Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived here on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Note: For users of Blogspot blogs, I’m unable to comment on your posts as a WordPress blogger unless you’ve enabled Name/URL comments. This is a known WordPress/Blogspot issue. Please consider enabling this to participate more fully in the community.
Currently reading: I tried to think about readingSoldiers’ Pay by William Faulkner but I’m not sure it helped. This isn’t one I’m enjoying much, but I’m starting to see more of a cohesive plot now so it is becoming more enjoyable. I’ll keep trying to make time for it and see where I end up. Slow going, but going. I made some great leaps forward in My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand due to some extensive driving around. I was able to go on a short vacation with some friends this weekend so the time getting out of town was enjoyed with this audiobook. The narrator is fantastic. My start on Sophie’s Choice by William Styron has been slow. It’s not the fastest start to a story and the book seems formidably long so I’m a bit intimidated at this point. My library hold was renewed, so I’ve got a good chunk of time on this one.
Recently finished: Nothing new finished but I posted my review of Powering Up by Anne Doyle on Monday. I gave it Three out of Five stars and enjoyed the message. I think it came at a time when I needed it.
Reading next: I think I’ll need an audiobook next and I’m going to keep pushing to finish my reading challenge. Next up on that list will be The Birth of Venus by Sarah Durant. I’m keeping my fingers crossed it remains available at the library until I’m ready to pick it up.
Leave a comment with your link and comment (if you’re so inclined). Take a look at the other participant links in the comments and look at what others are reading.
Some of the links on this post may be affiliate links. Taking on a World of Words is a participant in affiliate programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products. If you purchase a product or service through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but Sam will automatically receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated.
When I was in grad school, I went to a woman’s networking conference and heard Anne Doyle speak. All attendees got a copy of her book and I’m a bit embarrassed it took me so long to get to it. (The days of me being years behind on my TBR are almost behind me!) I think this was a good time in my life for me to read this, so maybe it’s fate intervening.
Powering Up: How America’s Women Achievers Become Leaders is a call to leadership heeding women to step up, realize their full potential, and become the leaders they are meant to be. Individual leadership, however, isn’t enough. Every woman for herself is losing strategy. A few lone women, no matter how exceptional they are, have little impact on the conversation of a nearly all-male group, let alone its decisions. It takes critical mass to shift group dynamic. Powering Up will require women to get beyond their differences and recognize how interdependent they are.
I think this was the right time in my life for me to read this book. I’m at a point that Doyle addresses where I have a young family and I have to decide if I want to stay on the fast track, heading upward in my career, or switch to the ‘Mommy Track’ where my career stays steady for a few years while I give my family more attention. That idea seems so sexist and antiquated the more I think about it. What about my partner? Why am I incapable of doing both? I think this book was a good kick in the pants that helped me see a bit more of myself and I’m very thankful for that. I know it’s working because I stood up for myself when a man tried to steal my lane at the pool, rather than just grumbling and dealing with it. Not bad for an introvert!
Doyle uses her own experiences a lot in the book. While it was helpful, it did feel a little odd to be learning so much about someone in a book empowering women to leadership. She used interviews with other women as well and it felt like a lot of them were focused in the Metro Detroit area, where Doyle and I both live. I’m not sure how much impact some of these interviews might have for readers from other parts of the country.
I thought it was brave of Doyle to share some of the things she did about herself and her journey. She admits to struggles she had with her marriage, her family, and her career. It’s refreshing to see someone who has served in high-power positions share their low points. It can help you see to the other end of your own low points.
There were some things about Doyle’s story that resonated with me. She talked a lot about her job in the auto industry, which is where I work (bet you never guessed this living in Detroit). Despite the time difference between Doyle’s tenure and my own, it’s still a male-dominated industry and a lot of the communication styles can be aggressive and not very welcoming for a young woman who wants to get into the field. It’s something my company and many in the industry are working to combat but it’s not an overnight change. This book got me thinking more about what I can do to help women feel more welcome at my company and what I can ask my company to do so women feel a sense of belonging and want to stay.
Anne Doyle Image via the author’s website
One thing Doyle addressed that resonated with me was how different generations of women often come to resent one another in professional settings. The women who blazed trails and made big impacts in the 50s and 60s can be resentful of women my age who never had to push back against sexist policies and take for granted that we won’t lose out on the job to a man who ‘needs to support his family.’ I thought it was really insightful, especially since I’ve become a mother and I see the parent/not a parent divide amongst women. I’ve found myself talking more to those who have children and understand the balance we’re trying to straddle. Before my child was born, I didn’t really understand the balances of childcare and hungry toddlers and I think I was less sympathetic than I should have been.
