Wednesday Words: Right Books, Right Time

A few weeks ago, I posted a video here on the blog in which I made a book jar. Simply put, I have a lot of unread books in my room, and I think half of that is because I make deciding what to read next a HUGE decision. The jar is a simple concept that removes ambiguity: put the titles of all the books I have that I need to still read in the jar, pull out a slip, read that book.

So far, I like the concept even if I haven't stuck with it so well. I pulled one book and started reading it, and while I liked it, I wasn't in quite the right mood for it. (It's hard for me to read historical fiction involving zombies when the weather is so completely gorgeous, full of sunshine and hope and colors.) So I shelved it and then had a choice to make: chance it and pull another title, or do a once-over of my shelf again first? I went with option #2 and am currently reading Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.

What we have now come across is a case of a the right book at the right time. It's that truly serendipitous thing when the things the character is feeling on the page mirror what is bouncing around inside my soul. But I'm not going to lie - this book's content is heavy, the story of a woman who loses her job and becomes a caretaker for a quadriplegic man.

Did I mention that Disney animals are practically singing outside my open window right now?

And so I also started a second book, My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick, from the library. This is a contemporary YA about Sam, a girl who has always been told by her conservative and strict mother to steer clear of the "wild" family that lives next door, a family with lots of kids and who she's always been fascinated by with their color and vivacity. Things only get more complicated when Sam falls in love with one of those many offspring. A perfect almost-summer story.

They are both the perfect book for me at the moment, and I love it when that happens. Am I crazy in thinking this, or do you guys agree? Do you think the timing of when you read a book plays a role in what you end up thinking about it in the end?

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!