Books, Books, and More Books

I love to read. When I was a child and a teenager, I read all the time. I did not read much for pleasure when I was in college, but I began reading again as a newlywed. I continued to frequent the local library where I lived and read lots of books until Olivia was born. Then I read a few parenting and baby care type books, but that was about it for my personal reading. Of course I have always regularly read my Bible.

From the time Olivia was a baby until about 8-10 years later, I did not read much of anything strictly for pleasure. I read about homeschooling when I began to be interested in that, but I rarely read any fiction. In fact, the only fiction I read from 1995 until about 2004 was John Grisham's new book each year. Sometime before Leah was born (or maybe after, I can't remember) I discovered the Mitford books by Jan Karon, and I read all four of her first ones. I have not read any of the series past those first four, but I do own them. (Julie has read the entire series, and is currently reading Karon's latest book.)
About 2004 or 2005 Lynn introduced me to the Karen Kingsbury Baxter Family series, and I was hooked. I voraciously read every novel Kingsbury wrote over the next couple of years. My love for reading fiction was rekindled, and I have not stopped since. I have also added works of non-fiction, biographies, self-help, memoirs, and classics to my reading library.

I still go through spells of reading and not reading so much. When we take a vacation to the beach or the mountains, I will read a lot. During my normal day-to-day life, sometimes I read daily, and sometimes I read weekly.  A couple of months ago I tried a new "reading time" with Leah and Sam. After lunch (if we were not rushing out the door to CrossFit) I set the timer for 20 minutes and all three of us read silently. I love doing that, and I plan to continue that routine when we begin school again on January 8. Since I still read aloud to Leah and Sam each day, three times a day (Bible lesson, school, and bedtime), I read numerous books. But I still would like to carve out more time in 2018 for personal reading.

Here are a couple of book lists. Some of these titles are found in the sidebars of this blog.

What I'm Reading Right Now:

• Empty Nest, What's Next by Michele Howe
• Reading People by Anne Bogel
• Rooster Bar by John Grisham
• Soulful Simplicity by Courtney Carver

I'm taking notes while reading Empty Nest, so that's usually the book I read during our afternoon silent reading time. 

I'm reading Reading People either at bedtime (sometimes) or when I have some downtime while waiting somewhere. This is the book I keep in my purse.

I listening to Rooster Bar on audible while running on the treadmill. I am only letting myself listen to this book if I am running, so it is serving as a great motivator for me to run in the mornings. (I really, really needed a motivation, so this is working well so far!)

I have Soulful Simplicity on my iPad, so this is what I am reading while sitting with Sam at bedtime. I sometimes continue reading it as my bedtime reading.

What Is On My Bookshelf to Be Read:

• Built by the Lord by Edwin Crozier
• Chaos Monkeys by Antonio Martinez
• Dispatches From Pluto by Richard Gant
• Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford
• Mended by Angie Smith
• Philippians Discovering Contagious Joy by Wilson Adams
• Praying Like the Psalmists by Edwin Crozier
• The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
• The Life Giving Table by Sally Clarkson

What Is In My Amazon Cart to Be Purchased and Read

• Cultivate:  A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life by Lara Casey
• 100 Days of Real Food:  Fast and Fabulous:  The Easy and Delicious Way to Cut Out Processed Food by Lisa Leake
• The Kindness Challenge:  Thirty Days to Improve Any Relationship by Shanty Feldhahn
• Desperate:  Hope For the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by Sarah Mae
• Longing For Paris:  One Woman's Search for Joy, Beauty, and Adventure--Right Where She Is by Sarah Mae
• Daring to Hope:  Finding God's Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful by Katie Davis Majors
• Having a Martha Home the Mary Way:  31 Days to a Clean House and  Satisfied Soul by Sarah Mae
• Bleak House by Charles Dickens

What about you? What books are on your list?

Happy Reading!