BANNED BOOKS: Sold by Patricia McCormick

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How do you write a book involving unspeakable sexual horrors happening to children without feeling the deepest pits of despair?

Patricia McCormick managed to do just that in her book Sold about Laskhmi, a 13 year old girl sold by her step-father and trafficked for sexual exploitation. 

McCormick originally traveled to India and Nepal as a journalist doing research on sex trafficking of young girls, but what she found was so much more than could ever go into a single article. She states that she wrote this for students--young teens--and that she was meticulous about her word choices and phrasing as she wrote. She specifically did not want to use graphic language. Instead, she tried to reflect the language that a young girl who doesn't even have the words to describe her experiences would use. She further noted:

"It’s written specifically for young people who want to know about the wider world. I worked with wonderful editors, fact checkers, all kinds of responsible parties who want to make sure that what we’re bringing to students, what we’re bringing and putting into their libraries, is informative and doesn’t brutalize them. Just because this is a brutal topic, we don’t have to brutalize them with that kind of language.”

The book is brutal, but also hopeful.

The book is NOT as explicit as those seeking to ban it would have you believe. 

Yet, it is one of the most banned books in the United States, regularly in the top five banned books. The most banned is Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult which I wrote about HERE.

This is one of the saddest books I've ever read, but the end was also perfection. While this book centers on the sexual slavery and trafficking of girls in Nepal and India, it is also a book about never losing hope. The book, told in the first person from Lakshmi's point of view is visceral. I felt Lakshmi's hope as it waxed and waned, her dread and fear as she realized the lies she'd been told, her terror at being abused sexually and physically, and her despair at being told she had to work off a debt.

Young Lakshmi is brutally abused and beaten by the owner of the brothel, then drugged and sexually abused by men for days after first arriving at the brothel. She is powerless, yet she has a small bundle of possessions from her remote, mountain village home that she regularly holds in her arms in order to inhale the familiar scents of that home. She holds on to hope that she will return there someday. At times, throughout the book, I had the sense that Lakshmi's hope was on the cusp of being broken, but through tiny moments of kindness from others--a boy who teaches her English words and gives her an American book, another boy who leaves her tea and gives her a Coca Cola without demanding payment--her hope is renewed over and over.

While the book strongly alludes to Lakshmi being raped repeatedly by adult men, it never really explicity describes these experiences, although sexual content is the primary reason for bans and challenges to Sold. McCormick makes it a point to not describe the details too clearly. Instead, she describes Lakshmi's fear and her occasional dissociation from what is happening to her. 

The book also walks a fine line between the horrors of child sex slavery and the growing relationships the girls and young women build amongst themselves. There are tender moments of care and friendship between the girls that help to alleviate the tension as the story moves along. These moments also help to humanize the characters and build them up as multi-demensional people to a degree that you feel like any of these girls could be a real person. 

During the 2023-2024 school year, PEN America notes that Sold was tied for the third most banned book in the United States with bans in 85 school districts. The book tied with The Perks of Being a Wallflower. 

One of my many frustrations about book bans is that they seek to severely restrict access to books that include characters and situations that people experience in real life and these books allow those who are not free to express their own experiences to know that they are not alone. Jodi Picoult has noted that teenagers have told her that they had plans to hurt themselves or others at their schools until they read her book, Nineteen Minutes--they have told her that her book saved them and others because they felt seen and understood. We need MORE of that, not less. 

Books save lives.

The website Common Sense Media indicates Sold is appropriate for ages 13 and up, though the reviews of the site's users have a range of what readers feel is appropriate for this book. Some of the reviews point out that this book is important, in part, because girls across the globe have experience sexual harrasment or assault. Readers who feel shamed by their experiences, despite being victims, may find strength in Lakshmi's journey and the ultimate outcome of the story. They may see themselves in Lakshmi and the other girls in this book. Many readers note that there is quite a bit of sexual content--but again, the sex is not graphically described so much as Lakshmi's emotional response and inner thoughts around it are explored. It's also important to note that there are other instances of physical violence and alcohol abuse. These are all topics that most young people are much more aware of than adults want to acknowledge. A teenager living with an alcohol or abusive parent or family member or a child who is sexually harrased or abused may find strength in Lakshmi's journey.

