The last several months, I’ve been feeling a bit underwhelmed with my own intellectual pursuits. That happens when you spend most of your days watching Doc McStuffins (whom I could now probably write an entire dissertation on) and Sesame Street (which is amazeballs, but there are far too many third-person talkers in that ‘hood) and reading Little Blue Truck board books (that truck gets around!).

I’ve bee trying to finish this one series of YA books for well over two years. I’m halfway though the fifth book of the series and while it’s a remarkably well written and engaging series, I just can’t seem to get in the right frame of mind to power through it. But I’ll plug it here regardless, because it is one of the best series I’ve ever read. Definitely check out “The Parasol Protectorate”by  Gail Carriger. I would love to see this series turned into films. These characters come alive beautifully in writing…I would love to see if someone could pull off the snark and wit of Alexia or the style and silliness of her best friend. It’s really just a lovely series.

But I’ve been feeling the need to be more introspective than werewolves and vampires can take me at this point. I want to be challenged and uplifted and involved, whatever that means.

So I started reading “Happier At Home” by Gretchen Rubin. It’s a follow up to her wildly successful “The Happiness Project” which I read a couple years ago. I’m always interested in how other people find ways to actively pursue happiness. I’m a chronic Pollyanna-type. Maybe I’m a little addicted to being happy. Is that a thing? I just like reading different ideas for implementing happiness and joy in my own life.

But then the election happened and I didn’t feel like being so happy-clappy. I wanted something deeper, less flippant. Something that would really challenge my soul. So I asked one of my best friends for a suggestion (there are only a handful of people I ask for book suggestions. These few people are far more well-read than I will ever be and I deeply respect their friendship and their minds. Hopefully you know who you are. I tend to get music suggestions from you, too).

She emailed me a copy of “Love Warrior” by Glennon Doyle Melton and I dug right in. Yeah yeah yeah, it’s a super hot book right now and it’s on Oprah’s reading list and blah blah blah insert whatever reason you might have for avoiding this book. I literally knew nothing about the book or the author until it was presented to me via email. I kind of wish I hadn’t looked the author up until I was done reading the book. I know too much now. But that doesn’t take away from the power of her words. It speaks a lot of painful and beautiful truth into my entire life, past and present. The way she writes is the stuff my writer-dreams are made of. It’s not a terribly happy book, but it’s inspiring. A beautiful disaster, if you will. She’s showing her cracks and filling them with gold. It’s a scary and wonderful thing to read such raw bravery.

But that was getting super intense so I got myself a copy of “Scrappy Little Nobody” by Anna Kendrick. It’s another in a long line of hilarious memoirs written by women I find hysterical (Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are among them). She has moments of insight and brilliance, but mostly (as with many of her predecessors) it feels like she is me and we could be super best friends should we ever meet. It’s a good read when I just want to feel lighthearted and happy. Not a whole ton of introspection here, but it gets its job done and I can definitely appreciate that!

Once I finish at least one of these books, I’m going to start in on Megyn Kelly’s book, “Settle For More”. I have had a bonkers amount of respect for (and probably a big of a girl crush on) this woman for a long time. I think she’s a brilliant journalist and woman. She stole my heart during the most recent presidential debate season (as I suspect she did many people…probably as many as she pissed off) and I’m so curious to read more about how she became the woman she is today.

So yeah. Those are the books that are currently taking up space on my iPad. I wish I had more free time to devote to these lovely friends, but I’ll take whatever spare minutes I can for the time being.