I'm always interested in new books, so if you've enjoyed one lately, please tell us the title and a bit about it. Fiction or nonfiction? Any sensitive topics people might find triggering? Uplifting, funny, hopeful or heavy?
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Thanks for the recommendations Skwigg.
As for me, I’m about to read Sue Grafton’s Y is for Yesterday, and it‘s bittersweet knowing the series won’t finish. She was such a great writer, and I’m sad Y is her last book.
A while back, Chrissy King recommended the book, White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo. It was eye-opening and informative. The author is a sociologist who does diversity training for corporations and has witnessed some jaw-dropping and yet totally predictable interactions. That book led me to The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. If you're interested in civil rights and social justice, both of those are amazing.
I mentioned it in my our journal, but I just finished Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert. It falls under pop psychology I’d say, and it was throughly entertaining and informative, about all the ways our brains play tricks on us and make it harder to be happy, or at least remember and feel when we are happy. I rarely buy full priced books but this one was worth it, great to have on my digital shelf.
[@Mottainai], definitely let me know if you check them out. I was completely enthralled!
[@juliemcandrew1211], I haven't read that title yet myself, but many of my students and colleagues have LOVED it. 💖
The Hate U Give is a great YA recommendation. I am in a bookclub for that and I love the discussion we have been having.
I was just thinking about asking you if you had any YA recommendations, Tonya! I’ll check those out.
I read a lot of middle school and YA novels (partly because of my career, but also because I love them). I recently read an excellent historical fiction series by Elizabeth Wein. The first book is called Code Name Verity, and the second book is Rose Under Fire. They take place during WWII and are haunting and brilliant. Her craft moves as an author are excellent, too.
Georgie, that one was slightly too heavy and complicated for me to properly absorb with my current amount of time and focus, haha, so I can’t guarantee anything, but the premise and what I did get from it was interesting enough I’m planning to go back to when I have a couple hours to really sit down and concentrate on reading!
I’m reading Brene Brown’s new book — Dare to Lead. It’s pretty good. Definitely one of those that makes me squirm a bit to read because I do have made so many of the mistakes she talks about. I am learning a lot.
Yes! I’ve been doing a lot of reading and actually just signed up for Kindle Unlimited, so I’d love more recommendations too. These are my recent favorites. I think the titles are pretty self-explanatory! Self-help/psychology type books: 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do - Amy Morin Taming Your Outer Child - Susan Anderson Who’s in Charge? Free Will and the Science of the Brain - Michael Gazzaniga Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise - Anders Ericsson And if anyone likes family/relationship drama fiction: The Unseen World: A Novel - Liz Moore (This one was amazing! Science-y and very thoughtful.) The Secrets of Married Women, and Send Me a Lover - Carol Mason Secret Daughter - Shilpi Somaya Gowda
Right now I’m reading Zak George’s Dog Training Revolution. He’s the most popular dog trainer on YouTube. It’s modern, positive training, no choke chains or dominance. Each topic in the book links to a related video on the YouTube channel. I would have found this book so valuable as a new dog owner. I’m finding it pretty informative and entertaining as an old dog owner.