March Read: Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed

 

I decided I didn't want to wait for the physical book to be available so I listened to the audio book instead. I am not a huge audio book person and when I do listen it's usually a non-fiction book so this fit into my audio book checklist perfectly. 

This book is made up of essays the author has written about her love of books, reading, and her experiences as a teacher of literature and writing.  From an early age Shannon inhaled books; she couldn't get enough. She lived at the library, surrounded herself with books, and found a lot of solace in books as a person who is hard of hearing. She could escape into so many other worlds. 

Now, as an adult, she teaches writing and literature at a college level, and is continuously surprised at the connections novels make in a world where reading is often dismissed as "boring". Her stories are pretty interesting. In one essay, she finds herself teaching a class on vampire literature. She herself avoids any kind of horror novels (terrifying nightmares as a child), but has to not only teach a class and read the books, but support a student who is also deeply afraid to read horror novels. In another essay, she talks about the connections modern high school students made with Bronte's Jane Eyre, much to her surprise. She was expecting most of the students to not read the novel at all, but instead, they had robust conversations and couldn't wait to get to class to talk in-depth about Jane and her life. 

She talks about reading for pleasure instead of her earlier years where she raced through books just to be able to say "Oh yes, I read that". And yes, even taking yourself out of your comfort zone and reading something that may be difficult or not at all what you'd normally read. One of her most interesting essays talks about Lincoln in the Bardo, and how she read it to teach a class and for the life of her couldn't understand it, and confessed that to her students. It began a journey they all went on together, and became one of her most interesting reading experiences. 

If you are a lover of books and are interested in exploring the reading life of other book lovers, pick this up. You can read a chapter and put it down without losing any flow. 

Rating: 4/6 for an interesting read about books, a love of reading, and how it all changes with time, life experiences, and the people you meet along the way. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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March Read: Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed

The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman

This is one of those novels that has you looking at your life, turning and twisting it; examining where you are and who you are now.

Brett Bohlinger is a 34 year old woman who has just lost her mother to cancer.  Her mother owned a cosmetics company that went from zero to a big business over the years, and Brett expected to take over as CEO when her mother died.  

But her mother has left a few surprises for Brett, and that is what this novel is about.  Elizabeth Bohlinger leaves a will that gives her two sons plenty of money, and her daughter-in-law the position of CEO in the company.  Stunned, Brett learns from Brad, her mother's lawyer, that she has one year to accomplish her "life list" in order to receive her inheritance.  Brett composed this life list when she was 14 years old.  Her mother rescued it from the garbage, and kept it all these years.  Now it will define and change Brett's life.  Her mother was a clever one; leaving a pink envelop for each thing Brett accomplishes.  Her mother is determined to wake Brett up to a life she should be living, not the one she currently occupies.  

Some of the life list items that  Brett has to accomplish:  fall in love (really really in love), have a dog, help the less fortunate, become a teacher, have a relationship with her father, and be friends with Shelley forever.  Written from a 14 year old's perspective, it sounds pretty simple.  But for a 34 year old woman, it's not so easy:  her father is dead, and she let down her friend Shelley years ago and hasn't heard from her since.  Her one foray into teaching ended in disaster and made her leave teaching.

Brett struggles through all of this with the help of Brad, her mother's lawyer.  He seems like quite a catch, but he's already in a relationship.  Will sparks fly?  Just who is Brett supposed to fall in love with, when she's already in a relationship with Andrew?  And why does her mother instruct her sister-in-law (the CEO) to fire her from her job at the cosmetics company?  Her life is crumbling around her and she's forced to rebuild from the ground up.  Can she make the deadline, find happiness, and move past her grief?  

I did enjoy this novel.  Brett takes a while to realize just how unhappy she is; her life is not at all going in the right direction and she's changed into a scared, second guessing woman.  She's not the person she used to be, and that's the point of her mother's strange request.  


I did think sometimes things fell into place a bit too neatly for Brett, but it was a minor glitch in reading this novel.  Yes, she was without a job, and no income.  But she did have some resources to get her through until she did get a job, and really was never in any danger of becoming homeless or completely broke.  It can be easier to change your life when you're not penny pinching and just getting by every week.  

All in all, this was a quick read and perfect for any woman of any age to read.  It does make you think about your dreams and aspirations, and if you're living the life you want to live.  And it may give you the courage to make some changes.  

Rating:  6/10 for a clever plot and engaging characters

Available in paperback or e-book

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The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman