I’m joining up with Sheila at Book Journey and sharing along with other bloggers, the first book I’ll be reading to kick off the new year! To see her original post and see photos from last year’s First Books, click HERE. To see all the great books we are reading this year, click HERE.

Our family is traveling home today from Florida so I’ll have plenty of time to get some reading in…before we stop and watch the

  Iowa Hawkeyes play in the Rose Bowl!!! WaHooOOOooo!!
I have so many books I “should” be reading and even more books that I “want” to read. So, I decided to choose a book that I just recently heard about and one I that I “want” to read. After listening to a couple podcasts about this book, I was immediately intrigued. I used my Amazon coupon for 30% off the purchase of one book over Black Friday weekend and have been anxious to read it ever since!
My first book of 2016 is 

A MANUAL FOR CLEANING WOMEN
Selected Stories
By: Lucia Berlin
Published: August 18, 2015
Publisher: Farrar, Staus, and Giroux
Format: Hardcover

A MANUAL FOR CLEANING WOMEN compiles the best work of the legendary short-story writer Lucia Berlin. With the grit of Raymond Carver, the humor of Grace Paley, and a blend of wit and melancholy all her own, Berlin crafts miracles from the everyday, uncovering moments of grace in the Laundromats and halfway houses of the American Southwest, in the homes of the Bay Area upper class, among switchboard operators and struggling mothers, hitchhikers and bad Christians.
What book will you be reading to kick off 2016? Feel free to share it below! 

A post from today, 6 years ago – 2010 Offers A Fresh Start
A post from today, 4 years ago – Scenes from Our Week – Week 13
A post from today, 3 years ago – Get Motivated in the New Year with Motivated Moms

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20 Comments

  1. JoAnn on January 1, 2016 at 2:30 pm

    I've heard good things about this one… hope you love it. Happy New Year!

    Reply
  2. Sheila (Bookjourney) on January 1, 2016 at 2:46 pm

    I love that cover!

    Reply
  3. Kate Unger on January 1, 2016 at 2:56 pm

    I just started George by Alex Gino this morning.

    Reply
  4. Laurel-Rain Snow on January 1, 2016 at 2:56 pm

    Wow, what an intriguing looking book! I'll be watching for your thoughts on this one.

    Thanks for sharing, and here is my FIRST BOOK OF 2016 POST

    Reply
  5. Katherine P on January 1, 2016 at 3:21 pm

    I haven't heard of this one but it sounds interesting and the cover is eye catching. Hope you enjoy it!

    Reply
  6. Bev Hankins on January 1, 2016 at 4:14 pm

    Happy New Year! Hope you enjoy your first read of 2016.

    Reply
  7. Diana @ Book of Secrets on January 1, 2016 at 4:39 pm

    I'm not familiar with this one, but it sounds interesting — hope you love it! (My husband is very excited about the Hawkeyes playing today too!)

    Reply
  8. Gigi Ann on January 1, 2016 at 5:24 pm

    This sounds like a fun and interesting book. I hope you have a Happy Reading 2016 Year. BTW, I'm from Iowa…GO HAWKS!!!

    Reply
  9. ChaosIsAFriendOfMine on January 1, 2016 at 5:45 pm

    I haven't heard of this one but it sounds really good. It's nice to read a book just because you want to. Happy New Year!

    Reply
  10. Mary (Bookfan) on January 1, 2016 at 5:55 pm

    New to me – hope you love it. Safe travels home!

    Reply
  11. Stefanie on January 1, 2016 at 6:07 pm

    Hau'oli Makahiki Hou. I never heard of this one but it certainly seems like an interesting one.

    Reply
  12. Elizabeth on January 1, 2016 at 6:19 pm

    I like the sound of this book.

    ENJOY, and Happy New Year and Happy Reading in 2016!!

    Elizabeth
    Silver’s Reviews
    My First Book Of The Year

    Reply
  13. Marce on January 1, 2016 at 7:02 pm

    Different cover, simplistic but memorable, hopefully the book is the same. Enjoy

    Reply
  14. Kathryn T on January 1, 2016 at 7:40 pm

    Happy new year Stacie. Love the sound of the book and will add it to my wish list, I love the exploration of the ordinary which isn't really ordinary. Hope you enjoy it.

    Reply
  15. Reading With Jade on January 1, 2016 at 8:00 pm

    I recently heard about this book too – yay for getting it on a good deal too!

    I've recently been getting more in to short story collections so I may well have to pick this one up in the future. I hope you enjoy!

    Reading With Jade

    Reply
  16. Melinda Ott on January 1, 2016 at 8:06 pm

    This sounds fabulous! I'm going to have to add it to my wishlist!

    Reply
  17. Captivated Reader on January 1, 2016 at 8:36 pm

    Go Hawks!! Yes, I am a huge Iowa Hawkeyes fan!! I graduated from the University of Iowa in 1996. 🙂 Lol, the irony is that I live in the SF Bay Area and am surrounded by Stanford fans!!

    But back to reading!! I hope you have a fabulous year ahead in 2016. Enjoy reading your 1st book of the year.

    Reply
  18. Anonymous on January 1, 2016 at 9:18 pm

    Go Big Ten! My Buckeyes are playing right now 🙂

    Reply
  19. Nise' on January 2, 2016 at 3:55 am

    Love the title. Do cleaning women need a manual or is it a manual to clean women! LOL Happy New Year.

    Reply
  20. Joanne P (Booklover Book Reviews) on January 2, 2016 at 7:31 am

    Happy new year Stacie! I've not come across this one before but it sounds like an interesting collection, enjoy.

    Reply

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