My Reading Life

I love to read, but I have a quirky, sometimes contradicting reading life.

I despise twaddle, however, it does find its way onto my to-read list and I always feel unsatisfied.  I find myself delightfully stuck in time periods and places for long periods of time (WWII England).  I love to read cookbooks as well as other nonfiction books.  I do not read many popular novels, nor do I want to read anything mysterious, very depressing, or in the fantasy genre, although I will tolerate some fantasy.  (I loved My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand). I have adopted the notion that I do not have to finish a book if I do not like the book, liberating!  Although, I do finish books that I might not start out enjoying if I think they might have hope for a redeeming ending.  I try to read books that are online through my library or can be bought for a couple dollars with my Kindle.  I love paper books most, but the convenience of the Kindle wins!  Sometimes I find an author that I enjoy and then try to read everything that I can from that author. (Barbara Pym, Gene Stratton Porter, Georgette Heyer)

If I could change anything about my reading life... Sometimes I read 6 books and then find myself in a dry spell, as the TV beckons (The Crown, Victoria anyone?)  It would be nice to be more consistent, however, the dry spells do not last too long as I cannot resist adding books to my GoodReads Want-to-Read shelf, which taunts me!

I also find myself reading 4 or 5 books at one time.  This frustrates me about myself.  It takes me longer to read a book that way.  Thankfully the library has a 22-day check-out that I must obey, so I give those books priority. 

Three books that I have really enjoyed lately are The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery, Cluney Brown by Margery Sharp, and The War That Saved My Life/The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. All delightful reads!

One book that  I hated was The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett.  The concept was good, I guess.  The author writes the book from 3 different timelines depending on how the characters would have turned out if they had made different choices.  The format was confusing, alternating between the storylines was difficult. I almost gave up at 40%.   And on top of it all, the story was depressing and did not end well.  Sigh.

My goal is to read 50 books again this year.  Finding 50 worthwhile books that fit my quirky tastes will be difficult, but I will have a lot of fun trying!

Halfway Through Winter

This coming Thursday we hit the halfway through winter mark!  Time to celebrate! Perhaps I will bake a cake.  Yes, for certain I will.  And I am going to start making plans for Valentine's Day.  I love to celebrate this holiday as a way to show God's love to my family.  I cannot wait!

 Last week was so wet and dreary that today's sunshine is most welcome.  My new favorite winter day is sunny and above freezing.  Thankfully, this week might just be filled a few of these wonderful days.

The sunrise from my favorite beach cam.

 It is also going to be a wonderful week because I don't have many extra social engagements on my calendar.  Last week was too busy.  You know it is too busy of a weekend when you are secretly longing for Monday so that you can be home!

Eiffel Tower picture from my mom's trip.  

Best of all, my sweet mother and father are back from their trip to Paris, France.  Oh, how I missed them.  I talk to my mom each day, so a whole 10 days without a hello is too long.  I savored every text she was able to send my way last week.

Mom and her exhausted puppy, finally home! 

My list of books to read has grown.  I am currently trying to read five books and not doing so well, as I bought a new book this week and downloaded an electronic library book.  I must stop and finish a few before I add any more to the ever growing stack.  This must stop.  :)

Better get reading!

We have received our state testing dates and times.  These tests no longer strike terror into the hearts of my sweet children.  They are so smart, they say,"bring it!"  :)  I love their work ethics with their school work.  They love their online school.

My darlings.

Lastly, I am contemplating how to help a little outside cat who likes to hang around our bird feeder. There is a community cat program that loans traps to people for strays.  The cats are seen by vets and neutered if needed.  They are then brought back to the community where they came from.  I have set up a shelter and feeding station with a heated water dish.  He seems very scared of people.  I need to go over and talk to the people about getting a trap, I guess. I hesitate because I do not know how that would all happen.  I must go investigate.  At the moment he seems well enough.

My adorable Dorothy. 

So there we have a little this and that from my corner of the world.  I hope that your week is off to a good start!

What I've Been Reading Lately

Currently, I am reading several books at once.  Do you do that?  Sometimes I have quite a few too many going at once.

