Hellobee

One of my goals for 2017 is to read more books than I did in 2016. I read 44 books last year. I also want to do a better job tracking and planning what I’m reading, so I’m going to be posting monthly updates on Hellobee. Here is my January update and my February update, and below I’m sharing about the books I read in March and April and am planning to read over the next few months.

THE BOOKS I READ IN MARCH AND APRIL:

The past few months have been unusually busy for the Peas family. We’ve been trying to get ready for the arrival of Baby P at the end of June, plus we’ve had a bunch of other stuff going on (which I will likely commiserate about in a future post).

I am definitely behind on my reading goals for the year (only 12 books read through the end of April), but I did read a few good ones over the past few months that I’m excited to share with you.

1. This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel (337 pages)

This is a great piece of recent fiction about a very hot topic right now (how to raise transgender children). The author has personal experience with the subject matter and thus the story feels very authentic. The characters are interesting and the book definitely makes you think, especially if you are parent. I highly recommend and rated this one 4 stars on Goodreads (my only gripe being that for some reason, likely related to the fact I’m pregnant, have young kids, and not sleeping great, it took me a long time to read this relatively short book).

2. How to Think About Money by Jonathan Clements (118 pages)

I am so glad I read this book. It is a concise yet thought provoking guide to how you should think about money. I think I highlighted about 80% of the book and am actually planning to do a separate post about how this book has shifted my thinking about finances as we prepare for this next stage of our lives. I rated it 4 stars on Goodreads but honestly it deserves 5 (I think I’m hyper critical when I’m pregnant – sorry Mr. Clements, and Mr. Peas!).

3. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (354 pages)

This book has received a lot of buzz, most of which has been favorable. I definitely enjoyed it, but I don’t know… it was just OK. I’m learning I really prefer realistic and historical fiction more than science or dystopian fiction. I rated this one 3 stars on Goodreads, but it was very close to a 4 starrer.

4. Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand (327 pages)

After exercising my brain with a sci-fi pick, I indulged in an easy, breezy beach read. This was not my favorite Elin Hilderbrand book (that award belongs to this book, which has much more likable characters in my opinion), but I breezed through it and enjoyed it thoroughly.

5. Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne

I absolutely love the premise and message behind this book. I highlighted so many passages, it took me way longer than it should have to finish. And I’m actually planning to do a separate blog post all about simplicity and slower parenting, so I won’t go into too much detail here except to say that I highly recommend this book to any parent who occasionally (or frequently) feels suffocated by too much. Too much stuff. Too many commitments. Too many arguments. Too much everything. I rated this one 4 star on Goodreads although it was very very close to a 5 starrer (at times the content got a little repetitive/ preachy and less practical).

THE BOOKS ON MY NIGHTSTAND:

My to-be-read list is pretty massive these days, but that’s A-OK with me. I also usually read more in the summer months when the light-filled evenings inspire me to stay up a little longer, plus soon I’ll have a tiny, hungry infant to keep me and my Kindle company in the middle of the night. Over the next few months I’m hoping to finish off a few books I’ve started but never finished and also to catch up on my recent Book of the Month picks.

What have you read lately? What books are up next on your to-be-read list? Please share!