001: Books on my nightstand

April 14, 2020

The other night I looked over at my nightstand and laughed. It was basically overflowing with books—some finished, some not yet started, some paused in the middle. And, that’s how my nightstand has always looked for as long as I can remember. Which makes me laugh and wonder what your nightstand looks like.

Also, it seems that every time I’m in the library I’m googling “really good, not sad, best books to read of 2019” or “quick reads to escape from my daily reality” or “non-clinical books about how trauma affects the human body”. Well, I suppose I did that more when the library was actually open. These days I just google from my apartment, but, gosh, I miss the library a lot.

Pending your interest, I plan to share a monthly post about the books on my nightstand. This will be a modge podge of genres and I may or may not rate them. Let’s be real—ratings are so subjective! In exchange, I hope you’ll share what books are on your nightstand because that would save me a couple google searches.

And, listen, I know I’m a writer, but the cleverest title I could think of that didn’t make me worry if people would think I’m somehow in any way referring to sex is simply, “Books on my nightstand.” So, look for that title once a month and expect to read about books. 😉

PSA: I do have affiliate links in this post. It doesn’t cost you extra, I just get an itsy bitsy commission if you buy something I recommend. Like, if every single one of my readers bought 1 book, I could probably do 2 1/2 loads of coin laundry. So, thanks; I love clean clothes!

Without further ado—

Bird by Bird

by Anne Lamott

Nearly finished. I should be finished with this book, but I’m not. It’s amazing. Anne Lamott is a wonderful, insightful, humorous writer. It’s about writing, but also life which I think is accurate. Most suggestions aimed toward writing could be applied to life, generally.

Highly recommend, especially if you’re a writer.

The Secret Place

by Tana French

Finished. This is part of French’s Dublin Murder Mystery Squad series. I’m accidentally reading them out of order (didn’t know about #1, never realized there was a #2, started with #3 on a whim, unknowingly skipped #4, just finished #5), but they’re still really good. You can read them in order, but it’s not an obligation.

Of note: I liked #3, The Faithful Place, better than #5, The Secret Place.

Recommend.

Handle With Care

by Lore Ferguson Wilbert

In progress. Blowing my mind with introspective thoughts and new ways of thinking about touch. I once scored a 0 inn the physical touch category on the Five Love Languages test, so getting wrapped up in thinking so deeply about the power of touch (how it can be used for good, how it can cause pain, and how Jesus used it to heal) has been unexpected, but so good.

Even though I’m not finished with it, I highly recommend.

What My Body Remembers

by Agnete Friis

Finished. This book is interesting and keeps my interest, but it feels a bit disjointed and is not my typical read. I will say that the last 30 pages redeemed the book for me—it was a whirlwind that I got completely caught up in. And, I loved the very last page.

Not so much recommend.

Dog Songs

by Mary Oliver

In progress (in what other way is poetry enjoyed). A beautiful book of poems written by the lovely Mary Oliver about my favorite furry animal—dogs. I rented this from the library to culture myself and think about the sweetness of doggies. It’s working.

Recommend. (It’s Mary Oliver, of course I recommend.)

Wait, there’s more—

Here are a few more good posts about books to use as your COVID-19 escape plan, a long list of books to keep you occupied during social distancing, and, for something a little off the wall, Stephen King’s recommended book list included at the end of his book “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” which I loved, by the way.

Now, what books are on your nightstand?

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