Ideally, I like to have one fiction at a time, although I can do more.  This summer, my husband is reading aloud to me a fiction book and I am reading one to myself.  This is quite fun.  I love talking about these books together.  I find having several nonfiction books going at a time slows me down, but I enjoy having the variety to choose from.  My "to-read" list on Goodreads is far, far too long at 81 books.  Will I ever read them all?

So, here is what I am reading...

Side By Side, Walking with Others in Wisdom and Love by Edward T. Welch is the latest book that I have started to read.  I am reading it because I want to be a better small group leader.  My goal is to read one chapter a day.  Who could not use "practical guidance to love others well?" So far I really love this book.  It is easy to understand.

Now You're Speaking My Language: Honest Communication and Deeper Intimacy For a Stronger Marriage by Gary Chapman is also on my currently reading list.  I found this a hard book to get into at first because it covers material that I already know.  I am hanging in there, though.  It is a good refresher book on marriage communication.  I purchased it for $2 on my Kindle, which was worth that much.

Crampton Hodnet by Barbara Pym is our current read aloud.  If you have never read Barabra Pym, you might have missed a gem of a writer. This is my second time through CH, this time with my husband.  I totally enjoy the self-absorbed characters and their foolish paths of destruction.  It is quintessential Brittish dry humor.

Eating Mindfully:  How to End Mindless Eating and Enjoy a Balanced Relationship with Food by Susan Albers (on loan from the library).  I am going to purchase this book as soon as I can find a used copy for a good price.  My number one goal in life, besides loving God will all my heart and soul, is to be a mindful eater!

A Wilder Rose by Susan Wittig Albert is a historical fiction book based on diaries and letters of Rose Wilder Lane and her mother Laura Ingalls Wilder.  This is new territory for me.  I knew that Rose did a bit of the writing for her mother, but this book goes farther into the depths of Rose's involvement.  It is well written and I am enjoying it thus far.

To be read soon...

Home Comforts The Art & Science of Keeping Home by Cheryl Mendelson.  I bought a used copy for $5.  I cannot wait to dig into this BIG book of home keeping!  

Essential Oils for Beginners by Althea Press (on loan from the library).  I do not know much about this book, but I could borrow it from my Kindle and so I did.  I want to learn more about essential oils and this is a good place to begin.

The Complete Emily Starr Collection by Lucy Maud Montgomery.  I bought this collection for $2 on my Kindle.  I am looking forward to it.  I have and love the Anne books.

You Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt.  This is another book that I bought for pennies on my Kindle.  I am eager to see what Eleanor has to say.

What are you reading?  No, wait.  Do not tell me.  I cannot add one more book to my list.  :)

Sparks of Joy!

I just finished reading a very interesting book, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying" by Marie Kondo.  Once you get used to the personification of things and ignore the mystic leanings (very few), the book is as it claims, life-changing.

I have been on what seems to have been an adult life-long journey to declutter.  I have purged so many times, usually until it hurts  and right before we moved.  I can remember hauling van loads to charity stores many times, yet things always come back and I feel cluttered again.

I am a big fan of Flylady.net and her "You can do anything for 15 minutes a day!"  I have participated in many of her "27 fling boogies."  I have a permanent box that I keep for discards.  I am always looking for things to purge. I LOVE to purge, however, I never made progress until now.

What is the difference?  Kondo's method is terribly simple, but you have to blindly trust her at first because what she asks seems counter productive.  First, you gather all items in a single category, all at once.  This is huge.  You can actually see how much of something you have collected.  Always before I decluttered areas.  I cannot tell you how awesome it is to see how many books you have and to see them all fit into one area after they are purged.  No more boxes hiding in the attic, garage, and all over the house.

Next, after you gather, you ask yourself a single question while holding the object, "Does this spark joy?"  This one question is critical  You are not asking yourself whether you love, need, or have space for the object.  Those questions always confused and overwhelmed me.  You are simply asking if you feel joy when you hold it.  Sounds kind of silly, but it works.  If you do feel joy, you find a space in your home for it.  If you do not, you thank it for its having fulfilled its purpose in your life and move it along to its next home.

This is very freeing to me.  I was able to purge two whole categories, media and books, without any hesitation.  I have always resisted purging these two because of a sentimental attachment.  I will continue to purge my whole house this way in the coming weeks.  I cannot wait!

Kondo's book is the best book on tidying that I have ever read.  Go read it!

