (Silent Reading Club, Michelle Obama's book tour, etc), attended bookish events and met new people (Harry Potter & the Sacred Text), and I bought books as gifts for the holidays.

In terms of space, I added not just one, but two new bookshelves to my space which consistently bring me joy and hold my ever-growing TBR list. I won't say that my house is any neater, though - and it's actually something I am still working on this break (and beyond); making my closet and bedroom (in particular) as functional as my bookcases. Talk about inspiration.

I didn't read 3-4 books every month but I did read in every month. August was my low-point with only 1 book completed (my work life really took a lot out of me that month) but I finished 5 in January & July and 7 so far in September. Most other months were 2-4, all of which yielded me meeting my reading goal for the year in October and blazing through it all the way through December without losing momentum.

Without further ado, here are my reflections on the year's books:

• Best Use of Imagination: "She Would Be King" by Weytu Moore and "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead
• Why: Moore's book is a retelling of the founding of Liberia, of which I knew nothing about. To be engrossed in the magical realism of this retelling, though, helped me form new context for the country, and the impact of slavery and colonialism on two continents. 
• Why: To use the idea that the Underground Railroad was really a railroad as a metaphor for the journey slaves took to freedom - both creative and profound. I found the book thought-provoking and interesting, while also pushing me to imagine both the reality and implied realities of slavery and the journey some took to escape. 
• Book I'd Read Again Right Now: "Simon vs. the Homo Sapien's Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
• Why: This book was heart-warming, funny, and poignant. I loved the movie, too. I wouldn't mind revisiting Simon's world again and again. In some ways, I want a sequel, but in others, I just want to experience Simon's senior year over again.
• Book that Will Stay With Me For Years: "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
• Why: I rarely read political memoirs cover-to-cover. I have many, and I enjoy great portions of them, but my reluctance with nonfiction is generally exacerbated when a political memoir comes into play. But, I couldn't stop reading Michelle Obama's book. I listed to her read the audio version on my commutes to work and to schools, and then I would read the physical book at home. I had to stop reading it before bed because it would get me so amped up I wouldn't be able to sleep. Every part of the book - from her early years to college, from law school to lawyer-hood, from meeting Barack to being First Lady - I just absorbed it. It was inspiring and just the kind of hope I needed in the dark political times in which we live. 
• Best Book with a Weak Ending: "The Hypnotist's Love Story" by Lianne Moriarity
• Why: I listened to this as an audiobook because it was on sale. I was surprised at how quickly I got into the story and was consistently wondering what would happen next. It was such a twisted love-triangle-type tale and the multiple perspectives made things fascinating. There was a climax and the denouement & conclusion paled in comparison. It kind of felt like - "whoa!" and then "Oh. Well." The ending, to me, was boring and too predictable. I am not sure how I would have ended it otherwise but it felt like a disappointing series finale.
• Book I am so Glad I Read Because of Current Events: "Behold the Dreamers" by Imbolo Mbue, and "The Book of Essie" by Meagan MacLean Weir
• Why: I was reading Dreamers toward the beginning of the year. I spent the evening of the State of the Union address reading it instead of listening to that man deliver what I knew would be an horrendous speech. Twitter confirmed what I knew was going to happen and after my brief check in on the updates, I read a line about Trump in the book. Like all the times that name is mentioned in pop culture before he became president, I now cringe. While reading, however, I found myself weeping. Mbue's characters are immigrants who work hard and do their best by everyone they meet - and based on Trump's current mindsets around immigration, they are immigrants not worthy of America. I can't.
• Why: Essie surprised me. I wasn't expecting to empathize with her or to find her story important. I read it thinking it would be an escapist read for summer vacation. But all of a sudden, I was immersed in the politics of religion, reality TV, and family secrets - tinged with #MeToo and the corruption of coverups. As more women have come forward more publicly accusing men in power, Essie explores the complications of that for everyone. Ultimately, I believed her and I was rooting for her - and I was reminded that believing women, and doing something with that belief, is the only way we will shift the culture of violence against women. 
• Book That Opened My Eyes the Most: "Lilac Girls" by Martha Hall Kelly
• Why: I read a story from WWII and the Holocaust every year, it seems. There are a plethora of stories about that era and from that era. Most I like and others I like (a lot) less, but usually the ones I like are the ones that stay with me the longest. Lilac Girls falls into that category. It's a story about women I was less familiar with from WWII, so I learned a lot about an even more terrible nuance in that history. It was eye-opening because of how the author utilized real-life characters in an historic setting, but imagining their words, feelings, and actions in such a way I could vividly feel the impact of the story. I could have read about Ravensbruck in a nonfiction format and also learned a lot, but this book was riveting and page-turning - taking a real story and imagining its feeling. At the end, I was solidly in my feels with the story and how amazing women are. I gifted this book to another strong woman in my life as a result.
