photo credit: Jody Hedlund via Dustjacketattic.blogspot.com
This is not my house, but a beautiful picture of my ideal reading space. Wouldn’t it be awesome? Funny thing, my husband and I owned a house for seven years with floor to ceiling built-ins. We displayed our much-loved books and other treasures. But I don’t think we actually spent much time reading in that room, because we had three babies in those seven years … reading was valued less than sleep. Ha!
I love books. I love to read them, acquire them, discuss at great length, stack them up, loan them to friends …
I need an intervention.
And apparently more time to read, because even though I don’t have those built-in’s anymore, my Kindle carousel is loaded.
I like to read several books simultaneously. I know. Weird. It depends on my objective for reading: escapism, encouragement, acquiring new information … Here’s a list of fiction and non-fiction books on my Kindle right now. I’ve started all of them and hope to finish in the near future:
1. To Know You by Shannon Ethridge and Kathryn Mackel. A powerful story of one woman’s quest to find the daughters she gave up for adoption and ask them to consider donating their liver to save their dying half-brother. Incredibly well written, examines themes of love and loss, forgiveness and redemption from a Christian world view. Just finished it. One of the best books I’ve read this year. Incidentally, Shannon is giving away a $100 gift certificate to Lisa Leonard designs and a personal coaching session. Click here for details on how you can enter this fabulous giveaway.
2. Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist. Everything about meal planning and preparation annoys me. I was told this book might change my perspective. The first few pages are intriguing. I see it on a lot of people’s shelves. I’m curious to know what other readers think.
3. Starry Night: A Christmas Novel by Debbie Macomber. A fun read. I stayed up late reading this one. Love the cover.
4. The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty. This one is very popular and I can’t wait to see what all the hype is about.
5. Picturing Perfect by Melissa Brown. One of the many things I love about owning a Kindle and having an Amazon Prime membership is the option to borrow one free book a month from the Kindle library. This is my selection for the month. The premise for the romance drew me right in, coupled with the great reviews and I was hooked.
6. A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made To Live by Emily P. Freeman. Every once in awhile you find a writer whose work makes your heart sing. Every word resonates so much that you feel like she lives in your house because the book speaks straight to your heart. That’s my experience when I read Emily’s blog, Chatting At The Sky. Her new release inspires me as a writer to keep writing. So, so good.
7. The Trouble With Mistletoe by Jennifer Snow. Harlequin has started releasing a line of romances described a ‘heartwarming’. I’m working on a manuscript that’s targeted for this line, so I read as many as I can to get an idea what they are looking for. The others I’ve read are very good and this looks to be a great holiday read, as well.
8. The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio. I’m sooo looking forward to Sarah’s new release, Morning Glory, coming out next week. Did you know an author of multiple books often has their current novel marked way down just prior to releasing their latest work? Such is the case with The Last Camellia. I really enjoy Sarah’s work and can’t wait to read both of these.
I could go on and on, but that’s probably enough for today. In the interest of keeping it real, here’s how our bookshelf looks right this minute. Children’s books everywhere, all of the time. Since we love to read and emphasize the value of having books available, the boys also love to read and I’m grateful. Now if I left math flashcards and math worksheets all over the place, do you think it would have the same effect??
Thanks for stopping by.
I’m linking up with Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy today. She has a fun link up about our bookshelves and/or their contents. Some great suggestions for books to read, funny anecdotes, etc. Click here to join the conversation.
I’m curious: what’s on your bookshelves? Do you even buy ‘real’ books anymore?
Okay, Bread and Wine might be one of my favorite books right now, which is funny because when reading it, I didn’t love it. However, it has made me more confident in the kitchen and I also suggest watching the inCourage Bloom videos about it. They also cook in a few of them, which is cool too. And the book they are doing right now is Emily’s new book, which is cool.
As for the Kindle vs. Real Books debate, I am a real book person all the way. I love the look, feel, smell, everything about real books.
Love your inspiration photo and haven’t read any of the books you mentioned but excited to add a few to my (ever growing) list. This has been such fun perusing each other’s shelves via MMD. Thanks for sharing and I’m over at http://www.lifesimplifiedforyou.com if you’d like to check out my shelves. 🙂
Holland, Thanks for stopping by. I LOVE your photo. Oh my goodness, what an amazing library. So glad we connected today.
I so want to read A Million Little Ways! It’s on my wish list. I have so many books to finish in my Kindle that it is scandalous. 🙂 AND you are right about that book shelf being the perfect spot to read. sigh!
Hi, Sarah. I have way too many books to read, too. It’s a good problem to have, right? I hope we both get to read A Million Little Ways very soon. Thanks for stopping by.
I’m a library girl – fear of commitment? Because I don’t want to pay out money for something I don’t know I’ll want to own? I don’t know. Add to that the space books take up (including e-books – electronic clutter is still clutter) and I’m not much of a book buyer any more. So, if a book is on our shelves, it has significance. (This is all theoretical at this point since, as you know, all beloved books are in boxes awaiting a permanent home.)
I love reading about what other people are reading. I’ve been trying to finish _Under the Banner of Heaven_ for awhile now, not because it’s not compelling (it’s about LDS fundamentalists so…compelling in spades) but because other things have had to take precedence. Luckily, the e-libraries have it and the waiting lists aren’t too long so I have been able to read it bit by bit.
Up next for my book club (who still keep me in the loop of their selections) is _Where’d You Go Bernadette?_ which is also in the e-library system (YAY) and about which I’ve heard lots of good things. Looking forward to getting it.
Hey, Hollis. I love borrowing electronically, too. I get so excited when the library has what I want and magically zings it to my Kindle. 🙂
I’ll have to check out the two you mentioned. You always read such interesting stuff. Thanks for visiting the blog.
Your ideal bookshelf is completely swoon-worthy! And you’re not weird: I like to read multiple books at a time, too. Or maybe we’re weird together. 🙂
Anne,
Thanks for stopping by. I liked your bookshelves, too. It seems we are reading the same things. Thank you for hosting a fun link-up.
What a lovely list of books! I am currently reading A Million Little Ways – just like you said, so, so good! Bread & Wine is another favorite from this year 🙂 I see several titles that I need to add to my GoodReads list! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Excesllent post. I am going through a few of these issues as
well..