My rule for reading in 2017 is that I'm not shoulding on myself. You see, I love fiction. It's the bomb. But sometimes, I feel like I should read nonfiction because I learn, it's good for my writing and it feels productive. Last year, I had a queue of nonfiction books to read and, at the end of the day, when I was ready to mentally check out, I'd opt for Netflix instead. Which meant I never got to my happy stack of fiction!

Ah, problems that aren't real :) 

That being said, this year, I am only reading books I really want to read, which has led to a whole lot more reading. 

Right before we left for Kenya, I started An Abundance of Katherine's and I just couldn't get into it. I always love John Green's writing, but it didn't do it for me. I couldn't connect with the main character. Instead of forcing myself to finish it, I put it down. Even though I sort of felt like a quitter (!), it was also liberating and helped me find my reading groove on the trip. Wahoo :)

Here are a few books I've loved lately:

1. Bird by Bird // If you have any interest in being a writer, this is a must read. Anne Lamott is wonderfully goofy and her tips for writing - both fiction and nonfiction - are amazing. She also has great life advice. Her ideas challenged the way I look at the world and how that perspective interacts with my writing. 

2. Big Little Lies // Could.not.put.this.down. So good! Liane Moriarty is so sneaky with her endings! If you're watching the show, I highly recommend reading the book first. It's funnier and lighter. I just started What Alice Forgot this week and am already hooked. 

3. For the Love // This wasn't my favorite of the trip, but it's worth a read - especially for young moms. Jen Hatmaker has good perspective and is always funny. I don't typically love sarcasm, so it wasn't necessarily my style, but I still liked her ideas. Very refreshing!

What are you guys reading? Anything I ought to pick up?