What I'm Reading in August

It's already the second week of August and I feel like someone needs to pinch me because it's going so fast.  Needless to say, trying to get back in the swing of things with work and school and exercise and just life in general that I am not getting to read nearly as much as I'd like. The stack on my bedside has not been reduced by one book... not one book, people...

But that doesn't mean I'm not reading... I'm just not reading as fast.

I've finished five books this month; 4 of them I talked about last blog post.  One that I did not, so I have to share.  The Giver by Lois Lowry. Where was this book all my life?  I don't know that I had even heard of it.. and that has amazed me.  It's a movie coming out next week, and it looked good, so I had to read it before it came out...and I finished it in two days.  It kind of reminded me of Divergent or The Hunger Games, which I never thought I'd like but I loved...

So this month I'm reading the rest of the series.  I'm currently reading Gathering Blue.  To be honest, I'm not seeing how this one is corresponding with the first one, because it has different characters, but it has the same feeling about it and is an easy read.  There are two more books after this one, so those are on my to read list.

I'm reading Am I Messing Up My Kids with Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Studies. This study is set to wrap up next week.  I'm really enjoying this book.  The chapters are very short, and then after each chapter Lysa focuses on different Bible verses, many in the Psalms.  It's a great read, too.  I love Lysa Terkeurst's writing style. She reminds me that being a Mama is a hard job, but that it is a huge honor!

The Center of Everything is about a fourth grader in Kansas as her Mom loses her job just after discovering she is pregnant.  It's an easy read, too, and the character is very likeable. It's reminding me of how tough it is to be a kid.

I started God's Story, Your Story last month, and have kind of had it on hold as I started a couple of other Bible studies, but I'll go back to it once I finish the OBS book.  It's by Max Lucado, who is just plain awesome.

I'm over halfway through with Gone with the Wind. To be honest, I'm kind of savoring it.  It had been a couple of years since I'd read it, and I had forgotten some things. Scarlett is as fun as ever, though, and she is running her saw mill just like a man right now. 

Grace in Thine Eyes is the fourth and final book in the Lowlands of Scotland books by Liz Curtis Higgs. I've read the other three over the past few months, and this one is set several years later.  Higgs is an awesome writer, and the main character, Davina is a sweetheart.

Water for Elephants. I've had it on my to read list for a long time... it is awesome. It's the story of a circus, and Jacob serves as the "vet".  Written partly in the past and partly from the perspective of a 90 year old man, it has not proven to be a disappointment.

Porch Lights is a beach read by Dorothea Benton Frank.  It's about an army nurse whose firefighter husband has been killed, and she's finding herself and helping her son grieve at her Mom's house, located on the beach in South Carolina. This just happens to be one of my favorite places, and since it will be quite a while before I see any beach again, it's helping me through withdrawals =)

I'm reading The Patriarchs, a Bible study by Beth Moore.  Running behind, but that's ok.  Getting ready to start week 4.  Working through Genesis, I just read Chapter 23.

And tonight I started The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. I'm a huge Tuesdays with Morrie fan... and I can tell 10 pages in that this one is a hit.  And also that I'll probably cry several times... but that's ok.

On my to read list? The Bridge Tender by Marybeth Whelan, for a facebook book club. Rereading 1000 Gifts with a Twitter book club. Sum It Up by Pat Summit, one of the best coaches ever.  11/22/63. The Wedding Dress.  Where We Belong.  And the Mountains Echoed.  Miles to Go.  Winning Balance.

And lots of Fundamentals of Nursing.

Just keeping it real.  Suggestions?  I'd love to hear them... even though at the rate I'm reading this month, it may be next summer.  At least there is Christmas break...