Just thinking the word, "book" relaxes me. I think "books" and I think the bookstore from The Neverending Story; the smell of a smoking pipe fills my nose and musty shelves crowded with endless volumes of wonder envelope me in possibility. I can hear that old bookstore man saying the word "book"......they way he says it is awesome. This book is not for you, Bastian.
Lucky for me, I married a man who loves to read. It's kinda become our thing. Anya read her first book at 2 years old. The smallest one is already showing signs of her own budding book obsession.
With all this reading passion lying around, you'd think my house would be chalk-full of books. Alas, I don't own many. We have a ton of textbooks, some incredible home improvement books, and children's books up the wahzoo....but very few adult books. This leads me to believe the books we do own must be pretty dang good, but I'll let you be the judge of that. Here's a few of my favorite reads :)
1. Mama's Little Book of Tricks
You don't need to be a mom. Ever wanted to sound incredibly smart or shock people into believing you are some sort of trivia master? This book is for you. No kids necessary. The book teaches you to tie knots, whistle with an acorn, make slime, entertain yourself and others during a road trip, and recite shark facts. It's small, but powerful.
2. Domino: The Book of Decorating
I love to dream. This book helps me dream about my home. I suppose it could be considered a coffee-table book, but I have kept it on my nightstand next to my bed for years. I pull it out whenever I need to cheer myself up or find a bit of inspiration. The pages are colorful and enticing, with comfortable separations between each feature (paint colors, furniture choices, fabrics). A must-have for those looking to identify their preferred decorating style!
I had to list this because I'm reading it right now. It's not my book, so technically I'm cheating by even bringing it up, but read this book. Always read the book, especially if you liked the movie! I try to read the book before I see the film; it allows me to really develop the characters within the limits of my own imagination. I find a comparison between my imagination and a director's imagination to be most intriguing!
4. Where the Sidewalk Ends
Classic. My mom read these to me when I was little, and now, I read them to my babies. Nothing quite like extending traditions through literature!
5. Laura Ingalls Wilder, Sesame Street, and Dr. Seuss
Speaking of traditions, these were my books when I was young. My mom, despite moving multiple times as a single mother and thereby having few possessions from the past, saved these for me. It's such a gift to share these with my lil' babes....some of the first books Anya ever read were from my own childhood collection. I curl up with her, like my mom did with me, and we read. Heaven on paper.
6. The Five Love Languages
I bought this book during Aaron's second deployment. Whether I like it or not, I refer to its teachings frequently. This book doesn't necessarily relate only to your significant other....I've applied it to friends, family, coworkers....even strangers. Mr. Gary Chapman breaks the way we perceive love into five distinct languages. The book includes a quiz to help you/your partner identify your language. I'm a blend of a few different languages. Imagine that. My love language, complicated? No way! .... ......
7. The Shack
Mind-blowing describes it pretty well....if you can keep up. It's a challenging read, but worth the necessary focus. The storyline is difficult to read and I found myself crying a few times. There's an element of fantasy/mysticism that dances atop some very serious subjects, both philosophical and spiritual in nature. The book is somewhat controversial; some find it highly inspiring, others find it blasphemous. I loved it. It reconnected me to the love and acceptance I identify with in my own religion.
That's it, loves. I told you, I don't have much ownership invested in my passion for reading. I have a very serious thing for libraries and it's never made much sense for me to purchase what I can easily borrow..........although of course......like any 90's child who loved to read......I still dream of one day having Belle's library.
