October Reads 2022

 

Dangerous Journey by Joanne Pence is an ebook that I've had for quite a while and just got around to reading. It's a love story with the usual twists and turns of a romance but also with enough of a unique touch to keep me interested. With a dash of humor, a dash of adventure, a dash of family dynamics, a dash of insecurity and then another, a dash of romance, and a dash of crime, Dangerous Journey fits a lot into a quick, easy, and fun read that also reminded me why romances often get on my nerves. Yet, I must admit I rather enjoyed it for a light read that didn't require me to think all that hard.

Rachel Pollacks's Tarot Wisdom: Spiritual Teachers and Deeper Meanings by Rachel Pollack was another of those books I bought and then kept moving down in my to-be-read pile. I bought this book as research for a character I was toying with including in a book/story. As of yet, that character hasn't materialized and the initial idea fizzled away. I finally started reading it this month in part hoping it would rekindle that initial story idea. It didn't. The book was interesting in some aspects and relatively dull in others. I didn't feel like I learned much from reading it. Maybe it was my skepticism, but I kept thinking that the cards could really mean just about anything. Pollack goes through some basic history of each card and explains various interpretations of the cards over their history. She provides illustrations and some same reading layouts. The book overall was one I was glad to finish, but also one I had to push myself to finish.

 Rise Unstoppable by Michelle G. Stradford is the third book of poetry by Michelle G. Stradford I've read. I enjoyed it as much as the first two. The poems are impactful often in their simplicity. Stradford writes from the heart of the common human experience as well as her personal experience in ways that expand out and contract in to bring the reader along for the ride. Stradford provokes both thought and emotion in her examination of injustices, relationships, trauma, and self-care. Rise Unstoppable inspired me to keep rising!

Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement by John Lewis with Michael D'Orso is a gripping, engaging, and enlightening account of John Lewis's life and his work within the Civil Rights Movement and move into politics. I was drawn into Lewis's story from the beginning. He tells the joys and the hardships of his life with equal attention to detail. He talks about his strengths and shortcomings with clear insight and intention. While he often tries to minimize his role and shine the light on others, the facts detailed in Walking with the Wind make it clear that John Lewis lived a life dedicated to shining a light on injustice and creating a more equitable world for all. I highly recommend Walking with the Wind to all people and would go so far as to say it should be assigned reading in our high schools. 

Ongoing:

The Come as You Are Workbook: A Practical Guide to the Science of Sex by Emily Nagaski, Ph.D. - I'm still working through this book. So far, the exercises I've done have been easy enough and interesting. I fell behind on this book after suffering an injury that made doing the exercises feel too weird. I should finish it next month though.

52 Lists for Calm by Moorea Seal - I started this journal, but it will take all year to complete. It's a list journal with prompts that one fills out weekly rather than daily. Some prompts are better than others. I'm not enjoying this as much as I expected at this point.

52 Lists for Bravery by Moorea Seal - This is another list journal I started at the beginning of the year. Like the one for Calm, it is a weekly list journal with prompts. This one also has some prompts that are better than others. Maybe I've outgrown these journals because I'm not enjoying this one as much as I have ones in previous years. Or maybe I shouldn't have chosen to do two at the same time... Hhmmm!

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