Reading daily is the goal that I’ve been most successful with this year. I've been much less successful posting book reviews and roundups like these. But, just keep trying.
First, I continue to ADORE reading with the Bookly App. I log each reading "session" in/with Bookly and it generates pretty reports like the ones that open and close this article. I especially love the calendar view that you can see showing everything I read on each day. That's the image at the end of this article.
Much of my reading this month was driven by a class I was taking in Spiritual Formation. The course was delightful. However, I did not heed the warning/recommendation to complete all the reading before the course began and I was overwhelmed! I also didn't take into consideration what I know about myself. And, one of the things I know about myself is I do NOT like being told what to read and when to read it. I like to let my reading follow my curiosity and interests.
As such, I've decided not to continue with the Spiritual Formation certificate at this time. I have collected a list of the books for all the courses and want to read them as my curiosity leads me in that direction. Once I've read the books for a class, I will then register for that next course in the sequence. Lesson learned.
I did finish one of the books - Invitation to a Journey by M Robert Mulholland Jr. I also read the book for the Lay Servant ministry class - Lay Servant Ministries Basic Course Participant's Book by Brian Jackson & Sandy Jackson as I took that class this past month too. Neither the book nor the class were particularly interesting. I'm glad I took other much more interesting courses in the certification program out of order (meaning I took them before this introductory course). Had I not taken them early, that course likely would have turned me off of the entire endeavor.
I've really been enjoying audio books lately. All three that I listened to/read in September were fantastic.
The Confidante by Christopher C Gorham
Christopher Gorham tells the story of Anna M. Greenberg. Ms. Greenberg was a confidante to many presidents, but most especially to FDR. Ms. Greenberg was incredibly important in bringing about desegregation of the military as well as workers rights for both African Americans and women. As with much of the history of women in the United States, I was disappointed that I'd never heard of Ms. Greenberg before. This book is perfect for you if you enjoyed detailed biographies, particularly about a strong female.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
This is the first in a series of four novels that you could easily describe as cozy mysteries, although I've always found it odd that we call anything involving murder cozy. These books are performed by Lesley Manville who I've added to my audible list as my now second favorite narrator. She overtook the spot from Samara MacLaren - another Brit - who has an incredible voice. My favorite narrators remain a tie between Julia Whelan and nearly any book read by its author.
When writing up this little summary, I googled Thursday Murder Club to find out how many books were in the series. That google yielded the news that Thursday Murder Club is coming to Netflix. It will star Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Sir Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, David Teannant and many more!
Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson
I often struggle to pick a favorite book each month. That was NOT the case in September. Without a doubt, my favorite was the memoir of Justice Ketanji Jackson. Lovely One as an audio book is particularly special. Justice Jackson is at once relatable and inspirational. Her performance of the audio book is tremendous. I cannot recommend this book enough.
What books are you loving right now? What was your best read of September?
