It’s Monday! What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme now hosted by Sheila over at One Person’s Journey through a World of Books.

I think I’m finally getting out of my reading rut. Being in a reading rut is bad when you’re a bookworm but it’s even worse when you’re a book blogger. Last week I finally read and finished my second and third adult books of the year: A Photographer’s Life by Annie Leibovitz and  The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Fingers crossed that I’m able to write reviews this week.

I seem to be on a non-fiction kick so this morning I started How To be an Everyday Philanthropist by Nicole Bouchard Boles. The author gives readers 330 different ways to make a difference without giving money. Another non-fiction book I’m reading is Spilling Open: The Art of Becoming Yourself by Sabrina Ward Harrison. Spilling Open is Harrison’s collection of pages from her journal. So far I love the pages I’ve read. It makes me want to write more in my own journal.

I just started listening to The Soloist by Steve Lopez on audio. Lopez is a LA Times reporter who becomes friends with homeless violinist, Nathaniel Ayers. I’m listening to it because next month is my city’s The Big Read. March kicks off with a lot of great events that I can’t wait to go to that includes author signings, book discussions, and more.

Later today I’m starting another non-fiction read, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. I’m reading this with Joy over at BiblioAddict. Joy is one of my favorite bloggers so I’m pretty psyched to be reading this with her. Another read-along for this week is Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann with Natasha over at Heidenkind’s Hideaway. If you’re not on Twitter, you need to be. Natasha is a bad influence when it comes to books. Because of her I want to read Jane Austen and a ton of art history books. She’s funny and very smart.

So that’s what I’m reading this week. What are you reading?

The Life and Times of a Book Addict

Two days into the BLOB game and I bought this:

Little by David Treuer

I have a great excuse! The latest CORA diversity roll call has been posted and the topic is books that  have changed the way you look at a person or culture different from you.  I read a great Sunday Salon post today over at Black Eyed Susan’s about David Treuer’s Little. Published in 1996 Little is about three generations of a family living on a Native American reservation in a small town called Poverty. In the post the book is described as,

It challenges you to rethink what you thought you knew or to question your ignorance. It tests your humanity.

I knew this was a book I really should read soon. My local library doesn’t have a copy and there was only one copy left at Powell’s, so I bought it. I know it’s going to be worth the 5 points I just added to my score.

Here’s my question to you: what was the last book you bought or checked out of the library because of a blogger’s recommendation?

Operation Teen Book Drop

Did you know that April 15, 2010 is Support Teen Literature Day? I didn’t. But I have heard of Operation Teen Book Drop, an effort by Readergirlz, GuysLitWire, and the YALSA to get teens, authors, and librarians to donate brand new YA books to teens in hospitals around the United States on that day. Operation TBD is back  for a third year and the organization, If I Can Read I Can Do Anything, is joining the effort to get books to teens on Native American reservations.

To celebrate the day all four organizations are trying to get as many books as possible donated. Librarians, YA authors, and teens are also invited to leave books in public places in their own communities for others to read.

For more information, click on any of the above links.