While Rob was home for Christmas, we decorated a gingerbread house. So fun! The 3 of us are still waiting to see if our teeth fall out from the awesome amount of pure sugar we consumed.
One of my favorite things in the whole wide world is reading. I just love it so much. I was thinking it would be neat to write down what I've read in the past 12 months or so, and since this site is our family scrapbook, here goes. I have provided a legend for those of you as nerdy as me.
*** = Amazing. Stop what you're doing and read this now.
** = Great. You should read this. Sooner than later.
* = Good. Definitely worth getting around to.
Nothing = Decent.
# = Pretty bad.
## = Two thumbs down.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith ***
East of Eden by John Steinbeck ***
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller ***
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali **
Shop Girl by Steve Martin **
The Center of Everything by Laura Moriarty **
Messages from My Father by Calvin Trillen **
About Alice by Calvin Trillen **
Marley and Me by John Grogan **
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb *
How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman *
Better by Atul Gawande *
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert *
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck *
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I know this much is true by Wally Lamb
Sea Glass by Anita Shreve
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant ##
**I should tell you, all but 2 of these were audio books. Listening to books on tape helps me survive my commute to the peninsula every day :)
This is what's on my nightstand now and the ratings so far:
Tepper Isn't Going Out by Calvin Trillen *
Autism's False Prophets by Paul Offett *
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult
Believing God by Beth Moore **
The Bible (this one is a permanent fixture) ***
My favorite book of all time is A Separate Peace by John Knowles, but East of Eden and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn are giving Peace a run for its money. Blue Like Jazz put into words everything I've ever felt about my spirituality and then some. Donald Miller has a beautiful note on how we use love as a commodity and Jesus never intended for us to dole it out like money. Instead, love is something we should give freely as it is given to us. Very wonderful. readitnow :)
Have you read these books? What did you love and what did you think was a waste of time? What should I read next?
Rowen is really into Bob the Builder these days, thanks to a very cool Christmas gift from Shan and Steve! He especially loves this construction hat. He loves to put it on his head and then move all around until it falls off.
I'm behind several blog posts; so forgive me as I try to catch up over the next few weeks. There is literally a running list of things I need to write (and have composed in my head). If only my real posts were half as brilliant as those I compose in my mind. Oh well, I'll get around to it sometime. As long as I have my trusty list :)
See ya!
I know the feeling of thinking of blog posts in your head, but just not having the time to put it in writing online! Which, how in the world do you even have time to do it & read all of those books with your already busy schedule?!?! I'm amazed! Hope you guys had a great Christmas & Happy New Year! Miss you guys!!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I can't resist talking about books. I just finished the Lovely Bones and felt like I should think it was better than I did. Just didn't really mean that much to me. Of Mice and Men is one of my top five favorites of All Time. I sort of can't remember which was which, but I think that I Know This Much is True was about the twins, and I LOVE LOVE LOVEd it. If She's Come Undone was about the larger lady, I thought it was so so. I'm still waiting to read his take on Colombine (sp) but there's a lot in front of it. My dad tries to get me to read East of Eden on an almost weekly basis. I'm probably the only 'reader' around who hasn't read the Great Gatsby, but I'm not smart enough for that anymore. I bought Shopgirl after I saw the movie and haven't cracked it since, but the movie was FANTASTIC. And My Sister's Keeper...not to be too dramatic, but that book actually changed my life. I've read it at least five times. I became an oncology nurse because of it. I hated the mother for doing what she did to take care of Kate, and then I had Ava and I knew from the moment I felt her move, that I would do the same thing to take care of her.
ReplyDeletePhew. I feel better, this has been driving me crazy since I read your post this morning! I got one of those Kindle things for Christmas (I got the Sony) and now I can read even more! Of course, I don't go to work or anything, so that helps...