How is it already April? March was both a slog and a blur, and I am so glad to leave it in my rearview window. I know this post should have gone up on the first Sunday in April, but that was Easter, and we’ve had some other behind the scenes stuff going on here at DIY MFA. So, you’re getting my April Book Nook post on the second Monday in April.
Admittedly, I didn’t read a lot in March, which is pretty odd (and kind of surprising because I’ve been dealing with some insomnia), but perhaps some of these titles will pique your interest and find their way onto your April TBR.
Without further ado…
The April Books:
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
I had finished this one by the time I wrote my last Book Nook post, but didn’t want to spoil the surprise (though I think it was pretty obvious). I really thought this one would be revolutionary for my writing practice. And I think it would be…if I were better about making time for that writing practice. I’m currently reading another book about carving out that time for making your art, so hopefully I can combine what I’ve learned from both books and just set my writing on fire. In a good way.
I highly recommend this one. It has a lot of great advice and ideas for developing your writing practice. Again, as with any advice book, take what works for you and leave the rest.
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts
I really love this movie. It was actually filmed in the next county over from where I live. It’s also a play. I read it a couple of years ago and think that Letts does an amazing job of rendering family dynamics and conflict, especially in the wake of losing a member of the family.
I did find some time to write last month, and it was the result of an idea I got while rewatching the movie. Or maybe the idea made me rewatch the movie, which made me re-read the original play. Regardless, I read this one quickly and got to writing. (Now if only I could find the time to finish it…)
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
This was another writing group recommendation. I underlined a lot of passages in this book and found it inspirational. Some chapters and concepts resonated with me more than others. It was a lot of fun reading this alongside my fellow writing group member. We would constantly text each other, asking where the other was in the book and highlighting various quotes and thoughts for the other to keep an eye out for. This would be a great book club book. So much fertile ground for discussion!
See? I told you. Short, short list! Last month, I really floundered about and read a few pages, or a few chapters, of several random books, but I didn’t make significant enough progress to add those titles to this post.
I have a really ambitious TBR pile for the near future, but it’s too ambitious to limit to a single month, so I’m calling it my Spring TBR.
Total Books Read in 2021: 9
Well, that’s all. Come back next month to see what books I read in April. Honestly, so far, it’s not going much better than March did. But I’m hoping things pick up now that some madness at work has passed.
Tell me in the comments below: what have you been reading?
Lori Walker is the Operations Maven at DIY MFA. Though she’s fallen off the wagon as a writer, she’s hoping to return to writing essays (perhaps even a novel!) through her involvement with DIY MFA. She is also Launch Manager, Web Editor, and Podcast Producer for DIY MFA and a Book Coach. She resides in Smalltown, Oklahoma, with her husband and their cat, Joan Didion. You can follow her on Instagram at @LoriTheWriter.
