Recent Reads: April 2022

This month I discovered a new fiction genre I’m enjoying: swamplife. I picked up Where The Crawdads Sing so I could read it before the movie comes out (a personal rule I have!). I enjoyed it, but didn’t love the ending. If ambiguous endings are a deal-breaker for you, be forewarned.

Otherwise, the story of a girl making her way in the world and getting hers in the end, despite everything life threw at her, certainly appeals.

I grabbed The Snow Child from a LittleFreeLibrary nearby.

Have you ever watched a movie that was just so-so, but you kept watching because the cinematography was gorgeous? That’s how this book was for me. I enjoyed learning about the wilderness of Alaska more than I did the plot. The ending was also a bit of a disappointment.

Now for my favorite read of the month: In Cheap We Trust: The Story of a Misunderstood American Virtue.

I could hardly put this one down! It’s written like a memoir but also deeply practical. The author relates how, growing up, her uber-frugal dad was an embarrassment. But then later on, as a young adult, she began adopting some of his tightwad habits. That led to her investigating the history of thrift in America, and how its rise and fall in popularity was often due to political propaganda.

I found it utterly fascinating.

I’m looking forward to picking this book up again: Secrets of the Resilient Empath. I read the first couple of chapters, then packed the book with all my others for our recent move. Its author is my very own real-life friend Jennifer, so I’m biased. But so far it’s excellent!

An article I enjoyed: pursue enjoyment, not pleasure, to gain happiness (and the difference). Great thoughts to ponder before making choices about how we spend our time.

What have you enjoyed reading lately?