Reading For Enjoyment

My "reading life" motto is that life is hard enough, so reading should add enjoyment, not angst. Perhaps this idea limits my choices, eliminating some very good books, but I am OK with that consequence.

I spent the last eight years reading aloud to my kids every day for hours.  I totally enjoyed those books, and I was pushed to read books that I would not normally read, think orphan goes through hardship in a historical setting.

Now that I am not reading to them, I have been able to find my own books again.  It took awhile.  For the first few months of this school year, I did not have the desire to read.  I was read-out.  But since January, I have read 18 books!  I am on a reading binge.  I just needed a little help to get restarted.

Anne Bogel of The Modern Mrs. Darcy blog's What to Read Next podcast helped me by exposing me to the books that others are enjoying and not enjoying. I can say that with my narrow reading focus I do not often find books that I "must read" after listening to a podcast, but I learn little insights as to why the guests are reading the books they are reading.  This helps me to define what I enjoy in a book.  I have discovered that I really do not like modern fiction.  And that is OK.

I also started using Goodreads.  (Look me up if you are using it as well.)  I like reading the book reviews. I like keeping track of what I am reading and what I want to read one day.  I like to see what other friends are reading.  At the moment, I have 55 books on my want to read list.  That is going to take me awhile!

Another great way to "read" while working is by listening to books online.  I totally love Librivox for this purpose.  I can listen to a chapter while I clean up the kitchen, another while I iron, and yet another when I dust the house or fold clothes.  The books on Librivox are public domain.  They are read by volunteers.  Since I am a fan of old books, this avenue is seemingly unlimited!  And free.

Finally, what drove me to start reading again was the basic desire to survive winter blahs. I love to choose one author and dive deeper into their collections.  One year I read everything I could find of Gene Stratton Porter.  Another year it was Louisa May Alcott.  This year it was little known Barbara Pym.  I have bought 9 of her books this winter!  I usually try not to buy books, but my library system did not have very many of hers, so I found them used on Amazon for pennies plus shipping.

Barbara Pym is not for everyone. She writes about seemingly dull people with the Brittish dry sense of humor who live quaint lives navigating typical life situations.  Yet, how I needed her wit this winter! If you read many of her books, they become a little predictable but still fun.

I have always loved to read.  I hope that will never change.  I am so thankful that there are so many good books to choose from and that it doesn't have to cost very much.

Books

I did a little thrifting with the Mr. after Christmas and found several titles that were on my wishlist. My hope is to read away the winter!

The cookbook is an old friend, sort of.  My mom has this exact printing.  I actually gave it back to her for Christmas because I am hoping she will make me one of her awesome angel food cakes.  I had looked on eBay for the book but did not want to spend the money at the time.  I was so happy to find it at a local antique mall.

But back to my reading plan.  I have already finished my first book of 2016, His Good Opinion, by Nancy Kelley.  If you love Jane Austin, you will love this book.  I started to read the next book in the trilogy, Brides of Pemberley, but gave it up.  It was very different from the first book which actually had Jane Austin as its guide.  The second book was ho-hum, predictable, not very interesting.

I hope to mix things up this winter, reading fiction and nonfiction. I have several nonfiction books on my bookshelf that I have read and would enjoy reading again.  Perhaps I will gather them and post a picture of them here in the future.

Happy reading!

Know Thyself

I just finished reading Gretchen Rubin's book, Better Than Before.  In her book, she categorizes people into four groups, Upholders, Obligers, Questioners, and Rebels.  Each group has their own motivation for getting things done, maintaining habits, making decisions, and being productive.  You can read more about the categories, here.  You can even take her short quiz to see where you line up.

I happen to be an Obliger, the most common type.  As an Obliger, I find external forces most motivating. This is why I have been successful at exercising consistently for the last couple of years.  I have linked my exercising to my family and by using apps like Myfitnesspal.  I love getting feedback and I need the accountability.

Being an Obliger has its downfalls. I am not motivated to keep promises to myself.  This frustrates me.  No matter how I try, I am always more motivated if someone else is counting on me to follow-through.  What I learned from Gretchen Rubin to help me past this is to work this to my advantage.  She doesn't advocate trying to change your nature.  She says you will get farther if you work with your tendency.  That is brilliant.

