I frankly made some mistakes with reading this week. I once again had too many pages to read and not enough time to get them done. This is not a new problem and I will definitely do it again.

I also had read some phenomenal books last week and followed them up with some mediocre books. Once again, not a new problem and I will also do it again. I kind of need to stop this one though. When I do this, it tends to interrupt my reading. Whereas Doris Kearns Goodwin called me to go slower, reading two mediocre books in a row (especially after phenomenal books) calls me to stop reading altogether. I need to plan this out better. But of course taking my own advice is hard. So I’m sure I’ll have way more chaotic reading in my future.

Anyway, let’s get to these reads.

Reading Social Media News

I love everything about Gini Dietrich. She’s one of the most kind and smart PR peeps out there. So I’m always reading her blog posts to learn a little something. This week, she’s really giving you the goods on how to launch a communications campaign with the PESO Model©. Obviously, this is a can’t-miss article.

Threads is a little too much fun for me. The community is growing. It smells like Old Twitter, although there are definite differences. And with the right content, a brand can really make headway there. Buffer gives a great rundown of what you need to know about Threads this week, and it’s a great read if you think it’s time for your brand to join in on the fun.

Reading Books, Books and More Books

Past

Ann Napolitano’s Within Arm’s Reach just seemed like a bit of a mess to me. There were a lot of characters who told the story from their point of view. Yes, you did kind of need them all to get the pieces of the story, but there were problems with the execution. The differences in voice just weren’t as present as they needed to be, and there was just a lack of emotion to the writing. You weren’t quite confused as to who was talking, but if some of the identifying details were missing, I do think there would be some confusion. And the missing emotion made it hard to really care about what was going on. It could have been a great story, but those two missing aspects made it more mediocre. Score: C+

Real Americans by Rachel Khong is a story rich with potential, but seems to fail at every turn. It was trying to tackle a very interesting debate on genetics but just fell flat, most likely because Khong has a very surface level understanding of the topic. It also had these bits of magic that would have been interesting to explore, but instead felt like a random add-on. The last third of the story seemed to be a book all on its own, but the lack of color made it somewhat lifeless. And finally, sections of the story that would have explained other parts of the book were inexplicably missing. That made much of the book even more unbelievable. It was hard to see these sparks of potential in a book that overall failed. Score: C

Present

Next up on my reading adventure is All Fours by Miranda July. I have never read anything by this author. This was a book that was on a must-read list, so I’m going to give it a try while having low expectations of it. So far, I’m following on an adventure of a vain woman as she decides to drive across the country instead of flying just to prove a point. Apparently, something will come of this adventure. We shall see if it really is anything.

Future

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio has been on my list for awhile and finally was delivered to me through the library. I’ve heard very good things from friends. Some of my friends have terrible taste though, so we’ll see if it really was worth the wait. I hope so. I need a good read in my life.

So what are you reading? What books are you looking forward to?