Summer Listening

I continue to search for, borrow, and purchase more books than I will ever have time to read. I suppose if reading is all I did, I'd finish them all. But that isn't going to happen. 

Reading is just such a wonderful pastime, isn't it?  I much prefer actual hard copy reading to audio or even Kindle, but sometimes audio books make sense.  On road trips, my favorite way to 'read' a book is to listen to it.

For our last road trip, I picked out three audio books and, after giving the other two a chance, my husband and I quickly narrowed it down to one. Louise Penny's The Long Way Home was the choice. I've actually read one other Inspector Gamache mystery (the first one) but because this particular audio book  (the 14th one in the series) was available at the library when I needed to grab a few books, it became the next Louise Penny book to read. Some would say I should be reading all the Inspector Gamache mysteries in order, but I'm not sure this was necessary in order to enjoy the book. Truth be told, we found the story a tad slow, although mostly intriguing. The narrator spoke very slowly, so it felt like we would never get through the book. In fact, we didn't! I had to return it before we actually finished it. We did lose interest in listening to audio once we returned home. Last week I picked up the hard copy for my hubby to quickly read, and he related the details to me, so we finally found out what happened to Peter Morrow! I can sleep peacefully once more ;)

For my next road trip, I've picked two books I can't wait to start. This time I'm heading out with my sister to Alberta, and we'll be spending a good 20 hours in the car, there and back, so I've chosen Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy and Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. I loved Anne of Green Gables, so I'm really anticipating Marilla. And who doesn't enjoy a Jodi Picoult novel? We know it's going to start some good conversation!



Have you enjoyed any great audio books lately?

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. 

The books are coming!

I've been on a sort of book binge lately. I received a generous Amazon gift card from my previous employer when I moved on to other adventures at the end of June. To me Amazon equates books, even though I could order so many other items,  and so I began loading up my cart, looking for both new and used good reads. I finally clicked on 'checkout' and now I'm happily awaiting the mail carrier each day to see if there's another package to open.

Here is one I received this past week. The Power of a Praying Grandparent by Stormie Omartian is  a book of encouragement and prayers to remind me to pray consistently for my grandchildren (one dear little boy and one on the way so far!). It reminds me to focus on encouraging my son and his wife as they start out their parenting adventure. I remember how exhausting it can be with little ones and it's such a huge responsibility (and a privilege) to raise children. These days there are so many more waters to navigate with our ever changing times, including the explosion of the internet. It seems we had an easier time in some ways.

Becoming a grandparent was one of the happiest days of my entire life, and I want to be the best I can be and a force for good in my grandchildren's lives. My mom has been a great role model, of which I am so thankful!

We are promised that our prayers won't return void. God is always working, even though we may not see it or feel it. And so I will continue to pray!

"Having a grandchild is to forever have your heart walk around outside your body" 

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?

Getting Through February

February is not my favorite month of the year, although I do like it better than January.With February the promise of Spring is that much closer. I know, we have almost another official month of winter, but around here the snow is gone and it's not really that cold out any more. Still hovering around freezing in the morning sometimes, but still, it could be worse!

So, what's gotten me through February, a month that finds me mostly indoors sipping coffee (one cup a day usually-- I really do sip!) whittling away at portfolios, and dreaming of warmer days?

A trip to the coast! We celebrated my mother in law's 86th birthday together with a slew of family. A great weekend.

This little guy. He is my companion. He is a blessing in my life. He makes me laugh. He gets me off my chair,  taking little breaks throughout the day. He sleeps quietly as I work. And he's always over-the-moon happy to see me when I return home from outings. Talk about an esteem booster! No, I'm not talking about my hubby although he does fit the bill in some ways!haha!

Books!  I've got a few on the go. Just finished Someday Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham. I saw it recommended on Goodreads and decided to finally read it. A twenty something tries to make it as an actress in New York. A cute, funny quick read with some great characters.
I'm also reading In the Land of the Blue Burquas by Kate McCord. It was written before Farewell, Four Waters, which I just finished a few weeks ago. But I don't think it really matters that I'm reading in reverse order. It's giving me more insight into the culture in Afghanistan, and the life of a foreign aid worker. Fascinating.
I am half way through The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown. Three adult sisters converge on their home town to visit their mother who is battling cancer. All about family relationships, importance of home, growing up, and figuring out life. The title refers to Shakespeare and the father quotes Shakespeare all the time (his daughters are named after characters) and all members of the family are book nerds. I wasn't sure I was going to like this book, but it's grown on me. It's my bedtime read.

Spotify. I listen to music all. day. long. sometimes. Music to reflect my mood or to get me out of my mood! Or to motivate me to work.
Classical, contemplative, meditative, acoustic, counry, jazz, pop. Adele, Andy Grammar, Andra Day, All Sons and Daughters, Rend Collective, The Brilliance. etc etc.  If you're looking for some new music, check out Spotify. It's free and it recommends music based on what you like, so there is always something new to explore. 

Podcasts. I've added a few more to my list. Don't listen to every
episode but sure do enjoy them. I find the ones that are about 30 minutes in length are just about right. Any longer, and I skip them because I don't always have one hour to listen.  A few others I enjoy: The Essential Oil Revolution, Spark My Muse, Katy Says with Katy Bowman

Knitting. Been enjoying knitting a comfort shawl and socks this winter. And some bibs and dish cloths. Just small items but it's great to have something on the needles when I feel the urge to create something tangible. And they make great little gifts to give away.

Netflix. My hubby and I try to find something we both like to watch together one or two nights a week. We are not always successful. We did watch Making a Murderer together and I have to say we were sucked right into the drama of that documentary. Truth and justice and the miscarriage of it. Who knows what the the truth is when people lie through their teeth? Yes, it was a pretty biased documentary, but we had some good discussion while watching that. Still confused about what really happened. It was hard to watch at times, just seeing the depravity and awful lives some people live. Sad. I couldn't watch too many shows like this, that's for sure. We binge watched it for about 2 weeks.  I think I prefer fiction! He likes shows with zombies or war  and I would rather watch an episode of Downton Abbey or Mr Selfridge, but the verdict is still out on the latter. Haven't continued for a few weeks. Sometimes we watch  an episode of  the murder mystery Death in Paradise. It's good!  I'm waiting for Nashville Season 4 to come to Netflix. And looking foward to watching the next season of The Voice (on the CTVgo App) . Got any recommendations for must-see TV shows on Netflix?

Planet Woman - got a membership for one month because my kids encouraged me to sign up for a 5km trail run at the end of March, and how am I going to be able to do that if I don't grow my muscles and my cardio?! Don't always want to go but always glad when I do. Except when I'm sore afterwards. And recovery takes longer than it used to! Soon I must transition my workouts to the outdoors..actually running 5 km!! Doesn't sound like much except if you haven't done it in a while! I'm a little bit concerned... but --as my daughter in law mentioned "There's no shame in walking". I'll try to embrace that thought.

and finally...

Z is for Zumba. Imagine doing Zumba with a band of church ladies aged 19-50-something? To hip hop music? Imagine the fun and comeraderie. Yes, it brings some much needed levity to my Wednesdays. We don't do the moves very well at all, but it's good for a laugh, it's a workout, and it's a way to connect with those I mostly just see at church happenings.

What got you through February?

signs of life in the dead of winter

Half way through January already!??

*techy (or rather non-techy) alert: pictures didn't appear earlier.. hope they show up now. 

I'm slowly slipping back into daily routines. Still finding it hard to jump out of bed with wide eyes and a spring in my step.  Winter makes one so hibernative (I think I made that up), doesn't it? I simply want to stay home and unsubscribe to all of my outside obligations at times. But, I know that that would not be a healthy decision! Once I get out there, it's all good.

Sometimes I do wonder why we live where we do. Last weekend, the mountain passes were clear, so we took a quick 3 1/2 hour trip down to the coast. It was so wonderful! I felt like we had just bypassed a season and waltzed into early Spring! Sunshine and no snow!

winter where my sister lives 

winter where we live 

Speaking of unsubscribing, today I checked out this very interesting site called unroll.me which helps clean up your inbox by managing subscriptions. It's a simple way to unsubscribe, keep, or send to 'rollup' (which sends you ONE email a day with any updates on those).  Am I the only one who is a subscription junkie? 

