2017 Reading Challenge: Books 21 through 30

For 2017, my goal is to read 40 books by the end of the year. It seems like I have barely had time to read since the semester started, but if I can make it though 10 more books by the end of the year, I can still meet my goal! Here are books 21 through 30 that I've read so far: 

21. The Sun is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon (a YA book by an author I've enjoyed) - This is a YA novel by the author of "Everything, Everything." It focuses on a fateful day and a chance encounter between a Korean-American boy and a girl in the verge of being deported to Jamaica. I think the storyline is predicated on whether you believe in love at first sight. But I totally bought it and enjoyed reading!

22. Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape, by Peggy Orenstein (a book about sex) - This is a book about teenage girls (seems to focus on ages 15 to 19) and the sexual activity, attitudes, environment, etc. they are facing. There is a lot of discussion of different research studies but the bulk of the book is focusing on interviews with 70 young woman. Not going to lie - a lot of this made me really uncomfortable. I have pretty strong personal opinions in this area and a lot of what was presented really challenged that. But I'd say the top takeaway is that parent/daughter communication is critical, even in this awkward area.

23. The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispecror (a book by a South American author) - My book club is discussing this book - we selected it so we could read something by a South American author. I personally found this book bizarre. It takes place in Rio de Janerio and there is almost no plot. The narrator telling the story is also bizarre. The primary plus is that it is short. I am sure I am missing some kind of literary brilliance here, though!

24. The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas (a book I really want Annika to read) - I loved this book! It is a young-adult novel, but I think that people of any age would get something from it. It is told from the perspective of a girl who is black, who witnesses the police shooting and killing one of her friends after a traffic stop. It was in a voice I haven't read a lot of before and it was very eye-opening. My daughter is reading this, too, and I think it will be great for discussions with her.

25. Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson (a book of poems) - This is an autobiographical novel of the author's experiences growing up as a black child living in South Carolina and New York in the 1960s and 1970s. It is written as a series of (non-rhyming) poems and is just beautiful. The book itself is a children/young adult novel, but it was a beautiful, quick read.

26. 13 Reasons Why, by Jay Asher (a book my daughter wanted me to read) - My daughter read this book (got it as a prize for library summer reading). She read it and wanted me to read it - neither of us have seen the TV series. The story is an interesting premise and packaged in a compelling way (series of 13 tapes left behind by a teenage girl before her suicide). However, this is ultimately a "suicide revenge" novel and I truly worry that it glamorizes suicide. My daughter rolled her eyes at my discussion, but if you have a teenager who reads it, I would really recommend exploring it with them.

27. Option B, by Sheryl Sandburg and Adam Grant (a book where I was on the hold list a long time) - I previously read "Lean In," by Sheryl Sandberg, and despite some of its negative reviews, thought I got some decent points out of it. This book addresses the author, who is the COO of Facebook, after her husband suddenly passes away, leaving her a widow with two young children. The book is co-written by a psychology professor. I found it well-written and a quick read - with lots of good insights on grief.

28. The Bright Hour, by Nina Riggs (a book about terminal cancer) - This is a memoir written by a woman who develops metastatic breast cancer and dies from the disease. She is in her 30s with two young boys and could easily be any one of us. The book was finished in January 2017; she died in February; and it was released in June. The writing is beautiful, witty, hilarious, haunting. It reminded me so much of "When Breath Becomes Air." Highly recommended!!

29. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, by Mark Haddon (a book for book club) - This is the first-person story of a 15-year-old boy living in England who has autism. It is the "common book" this year for all new KSU students and my book club is reading it - and, most importantly, my daughter had read this first and really wanted me to read it, too. It is a fast read and I thought gave great insights into how the mind of someone with autism works.

30. Of Mess and Moxie, by Jen Hatmaker (a book by an author I follow on Facebook) - I adore following Jen Hatmaker on Facebook and reading her blog. This was an at times funny, and at times contemplative, book about loving God and loving people. I think. I mean this in the nicest way possible, but I at times wasn't clear about the point of the book? It seemed to lack cohesion and read like a collection of blog posts. Recommended more for short snippets here and there.