McCormick has stated:

"To ban this book is to erase the young people around the world who are currently enslaved . . . To ban this book is a disservice to the women who shared their stories with me so the world could know about their plight. And to ban this book is disrespectful to the young readers who want to know about the world as it is – so they can make a difference. 

"But, perhaps most important, to ban this book is to take away a lifeline for readers who are experiencing abuse. These kids know what adults often don’t. Books aren’t the problem; they are part of the solution."

According to PEN America, 60% of book bans in the 2023-2024 school year were for books considered to be Young Adult. Further, 59% of banned books are challenged due to addressing grief and death, while 57% are challenged for touching on sexual topics or content. 

According to reviews on the book's page on the Barnes and Noble website:

• Publishers Weekly considers Sold appropriate for ages 12 and up.
• School Library Journal considers the book appropriate for 9th grade and up.
• Kirkus considers the book Young Adult. 

These reviews also note that the book has won several awards:

• National Book Award Finalist
• Publishers Weekly, Best 100 Books of the Year
• NPR's Best Books of the Year
• American Library Association, Top Ten List, Best Books of the Year
• Gustav-Heinemann Peace Prize
• Booklist Editor's Choice Award
• New York Public Library Best Books for Teens
• Children's Literature Council's Choice
• Book Sense Pick

You can buy Sold by Patricia McCormick HERE.

You can buy Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult HERE and you can read my review HERE.

SOURCES LINKED (not necessarily in order):

• https://pen.org/report/beyond-the-shelves/
• https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sold-patricia-mccormick/1100600727
• https://www.phillyvoice.com/most-challenged-banned-books-america-sold-patricia-mccormick/
• https://hhsmedia.com/52117/feature/author-of-book-sold-mccormick-shares-journey-of-writing-book-about-trafficking/?print=true
• https://people.com/jodi-picoults-nineteen-minutes-was-the-most-banned-book-last-year-8736199#:~:text=The%20book%20is%20about%20a,feeling%20isolated%2C%22%20she%20continues.

BANNED BOOKS: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Earlier this year, a small group of friends and I decided we wanted to read some banned books. I suggested the most banned books across the United States: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult.

According to Pen America, this novel is one of 19 that has been banned in 50 or more school districts with the following four books being the next most frequently banned:

• Looking for Alaska by John Green
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• Sold by Patricia McCormick
• Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Nineteen Minutes, in fact, was banned 98 times in the 2023-2024 school year. Looking for Alaska was banned 97 times. More than 80% of all book bans (not just the titles I've noted) appear to come from Iowa and Florida. Texas and Utah also came up regularly in the articles I read for this post.

In the case of Picoult's book, nearly every ban is focused on a single page and a single depiction of date rape. They are not at all focused on the fact that the book is about a school shooting in which ten students die and many more are injured. Nor are they focused on the fact that the entire novel centers on a student having been brutally bullied his entire life.

Think about that. ONE PAGE depicting a teenage girl being date raped is the reason for objections to this very long novel. The edition of the novel I read was published in 2013 and is 656 pages long.

ONE PAGE is the focus of nearly every ban of this book. 

A violent video game and description of human characters in the game being slaughtered in a school shooting was not the cause of objection.

A student being mercilessly bullied--even having his pants and underwear pulled down in a school cafeteria and numerous students seeing his penis, which Picoult describes--was not the subject of the objections.

Cold and calculated planning of a school shooting by one student was not the reason for objections.

Blood, injuries, and death of multiple students did not merit all of these objections.

A heavily implied suicide by one character and an explicitly stated plan by another character was not the subject of all of these objections.

Instead, it comes down to one page depicting a date rape that is not nearly as graphically described as the penis of the boy who is subjected to bullying. 

As with pretty much all book bans, I have to wonder how many of those proposing or supporting such bans have actually read the material to which they object. 

I want to encourage you to pick up and read Nineteen Minutes or one of the numerous other books regularly facing bans. 

Picoult's book was long, but it was engaging and I saw myself, at various points, in many of the characters--the parents, the popular girl who felt like an imposter, the teachers trying do right by their students, the boy who was bullied until he couldn't take it anymore. I found myself identifying in some way with most of the characters except for the group of bullies. 

There were parts of the novel that were hard to read due to how emotionally raw and painful they felt, but this was an extremely well written and thorough depiction of modern high school and modern teenage life. It carefully wove together the complicated relationships of students, parens, and community members amid a tragedy, the events leading up to it, and the aftermath. It also laid bare some of the most difficult aspects of being a parent and how parents never truly know their children's deepest thoughts and feelings--even if we experienced similar situations in our own youthful years. 

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult is a moving, but dark novel with a compelling story to tell. I hope you will read it and report back with your thoughts afterwards. 

You can purchase a copy of the book through Bookshop.org HERE.

Sources Linked:

• https://pen.org/press-release/nearly-200-percent-surge-in-school-book-bans-during-2023-2024-school-year/
• https://pen.org/banned-books-list-2024/
• https://apnews.com/article/jodi-picoult-nineteen-minutes-book-bans-c22ff8f0f5c8baddfaa0c8ff5268436e

The WORST books I read (and finished) from 2016 to 2024

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Years ago, I used to feel compelled to finish reading any book I started, no matter how much I hated it or didn't want to finish it. Over the years, I've eased up, but occasionally I still find myself finishing a book I can't stand for one reason or another. 

These are the four worst books I've finished from 2016 to 2024:

• A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Beauty, Adventure, and Success by Maye Musk 
• The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz
• Open Grave by Kjell Eriksson
• The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

A Woman Makes a Plan by Maye Musk

I didn't realize when I picked up this memoir that it was written by Elon Musk's mother. Had I noticed before leaving the library, I would have not checked the book out. 

The book started out somewhat relatable as I was a single mother and so was Maye Musk. I faced challenges and overcame them, and so did she. Yet, the further I read, the less and less I related. Musk's advice was flippant and extremely surface level--there was no substance. She glossed over the extreme amount of privilige she and her children have had--that's not to say they didn't have challenges, but her single motherhood and mine were vastly different--and her motto throughout the book seemed to simply be along the lines of "You just have to think positive."

Ultimately, I kept hoping for some redeeming quality and got so far into the book that I decided I might as well finish it. I wish I had that time back!

I rated A Woman Makes a Plan as 2 out of 5 stars when I initially read it, but it's more like a 1 out of 5 stars in my memory.

The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz

I have loved every Dean Koontz novel that I've come across until The Crooked Staircase. I wanted to love this one, but it just fell flat. It didn't have the usual tension or plot twists of most of Koontz's other work. I think I only kept reading it in the hopes that it would somehow get better as the story plodded along. 

It did not.

I was initially drawn to this novel because it seemed to promise a strong, badass female heroine. Ugh, she was not likeable at all. I didn't find myself cheering for her. I didn't find myself all that interested in any aspect of this novel. It didn't have the tightly wound up thriller aspects of other novels by Koontz and the story, at points, was just absurd. 

This is another one that I rated 2 of 5 stars, but on reflection, it feels more like a 1 of 5.

My favorite Koontz novel of all time is Intensity. I've read it several times and it creeps me out every time! It's thrilling and, as the title implies, INTENSE! I love it so much that I often gift it to friends who enjoy reading thrillers. Pick up a copy HERE.

Open Grave by Kjell Larsson

Open Grave by Kjell Larsson falls into one of my favorite novel (and movie) genres: Nordic Noir. I expected to love this book, but it was awful. There were too many overlapping stories, too many disconnected plot lines, and just not enough substance. I kept reading in the hopes that it would get better, and it sort of did in the last 50 pages...but not enough.

You can read my original review HERE. The end of the book fell flat and did nothing to make me want to pick up anything else by this author.

I initially rated this one a 1 star out of 5 and I stand by that to this day.

And, lastly, the book that made me angry that I'd wasted my time reading it:

The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

I am a huge Lisbeth Salander fan and the first three books about her, written by Stieg Larsson, are among my favorite novels of all time. When Larsson passed away, he left behind unfinished manuscripts and a little bit of a legal mess about who had the rights to his characters and his unfinished work. 

David Lagercrantz ended up picking up the character of Lisbeth Salander and totally missed the mark with The Girl in the Spider's Web. I remember being so upset by some of the changes he made to the character and her values that I threw the book across the room at one point and commented regularly, out loud, about how ridiculous the protrayal was. Lagercrantz might as well have given her a new name and made her into a totally unrelated character from Larsson's original protagonist. Lagercrantz made her unrecognizable and changed key elements of who Lisbeth is at her core. I feel so invested in Larsson's original character that I found Lagercrantz's work to be infuriating and a disservice to Larsson's work.

Weirdly, I was able to later separate the Stieg Larsson's version of Lisbeth from David Lagercrantz's version and ended up enjoying his subsequent novel featuring the character. 

I ended up trying to re-read The Girl in the Spider's Web to see if maybe I just wasn't giving it a fair chance, but it was awful. I rated it at 1 out of 5 stars, but it's really 0 out of 5. You can read my original review HERE.

You can pick up the original Stieg Larsson trilogy of Lisbeth Salander books HERE as an e-book or pick up physical copies HERE (book 1), HERE (book 2), and HERE (book 3).

I think I was hopeful that each of these four books would get better and surprise me--Open Grave almost did in the last 50 pages, but it was too little too late and the end was absolutely flat. If you review the list of books that I've read from 2016 to 2024, you'll notice that these are the only four books I've rated as less than 3 out of 5 reads; I no longer force myself to try to finish something if I'm really hating it. 

Have you read any of these? If you don't force yourself to finish novels you've started, what would make you continue to a read a book you aren't enjoying? 

The number of books I've read year by year: 2016 to 2024

It's no secret that I love to read, but sometimes life has other plans, right? As I've been working behind the scenes on updating my blog over the past few weeks, I started looking at my reading statistics year by year since I began keeping track of my reading in 2016. I knew I'd had a few years where my reading had dropped off significantly, but it was interesting to see the actual numbers.

I'd love to know if you keep track of your reading and if you've ever noticed any patterns or anomalies. Leave me a comment and let me know!

I'm not sure when, but I a while back, I decided to only keep track of the books I actually finish and to ignore those that I don't finish (DNF). So, how many books did I complete each year since I began keeping track? Let's take a look:

2024: 41 

2023: 23

2022: 19

2021: 22

2020: 20

2019: 36

2018: 15

2017: 19

2016: 42

In 2016, I was feeling pretty good about life and things were looking up, but in 2017, my uncle who happened to be my best friend was diagnosed with a brain tumor (glioblastoma) and I suffered from a rare form of a bowel obstruction and had a pretty big surgery. By summer of 2017, my uncle had passed away and I was pretty depressed. My mom's dementia was also worsening and 2018 was extremely hard as a result. In 2019, life was still pretty hard, but I had started reading more as an escape from reality, thus the uptick. 

Then, the world basically shut down in 2020, followed closely by my becoming temporary guardian to a tutoring student and foster parent to his brother (they've since gone back to their bio-mom). That was one of the hardest but also most fulfilling things I've ever done, and I hardly had the time or energy to read. A lot of my reading during 2021 and 2022 involved children's literature as I read books with my student both for his schoolwork and just for the enjoyment of reading. 

2023 was hard for a variety of other personal reasons, and then in 2024, I found myself reading for enjoyment again. And, in 2025, I'm well on track to read well over 50 books for the year. 

I'd love to hear about your reading patterns and habits--drop a comment and let's chat about it!

Check out the best book I read each year from 2016 to 2024 HERE. And, check out all of the books I've finished from 2016 to 2024 HERE.

My favorite books year by year: 2016 to 2024

Behind the scenes, I am working on significant updates across my blog, but I thought it would be fun to list my favorite books from each year since I started keeping track of my reading in 2016.

Leave a comment and let me know what your favorite books have been over the years!

2024: Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

2023: Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan

2022: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

2021: The Push by Ashley Audrain

2020: The Friend by Sigrid Nunez 

2019: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

2018: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

2017: Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals that Brought Me Home by Jessica Fechtor

2016: The Vegetarian by Han Kang

There were a few years where it was hard to narrow my favorite down to just one book.

Have you read any of these? What did you think of them?

My 5 personal reading rules

I used to be extremely rigid about certain aspects of reading.

And, I know many of you are rigid about certain aspects of reading too. 

It has taken me decades, but I've become much more flexible and relaxed about my reading habits. I hope you'll find my five personal reading rules helpful, and I hope they might give you permission to become more relaxed in your reading as well. 

1. The 20 pages or 1/3 rule

If I pick up a book and the first 20 pages don't hold my attention or make me want to keep reading, I allow myself to quit and move on to another book. If I make it past 1/3 of the book, but my attention starts to fade, I also allow myself to put the book down and move on. 

Admittedly, I would love to allow myself to quit a book at any point, but I'm finding that 2/3 of the way through my current book, I'm not willing to quit. My current book has taken some turns that I've really not liked and that have made me question if I should keep reading. The first 20 pages and the first 1/3 captured my attention and I was enjoying it until about 2/3 of the way through.

Of course, these are just guidelines and we should all feel free to quit a book whenever we just aren't interested anymore.

2. It's ok to stop reading mid-chapter

You have permission to stop reading mid-chapter. I have several friends who won't allow themselves to stop reading mid-chapter. For some, it's about continuity and having a natural stopping point. For a few, it's a mental block and a bit of a compulsion that they must stop only between chapters. 

I make good use of bookmarks specifically so I can stop reading mid-chapter, but I also use page flags or sticky notes to mark the specific line on the page where I'm stopping. 

One of my friends only reads books with shorter chapters so that she knows she can easily finish a chapter before she stops reading -- some of my favorite books have had lengthy chapters and I would have missed out if I'd given up on them because of an "I must finish this chapter" mentality.

3. It's ok to skip "classics"

Read what you want. You don't have to read classics or what someone else thinks counts as good literature. I love contemporary fiction and don't want to set that aside because someone else thinks a different set of books have more value because they are considered classics. 

4. Move while reading, if you want to

I love to read while I walk. I find it calming and leisurely. Of course, it's not always safe, but when it is safe, it's one of my favorite pleasures in life. 

As a private tutor, most of my reading students have done best if they've been allowed to move while reading. Some might need to walk in circles around their bedroom. Some might need to bounce on the balls of their feet. Others might benefit most from sitting on an exercise ball. Some benefit from sitting in chairs that move (wobble chairs, rocking chairs, etc.).

5. Shop independent whenever possible

Although I occasionally link to Amazon when blogging about various books, I truly love to shop at independent bookstores. Seek out your community's independent book shops or buy from my favorite shops online (none of these are sponsored, nor are they affiliate links):

The Bookshop, Nashville, TN 

Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA

White Oak Books, Vancouver, WA

Capital Books, Sacramento, CA

Maggie Mae's, Gresham, OR 

 

Ultimately, I don't believe there should be rules around reading for your own pleasure or your own knowledge. Read what you want, when you want, how you want. 

What are your personal reading rules?

Book Review: Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin

As I write this, I am sitting in a friend's apartment in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'll be in Argentina for an entire month, and as I noted in THIS post, one of my reading strategies is to choose a theme -- for January, I decided that my theme would be Argentinian fiction. 

Please note: links may be affiliate links in nature. Your purchases through these links may result in small commissions for me at no extra cost to you. Thank you in advance! Book links are to Bookshop.org.

At the start of January, I chose four books:

• Thus Were Their Faces by Silvina Ocampo
• Trafalgar by Angelica Gorodischer
• The Adventures of China Iron by Gabriela Cabezon Camara
• Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin

(I tried to include the accent symbols in the author names, but my computer and/or Blogger wouldn't cooperate!)

The first book I finished is the short story collection, Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin -- winner of the National Book Award for Translated Literature in 2022. Not only did this book fit my theme, but by being short stories, I also felt like I was accomplishing some reading goals with every short story that I finished which, in turn, helped to keep me reading. 

Schweblin's book is seven short stories in which something is missing or lost or fading away. Each of them is deeply rooted in realism with an edge that cozies right up next to magical realism. Magical realism is deeply rooted in Latin American literature and deeply tied to Argentinean literature specifically, primarily starting in the 1940s. 

The short stories in this collection are at times disorienting -- one centers on a woman and her incredibly lonely descent into dementia. Another focuses on a young girl who finds herself alone amidst a family emergency and a meeting with someone that feels at once sinister and exhilarating. Another involves possible ghosts. Then, there are the choices made -- or not made -- between spouses that leads to a sense of loss.

Each story feels complete in and of itself, but each also is dark and somewhat mysterious without falling into the magical aspects of magical realism. Most of the stories feel highly modern, though a couple could be set across a few time frames from the last 100 or so years. 

These are truly stories of loss and emptiness, as suggested by the collection title. According to the reading app, The StoryGraph, my reading preferences are typically reflective, emotional, sad, and dark -- Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin, definitely fits with these unconscious preferences, particularly the story about the woman with dementia. I highly recommend this collection!

What are you reading? Is it part of a larger theme that you've chosen? Share in a comment!

3 Ways to Read More in 2024

Please note: product and book links may be of an affiliate nature. Purchasing through these links may result in a small commission for me at no extra cost to you. Thank you in advance! Book links will mostly be to Bookshop.org, though occasionally may link to Amazon or to my own blog posts about books mentioned.

Back in June of 2020, I wrote THIS blog post about how to increase your reading when times are tough. As I write this, Covid-19 still exists, but many (most?) of us have gone back to somewhat normal life; however, that doesn't mean we don't all experience ups and downs that sometimes impact our favorite hobbies, including reading.

I thought it was time to revisit the idea of how to increase the amount we read when things aren't going the way we'd like.

I've experienced dips in my reading not only during the pandemic, but also when I've found myself grieving, I've become burnt out on work, I've been sick, and so on. Sometimes, I'm just so bored that even reading doesn't appeal to me -- and it's my favorite activity!

Over the past four months, I've dealt with one illness and injury after another -- several bad colds, a broken ankle, Covid, a rare form of pneumonia, a sprained wrist, a torn ligament in my other wrist (I'm wearing a wrist immobilizer as I type this!). Plus, I've been dealing with job related uncertainties and a few other life complications.

As much as I love to read, it hasn't always been at the forefront of my interests amid the turmoil of life. 

In my last post about how to read more, I suggested reading first thing in the morning, having a designated reading spot, and reading something easy or familiar. I still stand by those ideas, but here are the three things I've done over the last few months to get or keep myself reading:

FIND A THEME

I'm writing this from Buenos Aires, Argentina, so I thought it would be fun to read books by Argentinian authors. I started by just doing a Google search and then cross referenced the authors I found with what would be available as e-books from my local library. I'm 90% of the way through my first of four books -- a collection of short stories called Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin. 

I think if you can find a theme that's relevant to your current situation in life, to a specific intense interest, or something you've been interested in for a long time, you'll be more likely to keep reading than if you just choose a random theme. I opted to choose just four books for my four week trip, and I'll probably only realistically read three of them. In addition to choosing a theme, consider limiting the number of books or the amount of time you spend on the theme so that you don't overwhelm yourself.

TRY SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS

Following from our first tip, try finding collections of short stories. Instead of feeling like you've read 20 pages and still have a whole lot of pages to go, you'll get a little dose of satisfaction after finishing every short story, even if you aren't finished with the book! 

Knowing that I've already finished several of the stories in Seven Empty Houses, I'm more motivated to finish the rest! But, I already feel accomplished thanks to having read several complete stories within the book. 

CUT BACK ON SOCIAL MEDIA SCROLLING

I think most of us go through periods where we find ourselves just scrolling and scrolling and scrolling on social media. I honestly love Instagram and I use Facebook to stay in touch with friends that live far away, but I also find myself really wasting a lot of time just scrolling. 

Several weeks ago, I decided to do a huge social media purge. I went through both Facebook and Instagram and unfollowed, unliked, and removed a lot of accounts that I actually don't enjoy or that don't serve my interests or needs anymore. I also deleted several that seemed redundant. 

I've noticed that I'm enjoying my time on social media more now that I've worked on curated my feeds, but I'm also spending less time on there! Instead of constant, unsatisfactory scrolling, I'll catch up on things and then put my phone down in order to read. 

BONUS: PUT YOUR TECH IN ANOTHER ROOM

In my prior post, I suggested creating a cozy reading nook. Well, take it a step further. Once you've created your cozy reading spot and purged a whole bunch of social media junk, practice putting your phone, tablet, and other tech (including smart watches!) in another room while you read! I'm much more likely to keep reading if I can't reach for my phone or tablet from where I'm sitting.

Each of these has taken time to get used to and to become natural habits, but I've definitely increased my reading over the past few months by incorporating these ideas.

How are you getting more reading in? Share your tips in a comment!

BOOK REVIEW: We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

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Years ago, my mom was in a reading rut and asked me for some book suggestions -- like me, she was a voracious reader. It was rare for my mom to find herself in a lull with reading, so I happily supplied a list of 10 books or so and she started in on it. 

After the first three books on the list, my mom came to me and said that she appreciated the list, but she'd no longer be reading from it and would not take reading suggestions from me again.

Her reason? Most of what I like to read is "depressing and sad", according to my mom. That has not changed over the years. 

Case in point: We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman.

This novel is devastating but beautiful.

We All Want Impossible Things is about love, loss, and grief, as well as motherhood and friendship. It really highlights that we are all human and reminded me a lot of something one of my high school English teachers said (she was quoting the author, Wally Lamb, I believe): "The best fiction is often more true than real life." This book was so true to my experience of grief and loss that it definitely felt more true than real life! I've had a lot of heart break over the last few years, and this novel helped to mend some of it.

This book made me cry a lot, but despite being so sad, it also made me laugh quite a bit!

We All Want Impossible Things is about a woman whose best friend is in hospice and how she navigates that alongside being a single mom to a teen daughter and a college aged daughter, while still being in love with (and also not in love with at the same time) her ex-husband, and while trying to figure out her own life.

If you enjoy the work of Anne Lamott, particularly the novel Rosie, you'll like this one. It's equal parts sad and funny. My mom would still would have found it depressing.

I found We All Want Impossible Things to be deeply satisfying. It is filled with all the ups and downs of relationships in many areas of our lives, includes good food, cozy living rooms, sex without being gratuitous, awe and wonder at the world around us, and so much more. I will definitely read this one again!

Buy it on Bookshop.org HERE.

Buy it on Amazon HERE.

BOOK REVIEW: No Land to Light on by Yara Zgheib

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No Land to Light on by Yara Zgheib is by far one of the best books I've read in a very long time (in addition to Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan).

This book combines so many emotions: hope, sadness, worry, outrage, love, tenderness, and more!

No Land to Light On features shifting points of view between the two main characters with news editorials sprinkled throughout. The book is the story of a Syrian refugee who has become a legal US resident who falls in love with a Syrian woman who immigrated to the United States in order to attend college at Harvard. They marry and eventually find that she is pregnant. 

The young couple endures the ups and downs of navigating growing love and the prospect of becoming parents while also working through different experiences and different levels of comfort within the United States -- she is far more comfortable and wholeheartedly embraces her new status as an American. he clings to his Syrian roots while feeling the pull of a new way of life. 

Sama left behind bitterness and ran towards opportunity. Hadi left behind parents, friendships, and a love of the land and his father's orchards. He also left fear and violence as he moved towards the promise of freedom and a chance to start over in America, but clouded with fear of the unknown.

Upon the death of his father, Hadi returns to his homeland for the funeral. Little do they know that his attempted return to his legal home in the United States will coincide with a travel ban that includes Syrians -- even if they are legal residents of the United States. 

As Sama awaits his return at the arrivals section of the airport, amid the chaos of protestors, she goes into premature labor and starts her own harrowing journey. 

No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib, published by Simon & Schuster, is beautifully written, despite the sometimes difficult topics. 

Up next, expect a review of the classic book Animal Farm by George Orwell.

Purchase No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib:

• At Amazon HERE
• At Bookshop HERE