Reading Recap - March

At the beginning of the year, I set a goal of reading 70 books.  Within that total, I wanted to expand my reading horizons a little by including one memoir/biography, one classic, and one blog reader recommendation each month.  I'm providing a round-up of these reads at the close of each month.

This month's selections:

Memoir/Biography

Ballgame: A Decade Covering the Texas Rangers from the Best Seat in the House

by Josh Lewin

I bought this book a long time ago, and it's just been sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read it. With baseball season revving up, I decided it was the perfect selection for this month.  When I fell in love with baseball -- specifically Rangers baseball -- Josh Lewin was behind the microphone.  He helped me fall in love with that team and the sport.  I was sad when he left the Rangers broadcast booth, and I sensed there was more to the story than was revealed in the media.  He definitely shows some bitterness toward upper management about the separation in this book. Fortunately, those bits are very short and minor. He's also very complimentary about many of the players and executives I have always admired (and even a few I wasn't so sure about).  When he revealed the anxiety and depression he battled, I was stunned.  I had no idea.  It just goes to show how little we know about people's lives.

+++++

Classic

The Scarlet Letter

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

I'm sure I should have read this one at some point in my years of schooling, but I don't think I ever did.  Like Jane Austen, this one was very wordy, but the story moved a lot more.  It was a very well-written story.  I can see why it's a classic, but I spent the whole time being angry at Hester for not sharing the name of the man who got her pregnant.  I don't care how much she loved him, why should she have to suffer being an outcast alone?  She didn't get in that situation alone.  Grrr. I guess books that evoke a reaction like that are good.

+++++

Blog Reader Rec

The Ocean At the End of the Lane

by Neil Gaiman

When I picked this up, it was thin, so I figured it'd be a quick, light read.  I was wrong.  This story turned so many corners, I had to take my time with it so I could follow.  It has some fantasy and mystery.  It was a really interesting read, and it actually left me wanting to finish the rest of the Harry Potter series (that's right, I've still only read the first four).  By the way, this was the first selection for a book club two friends and I just started.  There are just three of us right now, and we are going to take turns selecting the books and then meeting to discuss them. I hope we continue.  It was a lot of fun.

+++++

Bonus Reads

Love, Diamonds, & Spades

by Violet Duke

I read two other books in this Cactus Creek series last year. I have been anxiously awaiting more tales from this community I grew to love.  I was happy when Violet Duke promoted this book on Facebook and I immediately purchased it for my kindle and devoured in two sittings just a few weeks later.  I had been introduced briefly to Rylan and Quinn in past books and enjoyed learning more about them in this book. My love for the setting and characters outweighed the few typos and errors I found in the book.  As a self-published author, I know how hard it is to catch everything, so I'm a little more forgiving than most might be.

I Work At A Public Library

by Gina Sheridan

As an employee of a public library, I was excited to check out this book of anecdotes.  I related to many of the short snippets inside -- computer issues, patrons with odd questions, etc. -- but it wasn't as funny as I had hoped.  Sure, there was a chuckle here and there, and it made for some light reading before bed and during lunch (a nice break from the serious nature of insurance claims), but I guess I expected more.

The Sociopath Next Door

by Martha Stout

This was the book that kept me company during my commutes and driving this month.  It's astounding to think that 25 percent of our population is made up of sociopaths.  Now, they're not all violent, and they aren't as easy to spot as you might think.  Until I listened to this, I had no idea how many I had encountered in my life.  Moreover, I didn't realize how many had victimized me.  I'm an easy target though. I'm an empath, which means I quickly and easily succumb to the emotions of others.  This is exactly what sociopaths use and count on.  This book gave me more clues for identifying sociopaths and advice for not falling victim to them again.

Shattered Hearts: The Complete Box Set

By: Cassia Leo

Orphan meets future musician while in foster care.  Romance, tension, and plenty of drama follow.  I consumed this set very quickly. (And, yeah, I'm only counting it as one book.)

My reading progress to date:

What have you been reading lately?