Good morning, my friends! ☀️ I hope it’s been a good week in your world, and your Friday is getting off to a great start. Spring of course isn’t over yet, but the end of the school year is starting to come into view — my kids only have a few weeks left before they’re out for the summer, and the school year has always been how I mark time in my mind.
Which means, it’s a great time to start daydreaming about the books I want to read this summer, to really dig into and absorb. So I thought I’d throw it out to you all, as we’ve had fantastic discussions in the past on this, in which you’ve shared so many great recommendations.
Are you reading anything you love right now that you’d recommend? Or, is there anything you’re dreaming about picking up and reading this summer, that you’ve heard about that sounds great?
I’ll share my picks in the comments, but as you know, I love hearing what you have to share 😃 — Terrell
Terrell, I've been "listening" to Run for your Life, one of your suggestions to us. It's got a lot of technical jargon and so early on was a little tough BUT when I took a couple of runs this past weekend, I found myself thinking of the what was said and found the run to be a better one. I found that I was more aware of my position during the run, the length of my stride and how long I could sustain that repetitively through the run. I've always been pretty good technically with my runs [was a pitcher in college, and after] but this made me more aware of my positioning and posture and it actually made my run better. I'd recommend it and this also is the first time I've done an audio book and find I am enjoying it while I drive to school.
Thanks to all for all these suggestions! Can’t wait for a relaxed couple weeks in August to check some of these out. I don’t have time to read much these days but couple months back started a fiction The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (loved it and could not put it down till I finished it!) more recently read “What Made Maddy Run” by Kate Fagan - it might have been recommended in this newsletter or off twitter. It has put a knot in my stomach since - I consider it a must read for anyone with teenage kids or anyone eager to know about mental health pressures in youngsters.
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline. I devoured this book in a few hours. The narrator is a black girl. A writer community I'm part of recommended The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott. My goodness. The story in the Rain Heron is so lovely. But I also loved the writing. And I'm half way to Hunger by Roxane Gay. I can't believe I have not read this memoir until now. Read these books not just for the story but for the exquisite writing as well.
I recently finished: Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad & loved it! Currently, I am reading: Notes From A Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi and LOVING it! I love food & cooking - this is a story about the author's life becoming a chef with recipes from his life mixed in to the story.
Ohhhh yes yes yes! I love reading! 😄 Creative Writing degree over here, lol. I’ve read a fair bit, but I tend to favor suspense/thriller. However, I’ll read anything, lol. Lit by Mary Karr was great. Plus some other works that have stuck out to me in recent reads are People Like Her by Ellory Lloyd (sp? It’s a pseudonym for a writing team—I read it in one day/three sittings; I could NOT put it down), Unspeakable Things (can’t remember the author, I’ll have to look), The Descent by Tim Johnston (another page-turner, and surprisingly tender given the subject matter), St. Maybe by Anne Tyler, The Season of Passage (again, I forget the author, but oh em goodness)… I also am TOTALLY OBSESSED with the Wings of Fire series, which is an unusual choice for me, since I don’t typically read young adult novels (there’s nothing inherently wrong with them—I’m just an old lady and they’re not as relatable to me as they once were!) My 14-year-old got me started on them because she wanted someone to chat about them with, and I figured, “All right, easy enough.” I ended up HOOKED. They’re so fun, well-written, surprisingly suspenseful, and relevant—plus anyone who’s a dragon lover like me should read them. 😊 I liken them to a more “age appropriate” Game of Thrones starring dragons, lol. My favorite book of all time is The Awakening by Kate Chopin, closely followed by pretty much anything Victor Hugo (Les Miserables was such a beautiful, wonderful novel.) I also CHERISH Khaled Hosseini’s books—they’re so wonderfully horrible and gut-wrenching! 😆 I could go on all day, but I’ll stop nerding out for now. 😂
It’s not technically reading but I have recently listened to The Great Courses on Audible (there is a pdf). I got through The History of the United States, 2nd edition, which was fantastic. It ends with the Clinton years which gives it an interesting perspective. It’s 43 hours long at regular speed. As I get older I have developed a greater appreciation of history, realizing how short history really is, how rapidly our country changed in some ways and in many ways has stayed the same (good and bad). It inspired an impromptu visit to Harpers Ferry when I drove my son back to DC after Easter. Very interesting and beautiful place to visit. We didn’t run there but it’s very hilly.
