Celebrating My 1,000th Post!

Yay! Welcome to my 1,000th post!

I started this blog ten years ago. The reason behind it was that I come from a very artsy family. My dad creates stained glass pieces, and now he makes pens! My mom quilts, and my sister is just all-around creative. I read. They actually had a physical product to show for their hobbies. But I didn't have anything tangible to show for my reading (not even a stack of books because most of my books come from the library!). I decided to start this blog to document all of the reading that I do.

I love getting lost in a book. I love learning new things about myself and the world and people. Reading (both fiction and non-fiction) actually helps me in my work as well. Reading still remains the number one way for me to relax and enjoy.

Thank you to you, my fellow readers, for checking out my blog, and sending along recommendations! I hope I've helped you find some good books and steered you away from not-so-good books. :)

I'm including my very first post below just for fun.

April 25, 2007

Welcome to my bookshelf.

I like to read. I wonder if you knew that.

I read paperback books because they don't hurt as much if I roll over them in bed.

I read because it makes me feel more connected to who I am. I like taking in new stories, new information, and new ways of thinking about life. I enjoy having a parallel story sitting in my head while I go about my day. I like reading something that changes how I look at myself and the world around me.

The purpose of this blog is to keep track of the books I have read and my thoughts on them. This blog will not be retroactive. Books described here are books that I have just finished. So welcome to my bookshelf. Enjoy.

The Party by Robyn Harding

Jeff and Kim Sanders throw a Sweet Sixteen sleepover party for their daughter, Hannah. There's an accident, and suddenly the Sanders' seemingly perfect life is torn apart.

Suspenseful and fast-paced, but it seems to fizzle out at the end. Still, it made for a quick weekend read.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen Covey

I owned this book for 15+ years and never read it, so I recently gave it away. And then I wanted to read it. I checked it out from the library and read it in three weeks because there was a hold on it, so I had to return it. Funny how a deadline changes things.

If you're interested in determining your path in life (well, as much as you can), working toward goals in all areas of your life, and having significant relationships with others, there's gonna be something for you in this book.

Gracious: A Practical Primer on Charm, Tact, and Unsinkable Strength by Kelly Williams Brown

I loved Kelly Williams Brown's book, Adulting, so I was looking forward to her newest book, Gracious. She writes about dealing with others, yourself, hosting, and being a guest.

Overall, she gives helpful advice about how to handle various situations. However, there were WAY too many cutesy footnotes that started annoying me pretty quickly.

Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage by Dani Shapiro

A memoir and meditation on the writer's marriage, past and present.

Thoughtful and emotional.

Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki

Fumio Sasaki was depressed, stressed out, and unhappy even though he was surrounded by tons of books, camera equipment, and stuff he thought he wanted. He gets rid of most everything and finds contentment. He finds that he has more time, freedom, and less energy devoted toward comparing himself with others.

He includes 55 tips for getting rid of your stuff. He also writes about the benefits of owning less.

Super-easy to read. If you're looking for some motivation to clear some clutter in your house, you might be interested in reading this. I just finished reading this two days ago and I've already given away 30+ things. And that includes my high school yearbooks. Yes, I recycled all four of them. And let me tell you, it felt SO good.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

This is all about how trauma and abuse affects the physical body. And ways that the body and mind can heal.

Super informative, encouraging, hopeful, and well-researched. Plus, the writing style makes it easy to read despite the heavy content.

Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations by Thomas Friedman

My undergraduate major was Political Science, and for a bunch of my classes, reading The New York Times was recommended reading. It was so cool. As students, we could buy a subscription at a very steep discount. I got a key to the little newspaper locker on campus, and I would bike by each morning and pick it up.

It was in one of my Political Science classes that I was first introduced to Thomas Friedman's writing when we were assigned to read The Lexus and the Olive Tree.

In Thank You for Being Late, Friedman explains how our world and technology developed to where it is right now and how come it's so hard to keep up, along with what's being left behind.

I really liked this book until the last 100 pages where Friedman writes about his hometown in a memoir-like style. It was such an abrupt and disconnected turn and it felt like a different book.

The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible by Mark Batterson

My church small group went through an abbreviated version of this book in a video series. I read the book as we went through it.

Do you believe in miracles? Batterson focuses on seven miracles found in the book of John and also writes about how miracles can still show up today, if we're open and willing to look for them.

If you're looking for an encouraging book in the Christian life genre, this one is pretty good.

Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

Alice buys a lottery ticket for her friend, Teddy's 18th birthday. What are the chances? But he wins! $140 million at that! As Teddy begins to explore life as a multi-millionaire, we see how he changes, and how his friendship with Alice changes.

I wasn't too happy with a part of the ending. It seemed a bit forced and contrived to me. Well, I guess I am always rooting for the underdog.

Overall, a unique and fast Young Adult read.