• When People Ask Me to Recommend from my 2018 list: "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas and "A Man Called Ove" by Frederik Backman
• Why: I wouldn't recommend The Hate U Give without caveats. The book is searingly real and could be highly triggering. But I would, without hesitation, recommend it to anyone who tells me "All Lives Matter" or heck, the entirely of Tulsa City Government, including the Sheriff's Office (see: news about Betty Shelby). Apparently the movie takes a different turn on this, but the book really emphasizes how differently black people, and particularly black men, are treated by law enforcement, and how difficult it is to speak that truth to power. It also highlights the assets of strong black communities, families and relationships while not ignoring the challenges of poverty and systemic racism. 
• Why: Ove made me cry at the end on my way to a school for a meeting. The book started slow for me but soon enough I was enamored with the story of the grouchy old man, a stray cat, and a young family just trying to be neighborly. It's a heartwarming story that reminds me to be thoughtful in my relationships and that everyone is dealing with something. 
• Book I Wouldn't Recommend to Anyone: "Circe" by Madeline Miller, "Tangerine" by Christine Mangan
• Why: UGH, Circe just won Book of the Year by BOTM. EYEROLL. Ok, I can acknowledge that this actually may be a good book for some, but I just had the hardest time getting into it, keeping up with it, and finding the ending. Maybe I would feel differently if I knew more Greek mythology? Or less? I don't know - I just know I found the book slow, and only a "retelling" insofar as point-of-view. The language and writing was largely uninteresting. UGH.
• Why: Tangerine - I had such high hopes from the Indie lists I saw. I got this on Indie Bookstore Day for that reason. The story premise was interesting enough but ultimately, the characters were flat, the twists uninspiring, and the plot line lacking. 
• NEW: Books I Read the Quickest: "The Woman in the Window" by A.J. Finn, "The Broken Girls" by Simone St. James, "One December Day" by Josie Silver
• Why: I read each of these books in less than three days, largely over weekends and each time I was surprised at how quickly  I was turning the pages.
• Window was twisty and creepy, with some surprises and some "uh oh" moments. I had a hard time putting it down. I started Friday night and finished by Sunday morning.
• Girls I just was not expecting to find both page turning and twisty. I kept reading because I had to know what happened. The ghost was creepy AF and even though that storyline lacked a little punch, I appreciated overall how well the story brought together threads and tied up loose-ends. 
• December was just the book I needed to start my Winter Break reading list. It was a perfect follow-up to my viewing of Love Actually and hit all the right notes about single-womanhood, dating, crushing and finding the love of your life (I think - I haven't done it yet, but you know). It was humorous, but also in places so sad that I found myself tearing up. It helps that the protagonists, by my math, are exactly my age and so following a decade with them felt like following an alternate version of the last decade of my life.
• NEW: Books With the Most Shocking or Surprising Ending: "The Chalk Man" by C.J. Tudor
• Why: I added this because of Chalk Man. It would have been a fourth addition to the category above because I read it in a weekend, but honestly that wouldn't capture what this book was in my general reading this year. The book was well-written and page-turning, and the story was wrapped up well. The last page, however, creeped me out so hard and raised so many more questions about the main character that I really hope Tudor is preparing a sequel. But even if not, it was the perfect sort-of Stephen King/Ray Bradbury turn that made me question everything I just read.
• NEW: Honorable Mentions: "Beautiful Ruins" by Jess Walter, "milk and honey" by Rupi Kaur, "Pachinko" by Min-Jin Lee
• I added this category because these books are all worth mentioning in my reading year - 
• Ruins was a fun audiobook for Spring Break and it was the perfect mix of funny, romance, travel, adventure. I didn't know this when I was reading it, but I would be visiting the main Italian setting later in the year. When I ended up in Porto Venere, along Cinque Terre, I felt like I went right into the book's world and I couldn't have been more pleased. 
• milk and honey was an impulse buy at Target because it was on sale and this is one collection of poetry I am always hearing about. I know why. I read it in one sitting and then read much of it a second time in the same sitting. It is the perfect poetry for womanhood and reflects so many of my feelings about life, love, pain and healing while also teaching me so much about the experiences of deep trauma, women of color and beyond. Can't wait to read her other collection.
• Pachinko was one I heard about and when I started reading, I didn't get the hype. I started it one month, but stopped shy of 30 pages and picked it up again another month. When I finally committed, wow - it was a journey. I still wasn't sure what I thought about it most of the time, but by the end - I was floored. The book ended up mattering so much to me and I bought another copy just to give to someone else so that I can commiserate with them over these feelings.

