March is National Reading Month- as if I needed an excuse, right? So of course, I'm up to the challenge of reading as much as I can. I'm well on my way to reading 125 books this year.. I've read 10 books in both January and February, and I figured to reach my goal I'd need to read just over 10 books per month. This month, with spring break thrown in, I think I'll read over 10 books. I've said it once and I'll say it again- if only I could get paid to read!
Before I get into this month, let me flip back and tell you about a couple I read toward the end of February that didn't make my post, but that you need to check out IF you fit the right audience.
I read Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella. I LOVE Kinsella. She's the author of the Shopaholics books, which literally leave me laughing out loud and gasping for breath, because I SO get her characters. Well, apart from the drinking. And there is also some foul language. But Kinsella is too funny, and Wedding Night didn't disappoint. It's all about love and why we fall in love and when we think we love but we're not really sure... and it is funny. Plus, it involves the beach in certain places and I need a beach right now.
I also read Twelve Mighty Orphans by Jim Dent. If you are a football fan and you like true life sports stories, you'll enjoy this one. It's about the Masonic Home Orphanage in Texas, and how their football team rose to great fame despite the difficulties they faced. I love football, and most of the time I love underdogs, so this was a good read.
Ok... Here's what I'm reading right now...
For one book club online, I'm reading Sarah's Song by Karen Kingsbury. It's part of the Red Glove series, and I've read the first two books the last two months. This one is about an elderly lady reflecting on her life and love. Kingsbury's characters are so personable, and Sarah is no exception. And, as I mentioned last month, the whole series is in one Kindle book cheaper than buying them individually, so it's a great bargain!
I'm reading Ruth's Journey: The Authorized Novel of Mammy by Donald McCaig. I loved Rhett Butler's People last month, and Mammy is one of my favorite characters from Gone with the Wind. This book goes back to her childhood, and it was a little difficult to get into at first, but now that she's a little older and actually serving as a Mammy I can see her... a little less plump, perhaps, than when she was quarreling at Scarlett. Good stuff.
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs is about a woman and her teenage daughter who run a knitting shop. The daughter's dad has been MIA but has suddenly stepped back into her life, and it is causing all kinds of turmoil. Plus, she's a teenager. I don't know how to knit, but I do understand the complexities of being a teenager, and I've already felt my heart strings being tugged on by this book. There's a second one in this series, too, that I've added to my wish list.
A Train in Winter- set in France during WWII, this book is about the Resistance and the women who ran it. I love WWII stories, and it amazes me the bravery that so many ordinary people demonstrated. I just can't fathom the sheer evil of so many... this is a heavy read, though, and is at times difficult to wade through. Plus, all the French and German names! But, if you like WWII history, I'd recommend this one, even though I'm not even halfway through.
Redfield Farm is about a family who helps on the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War. I've only just started this one but I'm liking it.
Love Does- this one has been on my to read list for months and I finally dived in. I'm reading it slow, one chapter here and there, and it has not disappointed. So many people told me I'd love it, and they are right. Love is my word of the year, so it's good to really think of what love is and what it does. Goff is a personable writer and you feel like you're just sitting down having a chat with him.
My drive-thru read is Orchard of Hope by Ann Gabhart. It's the follow-up to The Scent of Lilacs I read last month (or maybe in January). It's set in Kentucky in the 1950s, and I love it. Love the characters. I can picture the small town. I'm just getting started on it, and haven't had a chance to read much because I've not been driving much!!! (Yes, it's a drive-thru read. I read it as I wait in the drive-thru at Mcdonalds or if Wallace is driving when he pumps gas... every little minute counts!)
Which is what The Fringe Hours is about- taking what little time you can carve out for yourself and making it yours. I'm reading this one for a book club and am behind (surprised???) but the videos and conversations are archived so I'll not miss out. There are reflection questions throughout the chapters so it's taking me a little bit longer as I really think about the concepts discussed. And I'm learning that perhaps I'm not as busy as I think I am... or maybe I'm just busy with the wrong stuff.
I'm also reading Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. It's a book about writing and we're reading one chapter a month in a writer's group I'm in. My dream is to write... really write... and this is kind of the first step.
The Woman in the Paragraph- I have literally just downloaded on my phone. I know it's about a lady in the Holocaust, but that's about all I know.
I'm behind on my Kelly Minter What Love Is study. I love Kelly Minter. I love her writing style, and the way she brings scripture to life. This is a study of the 1,2, 3 books of John, and there are some heavy concepts in there. I refuse to look at it as being behind, though... because every time I start a study and allow myself to get busy, God meets me right where I am with what I need to hear when I pick it back up.
Still reading Heart of the Story: The Family of Jesus- We watched the last video session Monday night so I'm on the last week of this one. Kingsbury takes the characters from the Bible and creates fictional stories based on information given in Scripture, then applies it to our lives. This week is Mary and she is by far one of my favorite characters!
I'm reading The Chronological Bible. There's a reading plan where I will read around 3-4 chapters a day and get through the entire Bible in a year. It always amazes me how I can read a passage over and over again, but if I'm open, God can show me something new!!! Behind here, too... I just started reading in Leviticus last night... which is assigned all the way at the end of January. This book is so hard for me to read, too... I just asked God to open my eyes and heart as to how all of those sacrifices and offerings and laws apply to me, under the new covenant. So thankful for Jesus and His atoning grace and redemption!!!
So many books... so little time... happy reading!
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