In another forum the book club is "Run the Mile your In", by Ryan Hall. As for sleeping material I am getting ready to pickup "The Offical Comptia Cysa+ self study guide". That should get me into June and we will see what happens after that
Currently reading "No Limits" by John Maxwell. Also, "Dracula" by Bram Stoker with my daughter for our theme of mysteries and monsters this school year (we homeschool). It is a similar style to "Frankenstein," which I enjoyed for it's dramatic language. I picked up "Enders Game" by Orson Scott Card from the library's reading list, and "A Woman Makes a Plan" by Maye Musk, mostly because I don't know anything about that family. Somewhere along the line, someone suggested "Living with a SEAL" by Jesse Itzler, so I might tackle that as well.
My books are all on the for later shelf at the Library until we can shake this apartment and find a new place to curl up and read.
I noticed I had placed Run Fast by Higdon on it, as well as the "Paris Vagabond" which caught my eye in some article (Paris Vagabond, Jean-Paul Clébert,). As for fiction There are the innumerable Invisible Library books which has become a series and beloved by younger people..
I think I read the 4th one last and will pick up the others this summer. . . If you love parody, the Disc World books by Terry Prachett are the best. :)
And then, there are the Richard Powers books, (The Overstory) as well as others. Fascinating. Although I've checked them out, I have not had time to read recently. Something I will do after we move!
My last 3 books are Cloud Cuckoo Land - Anthony Doer, Anthem - Noah Hawley, and Bewilderment - Richard Powers. All fiction. All touch on the current state of the environment and politics. Anthem my favorite of the three.
I just finished PROPERTY OF THE REBEL LIBRARIAN, loaned to me by my 13-year-old granddaughter, and I LOVED it. It’s a middle school version of FAHRENHEIT 451, where the adults go after the books the kids read, and how the kids react. I couldn’t put it down. I’m waiting on a book I ordered (forgot the exact title) concerning the brain and how it stores all experiences, good and bad—centers in on PTSD, in quite some detail. I want this because my husband has double PTSD, and I believe (based on reviews) it will give me some insight.
My favorite book is the Bible because no matter how many times I read it, it always shows me something NEW. Just blows me away, because no other book has ever done that.
What I TRULY love doing is WRITING my own adventure books with my 9 grandchildren and me as the characters, because I know what they say and how they say it. :) There is magic, dragons, villains, and people in trouble. There is also treasure, explosions, and plenty of dialogue that makes the kids laugh. One of the kids says she never liked reading till she read the first book I wrote. I have learned to actually “build” a hardcover, print, arrange, glue, assemble, and decorate these books. They LOVE the “book signing” days. :) So far, I have written them 4 books, the 4th turning out to be novel-length. :) I have a 5th in my head. Over the years, they have send me pictures of my books lined up right on the shelf beside their beds, and it fills me with joy. We love each other so much. :)❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ 💙
Apr 29, 2022·edited Apr 29, 2022Liked by Terrell Johnson
Present Moment, Wonderful Moment, by Thich Nhat Hanh; No Mud, No Lotus, by Thich Nhat Hanh; The Five Invitations, by Frank Ostaseski; Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction, by David Enrich; Oh, and also my daughter's fanfiction ever-evolving novel. :)
Just picked up "Anatomy for Runners" Unlocking Your Athletic Potential For Health, Speed and Injury Prevention on the suggestion of a fellow injured runner. Some good tips!
The subtitle is The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your PEOPLE Like FAMILY. Considering the “Forward” is written by Simon Sinek, that kind of sets the bar for what to expect. I literally could not put this book down! Chapman’s companies may make machines and provide tech services but say what they do is “Build great people who do extraordinary things” and they “Measure success by the way they touch the lives of others.” Interested in seeing what it takes to transform underperforming organizations and cause people to love coming to work? Read this one! I guarantee you will borrow many of the processes and approaches his companies embrace…while making it ALL about the people!
