Anyone Who Has Time to Clean is Not Reading Nearly Enough

Here’s a list of books I have read off and on over the past year or so… all of which were excellent distractions from the writing I should have been doing. I have a hard time reading and writing simultaneously. I’m either reading all the time, or writing all the time.

These books are listed in no particular order. You can see that my interests are far-reaching. I can read about a TV sitcom one week, and ISIS the next. As a result, I know a little bit about a lot of things. It’s just who I am and I’ve come to accept it.

• You Look Like That Girl by Lisa Jakub… memoir by former actress (she played the oldest daughter in Mrs. Doubtfire, among other films); Jakub now gives workshops and blogs about “embracing your weird” from her home base in North  Carolina. Totally fun and real.
• The Politics of Washing by Polly Coles… an account by a British woman who is married to an Italian, who moves her family to Venice; the book tells of her experiences living an ordinary life in one of the world’s top tourist destinations. Read my review of this book here.
• An American Childhood by Annie Dillard… memoirist extraordinaire. Love this book. I also use a few selections in my middle school language arts classes.
• A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold… This is a memoir written by the mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the Columbine school murderers. A difficult read, but very compelling and enlightening.
• Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And all the Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong… This book discusses the effects of this show on American culture, especially the lives of single women.which I didn’t realize was as ground-breaking as it was.
• Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS by Joby Warrick… Discusses the roots of ISIS, including its original founders and followers. Especially focuses on the influences made on the group by the Jordanian al-Zarqawi (Al Qaeda of Iraq) and later al-Baghdadi, who founded the Islamic State of Iraq. This book was difficult to read in many ways, but it was a thorough and comprehensive background of radical Islamic terrorism.
• Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer… The story of the polygamist branch of Mormonism, also known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Eye-opening.
• Missoula:  Rape and the Criminal Justice System by Jon Krakauer… Analyzes the epidemic of sexual assault on university campuses and its causes and enablers, including university disciplinary boards.
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou… Classic story of the childhood and growing-up years of the famous author. Incredible story-telling. Incredible life story.
• Deep Down Dark by Hector Toban (The 33 Chilean Miners)… I read this after seeing the movie, 33. Couldn’t put it down. A truly miraculous story about the miners, their families, and the aftermath of their survival.
• The Revenant by Michael Punke… I also read this book after seeing the movie. All I can say is “Wow” when I think about the creative license that was taken with Punke’s original story. It was, however, interesting to consider the story-telling liberties that are apparently made to transform a piece of literature into a motion picture.

Photo by Annelies Geneyn on Unsplash