What I’m Reading Wednesday

If you’re like me, you usually have a few different books going at the same time.  Usually I’m reading fiction because non-fiction is typically not what I’m looking for when I’m trying to unwind.  But right now, I have two non-fiction books in the mix!

(1)

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin – I learned about this book while listening to the What Should I Read Next podcast and instantly added it to my list of books to find at the library.  I wouldn’t describe myself as unhappy, but I do get those moments of feeling like everything is passing me by and I’m probably not living in the moment as often as I could be.  Rubin decides to tackle twelve areas of her life – such as parenting, her relationship with her husband, hobbies – and focus on building habits and skills to ensure that she’s living up to her fullest potential.  This is a fun read and I’m breezing right through it.  I would recommend picking it up if you’re looking for a personal challenge.

(2)

All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks – I picked this up because it was the March pick for the Feminist Book Club on Goodreads.  I have read several of hooks’ works before, but hadn’t read much about this one.  It is fantastic!  It focuses on many of the things that keep us from truly loving others and attempts to define love.  When I began reading this, I realized that I didn’t have a personal definition of what love is.  I still don’t, but am thinking about it more often.  And one shift that I am making is thinking about love as a verb, rather than a noun.  We love people with our actions, not just by saying so.  Lots to think about with this one!

(3)

The Virgin in the Garden by AS Byatt – I am still not sure what this one is about.  I put in a previous post that I think that Byatt is way too smart for me… I can only read about a half a chapter each time I sit down.  I am enjoying the setting – classic English schools that do not necessarily educate the elite – and the tone – to me it seems slightly tongue in cheek and pokes fun at itself.  Byatt’s writing is so complex and carefully written, that it often takes me several attempts to understand a single sentence, and sometimes I feel as though I’m not up to the task to tackle this one! Yet, for some reason, I keep returning to it.  I am determined to keep working on it and see how much I can actually understand, ha!