What I’m Reading Now (10/23/17)

Y’all, I’ve never hauled a$$ through a book faster in my life! I realized I had 3 days to finish The Heart’s Invisible Furies before it was due back to the library and I was only halfway through it’s 582 pages. I put aside everything else during my free time to get this done…and I did it!

I also started running again for the first time since my injury in June. I’m taking baby steps and doing run/walk intervals, but it feels good and hard to get back out there. I’d sort of forgotten how running isn’t that fun when you’re out of running shape.

Don’t forget Nonfiction November is starting a week from today! Get all the details here and get your Nonfiction TBR lists ready!

And, in case you missed my most recent Favorite First Lines Instagram post, it’s one of my very favorites I’ve read lately! Follow me at @sarahsbookshelves for more of my favorite first lines.

Hosted by The Book Date.

This post contains affiliate links.

I finished reading…

Ranger Games, Reading People, Heart's Invisible Furies


Ranger Games
by Ben Blum (September 12, 2017)
This is one crazy story (a couple U.S. Army Rangers rob a bank). A bit overly long (not not even close to the point where I’m dying for it to be over), but entertaining and has some interesting insights to chew on. And, keep this one in your back pocket as a great “Dad” gift for the holidays!
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

Reading Peopleby Anne Bogel (September 19, 2017)
If you’re interested in personality types such as the Meyers-Briggs, Enneagram, StrengthsFinder, etc and how to your personality types to your own life, Reading People is an approachable place to start. It doesn’t go deep into any of these types, but it’s a good overview that can help you decide where you might like to go deep. I listened to it on audio, but recommend either coupling that with the paperback or e-book or just reading it so you can spend more time determining which personality types apply to you.

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

The Heart’s Invisible Furiesby John Boyne (August 22, 2017)
THIS BOOK! It’s the big, immersive novel I’ve been looking for all year and it’s absolutely fantastic! In the top echelon of 2017 books for sure. It’s heartfelt, unexpectedly funny, and powerful. It’s one of those rare novels that will stick with you for a very long time. Review to come.

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

I’m currently reading…

Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid


The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
by Taylor Jenkins Reid (June 13, 2017)
Taylor Jenkins Reid is not an author I normally turn to, but I’ve been hearing such raves about Evelyn Hugo. Plus, I suspect it’s exactly the recovery book I need following The Heart’s Invisible Furies.

Upcoming reading plans…

Switching gears to Nonfiction November!

My Life with Bob by Pamela Paul


My Life with Bob
by Pamela Paul (June 13, 2017)
The editor of the New York Times Book Review talks about “Bob,” her book of books where she recorded every book she read for years. She talks about how the books she read shaped her own life.

was reading…

One Year Ago: I was reading the books in my last installment of Alcohol & Advil!

Two Years Ago: I was reading a book I wanted to throw across the room by the end…and one I’m still angry I wasted so much time on.

How was your reading week?

Get Weekly Email Updates!

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

26 Comments

  1. renee wrote:

    Yay, so happy you loved Heart’s!! Wasn’t it the best?? I still think about it and I suspect it’s going to take a special book to come along and wow me as much as that one did. Probably won’t be this year:( Great news about your running, congrats on that

    Posted 10.23.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      The last book where I had a somewhat similar reading experience was A Little Life…and that was a few years back. So, I agree it might take another few for the next one.

      Posted 10.23.17 Reply
  2. I knew you’d love Heart’s. Such a perfect mix of history, humor, and drama. I’d forgotten about My Life With Bob. I’ll let you read it first and see what you think. I hope you enjoy Evelyn Hugo. I liked it a lot, but it’s one I listened to and the narrators were excellent.

    So nice you can get back to running!

    Posted 10.23.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Yes – it had everything! As close to perfect as you can get! And I’m enjoying Evelyn so far…perfect follow-up to Heart’s.

      Posted 10.23.17 Reply
  3. It sounds like I need to get the new Boyne book.

    I’m a fairly new runner and it’s almost always hard!

    Posted 10.23.17 Reply
  4. Beth F wrote:

    Yay on finding a winner!!!! I’ll have to be sure to read Heart’s Invisible Furies. I always love nonfiction November, though I don’t often participate.

