Inspired by the mention of a Book a Week Challenge on Rowdy Kittens, and with the recent addition of No TV Tuesdays to our weekly schedule, Mr. Mallard and I have embarked on a more modest Two Books a Month Challenge.
We ease our way into these things, we do not leap.
Not anymore.
Used to leap all over the place.
No more.
Just well-researched steps in carefully calculated directions these days.
Anyway...we're reading more. After all the years of fiction in school, I find I have developed an aversion to the stuff and I've got a pretty good line up of predominantly non-fiction to tackle.
1. Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life by Francine Jay. I just call it Joy of Less. It's a guide to, well, decluttering, organizing and simplifying your life. There are no makings of lists or ridiculous assignments. Just a great explanation of the habits that caused us to accumulate and retain so much crap and how we can go about changing those habits to get rid of all that crap.
2. No Impact Man by Colin Beavan. I'm beginning to wish I had my own copy of this book because I know I'm going to want to come back to it again and again. The movie is great, but the book is so much better that it makes me wonder why they even did the movie. Colin Beavan is an incredible writer. Incredible. And the book isn't all preachy and "I might stink from not showering, but I'm better than you." The manner in which he presents his experience allows readers to benefit from his realizations without having to suffer through the discovery themselves. Very helpful. Very well written (very well). Very fun to read.
3. The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin. What is with the long titles, people? Jeez. I have to admit my eyes kind of rolled a little when I typed the title out just now, but I'm going to give a shot. I haven't started it yet, but I'm curious. The title kept popping up everywhere, so I thought I'd give it a chance. I have a very strict Abandon Ship clause in my commitment to read two books a month. I'm not going to suffer for this quest. The moment I start to dread reading something, it's out. Out! I've suffered enough assigned reading for one lifetime. I am free from the shackles of academia and I will read whatever I please. Do you hear me? Whatever I please!
4. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart. How could I not want to read this? It's written by Gary Shteyngart.
...and there you have it. The next six weeks of reading material. I'm already halfway through both Joy of Less and No Impact Man, so...insert calculations...my goal is to finish all these books by the end of February and have four more on the horizon. Will it last all year? Can I really read two books every month and raise a child and run a household and get back in shape and figure out what to do with my hair all at the same time?
We shall see, shan't we?
Shan't we!
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