Happy Spring, everyone!
Here in Texas, the bluebonnets are lining all the highways, and we are basking in or two weeks of perfect weather before the onslaught of endless heat hits us.
A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine made the mistake of asking me what I’m reading. I think I overwhelmed him a teensy bit with my twenty minute long answer. In my defense, I was given a gift card to Barnes and Noble for my birthday, so my book gluttony is not all my fault. I still have some money on the card, so if you’ve got a book that you are sure I should read, please pass that information along. Don’t think of it as feeding an addict. Think of it as saving me from a bad book choice I may regret later.
You could be a hero just by sending me fiction suggestions in the comment section. Don’t be shy, book people!!
Here they are, all the pretty books leaned against the wall by my bed. After making this list, I thought the non-fiction stack seemed a tad intimidating. But then I compared my stack to Morgan’s grad school reading stack and mine looks like a cakewalk in comparison.
Happy reading!
Non-Fiction:
Love, Henri by Henri Nouwen
Nouwen is one of my favorite writers, because he blends the worlds of deep theological and psychological truth with sacrificial living for Christ. This is a collection of letters he wrote over decades of his life. So incredibly personal and lovely. 
The Very Good Gospel by Lisa Sharon Harper
I can’t remember who first told me about this book, but I just started it last week. So far, it’s good! I’ll keep you posted.
Highly Sensitive by Carol A. Brown
A friend sent me this book, and I haven’t started it yet. I think she sent it to me because I have highly sensitive kiddos, but maybe she was thinking of me? I’m not super sure. But I have a feeling it’s going to be really interesting and helpful for my soul.
Slaves, Women, & Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis by William J Webb
I usually read story-driven non-fiction, but this one feels necessary for me in all sorts of ways. I want to understand the complex and controversial areas of Christianity, so I’m all in on this one.
Meeting God in Scripture by Jan Johnson
This book is a hands-on guide to lectio divina, which I’m really enjoying. Lectio Divina is an ancient practice of reading scripture aloud and listening for God’s own voice in it. I am seriously diggin it, and have even roped my eight year old into this practice a few times. Watching your children share what God has spoken to them is incredible.
The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines
I will not lie, I won this book at a Christmas book exchange. Amazing writing it is not. However, the story is fun, and there are some very sweet and funny details. As I read, I kept thinking that it would be a great book for entrepreneurial people who are just starting out.
Fiction
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
I have read this book six or seven times. I love Jane. I love how brave she is, how she lives open-handed and purposefully before God in the midst of challenging circumstances. I want to be as brave and true as she is, and trust God with my heart as she does.
Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple 
I LOVED Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go Bernadette. It was fun and funny and made me ridiculously happy as I read it. I have high hopes for this one!
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
We are doing this as a family readaloud. I have had to edit a little as I read for my youngest (the bad guys use a few choice words and are slightly scary), but it’s a great modern fairy tale of sorts.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling
I’m reading these as my boys read them, so we can talk about them together. You’ve probably never heard of these books- they’re pretty obscure! But I think they’re going to be pretty popular. Who knows- they may even become movies!
In an effort to be more heroic I’ll leave a comment 😉 “Abundant Simplicity” by Jan Johnson is another great one if you enjoy hers that you are reading now. As I told Keivon when he was asking for book recs, I’m always trying to introduce people to “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena” by Anthony Marra. It is such an incredible novel and takes place in Chechnya which I was fascinated to learn more about. “Code Name Verity” by Elizabeth Wein I’ve had better luck getting people to actually read. WWII heroine under interrogation tells her story of spying in France. It’s classified young adult but the writing and story are not lightweight by any means. It’s companion novel is almost as good too. 2017 finds me still limping through “Moby Dick,”…. (I’ve read at least 10 other books since starting it in January, it’s slow going to put it mildly, ha!) I hope to emerge from that reading experience unscathed sometime before August. Are you on Goodreads?
Those all sound super interesting! I am sort of on goodreads, but not really. I love YA Lit, so I the one by Wein appeals to me a lot. I’ve never read Moby Dick, and now I think I may never try. LOL