There wasn’t a part of this book that I particularly disliked in any way. However, there wasn’t a part that grabbed me in and pushed me to read more and more. It was steady, but never overly exciting for me. I had no trouble putting it down, but I didn’t hesitate to pick it up. I find this more often with non-fiction so I think it’s part of my preference for fiction.
Women are slowly getting more and more equal footing with men in professional settings. Doyle’s book was published in 2011 and since then we’ve seen a woman get a presidential nomination and a woman vice president. I know if Doyle had published this later, she would have talked at length about Mary Barra being named CEO of General Motors. To this day, I think that’s one of the biggest achievements for women in the auto industry and Barra is well respected. I’ve heard before that it’s about time for women to step into positions of power and Doyle lays out well how to do that and what obstacles a woman will face.
Writer’s Takeaway: I can’t see myself ever writing a non-fiction book. If I did, I’d want to be very aware of how much of myself I was pouring into the book. I think there’s a balance before you start bleeding into memoir and Doyle was playing a game with that line here. I think it might have been helpful to put all of her personal anecdotes into a section by itself which would have read as more of a memoir. Without knowing her, I found her stories a bit confusing because I didn’t understand the timeline of when in her career they happened to her.
An enjoyable and empowering read. Three out of Five Stars.
Some of the links on this post may be affiliate links. Taking on a World of Words is a participant in affiliate programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products. If you purchase a product or service through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but Sam will automatically receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived here on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Note: For users of Blogspot blogs, I’m unable to comment on your posts as a WordPress blogger unless you’ve enabled Name/URL comments. This is a known WordPress/Blogspot issue. Please consider enabling this to participate more fully in the community.
Currently reading: I was so optimistic aboutSoldiers’ Pay by William Faulkner after last week, but I didn’t make any progress this week. I don’t want to hope for doctor’s appointments, but they do seem to be a good time for me to get some reading done. I’ve made fair progress on My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand despite being slow with everything else. It’s a longer book, though, so I’m not close to being done still. I really like the narrator and it’s fun to pick this up whenever I get a few spare minutes! I finally started on Sophie’s Choice by William Styron! I’m hoping I can renew my hold at the library because I started so much later than planned. Fingers crossed! I’m also looking forward to a good movie adaptation. I haven’t watched one of those in a while.
Recently finished: I wrapped up Powering Up by Anne Doyle on Saturday! I’ve got some mixed feelings on it, so I’m not quite ready to give it a rating yet, but I’m thinking of Three Stars. I’m planning to have a review up next week so I’ll iron it out by then.
Reading next: Nothing solid planned at this time. I’ll keep pushing to finish my reading challenge, but it will depend on what book I finish next where I’ll head. I am enjoying a good amount of historical fiction right now!
Leave a comment with your link and comment (if you’re so inclined). Take a look at the other participant links in the comments and look at what others are reading.
Some of the links on this post may be affiliate links. Taking on a World of Words is a participant in affiliate programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products. If you purchase a product or service through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but Sam will automatically receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived here on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Note: For users of Blogspot blogs, I’m unable to comment on your posts as a WordPress blogger unless you’ve enabled Name/URL comments. This is a known WordPress/Blogspot issue. Please consider enabling this to participate more fully in the community.
Currently reading: I finished a chapter inSoldiers’ Pay by William Faulkner! I had a doctor’s appointment and told myself I was going to read instead of checking social media while I waited and it worked! Maybe I’ll make it through this one after all. I’m getting really close to finishing Powering Up by Anne Doyle and I’m pushing myself to pick it up each night so I can make progress. I’m really hoping this will be on the ‘finished’ list next week! I gone through a good bit of My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand with a speaking engagement I had last week. It was almost an hour drive each way so I made a big jump and I found a lot of time to listen to it while doing some work around the house. I’m feeling good about this one. I’m enjoying it and I think I’ll make my way through it quickly.
Recently finished: Nothing new this week. I was able to post my review of Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe on Monday so please check that out when you have time!
Reading next: I’m just waiting to start Sophie’s Choice by William Styron and hoping it will be soon! I can almost taste finishing my challenge soon and I can’t wait to cross more books off the list.
Leave a comment with your link and comment (if you’re so inclined). Take a look at the other participant links in the comments and look at what others are reading.
Some of the links on this post may be affiliate links. Taking on a World of Words is a participant in affiliate programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products. If you purchase a product or service through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but Sam will automatically receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived here on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Note: For users of Blogspot blogs, I’m unable to comment on your posts as a WordPress blogger unless you’ve enabled Name/URL comments. This is a known WordPress/Blogspot issue. Please consider enabling this to participate more fully in the community.
