A readerly afternoon

One of my favorite pastimes is reading, as my friends and family know. I listen to some bookish podcasts, which helps me keep a list of books that sound promising. I have an Amazon wish list that I will never get through, even if I live to be 120 years old!   As well, it's easy to follow others' recommendations on Goodreads. Of course, just talking books with other book-loving friends helps too! A trip to the library to pick up holds is usually a highlight for me.

Today is one of those lazy days. I'm fighting a bit of a cold, so I decided it was okay to pamper myself and spend a few hours in the middle of the day to finish off a book I'd been really enjoying. 

Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg is a book about residents coming together finding the true power of community. It's a  follow up to The Story of Arthur Truluv. Both books are heartwarming fiction taking place in the small town of Mason, Missouri.  

Berg has a way of developing realistic characters and situations and although there's a sweetness to these two particular books, there's also pain and sorrow. Her books are always full of beauty and hope in the middle of ordinary days and trying life circumstances. She understands the complexities of life. She writes about all ages and stages of living, and in these two books, the older characters are portrayed so well. 

I've read several Elizabeth Berg novels over the years, and have enjoyed the majority of them. She writes women's fiction really well. The first book I ever read of hers (quite a number of years ago) was about a marriage that was falling apart. I had just finished reading a similar book by a Christian author, and Berg's book rang much more honest and believable to me. 

It's a joy to find fiction books that I lose myself in. It doesn't always happen. 

purchased, borrowed, and thrifted - My TBR Pile

Here's the list of books from my previous post on first lines, just in case you're interested! These are books on my shelves, which I have set a goal to read by the end of 2019. I gravitate to and would rather be reading nonfiction (and will carry on) , so this is a bit of a challenge to me. As well, I know I'm going to come across more good reads as the months go by, which will tempt me to push these aside!

 I purchased these at book sales or thrift stores, and several have been gifted or ordered from Amazon. Two of these books are technically not owned by me: my current read is borrowed from our local library, and my daughter has lent me the other. Here they are in order of the 'first lines' given previously:

1. My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
2. The Blue Bottle Club by Penelope J. Stokes
3. My Antonia by Willa Cather
4. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
5. The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
6. The Bees by Laline Paull
7. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
8. All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin
9. The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler
10. Dwelling Places by Vinita Hampton Wright
11. The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
12. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
13. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

and an extra, thrown in for good measure: The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin.

I've read many wonderful fiction books over the years and I hope to recommend books from this list to you. Have you read any of these books? Any recommendations or cautions? Do share!

The Pile from my personal library. Not in the correct order! 

Thursday 13 - First Lines

I thought it'd be fun to join in on the Thursday 13 link up! It'll be my first time. This week I'm going to list 13 opening lines (not including the prologues) of yet unread fiction books sitting on my shelves, all patiently waiting for me to read them! I usually prefer nonfiction over fiction, but these are books I am planning to delve into beginning now and throughout 2019! If I find a story that pulls me in in the first few chapters, I will mostl likely finish it in short order.  I am a rather picky reader, though!

Which opening line intrigues you most? If you leave your answer in the comments, I'll tell you what the title is :)

1. There was a time, and it was many years ago now, when I had to stay in a hospital for almost nine weeks.

2. In the watery dimness of a December afternoon, the attic looked dismal and a little spooky.

3. I first heard of Antonia on what seemed to me an interminable journey across the great midland plain of North America.

4. I told you last night that I might be gone sometime, and you said, Where, and I said, To be with the Good Lord, and you said, Why, and I said, Because I'm old, and you said, I don't think you're old.

5. Because the three Plumbs had agreed on the phone the previous evening that they should not drink in front of their brother Leo, they were all - unbeknownst to one another - sitting in separate bars in and around Grand Central, savoring a furtive cocktail before lunch.

6. The cell squeezed her, and the air was hot and fetid.

7. I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster.

8. This wouldn't be the first time Kathleen Seymour left home and never returned.

9. Anyone in the neighborhood could tell you how Michael and Pauline first met.

10. In Beulah, Iowa, widow women all over town garden in clothes of deceased husbands.

11. The first time Cora heard the name Louise Brooks, she was parked outside the Wichita Library in a Model-T Ford.

12. "I'm fine," said the woman. "There's nothing wrong with me."

13. My name is Ruth.

It's Never Just One

Earlier this year I had lamented the fact that I had SO many books on my 'to read' stack and never seemed to get to the bottom of them. So, I implemented some ruthless steps to keep myself on track.

 One of these was to refrain from purchasing ANY books this year (unless I was given a gift card). I did really well... until the day I didn't. In a moment of weakness, I clicked on my Amazon Kindle 'one click' order button and a new book appeared.

It's just one, I comforted myself, Chin up! It's not like this is a slippery slope or anything. 

But it was.

I have failed. Miserably. I have not focused well on my List of 21 Books to Read in 2016. 

How did this happen? Sometimes resolve melts away. It is similar to telling yourself you are only going to 'eat one' delectable piece of chocolate from the jumbo bar you've just purchased and then in less than 3 minutes, you find yourself crumpling up the empty wrapper and swallowing hard, having eaten every. single. piece. alone in your car. And you wonder what happened to your self discipline. Yes, it's like that with books, too. Especially one click ordering on Kindle Deals!

Looking back, I should have never allowed myself to borrow from the library or (confession) resubscribed to the  What Should I Read Next? podcast. Or freely browsed through GoodReads. Then I might have actually focused on those 21 books.

But that would be harsh.. much too harsh.

So, how did I actually fare in whittling down my self imposed 'list?

 I finished  nine of them and am currently working through another five (Yes, I multi-read). And the others I haven't touched. I should get honest with myself and look for a good home for a few of those. When one says 'working through' in relation to reading, it's probably not a good sign.

The good news is I've enjoyed some really great books these past months... I was successful in reading more fiction than I usually do. Several I really enjoyed were:
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Wonder by R.J. Palacia
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

How do you manage your 'to read' list? Is yours becoming unmanageable?