The weather has been so gloomy and rainy for the last couple days and all I’ve wanted to do is curl up with a good book and relax. I haven’t been able to mind you, but I’ve wanted to. Ha! So seeing as this week has been a busy one, I figured that at least I could talk about my favorite books. Let me know in the comments if we share any similar favorites or if you have a book recommendation for me.
Let me start off by saying that I’m a slow reader. Michael reads 3-4 books a WEEK (well he listens to half of them and reads the other half) and there is no way that I could ever read that fast! It takes me about a month or so to get through a book. I don’t really get a lot of reading time, so that doesn’t help either but I read when I can.
I don’t have a great variety of authors that I read but one that I LOVE is Elin Hilderbrand. She writes these “chic-lit” books that are all set on Nantucket Island and I honestly can’t get enough of them. They’re just steamy enough to be exciting but not over the top either. I can’t tell you how many of her books I’ve read over the years. I just bought The Love Season but haven’t had a chance to dive into it yet.
Growing up I would read constantly and I remember going to the bookstore and spending all my money in there. My Christmas list was usually 3/4 full of book titles. I just couldn’t get enough. Since both Michael and I are readers we have read a lot to Shawn when he was little.
Of course I would read some of the classic books that I grew up reading. Charlotte’s Web is just one of those books that every child should read at least once in their life. I read it out loud to him and by the time I had gotten to the end I could barely speak. It always makes me cry my eyes out. I remember Shawn asking me if I was ok and if I wanted to stop reading.
I made a list one summer of every one of my favorite “children’s classics” and we read through them all that year. Some of them I hadn’t read since I was a kid and it brought back some great memories.
Speaking of being a kid…
I wouldn’t be the 80s and 90s kid that I am if I didn’t say I read my Baby-Sitters Club books!! I still have every one in the attic and I longed to pass them on to my kids. (Sadly and yet expected, Shawn doesn’t want them. Lol) Of course like most girls of that age, my friends and I started our own BSC and did get a couple jobs out of it but mostly we just like hanging out with each other.
Another one of my favorites was American Girl books and unfortunately, I didn’t own too many of these and got them from the library. In the early 2000s I found that they were publishing each series in a complete book. So it sort of turned them into a novel and while I was an adult (and they were an easy read) I read them all again. It was actually really neat and I enjoyed each whole book.
This post wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention Harry Potter. I began reading this back in 2007 when Michael went away on a 4 day trip and I was going to be alone. I don’t think another book series has caught my attention like this one did. (The Hunger Games did the same but still nothing like Harry Potter) I remember asking my family for all the books at Christmas and when I got them, I would spend days reading them. (I needed to catch up since not all the books were out yet.)
Do you have an all time favorite book that you’ve read? I do and I can’t find my copy of it (to take a picture) but it’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes” by Ray Bradbury. It’s been a long time since I’ve read it but I remember reading it each time like I didn’t know what was going to happen. I can’t explain it but it’s my favorite book.
As I have been writing this post I’m reminded of so many other books that could/should be on this list but I’m sure no one wants a complete list of every book I’ve read So I will just leave it at this for now.
XOXO, Jules
Hi Jules,! I use to be an avid reader. I mostly read the Bible. Back in the 80’s I read the Wagon’s West series and the White Indian Series. I would read them and the pass them to my grandpa to read. We would discuss the characters. I know I have the books somewhere.. I have a library page at my website that listed all the books I read that are Christian based. Now I am into Bible jouranling and crafting.. Enjoy the rest of your week!