L is for Lovely Ladies

Today I am very thankful for the lovely ladies I meet with on a monthly basis who are in my book group.

We have been meeting together for five years now. We started the fall of 2004, and only have had one member move away, then got another to replace her.

We have read a variety of books over the years, from best selling novels, to non-fiction, and ones that really surprised me because of how good they were.

We often call it our monthly "therapy session". We solve the world's problems. Yeah, we may get around to talking about the book, especially if it was a really good one, but mostly we get together to enjoy each other's company.

And we have about a 20 year age span between all of us. I am the youngster of the group. I love sharing time with these beautiful women who have taught me so many things over the years, and we have created quite a bond.

Next month we are having our annual Christmas book club, where we have a cookie exchange, and usually share small gifts, and we are each bringing a Christmas story to share.

Most of the time, we all make it to book group. Sometimes one can't make it. But we have had a pretty good track record.

I am so thankful for these ladies...these lovely, lovely ladies.

B is for Books

I love books.

I love to read books.

I love to read all kinds of books.

I love being a part of a book group that reads the same book, then shares about the book with each other.

I love the feel of a book in my hands as I turn the pages.

I love the smell of old books.

I love the sound of pages turning as I'm reading a book.

I love to touch the cover of a hardback book.

People ask me about using an "e-reader" like Amazon's Kindle to read books.

To me, it just wouldn't be the same. Reading to me isn't just about the words. It is the whole sensory experience of reading a book.

I love books, and am very thankful I have them to read.

Here is the book I am currently reading.
I love books!!!

Book Binge

"Books can speak to us like God, like men, or like the noise of the city.... They speak to us like God when they bring us light and peace and fill us with silence...when we desire never to leave them. They speak to us like men when we desire to hear them again. They speak to us like the noise of the city when they hold us captive by a weariness that tells us nothing, gives us no peace, and no support, nothing to remember, and yet will not let us escape." - Thomas Merton (1915 - 1968)

I've been on a bit of a "book binge" lately, and absolutely loving it. I seem to go in cycles with reading, and I am definately on the upswing now in reading books. Here are some books I have read recently:

"The Shack" by William P. Young. A bestselling Christian fiction book that has you take a look at who God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit really can be. Has been scrutinized by some Christian evangelicals because of theological differences, but my response is, it is a book of FICTION, and wasn't written as a theological dissertation. I think it if gets people to think about their relationship with God in a new and different way, then so be it. I highly recommend this book.

"A Year By The Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman" by Joan Anderson. This tells the story of a woman who goes and lives by the sea at Cape Code for a year, and learns about herself. Her time alone not only strengthened herself, but strengthened her marriage as well. A wonderful book about learning to take time for yourself, and learning to take risks.

"Tuesdays With Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson " by Mitch Albom. This is one of those books I have wanted to read for years, because I wanted to watch the movie they made based on the book. But I refused to watch the movie until I read the book. What a delightful book showing a wonderful perspective on life. Someday I'll have to do a blog post on some of the things Morrie shared with Mitch. A book everyone should take time to read.

"Shoofly Pie" (Bugman Series #1) by Tim Downs. I heard Tim Downs interviewed on a Christian radio program this summer, and he was talking about these books he had written, where the main character was a forensic entomologist. The main character, Dr. Nick Polchack, studies bugs on corpses to find out about their death. It was a pretty good read. A little predictable, but a fun read. The forensic entomology part was very interesting to learn about, and he goes into pretty good detail about those proceedures throughout the book. My personal reading patterns tend to go in cycles, and I'm glad I am on the upswing these days. I can't wait to dive into the next book, based on a the screenplay of a Canadian film opening next month called "Passchendaele". To find out more about the upcoming movie, go here.

And I'm still making my way through all the used books I purchased this summer.

So many books...so little time