A Backlog of Reads

Here is another reading challenge update in less than a week! I have a backlog of books I've read to write about.

Here is what I've been reading:

A Book A Friend Recommended: The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo


I've been seeing this book blogged about, instagrammed and mentioned in numerous conversations so finally decided to read it and see what all the fuss was about. I am not sure if it is worth all of the fuss but there a few good ideas that Maire Kondo presents.  I almost feel like it could all be summed up in a short handout. I should have taken notes and made that handout for you all. The read is relatively quick and by the time you are finished you think I should pass this on so that it does not clutter up my house.  I passed it on to my mom.  So...this is not a comprehensive review by any means as I read the book in early October and what did not stick then is long gone.

A take away concept I did absorb was to consider if something brings you joy. As I have already been in the process of thinning out my wardrobe and thinking about capsule wardrobes this concept was easy to grasp and I think I was already there. It is the idea that the items of clothing or books should be items that you love and which bring you joy. If not then it should be discarded. I was inspired after reading this book to consider and let go of some of the things I hang onto but are stored in closets never to be seen or used. I have way too many books and notebooks/binders filled from courses I have taken. I intend when unpacked to purge many of my books- either to sell or give away. This is a project I intend to tackle in the new year in the new house!

I also liked the idea of tackling categories not rooms. I had done this with my clothes and it definitely made it easier to assess and discard. I also did this for my husband who is much more emotionally attached to items and often keeps items for sentimental value. I do not have as deep of an emotional connection with items. I think in helping someone else this philosophy of asking is this something that brings you joy or is it something you love is very helpful. With L and his 20 collared golf shirts for instance some of his sentimental value was the fact that he had purchased it at such a great deal on such and such shopping trip, but when questioned if he loved it or it brought him joy when he tried it on it was easier for him to part with. I assembled all of my office type supplies as one category and sorted into sub-categories. It definitely made for ease in locating and when I was diligent returning. Unfortunately as we are in transition as as my husband needs some of these they have slowly meandered from their location. It is really a challenge when living with someone else! My mom also commented on this while she was reading it saying she must be single!

While I see the value of this type of organizational decluttering philosophy set forth by Marie Kondo on a day to day basis there is still the straightening of a room and putting away of items that must occur. For instance right now I survey my living room and see that I have not finished yet decorating the Christmas tree so the boxes of decorations are still out. There is a book on top of these boxes that I checked out from the library. Clearly it should not live there but my hands were full of groceries when I came home. There are two loads of folded laundry that should be put away but L is sleeping as he is currently working nights and I don't want to disturb him. A blanket has slipped off the couch and the pillows on the couch need fluffing, a hoodie hangs over the edge of the couch, the coffee table is a mishmash of television remotes, coffee cups, receipts, socks that did not have mates, keys, and diabetic supplies I just picked up from the pharmacy. Clearly tidying up is not magic but an ongoing process of picking up and putting things back in their homes or straightening them so they do not look all haphazardly placed.

This book is clearly inspirational and if you google this title you will find all kinds of inspirational accounts of how this book has been life changing. Amazon gives this book 4.5 stars. Goodreads rating ranges from 3.1-3.8. I give it a 3.


A Book Set During Christmas: Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

What a fun read! I liked it! I give it 4 stars. If you enjoyed Arrested Development you will enjoy this novel with it's deadpan absurdity. Bee has achieved in school and as a reward asks her parents if for Christmas they might go to Antartica. Her parents reluctantly agree. This sends her mother into a tailspin as her anxiety over travelling increases and she relies on a virtual personal assistant to arrange their trip. Her husband becomes suspicious at the actions of his wife suspecting she is having a mental breakdown and plots an intervention to commit her to a mental hospital that goes awry when Bernadette disappears. Bee to make sense of her mother's disappearance collates the Internet postings, public records and private emails she has received from an anonymous source.

A Book Set in a Different Country: Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Anne Fowler

This novel started out slow and I was not sure if I would enjoy it but by the end my reservations were dismissed and I recommend this novel. I give it a 4 star rating. Goodreads rates it at 3.79. I finished this novel just after reading F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, This Side of Paradise. Reading this novel in succession to the novel by Fitzgerald as well as having read The Great Gatsby years ago made my enjoyment of it much more immense. I was not familiar with the lifestory of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald that has been mythologized. It was an interesting fictionalized take on the emotional life of Zelda that Fowler interprets from various accounts, and a look women's issues in the 1920s.

A Popular Author's First Book: This Side of Paradise by Scott Fitzgerald

This novel also started out slow and was full of poetry and language that I did not grasp. My favorite point actually came when the novel switched to a play while at the same time I thought it entirely odd that the genre had switched for a short section. The descriptions of the setting in the play reminded me of Tennessee Williams. I would not have thought Fitzgerald a literary genius based on this read despite reviews that claim it was a romantic and witty novel. The main character spun helplessly or deliberately out of control throughout the course of the novel. There were little heroic qualities about him. After reading the novel Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald I could see semi-autobiographical aspects of Fitzgerald either his fears or his desires woven into the character of Amory. If you plan to read Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald do give this novel a go. The context is worth it. I would rate this novel a 2.5.



I likely will not complete the reading challenge by the end of December that I started at the beginning of this year but I think I have made a solid effort.

I went through the remaining categories this past week and made a list of books I intend to read, which is half the battle.

A Book By a Favorite Author You've Never Read Before: Truth & Bright Water by Thomas King
A Book From Your Childhood: The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery
A Book with a Colour in the Title: The Jade Peony by Watson Choy
A Book that Came out the Year You Were Born: The World According to Garp by John Irving
A Book with a Love Triangle: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
A Book More than 100 Years Old: Beowulf by Unknown, translated by Seamus Heaney
A Book Set Somewhere You've Always Wanted to Visit: Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard
A Mystery or Thriller: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
A Book that Scares You: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
A Book Your Mom Loves: ??
A Book Published This Year: The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan
A Play: The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov
A Book You Were Supposed to Read in High School But Didn't: Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok


As always if you have a novel choice for one of these categories that you think I should read do recommend as my choices are not yet set in stone and I love to hear from you! What have you been reading? What do you recommend? Did you read any of the novels above that I listed or reviewed? What did you think of them?