One Hundred Dollars a Month

Ahhh, Winter Break. I’ve been waiting for you. I occasionally run myself ragged during the year, as I’m sure many of you do as well. I have one speed, and it’s busy. I like to pack my days, have endless projects and sometimes, in doing so, forget to slow down. That’s why I so look forward to winter break. It’s like I give myself permission to take a break as well when my kids get out for the holiday.

I’ll still have a small list of things to get done around the house, but I also compile other lists, like what movies The Girl and I will binge watch, or what books I’ll curl up beside the fireplace to read. I know 5 books seems like a lofty goal, and I’m certain I won’t get through all of them. But here are the top 5 books on my list this year:

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer: I keep hearing so much talk about this book. I think the last 3 people I’ve asked for book recommendations have spouted this off first thing. And for goodness sake, it won a Pulitzer Prize. You know it’s gotta be good. The story focuses on a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. I’ve also been told I should stock up on Kleenex before reading. Reading about World War II often makes me teary, so that makes sense.

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee: This one I think is pretty much a given. I mean, is there a book more famous than To Kill a Mockingbird? And the fact that we all thought she’d never written another book only to discover all these years later she had been sitting on this gem for years. I’m almost giddy to read it, but then also apprehensive because how to you top Mockingbird? Am I going to be let down? Those are some pretty big literary shoes to fill!

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown: I’ve been told this is the latest version along the lines of Miracle. It’s about a group of American rowers that pursued gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. Even the description made me feel all warm and fuzzy: Out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times— the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world what true grit really meant.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins: A Hitchcock-style psychological thriller that’s supposed to be a page-turner. All the reviews said the readers literally couldn’t put the book down. It follows the lives of three women – Rachel, Anna, and Megan – and the events surrounding Megan’s murder, ultimately bringing the lives of the three women together. I’m not normally one for super suspense, but I think I’ll make an exception for this one.

The Story of Alice by Robert Douglas-Fairhurst: I’m super curious about this book. I read a review online about it and it piqued my interest. It’s all about the controversial friendship between Oxford mathematician Charles Dodgson {aka. Lewis Carroll} and Alice Liddell, the child he wrote Alice in Wonderland about. The book also explores how and why Alice in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass, have had such lasting cultural impact.

What books are you reading this year? Have you read anything amazing lately I just have to put on my list?