So, I need to set up some accountability measures.  One thing that has always worked before is to have a checklist.  I like to see the boxes checked off.  Also, having people come over to my house regularly gets me cleaning my house weeks in advance, like for Thanksgiving for instance.  I have already started doing some of the little nagging things that I do not normally do, but will do if I know someone is coming over soon.

Another area I have seen fruit from accountability is our homeschool.  Now that my kids have actual online teachers, they are getting a lot more work done and they are actually enjoying the process.  I love having this external force pushing us along.  I am no longer the only one prodding them.  We did pretty well on our own keeping on task, but it was a major effort for me to pull it off.  That energy can now be used for other things.

As an action point, I am going to start looking at my weak areas and see if I can set up some external accountability measures.    I am not sure that I need an actual accountability partner.  I need to do some thinking about what would work best.

Summer Thoughts

Summer is in full bloom.  We've not yet entered the dry season and we've only had one day reach 90 degrees. My plants are doing well, although, I did not plant as much as last year.  That is OK.  I chose to spend my money on adding another rescue cat in March and he is worth it. 

That's how life goes on a budget.  I took from my garden budget so that I could increase my cat budget.  I still have lovely plants to enjoy.  And I have an extra wonderful cat to love. 

I really, really need to work on clearing out the extra stuff in our home this summer.  In particular, the garage is out of control.  I just don't like spending time out there.  I need a plan and a schedule, but books call to me during the heat of the day, not a hot garage.

I am so thankful to have the luxury of summer days at home.  They are a real gift.  I have my children happily busy around me.  My husband is working hard so that we can be comfortable and enjoy all the blessings that surround us.   Life is full.  I am grateful to the Lord for the pleasure a quiet summer day brings.  

School of the Woods

Do you read older books?  Yes, they are sometimes more challenging and not usually a quick read, but so worth the effort.  A mother sometimes needs to read something deeper, so I recently picked up my late grandfather's copy of School of the Woods by William Long.  Grandpa loved books and passed along several favorite ones to me, his book loving granddaughter.

First thing one notices when looking through this treasure is the beautiful sketches of animals in nature.  Mr. Long describes how animal mothers train their children in addition to their God given instinct. He gives all the animals he describes native names because they are more descriptive of the animal.

I do hope that I persevere.  I've read the first few chapters.  I will take my time and little by little, I hope to finish before winter. 

Folks, This Ain't Normal

I recently read a really great book called, Folks, This Ain't Normal, by Joe Salatin.  I am sure there are some great reviews out there.  I don't feel qualified to write a review of such a fine book.  All I can say is that it is a thought provoking, life changing book.  I hope that lots of people read it and have a similar response, one of action. 

The most profound part of the book for me was, that the way we are living is just not sustainable.  Cheap oil is over.  The old way is broken.  I think we are going to see big changes in the near future.  Either we are going to change the way we think about resources or we, ordinary Americans, are going to be unable to afford the life style Americans have become accustomed too.  The rich will continue to have their lifestyles.  We regular people will keep feeling the pinch and drastic changes will have to occur in order to survive. 

For me, I can already see how economics will play out.  Right now, we are eating less meat than in the past, a change based on money.  Chicken is cheap, so we eat a lot of it.  I tried tofu, but could not get it right.  It's bean curd, not meat!  I'd rather just eat less meat than eat curd. 

I'd love to get chickens, as suggested in the book, but then I'd have to move.  Chickens are not allowed in my city unless you have 2 acres. That's probably something else we need to change in our society.  Why not have chickens?  

We do have a compost heap, so we aren't sending scraps to the dump, which really irritates Mr. Salatin.  I love going out there to check on the heap.  There are lots of worms doing their thing in there. 

We're also planning a small raised bed garden for this year.  We don't have a lot of sun in our yard of giant trees.  We'll grow a few favorites though. 

The main thing that I think we need to do in response to Folks, This Ain't Normal, is to go out and meet a farmer and buy his or her food.  Not just at the famers market, but make the effort.  I remember doing this as a child with my father.  Every Saturday we'd go to a small farm at get our milk.  I loved that trip.  I also learned not to touch an electric fence during one of those visits! 

Bottom line, we all can do something to bring back normal.  All it will take is enough people willing to make these changes.  Small steps can make a difference.