    Posted 10.23.17 Reply
  5. Valentina wrote:

    I’ve been eyeing My Life with Bob. I heard her on NPR and it sounded fun.

    https://carabosseslibrary.wordpress.com/2017/10/23/111/

    Posted 10.23.17 Reply
  6. Majanka wrote:

    The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo looks interesting. I hope you enjoy it.

    My It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? post.

    Posted 10.23.17 Reply
  7. I guess I need to get my hands on The Heart’s Invisible Furies. I love a powerful book, and one that I will remember long after. This one sounds like it delivers on both counts.

    Thanks for sharing…and I love those first lines.

    Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

    Posted 10.23.17 Reply
  8. Kathy Martin wrote:

    Nice variety of books. As soon as you mentioned over 500 pages I decided to give the book a pass. That’s a bit too long for me. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

    Posted 10.23.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I usually pass on those too, but this one didn’t feel as long as it was. I felt like I could’ve read it forever.

      Posted 10.23.17 Reply
  9. Michelle wrote:

    At the rate I’m going, I should get around to read the latest John Boyne novel in November. Your reaction makes me very excited to keep plowing through my review copy TBR to get to it!

    Posted 10.23.17 Reply
  10. I’m so glad you loved The Heart’s Invisible Furies! It’s on my TBR stack and this makes me more excited to read it. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is one of my favorite books, so I expect only great things from John Boyne. I’m also glad to hear that you enjoyed Anne Bogel’s book! I agree that it’s a great place to start with personality typing.

    Posted 10.23.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Now I of course want to go back and read everything he ever wrote, so glad to hear Striped Pajamas is great!

      Posted 11.1.17 Reply
  11. Yay – I just started back up running again too (run / walk intervals like you). And I’m hoping I stay consistent with it through the end of the year – and even sign up for some races next year.

    Posted 10.23.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      That’s awesome! Hope you get to race at some point! I’d like to again too, we’ll see how things go.

      Posted 11.1.17 Reply
  12. Lindsey wrote:

    Yay! There’s something amazing about diving into a giant book and just living in it for a few days.

    I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo a few weeks ago and enjoyed it. Hope you do too!

    Posted 10.23.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Yes! And it’s been so long since I’ve really been able to do that…little kids and having to read in little snippets makes that hard.

      Posted 11.1.17 Reply
  13. Lindsay wrote:

    I was just putting together a list of 2017 releases I really want to read by the end of the year, and “The Heart’s Invisible Furies” and “Evelyn Hugo” were both on it! Maybe I’ll read them in the order you did — all I know of John Boyne is the movie version of “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” which utterly wrecked me, so I’m pretty sure I’ll need a recovery book, too!

    Posted 10.23.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      They were both on my version of that list too, so I’m glad I could knock them out. And now I want to read Striped Pajamas of course.

      Posted 11.1.17 Reply
  14. I have a library book that I didn’t even crack open before it came due. There’s only one copy and someone else has it on hold. Oh well! Come see what I’m reading

    Posted 10.23.17 Reply
  15. Madeline wrote:

    I’m at 63% of Heart’s Invisible Furies and loving it. I’ve got 7 days left before the library snatches it back, which should be plenty. But I am behind on my reading. I’ve suspended a bunch of holds but still have 5 to get going on!

    Posted 10.24.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      So glad you loved it! I did too obviously 🙂

      And I need to be better about monitoring my holds…let a few slip earlier.

      Posted 11.1.17 Reply
  16. Lisa wrote:

    Seven Husbands looks good – I’ll be excited to see what you think of it. I’m so tempted to add it to my toppling TBR pile. Glad you’re back to running!! I was somewhat running several years ago and quit then I picked it up again only to be graced with a stress fracture last year. That was it for me! I’m a Zumba girl now 🙂

    Posted 10.24.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      UGH – sorry about your stress fracture. That’s frustrating.

      And I loved 7 Husbands! Was the perfect recovery book.

      Posted 11.1.17 Reply
  17. Annie Romero wrote:

    I think I need to find more time to read, some of these recs seem really good and I haven’t heard of them yet! So thanks. I am reading a series at the moment called Tooth is Stranger than Fiction. It’s basically a memoir of a dentist. It’s so funny and clever that I can’t put it down. Dr. Carroll James is the author, drcarrolljames.com for his info. It’s a great series, the books are really very good.

    Posted 10.25.17 Reply

Get Weekly Email Updates!

Join our mailing list to receive all new blog posts in one weekly email. Plus, news of special updates and offers!

You have Successfully Subscribed!