WHAT I'M READING V. 13

To Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

I didn't plan on reading this book, mostly because all the hype around this book seemed shady, but then I couldn't help myself and the audiobook version is read by Reese Witherspoon, which seemed extra intriguing, so I gave it a whirl. I really liked being back in the world of Scout, and I instantly felt comfortable in and delighted at the storytelling of Harper Lee.  I looked up the back story of the publishing of this book, and this apparently was Lee's first draft before she wrote 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' She took this draft to her publisher, who told her that it needed a lot of work, and that the best parts were when Scout and her brother were children, so Lee rewrote the whole thing and ended up with 'To Kill a Mockingbird'.  This 'new' book got a lot of criticism, but I found myself enjoying it... until I didn't anymore. It took a strange turn and fell flat and I could see the ways that it was a first draft and wondered again how Harper Lee felt about all this. I'm glad I read it though.

Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman

This book is all about embracing the small and learning to live well in the ordinary. This has been a theme for me in the past few years and I always appreciate well-thought out reminders. I've gotten to a place where I truly understand the value of appreciating small things, but in our current season of change, this line struck a chord: "I'm exploring what it looks like to release my obsession with building a life, and embrace the life Christ is building in me..." 

Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

I read another one of her novels, 'Secret History', and thought it was brilliantly written with amazing characters, but felt disappointed at the ending. I'm glad that didn't dissuade me from wanting to read this one; I'm only a few chapters in and I'm completely immersed.

Alice in the Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

This is definitely above Sloane's reading level, but since she is gets so captivated by stories and read-alouds, I thought I'd try it and so far so good! I know she probably doesn't understand a lot of the vocabulary, but she sits still in rapt attention anyways, and she has surprised me with how much of the plot she does understand. We are going slowly through it, and I'm giddy with excitement that I can share this with her. I haven't read this book in its entirety yet before so I'm reading it for the first time with her.