My reading life goes through phases. Some months I’m into audiobooks every day in a row, and then I switch over to catch up on my favorite podcasts and I skip books for awhile. Some weeks I have many late nights at work or plans with friends and reading goes on the back burner, and then other weeks I find more time than I thought possible to read to my heart’s content. While I didn’t read a lot this month, I did hit 75 books read so far this year, which is fun to see in print! Plus my very own book, The Coach ADVenture, came out this month!

This month I read:

• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two by J.K.Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne – I’m going to London in December and my best friend bought us tickets to see this play over two nights while we are there.  I have loved the Harry Potter series since my father first introduced it to me. I loved taking time to dip back into the wizarding world with this new story. Reading it as a play was different than the novels, but it helped me visualize the play I will be seeing in a few months. I loved the adventurous storyline and cannot wait to see it performed live!
• After the Flood by Kassandra Montag – What a fascinating book!  It was actually similar to The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker, which I read back in June. This book begins after a great six year flood that has left most of the world under water, with people surviving on ships and by creating communities on top of mountains. As in uncertain times, bad behavior makes it hard to trust anyone. Myra is just trying to keep herself and her daughter Pearl alive, as she fights to find her way back to her older daughter.  This story has family drama, issues around trust, community, secrets, and betrayal, as well as the climate concerns.  Ironically, while I was reading this, I attended a conference on green schools. Every time someone mentioned sustainability and oceans, I was freaked out, thinking about this book! It was a great read!
• The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger – I heard about this book on a 10 Things to Tell you podcast episode and I put it on hold at the library months ago. When it finally came up, I was excited to read it. I remember hearing it loosely compared to the recent college admission scandal with some celebrities, and it is part that, part overbearing parents, part obsession with keeping up with the Joneses, and part bad decision-making. I enjoyed liking and hating the characters throughout the story.  They each had redeemable qualities and also qualities that make you just despise them!