This year I set a daunting goal to read 50 books this year. Little did I know that the coronavirus would slow everything down and provide a great reason (and time) to read.  In quarter one, I was able to finish a total of 16 books and before going into details about the book, I wanted to chat about some of the tricks I employed to read this many books.

  1. Book clubs: In the last year I joined two book clubs (one virtual and one face-to-face) but these book clubs have kept me accountable AND push me to read a different type of book. Also, they are fun!
  2. I read multiple books at a time. I never used to do this but I find doing this makes me a little more efficient reader. I don’t know about you but sometimes I just need to switch it up based on my mood.
  3. If I don’t get into a book within the first 50-75 pages, I discard it. I never used to do this and would force myself to finish the book. Life is TOO short to read boring books.
  4. Goodreads. I joined the social network for book nerds! This also keeps me accountable to my 2020 Reading Challenge and I am able to see what my friends read, which has led me to reading some of my favorite books so far. Follow me!

Anywho, if you are looking for a good book, here is what I have read so far broken into category.

Fiction.

Circe. A Greek mythology, Circe, daughter of Hellios is born with powers that allow her to turn rivals into monsters and her actions get her banished to a deserted island.  This book chronicles her life as a woman who stands alone. There are a lot of key players (as every Greek mythology) so it took a little extra thought to keep characters straight.

Nine Perfect Strangers. Nine strangers visit a remote Health Spa with hopes to remedy some of their life’s problems. They find themselves in a much bigger situation and challenge as events at the Health Spa get stranger and stranger. I had high hopes for this novel as it was the same author of Big Little Lies. This book took about 100 pages to get into and some of the events in the book were so outrageous that it was hard to believe.

Daisy Jones & The Six. Based in the sixties, this is about a iconic rock band and their beautiful, lead singer. This is a very easy read and in a narrative form which keeps the story moving and interesting. Would have loved just a little more drama and rock and roll though.

When Never Comes. This story weaves between past and present for Christy-Lynn. Her husband is found dead, along with his mistress. Christy-Lynn is stunned to find out about the mistress and with more research, she finds a These turn of events provoke Christy-Lynn to look into her past of growing up with an alcoholic mother and then being an orphan and re-evaluate her current life and her deceased husband’s child who now finds herself an orphan. I have been a member of Kindle Unlimited for some time (I pay $10 a month to essentially borrow certain kindle books on Amazon), although, I never use it. This what one of the first books I decided to read on Kindle Unlimited and was quite impressed.

When We Believed in Mermaids. This is a tale of two sisters and the search for truth. Kit believes her sister Jozie died years ago during a train fire. However, one night, Kit sees Jozie on the nightly news as a bystander to a club fire. This leads Kit across the world on a search to find her sister and, ultimately, come to terms with her chaotic upbringing and family life. I am a sucker for a family saga (especially between sisters) and this was one of my favorite fictions books I read first quarter.

The Great Alone. This book came highly recommended and the writer wrote one of my favorite books, The Nightingale.  However, this book did not hold my attention. The story chronicles a family who moves to Alaska to get away from it all. They find themselves fitting for survival and in a how new way of life.

Non-Fiction

The Moment of Lift. This book chronicles the work she and Bill Gates do throughout the world, especially with women. You will read stories of child marriages, sex workers and gender inequality. This book was pretty interesting, I find the Gates fascinating and quite innovative.

Stress Less, Accomplish More. Ah, meditation, a practice I struggle to maintain. This book goes into the benefits of meditation (there are many) and the author’s method of meditation called Zika mediation.

Bringing Up Bebe. Have you ever considered how other countries raise their children? The Parisian way seems to be elusive with well behaved children and less stress. An American family moves to France with their toddler and immediately notice the differences as they navigate the French culture.

French Kids Eat Everything. They truly do! Similar to Bringing up Bebe, this book is a story about an American family who moves to France. They immediately notice that French children eat like adults and its no wonder since the French culture greatly values good food and all meals. This book serves as a rule book of French eating.

The Magic of Motherhood.  Looking for a book of short stories about the joys of motherhood? This is it and would make a great Mother’s Day book!

Undone. A book about family, faith and resiliency. This proved to be a very easy read written by an author local to Colorado.

Boys Adrift. We are expecting our first son in June and this is the first boy in 28 years on my side. This book came recommended as one of the best on how to raise boys to be successful. The author lists five factors on why boys are unmotivated today. He then gives parents to tools on how to help boys become successful and flourish. Quite an interesting read!

Business.

The Book on Managing Rental Properties. My husband has urged me to read this for our two rentals and I finally got to it at the start of the stay-at-home orders. It proved to be a great comprehensive overview of the rental process and systems that make your life easier as a landlord. Additionally, there are a TON of resources (and documents) that come along with this book.

Talking to Strangers. I love anything Malcolm Gladwell write and his latest book did not disappoint. Gladwell investigates how we talk to strangers and how and why it often goes wrong. Throughout the book are examples of this miscommunication in its true form.

Your Money or Your Life. I read this BEFORE Covid, however, I think it would be quite relevant now too. This poignant book is about staying back your life and achieving financial freedom. This book offers tips and tools on how to get out of debt, build good money habits, declutter and live with less, invest and start to build wealth.

Whew! That’s all the books I read in quarter one and I hope you are able to find out that piques your interest. Tell me, what good books have you read?

Liz is  broker and owner of Liz Daigle Realty.

 

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