The 2018 Book Statistics (based on total read):

• 42 total books, 42 unique authors
• 39 Fiction, 3 NonFiction
• 48% were Hardcover, 35% were Paperback
• 2 e-books and 5 audiobooks are included
• The majority were new purchases (18), but also 10 were BOTM.
• 18 books were written by authors of color (48%); 24 by white authors (52%)
• 22 described a different experience or worldview than my own (52%) and 19 actively focused on non-dominant cultures. 
• 15 are ones I would describe as my favorites, while 7 are ones I would say "Everyone Must Read"
• 14,745 pages
• 24 were Instagrammed (#mjreadingchallenge18)

I want to continue to set the floor at 30 books this year. I am pleased that I read more authors of color in 2018 than before, and I want to continue that trend - this year, I hope to read more authors of color than white authors.  I am also trying to continue to push diversity of world view and culture in my reading. I bought more books in 2018 than I have in a while. In 2019, I want to go back to my no-new-books rule (unless I have gift cards) and utilize my existing purchases the library more. 

I love reading and know I will continue to do so. What a great year of reading!

Cheers,

~MJ

Reading for Myself

A few times this year, I've found myself recounting how I got into a solid reading habit. Often, I repeat the basic same story:

I was an English teacher...and was asking my kids to read a minimum of 20 mins a night at home to build their reading skills and love of reading. I realized at a certain point I should take my own advice! So I made myself read ~20 mins for fun every night. Now it’s just a habit I can’t do without; I often read a little longer now but for nights when I’m tired, 20 mins still seems manageable, which is why I still hold that goal for myself. I recommend it - it helped me get back into reading for myself (and not just for work).

What I've also realized, is that reading for myself has beget some really great things in reading for work. In addition to the countless emails I read every day, I often need to bring texts and articles into the design of professional development for lots of different audiences. This has often been why I focus on fiction at home, since so much of my work is non-fiction.

Reading consistently truly sharpens skills (like comprehension, interpretation, etc). The consistent practice of reading means my brain is pretty used to taking text and doing something with it - making meaning and deciding what to do after.

Reading has made me even more curious. Although fiction is my go-to, I often get wrapped into non-fiction reads while at bookstores, and feel compelled to pick up non-fiction books. Memoirs are generally the ones that I finish cover-to-cover, but I read excerpts of and utilize lots of other types of non-fiction, particularly books that relate to business, leadership or the impact of science on organizations.

The combination of the above two things led me to lead a short meeting for my whole organization on Daniel Pink's newest book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. It was essentially a presentation and activities based on the first two chapters of the book. I also have used three cornerstone texts in developing the foundations for professional learning communities on my team. I feel incredibly fulfilled as a designer when I'm helping others to access and make meaning of texts in the context of their work.

