You may remember my post from last April in which I promised to keep a list of books I’ve read and see how many I read in a year.  Well this is the big reveal.

For the last 12 months I have recorded every book I read and finished.  I even rushed through the end of my 800 page “The Labyrinth of Spirits” in order to include it in the list.

                      Twenty -seven.

I read twenty-seven books from April 25, 2019 to April 30, 2020.  Here’s the list.

1. This is How it Always Is
2. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Book Store
3. Letters to a Young Writer
4. The Power of Lift
5. Empowerment Now
6. Island Beneath the Sea
7. Little Fires Everywhere
8. Washington Black
9. Braiding Sweetgrass
10. The Hummingbirds Daughter
11. Ask Baba Yaba
12. Fight No More
13. Hemp for Migraines
14. American Princess
15. The God Delusion
16. How to Talk to Strangers
17. Medical Medium Liver Rescue
18. Know My Name
19. The Trouble with Goats and Sheep
20. The Island of Sea Women
21. Your Body in Balance
22. Daughter of Fortune
23. Breaking Trail
24. The Incomplete Book of Running
25. Remembering
26. A Force for Good
27. The Labyrinth of the Spirits

Some of these books you will recognize as Wild About Books recommendations.  Some of them didn’t make the cut but were still good.  The one that stands out to me as the best book of the year from my list is “Braiding Sweetgrass”; a non-fiction book.  I really loved that book. You could teach an entire science curriculum from this book.  A fun science curriculum.  I loaned it to my friend the science teacher and then he retired.  I should get it back from him.

Aren’t you curious about how many books you read in a year?  Take the challenge.  May 17 to May 17 ish log the books you’ve read.  It’s not a contest, just a curiosity.  Runner’s log miles, writer’s log word count.  Readers can log books read.  I’ll check in with you next May and see how it went.

You should have lots of books read this year.  Lots of books and lots of steps.  And Netflix movies.  While I’ve got your attention I want to recommend two movies.  “Silver Lining” and “Molly’s Game”.  You can find them both on Netflix.

This is a book club not a movie club.

Today we went to the grocery store and the clerk said “Is plastic ok?”  We always reply “Yes”.  Yes, because we don’t want to be a pain in the ass.  Clearly the way you ask it you want us to say yes, plastic is ok.

Why?  Why do we reply yes?  And if you look around, every one is replying yes.

Just say NO.

What happened to the paper bag?

Today we said we’d like paper (no one wants you bringing your bags from home due to COVID-19).  And she had them right there.  Paper bags.  The groceries pack neater in the paper bags.  They sit in the car nicely, no runaway cantaloupe.  You use less bags than when you pack the groceries in plastic.  Why did we stop with the paper bags and more importantly why do they ask the question “Is plastic ok?”, as if that were the preferred acceptable means to pack up groceries.  Why don’t they say “is paper ok?” or even “would you like paper or plastic?”  It reminds me of when the waiter ask what you would like to drink and we always answer “just water” when we want water as if it is the inferior drink.  No one says “just beer”  “just iced tea”.  But watch next time you go out.  Everyone says yes plastic is ok and just water.  Pay attention.  It is true.

Rambling day.  Must be rambling Saturday for Lisa.  Maybe I should go read a book and stop this nonsense.  It’s like you decided to do your timed writing with your blog followers.  I’m so confused.  Which person is talking?  Aren’t you the narrator? Is the blog a person?  I think the blog just asked you a question.  Wait.  What?

Reading.  Reading three books right now.  OK…..just two, but I bought one today to start.  See; it’s a tough life I lead.  The book I’m reading is “The Water Dancer” by Ta-Nehisi Coates.  This book is a hardback.  I’m also reading “Untamed” by Glennon Doyle Melton.  This book is on my Kindle.  Here’s the conundrum.  I’m going backpacking soon.  A practice trip this weekend (maybe, it’s still in the logistics of multiple people stage) and then the real trip in the middle of June for five days.  I don’t want to take the hardback book because every ounce counts when backpacking and hardbacks are not an option.  I could take the kindle which is nice, not too heavy, has it’s own light and you could have 100 books loaded on it.  I have one book on it right now and it is good but it’s more of a read a little bit at a time book.  Not a read for an hour when you wake up before everyone else kind of book.  So….

Today I bought a paperback.  “Virgil Wander” by Leif Enger.  I’ve wanted to read this book for two years now.  This is the author of “Peace Like a River” which is an excellent book.

There ya go.  That’s why I’m reading two, almost three books.  And probably how I managed to read 27 books in 12 months.

Start your list.  Go with paper.  And order water.