Life of Kim

This week brought a return of summer weather. It’s hot, hazy, and sticky outside and, by mid-afternoon, even the cool interior of this 19th century house has succumbed to the wave of warmth and humidity. No matter the temperature, my reading list is alive and active. Usually, I read at night, but on occasion, I sneak in a few chapters before dinner or in the early morning.

Here’s what I’m reading now:

Thunder and Lightning: Cracking Open the Writer’s Craft by Natalie Goldberg. Every short chapter stirs my imagination, pokes at my inhibitions and challenges me to be as real in my writing as I can be.

The Silent Corner: A Novel of Suspense by Dean Koontz. Jane Hawk is the brave, tough, smart and sexy heroine trying to uncover the what, why and most importantly who behind a series of “suicides” that includes her own husband. I’m halfway through and it is fast-paced and full of action and suspense.

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova takes the reader on an intricate journey that weaves between the present and the 1800s. I am over halfway through this book and as unsure of what it’s really about as I was in the first couple of chapters. A mad artist and the women who love him are interspersed with scenes and letters of people from long ago. How do they connect? That’s what I want to find out.

The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood brings the lives of a quirky centenarian, a musician and a librarian together to learn of her past and attempt an entry into the Guinness World Records.

Real Artists Don’t Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age by Jeff Goins is a positive book declaring that artists can make a living and be successful doing what they do best–creating. Each chapter has examples of people who have thrived with their art. Jeff shares principles that creative people need to incorporate into their life and work if they are to move forward and support themselves with their art.

Beauty: The Invisible Embrace by John O Donahue has been a book I’ve savored a few paragraphs or pages at a time. Almost every sentence makes me stop the book down and ponder the significance of his words and bask in the turn of phrase and way he thinks about life. It is rich, imaginative and emanates beauty. I’ll continue to take my time with this.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone) by Laini Taylor is my first YA read in a long time. It’s set in Prague and there is a young artist with blue hair and other supernatural characteristics. I think I’m going to like it.

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What are you reading now? I’d love to hear all about your current reads in the comments.