Which leads to a very full inbox. Overwhelmingly so. I had over 100 subscriptions (newsletters & blogs) between my 2 email addresses (that's besides my bloglovin' subscriptions). I know. I think I'm down to about 40 now.

Whittling down the reading list is going well. But the day AFTER I blogged about not purchasing any new books this year, I received a very generous Amazon gift card in the mail from my dear friend (who knew nothing about my challenge). Yes, it's true!! But I am holding off. This past week I was so close to purchasing a book to read along with an online book club, but I steeled my resolve and inquired if the local library could obtain it for me.. Win!

Winter is for indoor projects. I am super pleased with the guest bedroom reno we finished in one weekend. Mr. Handyman worked on the floors, and I painted walls and refinished old furniture.

out with the old carpet,
in with the new laminate

ready for a vintage-y look

guest room ready for company!

 And some Me Time has led to..

 Experienced a mild second-sock-syndrome-- weeks--
-- nothing as serious as last time!

wintergreen dishcloth

adding to the gift box- for the next wee baby girl I meet

Being hibernative doesn't mean being unproductive, right?

Hope you are enjoying the season you are in right now!

Oh, and I can't sign off without giving a Happy Birthday!!! shout out to my dear adventurous daughter who is trekking in the country of Myanmar (Burma) at this very moment! 

Poof! Gone!

Just like the year 2015, my latest published post just up and disappeared on me. Poof! Gone! I still can't figure out what happened there, but suffice it to say, 2016 will be just fine without that post.

I had written about a challenge I had given myself on how to get my 'to read' booklist under control. In a nutshell, I've decided not to purchase any new books in 2016 (except with a gift card, etc). So, I've begun unsubscribing from Kindle ebook deals. It was tough, but sometimes the big guns have to come out. I've got the shakes, but I think I'll be okay. ;)

I made a list of about 21 books I want to complete before I read anything else. These have been set aside for easy access.  In the last two days, I've completed two, so I'm already whittling away.

My fiction to nonfiction ratio is about 2:19, which must be remedied. I need a little more FICTION in my life.  Honey For A Woman's Heart - growing your world through reading great books is a book I already own which I'm planning to refer to once my to-read pile has dwindled.

I'm also going to be ruthless about which books to complete. If it feels like work to get through them, I will add them to my giveaway pile. I feel better already!

Here's to another great year of enjoying and pondering new ideas, old ideas, truths and mysteries, fact and fiction.



Do you have specific reading plans this year? Are you a fiction or non fiction fan?

Reading update 2016

Finished/recommended:
A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards
In Awe of God by Rita Peters

Enjoying:
Two Steps Forward by Sharon Garlough Brown (book 2)
A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle
Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James

Next in line: 
Farewell Four Waters by Kate McCord

Seeing In The Dark

Someone once said that faith is not a personal possession until you have suffered. That person understood that the very nature of faith requires the grit and courage to be in the dark so you can eventually see in the dark. Then faith becomes faith. 

                                               
This is just one of the many of the underlined and starred excerpts  in the book Seeing In The Dark by Nancy Ortberg. This book is her long awaited sequel to Looking for God, which I have not read, but hope to in the future.


 If you've ever gone through a rough patch in life, and you wonder what God is up to and how on earth things will ever change, this book will be an encouragement to you to sit and wait until you can 'see in the dark'. Until you have done this, says Ortberg, you will not "hear the whisper or see the flicker".

It's where we actually are, not where we want to be or hope to be, that God works. His kingdom becomes real to us exactly where we are.

And Ortberg reminds me that although God sometimes makes His presence known in strong and unmistakable ways, other times it's in the quiet, little things. Some random 'coincidence', words of encouragement from a friend, being inspired by a beautiful sight that reminds me of how big God is, or a word read at just the right time.