I do not recommend the book I'm finishing reading "Mastering Microsoft Endpoint Manager" , unless you need to master it as I do. It's a very technical book. I'll be checking your suggestions for a non fiction book I can learn new things that are not so technical this summer. Happy summer you all!!
I read mostly nonfiction and I just completed a book called "The Rule of Empires: Those Who Built Them, Those Who Endured Them, and Why They Always Fall" by Timothy Parsons.
I chose this book because one of my favorite bands used this book as the influence for their latest album.
Its a very heavy book, but its intriguing to see how a number of Empires from the Roman Empire, right up to the Nazi Empire fell. The bookm also compares the defacto empire that the United States created when they invaded Iraq, as it mets most of the definitions of an Empire, even though the untimate goals were different.
This weekend I'm going to start reading "Married to the Mous: Walt Disney World and Orlando" which is very appropriate given the current situation with Disney and the State of Florida.
Apr 29, 2022·edited Apr 29, 2022Liked by Terrell Johnson
I’m reading Comanche Empire. I got interested in this while reading Termination Shock, a novel about climate engineering. I read Termination Shock because the author wrote one of my favorite books. Reamde (yes, looks like readme, but it’s not. This free association is why my reading list grows exponentially faster than my finished list.
I justed finished The Address Book by Deirdre Mask, all about how important street addresses are (both having one as a requirement for so much of societal participation and how they're named and organized). Next, I need some fiction and am going to read In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer!
Right now I'm reading "The Swerve: How the World Became Modern," by Stephen Greenblatt. It's so, so interesting -- it's about an ancient poem by Lucretius, called "On the Nature of Things," was discovered by a papal secretary in the late Middle Ages in an old, remote monastery, where scribes were assigned to copy it (along with loads of other books and manuscripts). The ideas in the poem would cause the world to "swerve," the author argues, leading to the modern world we live in today. It's just fascinating.
I've recently picked up Luke Burgis' book - Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life - on a Kindle discount and can't wait to dig into it.
Friday Thread: What are you reading?
Terrell, I've been "listening" to Run for your Life, one of your suggestions to us. It's got a lot of technical jargon and so early on was a little tough BUT when I took a couple of runs this past weekend, I found myself thinking of the what was said and found the run to be a better one. I found that I was more aware of my position during the run, the length of my stride and how long I could sustain that repetitively through the run. I've always been pretty good technically with my runs [was a pitcher in college, and after] but this made me more aware of my positioning and posture and it actually made my run better. I'd recommend it and this also is the first time I've done an audio book and find I am enjoying it while I drive to school.
Thanks to all for all these suggestions! Can’t wait for a relaxed couple weeks in August to check some of these out. I don’t have time to read much these days but couple months back started a fiction The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (loved it and could not put it down till I finished it!) more recently read “What Made Maddy Run” by Kate Fagan - it might have been recommended in this newsletter or off twitter. It has put a knot in my stomach since - I consider it a must read for anyone with teenage kids or anyone eager to know about mental health pressures in youngsters.
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline. I devoured this book in a few hours. The narrator is a black girl. A writer community I'm part of recommended The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott. My goodness. The story in the Rain Heron is so lovely. But I also loved the writing. And I'm half way to Hunger by Roxane Gay. I can't believe I have not read this memoir until now. Read these books not just for the story but for the exquisite writing as well.
I recently finished: Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad & loved it! Currently, I am reading: Notes From A Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi and LOVING it! I love food & cooking - this is a story about the author's life becoming a chef with recipes from his life mixed in to the story.
