What I really enjoyed about doing #NaBloPoMo in January was writing about things other than beauty. Like most people, I have other interests that I don't often get to feature with one of them being books. I was always a big reader as a child and loved going to my local library to indulge in books. My tastes tend to vary, but I stick mostly to fiction with the exception a few autobiographies or historical accounts. If I read an easy or junky book (ahem, the Brandi Glanville tell-all), the next book I read will be more "meaty". I have always advocated for literacy at a young age as it generally helps with your spelling, vocabulary and writing especially now that we are living in a time of instant gratification where we use emoticons and shorthand to communicate. Reading a book forces you to slow down and disconnect and is something I have been guilty of not doing as evidenced by my many failed Goodreads Reading Challenges over the last couple of years. Reading more was one of my
goals for 2020 and so 1/3 of the way into the year, I am on track and enjoying it so here are the first five books I have read this year!
1.
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka
"Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blonde Ukrainian divorcée. He was eighty-four and she was thirty-six. She exploded into our lives like a fluffy pink grenade, churning up the murky water, bringing to the surface a sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside."
I purchased this book a long time ago when it was still considered "new and hot" and with a teaser like that, it seemed like it was going to be an interesting read when it came to the balance of family dynamics. As someone whose parents divorced in their late 20s and then remarried younger partners, I thought I could relate a little bit to some of the awkwardness that is sure to arise when someone new enters the family fray, but though there were promising moments, I never felt pulled in or even LIKED anyone or their relationships. Sure ongoing feuds were buried with a few funny things along the way, but it was just one of those books were when I never felt fully invested in the characters or fully understood their motivations. It was a relatively easy read especially when Valentina (the glamorous blonde) was in the picture since she had a big personality that dominated over all the other characters, but I would not read this again.
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