Reading for pleasure has been a desire of mine for years and now I finally have time to do so. I have managed to read a book here and there while rearing children but I now want to make reading a daily part of my life. Since I have a habit of planning out a course of action so that things aren’t done haphazardly, I thought that reading a book per month would be a good starting goal: challenging, yet doable and with a time limit. I set out to do that in 2020 and was very pleased to read over 3,000 pages. I believe I have now made reading for pleasure a habit and hope to read many more pages than that each year from this point.
A self-imposed reading program is a great way to keep your mind active and learning. I would much rather be engrossed in a book than to watch a movie; page time beats screen time. I do need to read things occasionally outside of my comfort zone to see things from other points of view, but I am talking here about things I read for pleasure. I enjoy few things but enjoy them fully well.
📚Fiction—This is pleasure reading, especially with a book you can’t put down. It’s fun to step into someone else’s experience and know their thoughts and feelings. You can be transported to times and places you have never known.
For whatever reason, I tend to prefer fiction set in the late nineteenth to early twentieth century. Perhaps it’s because it’s the century before I was born. It gives me a better understanding of what led up to my era. It’s easy for me to picture life lived with my grandparents’ housewares and gives context to old family pictures and the traditions I was taught. It brings into focus the vague memories of my earliest days. I am also drawn to the fashion and gentility of that time.
Genres I am not drawn to are mysteries, crime, horror, thriller, suspense, action, fantasy, and sci-fi. It seems impossible to avoid it completely, but I stay away from pervasive foul language and vulgarity. There are ways to indicate that a sin was committed without describing it gratuitously. I am squeamish so I’m not up for detailed descriptions of gore either. That’s not how I want to relax.
I’m sure there was much lost on me at the age at which I read classics for school, not to mention forgotten since then. There is such a long list of enduring novels that I will never run this genre dry.
📚Non-fiction
▪️Biography—These are usually fascinating with many lessons to learn from others’ lives and a better understanding of the historical period in which they lived.
▪️Christian— This includes devotional, commentary, self-help, and theology.
▪️Homemaking—Since this is my life’s work, I should be learning more about it perpetually. It also includes interests of mine (funny how that works) such as marriage, parenting, organization, cooking, decorating, celebrations, gardening, and flower arranging, all of which will be future blog post topics.
We have access to books by buying them from bookstores and the internet or borrowing them from family, friends, and libraries. I am blessed to belong to a church that promotes and accommodates the reading of good books. My church Circle (ladies’ small group that meets monthly) works through a Bible study book each year, and the Women of the Church meet weekly in the summer to discuss a book. There are also books for sale at various places on our church campus and we have a church library. Books are often referred to and recommended in sermons.
In a bookstore (which is hard to find anymore), I am like a kid in a candy shop. However, life has taught me that I can’t (and shouldn’t) judge a book by its cover. It’s nice to have recommendations to help me make good choices, which is important since I will spend hours reading the book and its ideas will influence my thinking. Two sources I have used recently to determine if a book is right for me are the app Goodreads and the YouTube channel Miranda Mills.
My goal last year was to read a complete book each month. I did do that several times, reading a book start to finish within a month’s time, but sometimes I merely finished a book I had started in the past (like-ya-do). Then there was October and November which I will explain below. All said and done, I did finish twelve books in 2020 but not necessarily one in its entirety each month.
So here is my list; these are the books I completed in 2020. I plan to post full reviews on several of them soon.
📘January
The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst {Christian non-fiction}
We are faced with decisions every day because life is too short to do everything. Choosing poorly or sinfully brings consequences. Having high expectations brings disappointment and a feeling of failure. Choosing too much leads to exhaustion, frustration, and panic. This book guides you through a gentle attitude adjustment so you can choose well.