Currently reading: I read a few pages ofSoldiers’ Pay by William Faulkner, but nothing to brag about. I’m still trying to figure out where in my day this fits so please let me know if you have any suggestions! I’m still moving well through Powering Up by Anne Doyle. I’d hoped it would be finished this week, but I’ll push it out one more week. Staying positive here! I started a new audiobook! I’m still determined to wrap up my reading challenge before the end of the year, so I jumped into My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand. I’m hoping it’s a quick listen for me! I don’t have any long trips coming up that will take a chunk out of it so it might be a while.
Recently finished: I took a drive to se some friends over the weekend and that allowed me to take a massive chunk out of Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe. I finished it up earlier this week. I feel a little iffy about this one, but I liked it overall. I’m going to have a lot to say about it in a review so keep an eye out for that one.
I posted my review of Easy Prey by Catherine Lo on Monday. This one took a turn at the very end that I didn’t care for and it knocked it down a lot in my mind. I ended up giving it Two out of Five Stars.
Reading next: I put a hold on Sophie’s Choice by William Styron and it came in! It’s sitting next to my bed now and I’ll pick it up as soon as I finish Doyle. I’m excited to jump in and probably see the movie after!
Leave a comment with your link and comment (if you’re so inclined). Take a look at the other participant links in the comments and look at what others are reading.
Some of the links on this post may be affiliate links. Taking on a World of Words is a participant in affiliate programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products. If you purchase a product or service through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but Sam will automatically receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived here on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Note: For users of Blogspot blogs, I’m unable to comment on your posts as a WordPress blogger unless you’ve enabled Name/URL comments. This is a known WordPress/Blogspot issue. Please consider enabling this to participate more fully in the community.
Currently reading: Yet again, nothing withSoldiers’ Pay by William Faulkner. I’m trying to think when I can dedicate some time to this one. I try not to use screens before bed and that’s some of my best reading time. Any thoughts? I have been making good progress in Powering Up by Anne Doyle. I use it to wind down for a few minutes after work, give my eyes a break from screens for a bit. I’m hoping I’ll have this one finished in a week or two. I took a massive chunk out of Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe the first day I started it. I was driving all over and had it running, getting through a quarter of it! It’s not what I expected from the cover (I didn’t read much of the description) but I think it will be an interesting read.
Recently finished: I wrapped up Easy Prey by Catherine Lo on Saturday morning. I’ll be honest, the ending ruined it for me. I was into the story and trying to figure out the twist and I kind of called it, but I hated how it wrapped up. I think it was unrealistic and sent a really bad message. I haven’t written my review yet so this is subject to change, but I’m giving it Two out of Five stars so far.
Reading next: I’m going to keep executing my plan for finishing When Are You Reading? Challenge this year. Next physical book is going to be Sophie’s Choice by William Styron. I hear a lot about this book but don’t have much of an idea of the plot so I’m excited to read it!
Leave a comment with your link and comment (if you’re so inclined). Take a look at the other participant links in the comments and look at what others are reading.
Some of the links on this post may be affiliate links. Taking on a World of Words is a participant in affiliate programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products. If you purchase a product or service through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but Sam will automatically receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived here on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Note: For users of Blogspot blogs, I’m unable to comment on your posts as a WordPress blogger unless you’ve enabled Name/URL comments. This is a known WordPress/Blogspot issue. Please consider enabling this to participate more fully in the community.
Currently reading: I’ve got a big old goose egg withSoldiers’ Pay by William Faulkner. Nothing doing this week. It was a less stressful week, but still busy and I didn’t find a good time to devote to this. I’ll keep looking. I made progress in Powering Up by Anne Doyle. I think I did better than last week so I’m considering that a win. I’ll probably be another two weeks or so with this one, but I’ll get there! I’ve moved fairly well in Easy Prey by Catherine Lo. This one isn’t winning me over, but I think it has a unique message and I’m enjoying it enough that I’m picking it up regularly to keep moving forward.
Recently finished: Nothing new finished this week. I did get to a review of Like No Other by Una LaMarche which went up on Monday so please go check that out! I gave it Four out of Five Stars.
Reading next: I realized I needed a plan to finish the When Are You Reading? Challenge so I put one together this week. My next audiobook is going to be Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe. This is another YA Summer Audiobook from the library so let’s hope the good streak continues!
Leave a comment with your link and comment (if you’re so inclined). Take a look at the other participant links in the comments and look at what others are reading.
Some of the links on this post may be affiliate links. Taking on a World of Words is a participant in affiliate programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products. If you purchase a product or service through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but Sam will automatically receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived here on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Note: For users of Blogspot blogs, I’m unable to comment on your posts as a WordPress blogger unless you’ve enabled Name/URL comments. This is a known WordPress/Blogspot issue. Please consider enabling this to participate more fully in the community.
