I’m having a weird reading month (or months) as I can’t seem to commit to any books outright. It’s not uncommon for me to read two or three books at once but usually one of them is a clear front runner and takes up most of my time. Right now I’m reading many, many books but not giving sufficient time to any of them if I’m going to be honest.

Is this because of a failing on the book’s part or mine? I’m honestly not sure and it’s possibly a little bit of both. Life has been busy lately and I find myself dabbling in a lot of different things – writing projects, art projects, volunteering at the school and trying to be a present wife, mother, friend, etc. I’m definitely that Stereotypical Mom trying to juggle a million things poorly right now and my reading life seems to be reflecting that.

Here are six of the books I still considering myself to be currently reading right now:

Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham | I love Lauren Graham and I’m a huge fan of Gilmore Girls but I seem to be struggling to maintain interest in this book. I started reading it in July and I’m still only 34% through the Kindle edition.  I’m unsure if the problem lies with the book or if I’m just in a reading slump. I do think it’s a bit slow and, this sounds awful but, a bit too nice. I had a similar problem with Dick Van Dyke’s book – he really shied away from any semblance of drama in his book. As a person, I admire this. But as a reader, it made for a dull book with very little pay off. You need the bad to enjoy the good, you know? I haven’t completely given up on this one, but it’s slightly on the backburner at the moment.

The 5 Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell | I just got a copy of this through my Digital Library and started reading it a couple of days ago. I’m already familiar with the 5 Love Languages concept, but it’s been insightful to read how these languages can be useful and important in parenting. The book feels a little preachy at times and I occasionally find myself skimming parts – but I’m also definitely getting something out of it and plan to keep reading. So far I’ve read about two of the five types and I’m already putting some of the suggestions into action with my kids and seeing the benefits. The authors recommend using all five languages with your loved ones but paying close attention to your child’s preferred language especially.

I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel | I’m a huge fan of Anne’s blog and I loved her last book, Reading People, which had to do with personality types. This one is a collection of essays about reading and readers and it’s enjoyable but not necessarily a page flipper. Nonfiction books in general have this problem – there’s no who done it or will they / won’t they trope to keep you flipping pages. I’ll likely read this one intentionally slow – popping in with it when I need it. Because I definitely get something out of it each time I sit down with it. It’s a perfect choice when I only have ten or fifteen minutes to read – kind of like an excellent book of poetry. Readers will relate to all of the essays in this book and fans of Anne’s blog will find it equally enjoyable to read.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman | I’ve been excited to read this book for ages, but to be honest it’s been a bit of a let down. This seems like one of those books that maybe just won’t live up to the hype for me. The book describes Eleanor as a quirky heroine with “deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit” but I find her to be almost painfully awkward and cold and clearly traumatized by something in her past. My empath tendencies struggle with Eleanor and as a reader I’m having a hard time stepping into her shoes. Perhaps this will get better as the book progresses and you get to know her better but in the first few chapters she is very closed off and hard to relate to. I haven’t decided if the book is worth pressing on with or not. Thoughts from people who have read it?

Mirage by Somaiya Daud | This was the book in my last Owl Crate shipment and I was so taken by the beautiful cover that I started reading it right away. There is some really fantastical world building in this book that will appeal to fans of The Lunar Chronicles or The Hunger Games. The concept is intriguing and the main character, Amani, is easy to root for as she finds herself forced to act as a body double for the cruel princess whose father took over the kingdom. I think the only thing keeping me from giving it my full attention is all of the other books on this list and the fact that I haven’t been reading very much at night. It’s been my recent “nightstand” book so it kind of relies on me wanting to curl up with a good book at night instead of my phone. #firstworldproblems

The Witch’s Vacuum Cleaner and Other Stories by Terry Pratchett | I picked this up at a discount bookstore a few weeks ago and have been carrying it around in my laptop bag to read during “writing breaks” – Pratchett writes some truly delightful stories that really spark the imagination. They also make a great read aloud – my husband read the title story out loud for the kids and they loved it. Because it’s mostly living in my laptop bag, I’m not reading it all the time – it’s another “when I need it” book so we’ll see how long it takes me to actually finish it. But I’m definitely enjoying this one and plan to read some of Pratchett’s other books which seem to be adored passionately.

What are you reading right now? Which of these books would you recommend giving my full attention to?

I’m linking up with Mama Kat and her Pretty Much World Famous Writer’s Workshop today. Here are the prompt’s for this week’s Workshop if you’d like to play along:

1. Create a list of your top favorite costume choices for this year.
2. List the top 6 books on your list to read next.
3. Write a blog post inspired by the word: creepy
4. Write a blog post answering the This Or That Halloween tag questions found here.
5. Share a slow cooker recipe you love.