While April was a typically busy month I still managed to read a number of books. Mostly in the week that we spent away at the beach. It was showery most days so we spent a lot of time in the unit.
Here’s the books that I finished reading in April:
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown
I’ve watched Brene Brown’s Ted talk “The Power of vulnerability” a few years ago and have seen others commenting about some of her newer books. This book happened to be available at the library so I borrowed it. In this book and in her work Brown dispels the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness and argues that it is our most accurate measure of courage.
In the book she talks about asking some well known figures about managing perfectionism. Here’s what Gretchen Rubin said:
I remind myself, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” (Cribbed from Voltaire.) A twenty-minute walk that I do is better than the four-mile run that I don’t do. The imperfect book that gets published is better than the perfect book that never leaves my computer. The dinner party of take-out Chinese food is better than the elegant dinner that I never host.
Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
About a man on death row who wants to donate his heart to the daughter/sister of his victims when he dies. Will the girl and the mother accept the heart from someone who’s killed members of their family? If he dies by lethal injection his heart can’t be used. Through out the book you want to know what really happened, as you don’t quite hear the full story until right near the end of the book. Another great read from Jodi Picoult.
Upside Down Inside Out by Monica McInnerney
Eva heads to Australia for a holiday to visit her friend and to take some time out to make some decisions about her life. Joseph is in Australia to speak at a conference and then for a holiday from his busy London business. The two meet but each are hiding secrets from each other due to the way they met. What will happen when they go back home to their lives? Will they find a way to connect once they know the truth about each other?
The Cottage at Rosella Cove by Sandie Docker
Nicole has escaped from the city and is renting the cottage at Rosella Cove. Part of the deal is to renovate the cottage. She finds a box of letters from a previous owner (Ivy) and through that we learn some of Ivy’s story. Some of the townsfolk befriend and help Nicole. Though she struggles to befriend Charlie who is living in the boat shed that is on the cottage land. As the story goes on you learn about what Nicole is fleeing from.
Second Chances by Charity Norman
The book opens with Finn, a five-year-old boy who’s fallen from a 1st floor verandah in a remote part of New Zealand. Questions are raised as to how the boy fell. His mother knows but isn’t telling the full story. The book goes between the past and the present. We learn how this English family came to be living in this part of New Zealand and how the Mum has worked really hard to keep the family together. Slowly we learn the truth of what really happened.
Parting Words by Cass Moriarty
A Brisbane based author so I knew many of the suburbs and localities mentioned in this book. Daniel Whittaker’s three children have to hand deliver a number of letters to people from his fathers past before they can receive their generous inheritance. Many of the people they don’t know but they learn a lot about their father and themselves through doing this task. It was an interesting idea for a book but I think it tried to cover too many topics. Topics covered include divorce, single mothers, gay/lesbian relationships, fraud, Jewish refugees, among other things.
Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult
What happens when a man who makes a living from disproving faith experiences comes across a child who just may be seeing and experiencing God? Mariah is struggling with a sudden divorce and then her ex-husband wants custody of their daughter. Faith, the daughter, has found solace in a new friend she calls her ‘Guard’ but what is she really experiencing?
A King in Hiding by Fahim Mohammod with Sophie Le Callennec and Xavier Parmentier
The true story of Fahim who is forced to flee Bangledesh as an eight-year-old with his Father. They end up in Paris and due to his chess skills Fahim joins a chess club and ends up being crowned France’s under-12 chess champion in 2012. However as he’s an illegal immigrant it looks like he will not be able to attend the European championship, until many step in and help him get residency. I was particularly moved by this story as he is the same as age as my son.
The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry by John Warrillow
Creating automatic repeat customers is going to be helpful for any business. This book talks about different types of subscription businesses and has many ideas for running a successful subscription business. Yes, I have some subscription ideas that I’d like to set up; so watch this space!
With a total of 9 books read in April. This brings my total for the year so far to 17 books read, 7 less than this time last year.
What have you enjoyed reading lately?
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links. If you click on one of these links and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.