8.18.12  What I'm Reading Now...

I am an avid reader.  It is not unusual for me to be reading three books at time.  I like to have one fiction book, one non-fiction book, and something relating to professional reading at all times.  What I read that day depends on my mood, how much I want to think, and how tired I am. Right now I'm reading Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed.

She has a really strong, unique writer's voice.  It's almost as though she is sitting in the room having a conversation with you as you are reading the book. Wild is one of those stories that needed to be told.  Its appeal will be very broad.  People who love nature and hiking will like it.  People who've experienced heartache will like it. People who have struggled will like it.  People who are adventurous will like it.  People who are couch potatoes and are afraid to live life will be inspired by it!
At the same time, I am reading her newest book, Dear Sugar, which is totally different from the narrative style of Wild. It is a collection of advice columns that she wrote for an online site.  You still hear her voice in the writing, even though they're very different styles.

When I find an author I like, it is not uncommon for me to read everything they've written.  This year, I've had binges of reading Wayne Dyer and Caroline Myss.  The Hunger Games trilogy I borrowed is on the mantle. Not really my genre, but if there's something that has garnered a lot of attention, I like to read it and make my own judgement. Zoomed through the Fifty Shades of Gray this summer. Took an online class for college credit based on the book Teach Like a Champion:49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College by Doug Lemoy. I started The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, but stalled out by the heaviness of it.  Will come back to it in the fall.

 I just finished The Language of Flowers for book club, and that is how my blog became Chrysanthemum Petals.  Chrysanthemums represent "truth", and these are little bits of truth about my life and family.