So, my 12 of 30 books this year comes from my daily reading for myself, but it has yielded exposure to dozens of other texts that also make reading for work even more pleasurable.

Maybe this is all to say - life is about reading, and it can be in both my personal and professional lives seamlessly.

To books,

~MJ

Books make a home

I'm historically someone who moves in over time.

The settling happens in less than 1 month in a new place, but it takes me a few months to actually fully unpack and have everything in the pace I want it to be. In Tulsa, this panned out to be an acceptable process because I was in each place I lived a minimum of 2 years (well, one place was under that mark but not for a lack of trying).

My first year in Denver, I hoped not to move. Instead, I moved three times. This made settling, and fully unpacking - anywhere - very challenging. Not to mention, I downsized dramatically from Tulsa in terms of square footage, and a solid 5 months was more nomadic than living.

I moved into my current place in October and truly hope to be here for longer than one lease. I also hope that when I move it will be to a purchased house. In the meantime, I have taken some time to settle and am at the last phase of being 100% unpacked. My last few boxes were odds & ends and...more books. Although I relinquished a good portion of my collection in leaving Tulsa, I have managed to acquire more books and well,  they are everywhere.

Bookshelves are therefore a key to feeling settled and an indicator of how well I'm really moved into a place. As I've organized this apartment, too, I am try trying to be less cluttered and ensure that everything - including books - have a purposeful place, and one that makes it easier to stay organized and de-cluttered. The size of this apartment is perfect for lil' ol me, and also has allowed me (thankfully) to have not one, but two more bookshelves than my last place.

So, here is a tour of my bookshelves...AKA my inspiration for organizing the last bits of my apartment into my home.

The Living Room
This is where two of my primary bookshelves live. Since this is a primary living and entertaining space, I wanted books that *look good* on a shelf - hardcovers, books that I love, and some of my TBR pile (hardcovers only). 

I bought this bookshelf for my last apartment. There, it lived horizontally under the living room window. I like it vertical in this space, in a corner of the room between windows. It houses my Harry Potter books, presidential biographies and autobiographies, as well as important travel or history books.

This wall is pretty bare otherwise (still figuring that out) but I am excited about my first ladder bookshelf!

This is filled with BOTM books and other hardcover lovelies with accents of family photos, some Oklahoma & travel inspiration, and of course, The Big Blue Bear as a bookend.

The Bedroom
I haven't had proper bookshelves in my bedroom in a long time, and I realized they would be great additions since I generally find books to be a calming part of my atmosphere. Books that live here are truly miscellaneous, including a mix of TBR & already read in a variety of formats.

This was originally envisioned to be a part of the main living space, but I discovered I had more room for it in my bedroom, and also felt like in its position (directly across from where I lay my head at night), I would find joy / calmness in this nearby bookshelf.

This bookshelf has been with me since my first year in Tulsa. It has most definitely seen sturdier days, but it is still holding strong. I have a mix of books, but also find this shelf useful for keepsakes and some extra storage of cords and notebooks. I also have that orange towel on it because it also currently houses my humidifier at night.

This is one of my end tables. It is not my primary end table, but serves a great purpose to hold some books and (in the drawer) clothing. This pair of end tables matches my dresser (currently residing in the closet) and the set has been in my life for 20+ years. We got it used, so I really don't know the length of life it had before me. While they have seen better days (there are scratches and some broken backsides), they are still doing the most as functional furniture for me.

This is my primary end table, where you will always find: whatever I am currently reading and my itty bitty book lamp (far right corner). The book lamp was really useful for my nomadic life in 2017, but lives on my end table now as an easy grab if I wake up and need to read without harsh light. It also is a reminder for when I travel. And the lower shelf stores books and (in the drawer) clothing. 

I feel like by the end of this long weekend, everything(books and beyond) will be in their rightful place and wow...110 days into my lease, maybe this place will be a settled home.

~MJ