Over the weekend, I deleted ALL the books on my "to be read" list (on Goodreads.com). I must have been crazy (for books) because I had 150 on there, and since I'm a bit of a minimalist and hate clutter, that huge list was stressing me out a little. So delete, delete, delete. Now, I only have the handful of library books that I have checked out or requested - 4 total. And I'll keep the list that short and simple.

Weekly Reading with MLK and The Lover's Dictionary

Recently Finished Reading

MLK: A Celebration in Word and Image. A striking collection of twenty-nine black-and-white images combined with powerful quotations by Dr. Martin Luthur King Jr.

This is a simple, yet powerful and effective book on Martin Luther King Jr. - simple because it's just 64 pages with a photo on the right page, and a quote on the left, with a short explanation of when, where & why; yet powerful because just those few pages captured the real essence of the man and gave me a feel for what was going on at the time, what he was trying to accomplish - and how hard it was.

Perhaps the photo that had me aching the most, was that of him trying to remove a charred (previously burning) cross from his front lawn, with his son looking on. The quote opposite that picture reads, "We cannot solve this problem through retaliatory volence. We must meet violence with non-violence ... we must meet hate with love."

This book I bought - not something I do often.

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan. How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this problem, the nameless narrator of this book has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary.

I thought this book was okay - but totally forgettable. Some of the anecdotes were cute & funny - many were not. I did like the "dictionary style" - with a word, and then a story from their relationship matching the definition. But I would have also liked if the book had followed the timeline of the relationship instead of jumping around. Half-way through I was over it; I kept reading, not out out of interest, but just so I could finish - I just didn't care about the "dumpee" nor the "dumper" or the stories of their lives.

Currently Reading and Next

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithon, narrated by MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl. One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens - both named Will Grayson - are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history's most fabulous high school musical.

Divergent, Veronica Roth. Finally - I've heard so many good things about this one, and I'm happy to report - so far, so good.
Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place her in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

What are you looking forward to reading this week? For February, I'm reading books with a romantic/ love element, as well as some books by or about African Americans.

- Inspired by Book Journey - It's Monday, What Are You Reading?