Tell Me More: Stories about the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say by Kelly Corrigan
I listened to this book in audio form and it’s read by the author herself. It’s a collection of essays titled with phrases like “I Don’t Know” “No” and “I Was Wrong” where the personal stories tie into the phrase she’s learning to say. While I enjoyed Corrigan’s voice telling her own stories and the emotion that comes through in especially difficult ones, I think I may have gotten more out of it had I read it in a different format.
All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin
Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors. Her newest book takes a different approach than her previous novels. It’s not really a love story and instead deals with current social issues. Set in Nashville the story follows two families managing the aftermath of an inappropriate photo making the rounds within their ritzy private school community. I enjoyed Giffin’s venture into a new genre. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
This is my first Ann Patchett book and wow, I’m a fan! It’s a collection of essays, most of which she had already published in various magazines or newspapers. The book is arranged so it reads like a memoir, each story from a different time in her life. I’m always eager to learn about a writer’s process so she had me hooked with the first essay “Non-Fiction, An Introduction”. “Love Sustained” about her relationship with her grandmother and “Dog Without End” about her dog, Rose, were beautiful. I suppose since it’s a memoir, I’m not giving it a rating, but I believe it will take a spot on my favorites from the second half of the year. Also I listened to it on audio and it’s delightfully read by Ann Patchett herself.
Gratitude by Oliver Sacks
I listened to this short collection of 4 essays Sacks wrote in the last months of his life. He reflects on what a good life is, gratitude for being alive, and comes to terms with his death.
“I cannot pretend I am without fear. But my predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved; I have been given and I have given something in return; I have read and traveled and thought and written”
―
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
I heard this book referred to on a couple podcasts and took advantage of my library system having a physical copy before we leave. I believe Tsh Oxenreider from The Simple Show said she reads it once a year. Essentialism is a disciplined system for recognizing the things that are truly important (essential) and focusing your energy there to achieve better results. Less is more. Rather than putting effort into several things and making little headway, you can put the same effort into a few key things and make more progress.
The book is broken into 4 parts: Essence – what is the core mindset of an Essentialist, Explore – How to select the most important items, Eliminate – saying no to the unimportant many, and Execute – practices to make the important things effortless. I really liked the Execute chapters on Focus and Be. McKeown points out we are capable of multitasking but not multifocusing – so true! Also being present in the moment is something I want to work on. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.
Here are my book stats for the month of August:
Total Books Read: 11
6 Female Authors and 5 Male Authors
Nationalities: 8 American and 3 British
7 Nonfiction and 4 Fiction
Format: 6 Physical Books and 5 Audiobooks
Source: 1 Already Own, 5 Library Books, 6 Libby
Total Pages Read: 1,750 pages
Total Hours Listened: 1 day, 7 hours, 42 minutes
What did you read in August? How are your reading goals going this year? Let me know in the comments below.
