Jami Attenberg, Old and New

I recently, entirely accidentally, read two Jami Attenberg books simultaneously: The Middlesteins and All Grown Up. Both were impressive examples of Attenberg's powers of observation and her ability to write about the mundane, the everyday, the ordinary in ways that feel unique, universal, and extraordinary. Both are packed with an emotional depth and honesty that resonated with me in ways I'm still working out.

But at the end of the day, I loved the former and struggled through the latter. I've spent the last week muddling over why, and I still have no clear answer. So I want to know: have you read these both? Did you love them? Hate them? Want to fall into them or throw them against a wall?

Week in Reading: May 23rd

I'm home! After a whirlwind few weeks (I haven't spent more than 3 nights in my own house without traveling or hosting guests since April 5th... not that I counted or anything), I have a few weeks at home to catch up on laundry, sleep, and hopefully some serious reading. I'm looking at BEA galleys and summer reads and all of my own damn books and just so excited to curl up in my nook with a book. Here's what I'll be focusing on this week:

I've had George Saunders' story collection, The Tenth of December on my shelf since the month it came out, and I am *finally* reading it! (Thanks, MLDBC and #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks.) So far, I'm loving the strange humanity of the stories. Can't wait to keep going with that. I'm also finishing up Just Mercy, which I fell woefully behind it but am absolutely loving as well--and I'll be done just in time for the next round of the Social Justice Book Club in June (come join us!).

My audio copy of Mr. Splitfoot from the library was due back and had holds, so I'm finishing that up as an ebook this week, and have switched to the very creepy, surprisingly humorous, so far excellent Haunting of Hill House, which I'm counting as a horror read for the Read Harder challenge. I've been meaning to read Shirley Jackson for some time, so am glad to be getting to this one as well.

Looking ahead to summer releases, I'm eying Running the World, a July book about running cultures around the world, and On Trails, a non-fiction book exploring how trails help us understand the world in which we live.

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What are you reading this week?

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Don't forget to join us for the second round of the Social Justice Book Club! We'll be reading The Long Shadow of Small Ghosts. Sign-ups here, more info to come this week...

I've Been Reading My Own Damn Books... and It's Changing How I Think About My Reading

So far this year, I've finished 10 of my own damn books (out of the 27 books I've finished so far this year). That might not seem like a huge percentage to some, but considering that 12 of the remaining 17 books I've finished have been assigned for Shelf Awareness reviews, I'm really pleased with it. (Even more so when I consider the fact that only 10 of the books I read in all of 2015 were from my own damn bookshelves.)

Andi's challenge thus far has been more about mere accomplishment, though. It's redefining how I think about my reading entirely.

Week in Reading: April 4th

Welcome to the first iteration of April's weeks in reading. The next three months for me feature a ton of meetings and lots (and lots and lots) of travel, which means I'll likely be reading a lot, but writing very little. My goal, at a minimum, is to keep up with weekly reading posts so the books I'm reading get a little bit of attention (and, of course, I'll still meet my paid review deadlines). Anything beyond that will be a bonus! Having set expectations accordingly, on to this week's reading stack:

Week in Reading: March 21st

Heyo, wouldja look at that, I'm still here! Mostly. Work's been busy, and I've been spending my limited free time trying to read all the things. Which has meant limited brain power and/or spare time to write any things. C'est la vie.

Luckily, there have been some goooood books keeping me occupied of late.

Week in Reading: January 4, 2016

WELCOME, WELCOME, 2016. I have big plans for you, inclusive of this: read good books. I kicked off the year with two excellent February reads (The Black Presidency, by Michael Eric Dyson, and Youngblood, by Matt Gallagher), and hope to keep the streak of excellent books going as the year continues. With that in mind, here's what I've got on my nightstand this week:

The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood: My long-time readerly friend and I have revived our Mini Long-Distance Book Club (#mldbc) with this Atwood book we both had on our TBRs. So far, it's living up to expectations. Good for #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks, to boot.

Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles: This is a re-read on audio for me, keeping me company for lots of errands and chores and driving this week as I ease back into "the real world" after a few oddball, wonderful weeks of vacation and holiday celebrations.

Hamilton, by Ron Chernow: HOLY CATS, I joined the #HamAlong because I'm apparently insane. And also because I'll count it for the 2016 Read Harder Challenge, part of #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks, and it's a readalong with a lot of great bloggers that I know will be fun to read with. So. Join us?

Queen of the Tearling, by Erika Johansen: I've heard so many good things about this fantasy novel, and it's being turned into a movie with Emma Watson this year, so I figured I should read it before that happens. Counting for Clean Your Reader and, yep, the 2016 Read Harder Challenge.

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What are you reading to kick off the first full week of the new year?