I’m linking up with Kathryn at Book Date and her It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? hop for this post.

This was another surprisingly good reading week.  I’m being more mindful about building reading time into my day.  I mean, shouldn’t I include something that brings me joy as much as possible?

The kids only have roughly 2 weeks left of school (7.5 days, to be exact) and we’re all looking forward to summer.  More and more often, I will come downstairs to find both of my kids reading in the family room and it is just an amazing sight.  My daughter has always been a reader, but my son has been more reluctant until recently.  However, thanks, I’m sure, to his amazing 2nd grade teacher, he’s learning to love reading as well.

What I finished this week:

The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin

This book was recommended to me through MyTbr, but I was more that a little apprehensive once I got my hands on a copy.  The blurb said it was for people who enjoyed Commonwealth and The Interestings, two books I did not like.  So, it was with one strike already on the board, I started it.

Folks, I liked it.  It had a bit of a strange twist, an aura of dystopia that just lingered in the background.  That, however, was not the story.  Instead, it was an exploration of grief and family obligations.  I loved Conklin’s writing style, which employed some interesting conventions I hadn’t seen before.  It’s definitely a weightier read, better suited for a book club than a tropical beach–but one I would recommend.

The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles that Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives, Too) by Gretchen Rubin
So, a few years ago, I started to read Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin, but put it aside when she started talking too much about these four tendencies.  I didn’t think much about it until earlier this week when, listening to a nutrition podcast, Gretchen Rubin was interviewed.  She spoke more about the tendencies and, this time, I paid attention.  After her interview, I was pretty sure that I was either an obliger or an upholder, but I wasn’t sure which.

As with most things in life, the library came to the rescue.  I started this book and then took the quiz and I am a…rebel!  I was initially shocked, but then realized it fit me to a T.  From majoring in medieval history because I was mad at my parents (long story) to giving up book blogging because I was buried under all the deadlines, everything described me.  People, this has changed the way I look at the world.

I have to admit that while I’m counting this as “read,” I really only read the parts that applied to me (which was only the rebel section because my husband, who will deny this to his dying day, is also a rebel).  So, did I read every page?  No.  Did I count it as a completed book for my goodreads challenge?  Yes.  Why?  Because I’m a rebel.

Currently Reading:

• The Frangipani Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu
• Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley
• Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver
• Becoming by Michelle Obama
• Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks