the bookshelf
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another one about books.
Last night David and I went on a date! To celebrate Mother’s Day! We had a whole hour between the time his parents came over to babysit and our dinner reservation, and the man who has been married to me for 11 years knew without asking exactly where I wanted to spend it: the library. My definition of luxury is wandering rows and rows of books, all by myself, and David enjoys the same thing, and so after returning two bursting-full bags of children’s books, we went our separate ways deep into the vast hushed quiet of the public library at 6:00 p.m. I feel incredibly lucky to live in…
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books are comfort.
Hello there friends, I’m sorry for my lack of posts of late. In truth, my words feel all dried up. I’ve never felt like this before. I sit at the computer and pull up a Word document (where most of my blogging starts out) and stare at the screen and . . . nothing. Maybe I just downright said everything I could possibly have to say during my October writing challenge. Or maybe it has something to do with this strange season of life we’re in, this waiting season, which I feel as though I’ve referenced here way too many times. I feel like I’ve become kind of a downer…
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best books of 2014.
All right friends, I’ve gathered my favorite books of this year, and found a few categories to put them in. I tried to pick just one book per category but gave up. If you’re a reader you’ll probably appreciate the wealth of recommendations anyway. Happy reading! Change-your-perspective novels. Most impossible to put down. Best food memoirs. Favorite non-fiction. Favorite classics I read for the first time. Most clever. Favorite feel-good novels. Prettiest book. ———————- Thank you, friends! It’s been a wonderful year for books. Here’s to hoping 2015 is even better!
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day 31: resources for purposeful simplicity.
Well friends, we made it. Thank you very, very much for journeying along with me this month, through peeling back layers of noise to find a quiet heart, through applying Purposeful Simplicity to different areas of life. It’s truly been a pleasure. I leave you with just a few of the resources that have helped me move me toward a life of Purposeful Simplicity. I highly recommend all of them. Happy end-of-October! Crazy Busy, Kevin DeYoung The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, Tim Keller Sensing Jesus, Zack Eswine The Nesting Place, MyQuillyn Smith One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp Simplicity Parenting, Kim John Payne A Praying Life, Paul Miller The Mitford Series, Jan…
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2014 summer reading.
Alright friends, here it is: my 2014 Summer Reading List. And because I love you so much, I even made it fancy this time with photos (I’m sure I could’ve improved the layout but I’m not the most technologically literate person). Many of you ask where I get my book ideas from: I always, always ask people what they’re reading. I browse the library shelves at least once a week. I check Amazon and snap photos at Barnes and Noble and then request the books on our library’s website. I read books recommended by my favorite bloggers. In fact, as I write this, I’m working my way through the summer reading list at Modern Mrs.…
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summer bookshelf.
I know that some of you count on me for regular book recommendations, so I feel like I’ve let you down this summer with my lack of Bookshelf posts. I’ll try to make up for it by giving you some of the highlights of last several months. I love blog posts about what I’m reading, but the exhausting thing for me is writing descriptions of the books. So in the interest of my sanity, I’ll try to keep it more brief and you can always see Amazon for the full description. Will you do me a favor? If there are any books you’ve read recently that you enjoyed, will you…
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like eggs in a cake.
“All right then. Plan on dinner at six. Your friend can come too, if you’d like.” “That’s okay,” I say. One thing I know is that I’ll be worn out by four thirty or five. I’ll need a break. When it’s new and important, you have to rest in between times. And anyway, even when I like a person there is a weariness that comes. I can be with someone and everything is fine and then all of a sudden it can wash over me like a sickness, that I need the quiet of my own self. I need to unload my head and look at what I’ve got in…
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february and march bookshelf.
Happy Friday! Here are the highlights from February and March . . . 1. Simplicity Parenting, Kim John Payne, M. ED. “If, as a society, we are embracing speed, it is partially because we are swimming in anxiety. Fed this concern and that worry, we’re running as fast as we can to avoid problems and sidestep dangers. We address parenting with the same anxious gaze, rushing from “this enrichment opportunity” to that, sensing hidden germs and new hazards, all while doing our level best to provide our children with every advantage now known or soon to be invented. This book is not about hidden dangers, quick fixes, or limited-time opportunities;…
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the starch solution: a guest post by linda gentino.
My mother-in-law and I recently read The Starch Solution: Eat the Foods You Love, Regain Your Health, and Lose the Weight For Good, by John McDougall and Mary McDougall (featured physician in the Forks Over Knives documentary). Linda and Steve decided to follow the 7-day trial eating plan, so I asked if she would write a guest post about their experience. I recently read The Starch Solution by Dr. John McDougall and decided to get on the seven day plan he recommends. My husband, who is a saint, said he would do it with me. The plan is a vegan diet focused on starches and eliminating oils such as corn,…
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january bookshelf.
I’m excited about this month’s book list. I really enjoyed them all and I think you’ll find something that piques your interest! I’ve got lots of friends with very young children who bemoan the fact that they can’t do more reading right now. I totally get that; therefore, I’m starring the books below that are fun “skim-through” books. Get them from the library, read a page or two when you have time, skip what doesn’t interest you. Seriously, there’s no crime in not reading a book cover to cover!!! If I have several fun, “easy reading” books like these out on the coffee table, I’m not as tempted to sit…