Ohhhh yes yes yes! I love reading! 😄 Creative Writing degree over here, lol. I’ve read a fair bit, but I tend to favor suspense/thriller. However, I’ll read anything, lol. Lit by Mary Karr was great. Plus some other works that have stuck out to me in recent reads are People Like Her by Ellory Lloyd (sp? It’s a pseudonym for a writing team—I read it in one day/three sittings; I could NOT put it down), Unspeakable Things (can’t remember the author, I’ll have to look), The Descent by Tim Johnston (another page-turner, and surprisingly tender given the subject matter), St. Maybe by Anne Tyler, The Season of Passage (again, I forget the author, but oh em goodness)… I also am TOTALLY OBSESSED with the Wings of Fire series, which is an unusual choice for me, since I don’t typically read young adult novels (there’s nothing inherently wrong with them—I’m just an old lady and they’re not as relatable to me as they once were!) My 14-year-old got me started on them because she wanted someone to chat about them with, and I figured, “All right, easy enough.” I ended up HOOKED. They’re so fun, well-written, surprisingly suspenseful, and relevant—plus anyone who’s a dragon lover like me should read them. 😊 I liken them to a more “age appropriate” Game of Thrones starring dragons, lol. My favorite book of all time is The Awakening by Kate Chopin, closely followed by pretty much anything Victor Hugo (Les Miserables was such a beautiful, wonderful novel.) I also CHERISH Khaled Hosseini’s books—they’re so wonderfully horrible and gut-wrenching! 😆 I could go on all day, but I’ll stop nerding out for now. 😂
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, life was much more difficult at this time in our history, really makes me thankful for what we have.
I recently finished reading bell hooks' "Communion" which is about feminism and love. It's so insightful, and I'd definitely recommend it to everyone!
I just finished "Run, Rose, Run" by Dolly Parton and James Patterson and now reading "The Protagonist's Journey" by Scott Meyers.
It’s not technically reading but I have recently listened to The Great Courses on Audible (there is a pdf). I got through The History of the United States, 2nd edition, which was fantastic. It ends with the Clinton years which gives it an interesting perspective. It’s 43 hours long at regular speed. As I get older I have developed a greater appreciation of history, realizing how short history really is, how rapidly our country changed in some ways and in many ways has stayed the same (good and bad). It inspired an impromptu visit to Harpers Ferry when I drove my son back to DC after Easter. Very interesting and beautiful place to visit. We didn’t run there but it’s very hilly.
In another forum the book club is "Run the Mile your In", by Ryan Hall. As for sleeping material I am getting ready to pickup "The Offical Comptia Cysa+ self study guide". That should get me into June and we will see what happens after that
Currently reading "No Limits" by John Maxwell. Also, "Dracula" by Bram Stoker with my daughter for our theme of mysteries and monsters this school year (we homeschool). It is a similar style to "Frankenstein," which I enjoyed for it's dramatic language. I picked up "Enders Game" by Orson Scott Card from the library's reading list, and "A Woman Makes a Plan" by Maye Musk, mostly because I don't know anything about that family. Somewhere along the line, someone suggested "Living with a SEAL" by Jesse Itzler, so I might tackle that as well.
My books are all on the for later shelf at the Library until we can shake this apartment and find a new place to curl up and read.
I noticed I had placed Run Fast by Higdon on it, as well as the "Paris Vagabond" which caught my eye in some article (Paris Vagabond, Jean-Paul Clébert,). As for fiction There are the innumerable Invisible Library books which has become a series and beloved by younger people..
I think I read the 4th one last and will pick up the others this summer. . . If you love parody, the Disc World books by Terry Prachett are the best. :)
And then, there are the Richard Powers books, (The Overstory) as well as others. Fascinating. Although I've checked them out, I have not had time to read recently. Something I will do after we move!
My last 3 books are Cloud Cuckoo Land - Anthony Doer, Anthem - Noah Hawley, and Bewilderment - Richard Powers. All fiction. All touch on the current state of the environment and politics. Anthem my favorite of the three.
I just finished PROPERTY OF THE REBEL LIBRARIAN, loaned to me by my 13-year-old granddaughter, and I LOVED it. It’s a middle school version of FAHRENHEIT 451, where the adults go after the books the kids read, and how the kids react. I couldn’t put it down. I’m waiting on a book I ordered (forgot the exact title) concerning the brain and how it stores all experiences, good and bad—centers in on PTSD, in quite some detail. I want this because my husband has double PTSD, and I believe (based on reviews) it will give me some insight.
