September Reads and What I’ve Added to my TBR List. What are You Reading?

Through the month of September I was putting the finishing touches on the inaugural Wine Country Writers’ Festival so I didn’t get to relax and read as much as I normally do.

Can’t Take It Back by Kelly Duran (audio book)

I did manage to squeeze in some late night reading. The first was an audio book that I feel asleep to every night for almost two weeks straight.

It’s not that the subject matter was boring, it’s just that I had a tough time of keep track of who was who–four women, all their kids/significant others and a couple of outside people thrown in. Ugh.

I was so confused during the first few chapters I almost gave up, but I didn’t.

The premise of the book is basically about relationships, sex, and communication and that once something is said out loud or actions taken–you can never go back to where you were. Four women bond over conversations about their husbands, their doubts about their own marriages, and infidelity. Everything is centered around the bedroom.

One couple, with two small children, decide to pursue swinging because the husband simply can’t live with the idea of not sleeping with other women. Pardon me, but give me a fucking break! Like seriously?

Another feels their love life is stale and therefore over. They agree amicably to split. Boom. Done. Marriage over. No further discussion. Splitsville!

The third is sure her husband is cheating. Is he? You bet. What’s gonna happen there?

The fourth woman is the sister of one of the women and is seeking someone special but keeps hearing about all the negative.

Hey, the writing isn’t bad. Kelly Duran at least kept my interest until I finished the book but the premise is so narrow-minded and selfish that it made me want to hurl. I’ll leave it at that.

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

The only other book I read this month was Tuesdays with Morrie. This is a memoir published in 1997. It spent weeks and weeks on the New York Best-Seller list.

The book is about a series of conversations and scenes of the author Mitch Album visiting his sociology professors house after he, Morrie Schwartz, is diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, for which there is no cure. ALS breaks down the body while leaving the brain, and all it’s functions, intact.

Albom went to Morrie’s home every Tuesday and documented his lessons learned as they discussed things like living, dying, family, faith, and fears. As Morrie’s body deteriorates, the need to understand and grasp the meaning of life and get all the discussions in, is paramount.

Morrie left a legacy of compassionate wisdom with the young writer who then shared it with the rest of us.

I remember hearing about this book years ago from the Oprah Show. If I remember correctly, she interviewed the author. But truthfully, I didn’t pay very much attention because for me, the whole thing hit way too close to home.

You see, the previous year (1996) my dad died after a short fight with ALS and, get this, his name was Morris. Hearing of this book was a double whammy to me because the timing seemed strange and coincidental. Before dad was diagnosed, I’d never heard of the bastard disease. It is probably one of the most difficult ways to watch someone die.

Tuesdays with Morrie is a book of growth for the young writer. The experiences open up things in him that he wasn’t aware of and changes the trajectory of his life. I’d recommend this book in a minute. It’s short. Easy to read and it’s relevant in the discussion of life, living, death, and dying.

That’s it for September! I did read other blogs, some magazine and ezine stuff, but that’s about it. What did you read? What’s on your TBR list? Mine is getting longer and longer.

Happy October everyone. Wishing you well this beautiful Fall day. Click HERE to see what books I read in August and HERE for July. Enjoy.

Added to the TBR: The Almost Wife by Gail Anderson- Dargatz and A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson

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