It’s the second week of May and I am still in school. Really? It feels as though this semester started two years ago! Good grief…..students and faculty are dragging our butts across the finish line and have finally made it to finals. Just a few more days before I can officially check out for a bit.
As we pushed to the end of classes, I just did not have the energy to do as much reading as I would have liked. Still, I managed to tick off two books from my reading list this week.
What I Finished This Week
Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill. I thought I was never going to get to the end of this one. The stream of consciousness writing style was not a hit for me. I found the plot — a marriage falling apart — very unsettling. I decided to read this one in a digital format because I wasn’t really interested in adding it to my bookshelf. Ebooks are not a good format for me; I think the problem is that I don’t always have a sense that I am making progress in my reading. I finished the read in order to mark off another prompt of the 52 Book Challenge (stream of consciousness narrative), but I don’t want to repeat the experience. 1 star.
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. I was aware of this book because of the Hollywood adaptation. If I’m honest, the film’s previews turned me off from reading the book; I just wasn’t interested. When the book popped up as a recommendation in my Audible account, I decided to take a chance. (I was also aware that the first mini-challenge for 2025 from the 52 Book Club included a prompt to read a book by an Asian author.) I struggled with this story in the beginning. I think part of my issues were associated with the accents used by the narrator to provide authenticity and I was having a bit of trouble keeping all of the names of the characters straight. But I continued to listen, I found the story to be witty, insightful, and thoughtful. All in all, I ended up enjoying the story. I wish the resolution was a little clearer. I would have liked to have gotten pulled into the story sooner. But it was a good read overall. 3.75 stars.
What I’m Currently Reading
The Modern Guide to Time Mastery: Focus, Flow, and Freedom by Morgan Ellis Stone (p. 22 of 148). As the week ended, I was having lots of conversations with students about time management. As I was reflecting on what I was saying to them, I realized that my go-to time management resource was published in 2001. It’s probably time to look and see what other resources are available that might be more impactful to today’s student. While browsing my Kindle, I stumbled across this short book. It seems to consider creatives and focuses on aligning the things we devote our time to with where our values are. I’ve just started the book, but I am looking forward to spending some time in its pages this week.
Emma by Jane Austen (p. 67 of 335). As the semester was winding down, it felt like the appropriate time to dive into one of the classic novels that are scheduled for this year. I have a shameful confession to make as well….I have never read one of Austen’s novels in its entirety. Somehow, I avoided Pride and Prejudice throughout my education. I was assigned Emma as an undergrad and bluffed my way through the class discussions. Now, it is time to actually tangle with this classic British novel. I selected this Austen novel because I have heard that it is her best from several sources and I already had a reliable edition on hand. I gave myself permission to move through the novel at a slower pace so I can focus on what I’m reading and not feel as though I’m working against a deadline. So far, I am finding Emma to be a delightful young woman who has a unique perspective on her society and her circumstances. I’m hoping that since things are a little slower this week, I’ll be able to relax into the story a bit more and get comfortable with the author’s writing style. I anticipate this book will accompany me on my flight to Hawaii this weekend.
Reading for Me 
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