There are a lot of jewels in this book, and it's definitely worth buying a hard copy, because no doubt you  will want to underline some of those truths and reread this book or lend it to a friend.

I received this book free from Tyndale House in exchange for an honest review.

The Book Stack July 2015 Edition

So, it's officially summer break for me, which could translate into lots of time for summer reading. And I'm well prepared...

As you can see, true to form, there aren't a lot of fiction books in this stack. In fact, there is only one. Hello, my name is Aneta and I'm a nonfiction junkie. Always have been. Probably always will be. I'm hopeless.

BUT, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy some good fiction.  I've purchased some for my Kindle recently and I'm looking forward to more bedtime, poolside, or beach reading. I'll let you know if I hit the jackpot with any of them.

Have you read any of these?:

The Curious Case of the Missing Figurehead by Diane Noble

Blue Hole Back Home: A Novel by Joy Jordan-Lake

A Heart Deceived: A Novel by Michelle Griep

How Sweet the Sound: A Novel by Amy K. Sorrells

And if you look closely at this photo, you'll see what's really been keeping me in my cozy chair.  It's not the books..

He's called a lap dog for good reason!

Seize the Day

I've got several books on the go right now (as usual) and finished a good one just a few days ago.. Still Life by Christa Parrish. Will have to do a book review soon, but I thought I'd share an excerpt from the book today.

People make grand pleas for 'carpe diem' and often that is just a code word for backpacking across Europe or learning to skydive or buying the expensive car you always dreamed of. Is being alive not enough? Is it not "still life" if you're making fried eggs for your kids' breakfast? .. How do we perceive all these in between moments when we're alive but engaged in something we esteem so little?  

 It reminds me to enjoy and live to the fullest even in the mundane and 'in between' days. You know, in the waiting times.. Yes, there are exciting times in life (and I'm happy for people - including me -  who get to experience them.. new sights, new friends, new places), but a lot  (most!!) of our life is the 'ordinary everyday'. If we don't seize THOSE moments and value them, then we are just existing from one high to the next. Not the best way to go through life, I don't think.

A few of my ordinary, but still sweet moments, today:

• free McDonald's coffee promotion taken advantage of! (twice) Dark roast..good coffee! 100% Arabica, don't you know! ;)
• listening to a 5 year old during Story & Crafts class tell me about what happened at his home yesterday (which wasn't funny and obviously affected him) He ended it with "but Jesus is on OUR team!!"
• shopping to my heart's content, the only customer in a women's clothing store. No pressure. I don't really enjoy shopping, so this was a bonus!
• enjoying after dinner wine & conversation with my hubby -- home alone and relaxing after a busy day out. 
• hearing via Messenger from my daughter who IS having quite the experience in Venezuela right now... knowing she is excited for her next adventure (a 6 day trek in the mountains somewhere in V!!)

How about you... how did you seize the day today?

A Thing of Beauty by Lisa Samson

Fiona Hume, a 32 year old former child movie star with some horrendous experiences, has left the acting world as well as her parents (through divorcing them) and lives an independent life in Baltimore. She owns a dilapidated house which has a lot of potential to be beautiful once again. She is a hoarder, has trust issues, and is a little 'rough around the edges' -- an intriguing character! A Thing of Beauty by Lisa Samson tells a good story of what can happen when one dares to hope for joy and does the work of opening the door a little at a time, and risks being vulnerable. 

Although this book was not meant to be an allegory, it seemed quite obvious to me that it was. Josia comes into her life , looking for a room to rent,  and begins fixing up her house; he is never intrusive, accepts her unconditionally, allowing her to be who she is and to open her life up to change one small step at a time. He does so unselfishly and always with her best interests at heart. Who is he like, she asks herself? A father, a brother, a friend... or all of these? This is definitely a story of hope and love. 

With some humor, quirkiness, good dialogue (some strongish language, but it all makes for a more realistic story), and interesting situations and characters, this was worth the read. If you like Lisa Samson's writing, you won't be disappointed. 

I received this book free from BookLookBloggers in exchange for an honest review. Thanks, BookLook!