It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? (8/22/16)

Hosted by The Book Date.

Last week was much calmer than the week before. I still watched a fair amount of the Olympics, but much less obsessively than two weeks ago. Once the swimming and gymnastics are over after the first week, I relax a bit with wanting to keep up with it all. And, I managed to catch up on all the Bachelor in Paradise I missed while watching the Olympics. The winding down of the Olympics means I’ll actually go back to talking about books on my book blog, which kind of became an Olympics blog for awhile there!

I finished reading…

Natural Way of Things, You Are An Ironman


The Natural Way of Things
 by Charlotte Wood (June 28, 2016)
This book about a group of girls being held captive (and forced to do manual labor) on a remote Australian farm has gotten raves within the book world. Aside from a delicious “WTF is going on here?” feeling similar to the one I got from The Beautiful Bureaucrat, I have to admit I didn’t quite get what all the hype was about through the first half. But, things picked up in the second half and I ended up thinking the turnaround was quite brilliant. It left me with many questions…some I wish had been answered and some I was fine with leaving open-ended.

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You Are An Ironman by Jacques Steinberg (September 15, 2011)
I received this book as a gift from someone I’d told I was training for a triathlon and it ended up being a total surprise for me! It was incredibly inspiring, I teared up in the first 50 pages and full-on cried a couple of times near the end. I recommend it for regular people who are taking up any kind of competitive racing (not just triathlons) as adults.

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

I’m currently reading…

Dear Mr. M, Herman Koch


Dear Mr. M
 by Herman Koch (September 6, 2016)
I’m almost halfway through the latest novel from Herman Koch (author of The Dinner) and it’s exactly what you’d expect from him. A little creepiness, dislikable characters, and lots of sharing things most regular people don’t say. And, I realized how much I missed Mr. Koch!

Upcoming reading plans…

Probably one of these before starting in on more September releases…

American Heiress, The Inseparables


American Heiress
 by Jeffrey Toobin (August 2, 2016)
Nonfiction about the Patty Hearst kidnapping and subsequent trial.

The Inseparables by Stuart Nadler (July 19, 2016)
I heard about this novel on the All the Books podcast and remembered that I loved Nadler’s 2013 novel, Wise Men.

How was your reading week?

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18 Comments

  1. I’m sooooooo happy you enjoyed The Natural Way of Things. That book… I just want to stand on a corner handing out copies to everyone and anyone.

    Posted 8.22.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I was nervous there for a bit, but it turned out well!

      Posted 8.22.16 Reply
  2. Glad to hear Mr. M is living up to the Koch expectations, really looking forward to that one!

    Posted 8.22.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Finished it today…I’m not sure it quite lived up to The Dinner for me, but I liked it a ton more than Summer House with Swimming Pool.

      Posted 8.22.16 Reply
  3. Beth F wrote:

    That Patty Hearst book sounds interesting. I’m almost ready to turn to fall books …

    Posted 8.22.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      There are just way too many!

      Posted 8.22.16 Reply
  4. Kathy Martin wrote:

    I’m also feeling a little of the Olympics let down now that it is over. I too hope to find more reading time in this my last week of vacation before the new school year begins. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

    Posted 8.22.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I was feeling some letdown until my kids started requesting to watch swimming 3 times a day…so now we’re watching all the swimming we recorded!

      Posted 8.22.16 Reply
  5. I made an impulsive buy and downloaded a copy of American Heiress. I am of an age that I remember all the hype about her on the news, was she joining the group or was she brainwashed? I’m really curious as to what was going on in her mind back then, and hope that this book answers some questions.

    Congrats again on training for the triathlon! I saw a news segment about a young woman who was training for it, and she went through 23 pairs of sneakers and several bikes, and her swimming was top-notch. Did you see it on the news? She and her husband live in a tiny apartment above a bike shop in (Minn.?) Fascinating to see what great shape you have to be in for it!

    Posted 8.22.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I bet the media swirl was inside when the Hearst thing was going on! I find it fascinating!

      I didn’t see that segment, but it sounds like she was training for the Ironman. I do much shorter triathlons!!

      Posted 8.22.16 Reply
  6. Patty Hearst is EVERYWHERE lately. Makes me want to pick up something about her life. Such an interesting story, that is simultaneously well known and little understood.

    Posted 8.22.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I’m such a sucker for true crime and this is such a bizarre story…I’m fascinated.

      Posted 8.22.16 Reply
  7. Melinda wrote:

    Ooh, I’ll have to be sure to read your review of the Koch book. I’ve read “The Dinner,” which I didn’t especially like, but it was one of the best book club discussions we’ve had!

    Posted 8.22.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I loved The Dinner…and I loved Dear Mr. M, but not quite as much as The Dinner. Koch has a very distinct style that I totally understand isn’t for everyone.

      Posted 8.22.16 Reply
  8. I am so glad to hear Mr. M is living up to all my Koch expectations. I loved The Dinner! ANd the marathon book sounds amazing. I graduated with a guy who completed his first Ironman last year, and is doing another one this year. It is so amazing. I could never do it. LOL

    Posted 8.22.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I loved The Dinner too…and loved Dear Mr. M, but not quite as much as The Dinner (but far more than Swimming Pool).

      That’s awesome! And I do triathlons and still could never imagine doing an Ironman…that’s a whole different animal!

      Posted 8.22.16 Reply
  9. I have The Dinner, by Koch, so I’m curious about Dear Mr. M as well.

    I’m eager to read my copy of American Heiress. Everyone around us was talking about Patty Hearst, back in 1973 and on, with everyone having an opinion about whether or not her boyfriend had arranged for the abduction.

    I’ve seen a movie based on her experiences, and I’m definitely eager to glean more information in the book.

    Thanks for sharing…and for visiting my blog.

    Posted 8.22.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I’m getting the impression that the Hearst case was like the OJ case (which was the big crime drama of my childhood) of the 70’s…with the accompanying media storm. I’m less than 10% into the book but am really enjoying it so far!

      Posted 8.23.16 Reply

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