February reading went the way I expected it to.
I was drowning in reading for school, so fun reading didn’t happen as often as I hoped that it would. I do have my secret weapon though: audiobooks.
No, I do not have an Audible subscription, although that would be nice. What I use are a combination of the Chirp app and Libby, which is the library app. Both are free, but with Chirp you can purchase the books, often for under $5, and Libby lets you check audio and ebooks out for free from the library. Their audiobook player is much better than the old Overdrive app.
I use audiobooks mostly for nonfiction because while I WANT to learn and expand my horizons, I struggle to read those types of books–unless I’m being graded on knowing the material. 😉
The nice thing about checking books out on Libby is I never have late fees. The books return themselves, but they also remind you of your due dates and give you a chance to renew if you need to.
In February, I managed to finish only four books– and 99 scholarly articles. Three books were interesting celebrity autobiographies, and one was a somewhat creepy and slow-to-get-moving fiction story. As for the articles, I don’t have much to say about them. The amount of reading I’m doing in school for just two classes is mind-blowing. I much prefer my pleasure reads!
A quick reminder that the books linked here go to Amazon and if you buy one I get a few pennies.
Oh, and I’d love it if you would follow me on GoodReads!
Why celebrity autobiographies?
My mom got me hooked on rock biographies when I was a teenager. She handed me Papa John, the autobiography of John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas after she finished it. I liked their music–yes, even though it was my parents’ era–and, of course, I thought McKenzie Phillips was so cool in One Day at a Time. John was her father so that made it even more interesting. I loved learning about these celebrity’s lives behind the scenes. I went on to read biographies about Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Elton John, and others when I was in high school. These days, my goal is to expand my cultural understanding of LGBTQIA, people of color, and women’s experiences. The best way for me to do this is while driving to and from work, using audiobooks.
Autobiographies
- Yes Please by Amy Poehler. I love her comedy, I love her style, and her values reflect my own. She tells a lot of behind-the-scenes stories about Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, and Parks and Rec. It was fun and funny and a great listen.
- The Woman in Me by Britney Spears– I was on the waitlist for way too long, but it was worth it. I have never been into her music, but when the “Free Britney” campaign started on Instagram it caught my attention. It took several months for my turn but I finished it in just a few days because I was so invested.
- Here for It; Or, How to Save Your Soul in America: Essays by R. Eric Thomas-I’d never heard of him, but had seen the book on the TBR’s of one of my kids and a couple of friends. That’s endorsement enough for me. It was so good I found myself listening every time I got in the car, not just on my work commutes.
Fiction
- Small Angels by Lauren Owen. It was offered through the BookBub app for $1.99 and it had great reviews, so I grabbed it. This book took a while to build the story enough to pull me in, but by the halfway mark I found myself pulling it out between patients at work. I rated it 3 stars on Goodreads because it was such a slow burn. I nearly stopped reading it several times. I am glad I persevered, but it could have been better.