📘February
The Red Sea Rules by Robert J. Morgan {Christian non-fiction}
This little book, no bigger than my hand, uses the Israelites’ journey in Exodus 14 to show us the way through our seemingly impossible trials. It is sub-titled “10 God-Given Strategies for Difficult Times” and was given to me two years ago by my friend Becky who is now facing cancer. Her spiritual strength has always shown her friends and family how to be joyful, and now, in her physical weakness, it is also showing us how to be strong. Knowing someone like Becky will make these ten rules easy to understand.
📘March
Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge {Christian non-fiction}
God designed a woman to have certain soul needs. The world is a cruel place for that soul but God is able to heal our wounds and allow us to realize and enjoy the beautiful creatures He made us to be.
📘April
They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple {Fiction}
Y’all, Dorothy Whipple was the discovery of the year. I LOVE her writing style! The story is about three very different sisters and the very different directions their choices took them. Full review coming on this one.
📘May
The Message of Daniel by Dale Ralph Davis {Christian non-fiction}
This was the book my Circle studied September through May. Dale Ralph Davis was the Sunday night preacher at our church a few years back. This book reacquainted me with his genius and humor. I have marked many places where he captured the truth of the passage pointedly from the familiar Bible-story beginning to the less-digestible prophecy at the end. One truth he brought out was that Daniel shows us that “consistency assists courage, and discipline feeds faithfulness (Davis, 2013, p. 88).”
French Women for All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano {Non-fiction}
In this sequel to French Women Don’t Get Fat, Mireille Guiliano shows us how to take on a French woman’s attitude about truly enjoying life by eating in-season food and incorporating exercise into our everyday lives. The book is replete with French expressions, recipes, and sage advice.
📘June
The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield {Christian non-fiction}
I finished the last chapter of this book our church ladies read in the summer of 2019. Rosaria is a pastor’s wife and former university professor who opens her home every Sunday for a meal. It is radical in that every walk of life is welcome and it is ordinary in that it is not fancy by any means which puts her guests at ease. She lives her life and opens her home all week in this gracious way. This book takes the focus off the place setting and onto people’s needs. Truly inspirational.
All That’s Good by Hannah Anderson {Christian non-fiction}
Our church ladies read this one over the summer and discussed it over Zoom each week. God’s perfect world is broken but His work is still good. This book teaches how to discern between what’s good and bad and recognize habits that are not living in light of God’s power to redeem. I have marked many simple but helpful truths in this book that deserve periodic meditation.
📘July
The Education of a Gardener by Russell Page {Non-fiction}
Russell Page was a professional garden designer in the early to mid 1900’s. He designed for public parks, corporations, and estates all over the world. This books lets the reader into his mind and into his experiences in landscape design.
📘August
A Gift of Grace by Amy Clipston {Christian fiction}
Coming off that behemoth gardening read, I just wanted something light. This was the story of an Amish couple who took in their two newly orphaned teenage nieces and the struggles that ensued in their adjustment to Amish culture. It was a relaxing read that I obtained from my local library.
📘September
Presentations by Carolyne Roehm {Non-fiction}
This library find is a beautiful picture book of creative gift wrapping techniques and ideas.
📘October & November
Magazines {Non-fiction}
I finally had time to peruse over 200 interior decorating magazines from subscriptions dating back to 2009. They needed sorting so I used my reading time for this task these two months. My favorites are House Beautiful, Veranda, Traditional Home, and Architectural Digest. [Free to a good home. Let me know if you live nearby and would like them.]
📘December
Hymns for Advent {Christian non-fiction}
This is one of the devotionals I bought from thedailygraceco.com at half price making them $5 apiece! They are beautifully done and I thoroughly enjoyed using this the twenty-four mornings in December leading up to Christmas. One Christmas carol text is printed for each day on a beautiful full-page photo and followed by a devotional for the day showing how the message of the carol relates to the Christmas story. Scripture references and thought-provoking questions accompany each entry. I enjoyed beginning each day of advent singing a carol in its entirety.
I am already reading at a better pace in 2021 and will let you know of the gems I discover. Feel free to recommend your favorites to me. Happy reading!