May was busy busy busy and my reading suffered. But I’m always surprised that I finish anything at all, so I’m still counting two books as win in this season of life.
I’m no longer tracking my reading with daily photos, but I started an old school pen-and-paper journal to keep track of what I’m reading. It’s surprisingly therapeutic to write it down by hand! You can check out what I’m reading (including a handwritten review from my journal) on my Instagram feed @ladykatiestitchery
May 2019 Thoughts
Finished:
Start date: 4/29/2019
Finish date: 5/21/2019
Genre: Nonfiction/Biography
Source: Mom
4 stars
I love an unsung hero (even if it brings up some feminist rage) and this is a good one. Although her husband has long been recognized for his accomplishments in cryptology, Elizebeth Friedman achieved just as much in the same field, code breaking before, during and after WWII. From her start in an eccentric millionaire’s think tank to solving Nazi spy messages during the Invisible War, each step of the way was fascinating even as she disappeared from history as her work became more and more classified. Interesting stuff!
…
Persons Unknown (Manon Bradshaw #2), by Susie Steiner
Start date: 5/22/2019
Finish date: 5/26/2019
Genre: Fiction/Mystery
Source: LIbrary
3 stars
I liked the mystery but the first half was slow going and it felt like there was some nuance missing that I liked so much in the first book of the series. The lead detective Manon Bradshaw is still flawed and complicated, but the side characters didn’t feel fleshed out. The actual plot, which pitted Manon’s adopted son against her colleagues, felt like more of an indictment of the justice system than an intriguing puzzle, which was fine, but different from what I was expecting, The ending left room for another book so I’ll keep my eyes open for that.
…
Currently Reading:
Start date: 5/27/2019
Genre: Nonfiction/Parenting
Source: New release
l liked Expecting Better so much that I read it twice (before my first pregnancy and again last Fall) so of course I had to pre-order her next book, which picks up where she left off: all the many, many hot button topics of the Mommy Wars, like breastfeeding vs formula feeding, co-sleeping, vaccinations, etc. It does seem like a lot of parenting is personal preference/philosophy/what works for your family, and there isn’t always actual data to back up the “best practices” so I’m glad Oster is putting in the work of reading and interpreting the medical studies… better her than me.
…
Books read in May: 2
Books read in 2019: 13
Currently reading: 1
So that’s what I’ve been reading during the fifth month of 2019!
I’m always looking for more book recommendations – are you reading any good books?
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