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What I Read: April

With as busy as this month was, I feel like I barely had any time at all to read. I make it a habit to read every night before I go to bed, but I’ve been so exhausted lately I can only make it through a few pages before I conk out. I have about a million books I want to read, so I’m hoping things slow down a little so I can make a bigger dent in that stack.

{one} The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida. This is a glimpse into the mind of a 13 year old boy with autism. The question and answer format in which it is written makes it a very quick, yet very fascinating read. There are many misconceptions about autism, but Higashida illustrates that while his brain may not function like a “normal” person’s does, it does function in its own way. His revelations are beautiful and surprisingly profound. There seems to be some controversy as to how much was indeed dictated by Higashida and how much Mitchell (the translator) contributed. While I think it is possible that Mitchell wrote more than he lets on, I think we are doing Higashida (and autistic people everywhere) a disservice if we dismiss this as a work of fiction. I’d rather embrace the possibility that Higashida is the true author here. 

{two} The Secret Place by Tana French. I spent the bulk of April reading this book, although if I had more time I would have preferred to devote an entire day or two to it. This is the kind of story that sucks you in, and I hated having to keep putting it down at the end of the day. A year ago a boy is murdered on the grounds of St. Kilda’s, a girls’ boarding school in Ireland. The police investigating the murder don’t seem to be getting anywhere until a photo shows up with a picture of Chris, the murder victim, with the caption “I know who killed him.” 

{three} Make it Happen by Lara Casey. I typically go for fiction, but every now and then I like to mix it up a little. Because I tend to do most of my reading at night before I go to bed, I have not (yet) completed the last part of the book, which is more of a workbook. However, I did find Casey’s advice to be inspiring and uplifting. This isn’t exactly a step-by-step guide for how to actually make it happen (if you find that, will you let me know? and let me know what it is), but instead it’s more about listening to yourself and to God. I liked it because it seems like a lot of the go-get-’em advice out there is about hustling and “leaning in” and taking risks, but Casey reminds me that life is about more than measurable successes. 

Have you read anything good lately? 


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