5 Books In My Stack Last Week

These are all the books I interacted with last week.

For anyone wondering about how my reading challenge is going, the answer is that it’s not going so well. Somehow each week just gets busier and busier, with less and less time left to sit and enjoy a good book. Seeing as though it’s April now, this is probably the time to get my self back on track to reading 100 books before I get way too behind.

2019 Book Challenge Update: 9/100

Conversations with Friends, by Sally Rooney. (Faber & Faber Ltd$19.99.)

This was #thejulietbookreport book for March. I have three groups now, two in Melbourne and one in Sydney. The vibe for this book really surprised me. After reading and sharing my thoughts on Normal People, Rooney’s new book, so many people reached out to share their thoughts. They all basically said they enjoyed Normal People, however they loved Conversations With Friends much, much more. In Book Club, with the exception of a few, most of us didn’t share these sentiments. Here are some quotes I collected from the last meeting in Melbourne on Conversations With Friends:

“Ambivalent and frustrated” - Ebony
“ I disliked it” - Anna
“It’s like Aldi spaghetti vs Barilla” - Lizzy
“Do you think she got published too early?” - Tamie

Personally, I didn’t mind it, but didn’t love it anywhere near as much as i did Normal People.

Draft No. 4, by John McPhee. (Text Publishing, $29.99.)

After listening to Tim Ferriss and Jim Collins talk about John McPhee on The Tim Ferriss Show, I’ve been hanging out to read him. I didn’t actually go into the bookshop to buy this, but somehow it ended up in the pile of books I was buying. I tried to find his book called Oranges, but it had sold out. The lovely guy at the bookshop said he would order it in, so hopefully it will be on the shelves next time I go in.

Maigret Takes a Room, by Georges Simenon. (Penguin, $16.99)

Currently reading this one. Started it while on my flight to Sydney the week before last. A super short read, and enjoying its simplicity. I am up to page 114.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by The Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight. (Simon & Schuster, $22.99.)

When this came out in 2016, I listened to it on Audible. I know I liked it but don’t really remember it much. Shoe Dog is #thejulietbookreport read for April, and so I decided to buy a physical copy for my re-read. I will hopefully get back to you on our collective thoughts once we have our book club meetings on the book. I have asked everyone to come to the meeting in their favourite pair of sneakers, so I look forward to reporting back on everyones sneakers too.

The Joy of Watercolour, by Emma Block. (Running Press, $26.99)

Another book purchased serendipitously. Saw it in the bookshop, flicked through, felt nostalgic for the days when I used to watercolour and bought it in the hope that it would encourage me to pick up my paints again. It made me realise that I miss the vagueness and inability to control what the paint will do when put to paper. I’ll update you on any painting I may or may not do, in the next weeks stack.

That’s my book update for this week and I look forward to next weeks. My reading goal is to finish Maigret Takes a Room and also another book, which will most likely be Draft No. 4.

What’s in your stack, and whats your reading goal for the week?

MENTIONS