May Book Goals

I'm crossing my fingers that I'll have my own computer back today and perhaps that will lend to more writing, but for now I thought I'd share some book goals for May.  May is a month I've been looking forward to for a while, but now that it's here, I'm wondering if it doesn't frighten me a little bit.  There's a lot of potential "busy-ness" going on in May.

It starts tonight, in fact, with five nights in a row at work.  I think I've only over worked this many shifts in a row once before, and I know I was ready to kill someone by the end of it.  Other nurses do stretches of 6-7 nights in a row, but I personally am not one who manages this well.  I also start school in May-- in two weeks, actually.  But sprinkled in with all the busy is a lot of fun-- I'm heading to North Carolina briefly next week for my best friend since 1st grade's engagement party, and I'm hoping to snag some beach time while there.

I'm also taking a quick day trip to Louisville with my friend, Kayla, for a Ben Rector/Needtobreathe concert (SO excited for their Tour de Compadres) which should be WAY fun.  Scott's birthday comes in May, and our pool opens.  Oh and I actually have a three day weekend for Memorial Day for the first time since I don't even know when!  So all good things.  Sounds like there won't be much time for reading, but here's what's on the list potentially.

1. The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand.  I'm currently reading this one and like it so far.  It's about a girl whose brother committed suicide and what life was like before, during, and after.  I think she's supposed to reveal soon that she knew something about it all before he tried to commit suicide, but I haven't gotten that far yet.  This is a hard one to get through because it makes me want to cry and hug all of my siblings and family and friends.

Image source: Amazon

2. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen.  Both of the books listed here so far as from the list that Mariah and I have been working through.  Mariah is much quicker than I am with the books! I still have a few more to work through and I think she's basically done with the list except for the ones that aren't released yet (maybe there's just one of those?).  I've been on long wait lists at the library for books and also have had to put some time into other areas of life, so reading sometimes suffers with that.  Like yesterday how I decided to completely scrub down our apartment and rearrange furniture? That happened.  Oh, I'm digressing.  I read another Sarah Addison Allen book in book club back in NC, The Peachkeeper, which I loved, so I have high hopes for this one.  I don't know what it's about but I'll let you know once I read it!  It takes place in NC and has something to do with a mystical apple tree.  I'm intrigued.  

Image source: Amazon

3. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.  I promised myself after Dark Places that I'd be done with Gillian Flynn novels for a while, yet here I am with a copy of her first novel in hand, already ten pages in.  I have a habit of reading Flynn on plane rides, and I have a feeling this will be a good read to take to NC next week.  Should be able to knock it out fairly quickly, maybe in one leg of my flight? Flynn writes dark books but they're page-turning wonders.  This one is about a reporter who was recently in a psych hospital who has to return to her hometown to write about the murder of two girls that took place there.  

Image source: Amazon

4. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell.  After reading Landline a few weeks ago, I'm hooked on Rainbow Rowell's writing style and storytelling abilities.  I'm excited to read her other books as well, including Fangirl and Eleanor and Park.  Attachments is about two people writing e-mails back and forth via their work e-mails, knowing that someone is reading/monitoring them, but continuing anyways.  The story also involves the person reading their e-mails.  I don't know much more! I just have confidence that it will be great based on Rowell's last book I read.  

Image source: Amazon

5. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty.  Lately I've been very into reading multiple works by the same author.  I never did much of that before (OK that's a lie.  Hello Nancy Drew series and Agatha Christie novels), but recently I've been loving the authors I've been reading so much that I feel that I need to get to know them better through reading their other books.  A few months back (March, maybe?) I read Big Little Lies and The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty and have been dying to read her other works since then.  I picked up What Alice Forgot the other day at B&N and secretly want to skip all of the other books to read this one first! Might make a good beach read while I'm in NC.  

Image source: Amazon

I think that's all I've got for now.  If you're bored with the fact that I'm only reading 5 books this month (if even that-- we will see what my schoolwork has to say about that!), here's some other books I'm going to be reading over the next few months:

-Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

-Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

-Being Mortal by Atul Gawande 

-The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty

-All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

-Yes Please by Amy Poehler

-The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

-Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova

-Let's Just Say it Wasn't Pretty by Diane Keaton

-Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

-Bossypants  by Tina Fey

-Small Victories by Anne Lamott 

-Just One Day by Gayle Foreman

-If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

I can't even keep up with all of the great books that are coming out-- every time I hear about a new one I add it to my ever-growing list and feel that I just need more time to read! Someone keep me accountable with reading once school starts.  I remember a professor once asking me what my favorite thing was to do (reading, obviously).  She then said that if i noticed I had gone more than a few days without doing the thing I loved most, something was wrong.  She was making the point that while school was important, we needed to balance it with happy, enjoyable activities as well.  So here's to reading this month!  

What books are you reading?  Or what have you been dying to read? I'm always looking to add more to my list!

Lots of love,

C