What I am reading…

I ADORE a good story… all sorts of books really, but fitting daily reading into in my crazy schedule is a bit of a challenge. I have managed to get creative about squeezing a chapter or two in while … waiting in carpool, sitting in a lobby for an appointment or passing hopeless hours of insomnia in the middle of the night. I joined Audible at the beginning of this year, which has me flying through my 2011 reading list by listening to audio books while I run. I started the year with about 15 books on my reading list (I am admittedly obnoxious about lists and schedules, and yes, I even have a spreadsheet with a list of books I intend to read this year), but I recently upped it to almost twice that because I am going through them so quickly.
 

I try to alternate between fiction and non-fiction, with the non-fiction being heavy on Christian books to promote spiritual growth. I usually have two going at once because I am listening to one and reading another. I try to balance the two with one that takes some thought and focus along with another more lighthearted read.

Here is a list of books I have read, am reading now or would like to read this year. I have included some feedback on those I have completed and a notation as to whether or not I read or listened to each book.  

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee (listened) This is set in Hong Kong in the 1940s during World War II. I enjoyed the historical information, and I think it was well written, but I found it rather depressing. I like for a book to leave me feeling something…changed, hopeful, energized, motivated, even sad is okay, but this left me with none of those. To its credit, it did get me through a couple of long treadmill runs in January.

How to Hear from God by Joyce Meyer (listened) This was a good book, but I probably should have read it instead of listening to it because it is one I would have liked to take notes on as I read, and it would have been nice to have the ability to go back to some sections. I have found that many books have too much important detail to just listen to; you really need to see the print and be able to flip back for reference.

Second Chance by Jane Green (listened) Fun easy read, or listen rather.

Good to Great in God’s Eyes by Chip Ingram (read) I read this book as part of my Bible study last spring, and I learned a great deal from it. I finished it with a renewed spirit, a greater prayer life and as an added bonus… a long list of other books to read.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen (listened) This was hysterical.

She Makes it Look Easy by Marybeth Whalen (read) I wanted to read this book because the author is a regular contributor to Proverbs 31 ministries, a site I love. I was really interested in how she would weave her faith into a novel. She did a pretty good job, I felt like I learned something and it was a very quick, easy read.

Radical by David Platt (listened) This book was life changing. So compelling, it makes you want to give away all your things and focus on service. It also made me wish for a church more like his in our area. I heard an interview he did yesterday day on Focus on the Family, and it just renewed all of the feelings and the motivation to act that this book left me with…I need to get moving on doing something Radical.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick (read) The language was beautiful, but overall, the subject matter was too bawdy for my taste. That said, since I have a self-imposed rule never to “quit” anything I start, I made myself finish it anyway. 

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain (listened) This was a great story about Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley Richardson. It has inspired me to read The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough (see bottom of this list).

The Sixty Minute Family by Rob Parsons (read) I am always looking for books about parenting and family life. My mom gave me this. It is a book you can read in a couple of hours, and it has some great ideas and insight into raising a family.

My Korean Deli by Ben Ryder Howe (listened) While I do not recommend listening to the greater part of this novel while running 11 miles on a treadmill (long story that I will save for another post), it ended up being rather entertaining. It was fun to listen to because this book is loaded with intense characters from a multitude of backgrounds and ethnicity, and he created wonderfully real accents and personalities for each one.

The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman (currently reading) So far, so good.

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan

Swamplandia by Karen Russel

The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin

The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht

 

 

 

 

Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

This Beautiful Life by Helen Shulman

Heat by Bill Buford

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

 

 

 

 

Running by Jean Echenoz

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

 

 

 

 

Humility: True Greatness by C. J. Mahaney

 

 

Main by J. Courtney Sullivan

 

 

 

 

Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery

The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough