Snow days and sick days meant for unexpected time to read in the last four weeks.  I suppose I could finish another book in the remaining 48ish hours in February, but I shouldn’t.  I have several papers that I should be writing, but instead I am typing this post while binge-watching Fuller House on Netflix.  It is so cheesy but I love it.

Without further ado, here’s what I read this month:

• Becoming Myself: Embracing God’s Dream of You (Stasi Eldredge) – This book was too emotional for me.  Not wrong with it necessarily, but didn’t speak to me.
• Catching Up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization (Yong Zhao) – I read this for a class I’m taking this semester.  Zhao offers an interesting perspective on the perceived positives and negatives in the world of education.  A good read.
• The Antelope in the Living Room: the real story of two people sharing one life (Melanie Shankle) – Melanie Shankle, a.k.a. Big Mama, is a hilarious writer.  This book made me laugh out loud more times than I can count.  She just mentioned in her podcast that she is working on another book and I cannot wait.
• Bread & Wine: a Love Letter to Life Around the Table (Shauna Niequist) – This is a book about food.  It doesn’t get much better than that.  Food, fellowship, hospitality, friendship.  I haven’t loved all of Niequist books but I enjoyed this one and will be trying some of the recipes at the end of each chapter.
• Born Survivors: Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope (Wendy Holden) – this nonfiction work tells the stories of three women who gave birth while in concentration camps.  A hard read, but one of good triumphing over evil.  In a lot of ways, my mind can’t even fathom the depth of the suffering detailed in this book.
• Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality: A Brief History of the Education of Dominated Cultures in the United States (Joel Spring) – this was another book I had to read for class.  It gave me a lot to think about, especially given our current political climate.
• A Charlie Brown Religion: Exploring the Spiritual Life and Work of Charles M. Schulz (Stephen J. Lind) – I go to church with the author of this book.  While I don’t love cartoons, I appreciate Peanuts and found Schulz’s internal struggles quite fascinating.
• Knowing God (J.I. Packer) – this book blew my mind.  I am rereading it right now because it was like trying to drink from a fire hydrant.  I understand why this book, written several decades ago, remains so popular.  I’ve learned so much.
• Me Before You (JoJo Moyes) – I bought this book a long time ago and finally got around to reading it this week while sitting on the couch to sick to move. This book is beautiful, funny, moving, and exceptionally sad.  I have the sequel on hold at the library and look forward to seeing how this story ends.

And there you have it.  16 books so far in 2016.

I don’t have a reading goal for 2016 other than to just keeping reading.  I doubt I will get to 100 books again, but then again, I never thought I would last year either.  Somehow I ended up reading seven books this month!

• The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) – I read this at the recommendation of the “All the Books” podcast. I guess Atwood is a legend and this is the book they suggested as a starting point.  This is an interesting take on a dystopian society (written over twenty years ago) but I’m not sure I want to read anymore of her work.
• Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing (Jamie Holmes) – a very enjoyable and informative read.  I posted a review a few days ago.
• Shame Interrupted: How God Lifts the Pain of Worthlessness and Rejection (Edward T. Welch) – last year I read Welch’s book about depression and found it helpful.  This book blows the other one away.  Powerful stuff.  Best book I read this month and one of my all-time favorites.  I highly recommend this to everyone.
• As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust (Alan Bradley) – I’m not sure I like the new arc Bradley has chosen in the Flavia series, but I love her character so much I will read the next book when it is released.
• From Fear to Freedom: Living as Sons and Daughters of God (Rose Marie Miller) – didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.  I certainly learned from it, but for a relatively short book it felt like it dragged on.
• The Lake House (Kate Morton) – This is my favorite fiction book I read this month.  It is a mystery that flips back and forth between past and present.  Morton keeps you in suspense until the end.  **Not a gory book…suspense without any horror or violence**
• Fates & Furies (Lauren Groff) – I did not like this book.  It’s received mostly positive reviews but overall the storyline left me feeling dirty and gross.  I did like the way she divided the book into two parts, and told essentially the same story through the eyes of two people.

So there you have it.  I can’t wait to share more books with you in a month!

Anyone out there get my Big Bang Theory reference in the title?

I don’t remember the storyline of the episode, but Penny tells Sheldon, “Not knowing is half the fun!”  His reply: “Was that the motto of your community college?”

Hilarious.

Anyway, I picked up this book because the title reminded me of that scene.

Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing

Jamie Holmes nailed it with the title and his book did not disappoint.  Holmes makes a somewhat difficult topic easily accessible to anyone with his down-to-earth writing style.  He appeals to enthusiasts of psychology, art, education, history and science in one fell swoop.

The two highlights of this book for me were the chapter about Waco and his applications for educators, the former because I didn’t realize how little I knew about the events in Waco and the latter for obvious reasons.

This review is intentionally vague because Holmes covers so much ground in a little over 200 pages.  You just need to read it for yourself.

And, I would argue that if Holmes had been in the room with Penny and Sheldon, he would have said, “not knowing is ALL the fun.”

***I received a copy of this book from http://www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for this review.***