Reading

I've read some pretty great books so far this year, as well as one stinker. Here's my recent Kindle history plus the books I hope to read in the next few months:

image via little dalila's bookshelf

• the life-changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo. On the one hand, I LOVED this book. On the other hand, it didn't really work for me. Let me explain. Kondo advises a comprehensive overhaul of every.last.thing you have in your home (and your car, and your parent's house, and your garage and your storage unit...). One of her main principles is to not declutter and organize by location, but by item. So in other words, don't just clean out your closet because you probably have clothes in the laundry room, other closets, etc. Gather all your clothes together and edit/keep/delete all at one go. Then go down the list of household categories and purge them all ruthlessly. Another major principle is to keep only things that spark joy. So. Once you have your household in order (sounds pretty awesome, right?) you'll never relapse into accumulating clutter or being messy ever again. Kondo really makes this undertaking sound fun and (like the title promises): magical. However, as enticing as a truly organized household sounds, I just don't have the time (Kondo estimates six months) or maybe I don't truly have the desire? I made it though clothes and books before I got realllllly tired of devoting every moment of free time to organizing. And so, once again...organization eludes me.

• How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are by Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret and Sophie Mas. Are you embarrassed for me that I bought this? Well, you should know that I'm a sucker for these sold-at-Anthropologie-type lifestyle guides. Unfortunately, this one is no good. Save your money. I think it could've worked as a spoof, except that it's not funny. And I don't mean "not funny" as in- I was offended by it ...it just lacked comedy. And style. And relevance. Blegh. But this French lifestyle guide is fabulous and ditto for this one on style.

• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This is one of the most powerful books I've ever read. It's a really different perspective on WWII. Two perspectives, actually: a young Parisian girl who is blind and forced to flee to Saint Malo at the beginning of the war and a young German boy who is kind and brilliant but has no choice but to become a part of Nazi youth. Their lives converge in an unexpected way and the road to that meeting is both treacherous and beautiful. Read this book slowly; I was devastated when it was over. (If you read or have read this book and love it as much as I do, be sure to watch The Imitation Game and then listen to this Invisibila podcast about blindness. 

• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. This is a fun, read-in-two days Gone Girl-esque thriller. I'm excited to see what Paula Hawkins writes next. I wish that the characters had not all been so deeply unlikeable, but the plot twists were well-executed and unexpected. This is the perfect plane ride (or train ride:) book.

On my to-read list:

Sisterland: a Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld because I've loved everything else by her. My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff because...J.D. Salinger. Essentialisim by Greg McKeown I'm reading this right now & it has some great advice to the tune of "less, but better." Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin just hurry up and be published already! I've been hearing about this book for eons. The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman because the cover and title are similar to All the Light We Cannot See (sorry, just being honest). The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod because my mornings are pretty great, but I'm always up for making them better.