Currently reading: I haven’t been any better and getting toSoldiers’ Pay by William Faulkner. I got through a few pages at the doctor’s office, but nothing to brag about. I’m feeling like I’ll be on this one for a while. I’ve made some respectable progress in Powering Up by Anne Doyle despite being exhausted. Work has picked up a lot for me so I’ve been a bit more tired before bed and not reading quite as much as I would like. I started Easy Prey by Catherine Lo on Saturday. Not too far along yet, but I think this one will be pretty quick since it’s only a seven hour audiobook.
Recently finished: I wrapped up Like No Other by Una LaMarche on Saturday morning during errands. I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would out of the gate and it surprised me a few times which was lovely. I’m hoping to get to my review soon. I’m giving it Four out of Five Stars.
I was also able to post my review of The 158-Pound Marriage by John Irving on Monday. This book really didn’t do it for me, unfortunately. I was kind of glad when it was over. My opinion didn’t change when I wrote my review. I gave it Two out of Five Stars.
Reading next: I don’t have a plan right now. I’m not sure if I’ll need a physical book or an audiobook next so I’ll feel that out. I doubt I’ll finish anything before next week so it shouldn’t be a problem.
Leave a comment with your link and comment (if you’re so inclined). Take a look at the other participant links in the comments and look at what others are reading.
Some of the links on this post may be affiliate links. Taking on a World of Words is a participant in affiliate programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products. If you purchase a product or service through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but Sam will automatically receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived here on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Note: For users of Blogspot blogs, I’m unable to comment on your posts as a WordPress blogger unless you’ve enabled Name/URL comments. This is a known WordPress/Blogspot issue. Please consider enabling this to participate more fully in the community.
Currently reading: I keep reminding myself to pick upSoldiers’ Pay by William Faulkner when I find a minute. It means I read a few screens worth of it at a time, but I’m picking my way through it slowly. I’ve been making good progress in Like No Other by Una LaMarche during drives and runs. I’m over half way through this one and the plot has been really enjoyable! I picked up Powering Up by Anne Doyle finally! I’ve been looking forward to a change to non-fiction for a while so I’m excited to get into this.
Recently finished: I wrapped up The 158-Pound Marriage by John Irving during a vacation day last Friday. I wanted to like this book, but it really wasn’t for me. I like some of Irving’s other work so I was optimistic, but after a start I didn’t really enjoy, it didn’t get better for me. And the ending left me wanting more so I was disappointed. I’ll get more thoughts together in a review eventually. I’m giving this one Two out of Five Stars.
Speaking of reviews, I finally finished mine for Vessel by Lisa A. Nichols! It went up on Monday. I couldn’t bring myself to change my rating on this from my original call at Three out of Five Stars. I can’t say why, but it just didn’t do it for me.
Reading next: It looks like I’ll need an audiobook next. Next on the docket is Easy Prey by Catherine Lo. This is another YA book that I got as a library download a few years ago. I’m into that part of my TBR. I’m going to reserve the right to switch this one out, though. I might need a bit of a change of genre and I’ll make that call later.
Leave a comment with your link and comment (if you’re so inclined). Take a look at the other participant links in the comments and look at what others are reading.
Some of the links on this post may be affiliate links. Taking on a World of Words is a participant in affiliate programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products. If you purchase a product or service through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but Sam will automatically receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived here on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Note: For users of Blogspot blogs, I’m unable to comment on your posts as a WordPress blogger unless you’ve enabled Name/URL comments. This is a known WordPress/Blogspot issue. Please consider enabling this to participate more fully in the community.
Currently reading: We had another crazy week at my house so finding time to readSoldiers’ Pay by William Faulkner was not a priority. My partner started a new job so we’re adjusting to the hours and what it means for our house. Maybe we’ll settle down soon? Maybe? I’ve been distracted with a show I’m watching on my phone so I haven’t read too much of The 158-Pound Marriage by John Irving. I usually concentrate on this one before bed but I’ve had the screen up which I know is bad. However, I’m watching the finale now so hopefully that means I’ll be less distracted and get back to this soon. I’m enjoying Like No Other by Una LaMarche which has been a great rest. I haven’t always liked the books I got through this program at my library so I was nervous going in but I’m enjoying the ride.
Recently finished: Nothing new this week. I owe y’all a review of Vessel by Lisa A. Nichols which I hope to work on soon. We had a busy weekend again which ate into my reviewing time. I’ll get it done as soon as I can.
Reading next: Thinking about starting Powering Up by Anne Doyle might get me to remember to pick up Irving more often. Maybe I’ll put it next to my bed to keep me motivated.
Leave a comment with your link and comment (if you’re so inclined). Take a look at the other participant links in the comments and look at what others are reading.
Some of the links on this post may be affiliate links. Taking on a World of Words is a participant in affiliate programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products. If you purchase a product or service through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but Sam will automatically receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Taking On a World of Words 