What I Read in May

I read somewhere that in order to read more books, you should read more than one book at a time. I had always been the kind of reader where I was reading more than one book at a time, but in recent years I've went a little overboard.

I think it's great to read more than one book... but you have to be able to keep them separate, and also if you get into one, keep reading. Don't stop just because you haven't read something else for a while.

I only read 10 books in May, which is a little unusual for me because this is the time of year when my "work" wasn't as heavy... but I've been busy "living" and being more intentional with family time, meaning my reading has been whenever I can sneak it in.

And there's also the case of Netflix, which I can somewhat blame on reading, because Kami bought me the Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girl fame's biography, and told me not to start reading until I had watched enough to be able to understand... and I also have a devotional centered on Gilmore Girls with the first entry focusing on an episode from season 6. I'm on Season 5...

But I digress.

What I read in May:
1. Their Life's Work-This one was about the glory days of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Started it a long time ago but decided to finish it when Dan Rooney died. 
2. All Things New-This one is a Bible study by Kelly Minter about 2 Corinthians. Loved it!! 
3. A More Beautiful Question-This book is a nonfiction book about questioning to learn and discover new things. A great read for someone looking to discover new ways of looking at life and any problems they may have. 
4. Hidden Figures- I started this one in January because the movie version was coming out. I ended up watching the movie first, but I really enjoyed this insight into the Race to Space and the role Black American women played in the achievements made. Great read!
5. Fear Fighting- I was on the launch team for this book and read the book, but it had a study guide included, so I didn't officially finish it until this month, because I worked through the study guide chapter by chapter. You can read my thoughts on this book here- Living Fearless
6. Renovating the Richardsons- This was the second in the Goose Creek series and I loved it. It's set in central Kentucky, has enjoyable characters, and has enough romance thrown it to make it a fun read. I'm getting ready to start the third book in the series.
7. The Broken Way- This is Ann Voskamp's second book. I often feel as though she can read my mind. I really enjoyed this book, and have embraced the concept of living my life as a gift.
8. The Broken Way Study Guide- This was the accompanying book, and one that went along with video sessions. I watched the video sessions earlier in the year when they were free through a book study, making notes as I went, and then later went back and finished the other questions and read the rest of the book.
9. The Cherry Cheesecake Murder- Another book by Joanne Fluke. Another fun read. Same funny protagonist. Same frisky feline. New delicious recipes (not that I've ever tried them!)
10. 13 Reasons Why- I decided to start this one because of all of the recent hoopla on social media after the book was made into a Netflix series. My plan was to read a chapter, then watch the corresponding episode on Netflix, but I just went ahead and read the book. I'm currently on episode 11 out of 13. The series is a little hard to watch because it does have much sexual content and foul language. The book isn't as bad, but there is still some sexual content. I thought it was important for me to know what it was about, though, being the parent of a teenager, and I can say that it is honestly pretty accurate, sadly. Teenage suicide is a hot topic and as parents we must be diligent in maintaining open communication with our kids.

So... what's on your to read list? I've got to finish the 40 books I've already started, but June means I visit old friends like Gone with the Wind and To Kill A Mockingbird. And the other to reads?

Limitless!!!! Stacks upon stacks virtually on my kindle and on my bookshelfs... so I'm going to go read.

As soon as I finish the last two episdoes of 13 Reasons Why


2017 Popsugar Ultimate Reading Challenge
A book recommended by a librarian
A book that's been on your TBR list for way too long- Girl on the Train
A book of letters
An audiobook
A book by a person of color
A book with one of the four seasons in the title
A book that is a story within a story-The Story Keeper
A book with multiple authors
An espionage thriller
A book with a cat on the cover- The Cat That Went Bump in the Night
A book by an author who uses a pseudonym
A bestseller from a genre you don't normally read
A book by or about a person who has a disability- Tough as They Come
A book involving travel- The Yellow Envelope
A book with a subtitle- Zip It: The Keep it Shut 40-Day Challenge
A book that's published in 2017
A book involving a mythical creature
A book you've read before that never fails to make you smile
A book about food
A book with career advice
A book from a nonhuman perspective
A steampunk novel
A book with a red spine- The Cherry Cheesecake Murder
A book seet in the wilderness
A book you loved as a child
A book by an author from a country you've never visited
A book with a title that's a character's name- Dearest Dorothy...
A novel set during wartime
A book with an unreliable narrator
A book with pictures
A book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you
A book about an interesting woman- Hidden Figures
A book set in two different time periods
A book with a month or day of the week in the title
A book set in a hotel
A book written by someone you admire
A book that's becoming a movie in 2017
A book set around a holiday other than Christmas
The first book in a series you haven't read before- The Most Famous Illegal Parade in Goose Creek
A book you bought on a trip


Advanced
A book recommended by an author you love
A bestseller from 2016- Hillbilly Elegy
A book with a family member term in the title
A book that takes place over a character's life span
A book about an immigrant or refugee
A book from a genre/subgenre you've never heard of
A book with an eccentric character
A book that's more than 800 pages
A book you got from a used book sale
A book that's been mentioned in another book
A book about a difficult topic- 13 Reasons Why
A book based on mythology