What I'm Reading, Birthday Dad Edition

I knew that I wouldn’t read that much last week, because my new teaching quarter began in earnest. I only read one: Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones (my review here). But here’s the good news: the book was on my 2015 TBR Pile Challenge list, hosted by Roof Beam Reader.  I have selected twelve books that have been gathering dust in my house, and I plan to read all of them. And GET THIS, bloggees! Tayari Jones actually read my post about her book and wrote to me on Twitter! We twittered. Tweetered. Whatever. The interwebs still confuse me, but I’m trying to get up to speed with all you cool kids.

Anyway, 2015 TBR Pile Challenge: 1 down, 11 to go.

I also made a dent in All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, and I’m really enjoying it so far. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish it in the next few days.

This Wednesday is my father’s 75^th birthday, which is a huge milestone. My dad is a big reader, and I have fond memories of reading next to him as a little kid. He tends to read nonfiction – heavy, hardcover tomes on Truth and Justice. I think he is a bit puzzled about why I gravitate toward contemporary fiction when there is so much Truth and Justice to explore.

In honor of his festive day, I told him that he could pick what I read this week. My only stipulation is that it not be too long or too hard. So he selected Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell, which is neither long nor hard. I know the rest of the planet has already read it, so this opportunity will help me appear more current.

From Goodreads:

In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different?

The other book I hope to get to is The Martian by Andy Weir. This is one of those books that would not normally grab me, but everyone seems to be talking about it. I want to see why there's so much fuss. 

From Goodreads:

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first men to walk on the surface of Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first man to die there. It started with the dust storm that holed his suit and nearly killed him, and that forced his crew to leave him behind, sure he was already dead…But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills--and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit--he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. But will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Happy birthday, Dad! May you get to read whatever you want, whenever you want.

(It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Book Journey)