It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

I have had such a great year of reading in 2011.  On Goodreads.com I challenged myself to read 30 books in 2011.  I have almost completed the challenge.  I have three books left to read.

 

The books I am currently working on this month are:

• Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne, M.ED.
• Has God Spoken? by Hank Hanegraaff, host of Bible Answer Man

A little earlier this year, I had 5 books on the go at once.  I felt very overwhelmed and found that I was taking longer to read the books, than if I simply read one or two at a time.  With just these two books, which I am really enjoying, I am finding them to be too deep in content to read for pleasure in the evenings when I am going to sleep.  I need to find a novel or “chic lit” book to read when I just want some fluff.  I need fluff to get through some of these deeper resource books that I love learning from.

 

I took a suggestion from some fire wives to read a series by Bella Andre.  It’s a romance series, probably pretty racy, and not my normal reading material.  I just ordered the first book from our library system.  We’ll see what it’s like.  It will very likely be the “fluff” I’m looking for.  The first book is called Wild Heat.

 

Please visit Sheila at http://bookjourney.wordpress.com for others who are joining this weekly meme.

 

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

 

 

I just finished a couple of books this week:

 

The Unschooling Handbook : How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom

 

and

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself  (not this version though)

 

This week I am continuing with:

The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World.

 

and about to start:

Telluride Promise

 

and

The Help (Movie Tie-In)

 

It’s been a while since I’ve had three fluffier books on the go.  And by fluffy I mean not self-improvement, education, learning type books.  Might be interesting.

 

 

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

 

Here’s what I am reading:

 

The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World.

and

The Unschooling Handbook : How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom

and

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

 

 

I just finished (on the weekend):

 

The Blessing

and

The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential...in Business and in Life

 

 

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

It’s Monday! What are You Reading?

 

So, I’ve been reading quite a bit again.  Here’s the books I’ve got on the go:

KaBOOM!: How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play I haven’t picked this one up for quite some time.  I just have more interesting things to read.  I need to get back to it, and to taking the kids to the park.

The Blessing: Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance This book was recommended to me by a good friend; it’s been on my list for a while.  When it came up for review from one of the companies I review books for, I was very excited and chose it right away!

The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World. This book is the August pick for The Talking Leaf Book Club.  It’s so long.  I hope it is good.  The idea is intriguing.

Waiting on my book shelf are:

• one teaching me how to play golf like the professionals
• The Book of Hours (a novel)
• Amaryllis In Blueberry

 

Ones I am waiting for from my public library system:

• Simplicity Parenting
• Adara
• The Power of Less
• Radical Simplicity
• More Hours in My Day

 

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Well, it’s been a while, but I’m going to join this meme again.  This week.

 

Adam and His Kin

My Foolish Heart (Deep Haven)

KaBOOM!: How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play

 

I’ve been focusing mainly on the first book – Adam and His Kin .  KaBOOM!: How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play is one that I’m reading at the park as weather allows, but the weather hasn’t allowed!  I have barely started My Foolish Heart .

 

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

OK, it’s been a while since I participated in this meme.

 

The Surrendered Wife : A Practical Guide to Finding Intimacy, Passion, and Peace with Your Man I am about two thirds through this book.  Very good, but one you have to take slow and implement as you go along.

Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run I am reading this one for a review.  I find it harder to read because it’s a bunch of one or two page stories.  It’s the type of book I imagine in a doctor’s waiting room or in the bathroom magazine rack.  Watch for a review of this book in the near future.

Promises to Keep This is also a review book for Bethany House.  I am really enjoying this easy to read story.  Heart-warming!

21 Days to Train Your Dog: Learn how any dog can be taught the basics of obedience training in just a few minutes each day I am not enjoying reading this.  I know I need it because my dog needs it, but slowly and surely I’m getting through it and he is getting instruction.

 

So that’s what I currently have on the go.  In the next week, I will also be starting two more for The Talking Leaf Book Club.  The first is the book we picked; the second is an addition book of interest on the topic per se.  :)

The Paris Wife: A Novel I have no idea what I am getting into with this book.  I’m looking forward to getting into it.

 

and on audio book

A Moveable Feast will be a stretch I think.  I hope I will be able to find the time to listen to it; I know I won’t find the time to read it.

 

I’ve never read anything by or about Ernest Hemingway, so this will be expanding my mind.

 

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Well, it has been a while since I did this meme so I thought I’d give an update.

Specials by Scott Westerfeld
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Bogus to Bubbly by Scott Westerfeld
The Surrendered Wife by Laura Doyle
21 Days to Train Your Dog by Colin Tennant

Some might wonder how I ever find time to read.  I can’t say that I read a lot, but I find pockets of time.  I take a book to read while we travel (but we don't travel very much).  I have a book with me on Mondays while I wait for the girls at choir.  I nurse Matty to sleep for his naps and he likes to nap best in the bed, so I read there.  I read while Jason watches TV in the evening, if I’m not interested in the program myself.  I read before bed.

I had hoped to read 30 adult / young adult books in 2011.  I am already behind schedule but I am still pleased with what I’m reading.  I always have a book on the go and that can’t be said of the previous couple of years.  I used to read magazines more but the last few issues that have arrived in the house have gone unopened.  I keep them around in hopes I’ll one day read them, but more than likely they will end up as craft projects or furnace fuel. I am pleased with my change in reading material and "schedule".


Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

It’s been awhile since I participated in this meme.  I am reading a bunch of books again, so I thought I’d join in this time.

 

Sabbath: Ancient Practices is a great book that is teaching me about the freedom of the Sabbath and how important it is to have this time of rejuvenation.  But not in the same sense you probably have been led to believe.  It’s not a day to just do whatever we want, and yet there is so much freedom to do many different things.  Until reading this book I never realized what a gift the weekly Sabbath was for God’s people.  If you are at all interested in learning more about the 4th Commandment, I highly recommend this book.  There is to be JOY in the Sabbath.

 

Pretties is a fun-making book.  There is a depth to it too, but mostly I am reading these for fun!  They are a young adult series (trilogy, I think) that was recommended to me by a couple of people.  I am finding them easy to read and quick to get through.  I read the first book, Uglies at the end of 2010 and wanted to read the rest of the series but had to wait through the Christmas holidays to be able to order Pretties from the library.  The next book is called Specials.  I will be reading that one soon too.

 

A New Birth of Freedom: The Visitor is a book I am reading for a blog tour coming in February.  Watch for my review of this book in the next couple of weeks.  I’ll share more about it then as I am just getting into the first couple pages this week.

 

21 Days to Train Your Dog is a book I am reading out of necessity.  We are learning how to train our puppy.  He is so smart and is learning so quickly, except for the house training.  And that is really our fault.  We are not right on top of it all the time.  I think that come spring it will be a lot easier.  He is learning sit, come, stay, down, etc.  I really am having fun with this puppy.  I didn’t think that we were dog people, but I am learning that there needs to be a match between the family and the dog.  The connection doesn’t just happen.  In this process, we have found Cesar (the Dog Whisperer) very helpful!  We remind each other – “Calm and assertive!” – when we are dealing with a Doc issue.

 

 

Thank you to Sheila at

Book Journey for hosting this meme.

 

 

 

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

What I’m reading and a challenge update.

 

I am super excited to say that I finished all the books but one this week.  Four the last few months I have been reading up to 5 books at a time and some that I really wanted to finish kept getting pushed aside.  Well, this morning I am happy to report that the only book I have “on the go” is Bringing Up Boys by Dobson.  And, I read a good chunk of that in the last couple of days.  I am now on page 204.

 

 

The Fall Into Reading Challenge is almost done too.  I am afraid I haven’t done very well on this challenge, again.  But I am reading and I’m reading more than I was a year ago.  You can see how I did by clicking here; the link takes you to my reading list page.  Thus far, the read-alouds and the eBook have not been read.  I guess my reading was okay, but not my goals.  I really want to read more to the children, but the logistics are eluding me.  I’ll get it figured out eventually.

 

 

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

 

Bringing Up Boys

Still on page 165.

Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain: Uncover the Hidden Potential in Life's Most Common Struggles

Finished with this one and reviewed it.

Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives

Finished with this one but still need to make some comments on my other blog about the last few chapters.

The Devil in Pew Number Seven

I read page 46 to page 98.  This is such a great book.  I am really enjoying it.  I think I will take it with my this afternoon when we go into town.  I bet I’ll find a few minutes to read at some point on our afternoon excursion.

  So I’m down to two books right now.  I’m kinda glad for that.  And it’s not for the lack of available books.  I have been reading a lot of non-fiction and I want to take a break from that.  I am waiting on a fictional piece from the library that should be here tomorrow.  I have lots of non-fiction waiting on my desk and my shelves.

 

You can see what others are reading at Book Journey.

 

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,