My favorite book is the Bible because no matter how many times I read it, it always shows me something NEW. Just blows me away, because no other book has ever done that.
What I TRULY love doing is WRITING my own adventure books with my 9 grandchildren and me as the characters, because I know what they say and how they say it. :) There is magic, dragons, villains, and people in trouble. There is also treasure, explosions, and plenty of dialogue that makes the kids laugh. One of the kids says she never liked reading till she read the first book I wrote. I have learned to actually “build” a hardcover, print, arrange, glue, assemble, and decorate these books. They LOVE the “book signing” days. :) So far, I have written them 4 books, the 4th turning out to be novel-length. :) I have a 5th in my head. Over the years, they have send me pictures of my books lined up right on the shelf beside their beds, and it fills me with joy. We love each other so much. :)❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ 💙
Present Moment, Wonderful Moment, by Thich Nhat Hanh; No Mud, No Lotus, by Thich Nhat Hanh; The Five Invitations, by Frank Ostaseski; Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction, by David Enrich; Oh, and also my daughter's fanfiction ever-evolving novel. :)
Just picked up "Anatomy for Runners" Unlocking Your Athletic Potential For Health, Speed and Injury Prevention on the suggestion of a fellow injured runner. Some good tips!
A Moveable Feast,Collected Nonfiction Vol.1~Mark Twain,River of Doubt, Book of Job~Bible and Shop Class for Everyone…
Everybody Matters, by Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia
The subtitle is The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your PEOPLE Like FAMILY. Considering the “Forward” is written by Simon Sinek, that kind of sets the bar for what to expect. I literally could not put this book down! Chapman’s companies may make machines and provide tech services but say what they do is “Build great people who do extraordinary things” and they “Measure success by the way they touch the lives of others.” Interested in seeing what it takes to transform underperforming organizations and cause people to love coming to work? Read this one! I guarantee you will borrow many of the processes and approaches his companies embrace…while making it ALL about the people!
I do not recommend the book I'm finishing reading "Mastering Microsoft Endpoint Manager" , unless you need to master it as I do. It's a very technical book. I'll be checking your suggestions for a non fiction book I can learn new things that are not so technical this summer. Happy summer you all!!
I read mostly nonfiction and I just completed a book called "The Rule of Empires: Those Who Built Them, Those Who Endured Them, and Why They Always Fall" by Timothy Parsons.
I chose this book because one of my favorite bands used this book as the influence for their latest album.
Its a very heavy book, but its intriguing to see how a number of Empires from the Roman Empire, right up to the Nazi Empire fell. The bookm also compares the defacto empire that the United States created when they invaded Iraq, as it mets most of the definitions of an Empire, even though the untimate goals were different.
This weekend I'm going to start reading "Married to the Mous: Walt Disney World and Orlando" which is very appropriate given the current situation with Disney and the State of Florida.
I’m reading Comanche Empire. I got interested in this while reading Termination Shock, a novel about climate engineering. I read Termination Shock because the author wrote one of my favorite books. Reamde (yes, looks like readme, but it’s not. This free association is why my reading list grows exponentially faster than my finished list.
I justed finished The Address Book by Deirdre Mask, all about how important street addresses are (both having one as a requirement for so much of societal participation and how they're named and organized). Next, I need some fiction and am going to read In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer!
I'm re-reading Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut's classic. Seems like the right time, the way things are going in the world these days.
i am in the middle of Where the Crawdads sing and it is AMAZING. i cannot put it down.
Right now I'm reading "The Swerve: How the World Became Modern," by Stephen Greenblatt. It's so, so interesting -- it's about an ancient poem by Lucretius, called "On the Nature of Things," was discovered by a papal secretary in the late Middle Ages in an old, remote monastery, where scribes were assigned to copy it (along with loads of other books and manuscripts). The ideas in the poem would cause the world to "swerve," the author argues, leading to the modern world we live in today. It's just fascinating.
I've recently picked up Luke Burgis' book - Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life - on a Kindle discount and can't wait to dig into it.
The author also runs one of my favorite and most thought-provoking Substacks - https://read.lukeburgis.com/