Today is a day that can be viewed one of two ways: as a grey, rainy, icky day that confines us to spending our time indoors; or it can be viewed as a wonderful opportunity to snuggle up with a good book and a hot cup of tea. I am trying to look at it as the latter.
My baby girl, has got the right idea though, she keeps following me around the house holding a book and tugging on my skirt. Needless to say, I gave into her sweet persuasion and we read a stack of books this morning.
For you rainy day reading pleasure, may I present my five favorite books that I read in the past month or so.
1. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
So I know I am late to the party, but I only got around to reading the books now. As a teenager, I avoided them because I was afraid of the element of magic they contained. Now that my brothers and several other friends read them and LOVED them, I figured the time had come to see why. Also, I figured it would be better to decide way in advance if the series is something I would be comfortable with my kids reading. Short answer: yes I would let my kids read them, but I think it would be best to read and discuss them together. I found the magical aspect to be innocuous, (see this article by Regina Doman for a more extensive treatment on the topic), what bothered me more was Harry’s frequent violation of rules and disrespect for many of his teachers, but even that was more minor.
These two books were my favorites in the series. Rowling is a master of the page-turner, the plot is very engaging and fast paced, drawing you into the series and investing you in the characters. I have to admit that I cried at a few points. Don’t want to say too much more for fear of spoilers. Bottom Line: Go read them, if you haven’t already.
3. The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith
I blitzed through this book because it is so darn good. I usually am a fairly silent reader, but I found I was vocal in expressing my agreement with the ideas as I read. I LOVE her philosophy decorating, even if I don’t personally care for her unique style. If you are a recovering perfectionist when it comes to decorating your home, or struggling with being content with your current home/ rental this book is a must read.
4. Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris
If you have trouble finding meaning in housework or chores this book is for you. It is a short, meditative work. I read it over a period of months in an effort to motivate me to do the dishes. I still am not fond of doing the dishes, but at least I have interesting reflections to ponder as I do them.
5. Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health and Creativity by Genevieve Parker Hill
I snagged this book while it was free as a Kindle Daily Deal a few months back. Its an interesting read, though I had encountered most of the ideas before. For those who have not explored their relationship to their stuff, or why they keep things, this book would be a useful resource. It helped me keep my motivation for continuing the great purge of 2014.
Linking up with the ever insightful, Anne of ModernMrsDarcy.com for twitterature. Also linking up with Jenna of callherhappy.com for Five Favorites Wednesday.
Happy Reading!
What have you been reading lately? Have you read any of these books before? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
The Harry Potters are ALWAYS good for this weather. ALWAYS (pun intended)
Is Harry a man for all seasons? haha
I am glad you have finally got around to the Harry Potter books. I read them because my kids were reading them and I enjoyed them. I remember some of your family being concerned about the magic aspect & that was why you didn’t read them back then but I didn’t/don’t understand what the concern was. I have been trying to read more for pleasure the last couple of years and have found I don’t find most fiction as enjoyable because it is predictable. I have found the biographies of comedians, like Carol Burnett and Alan Alda, to be fun reads. You my have seen my FB post on “Truck, A Love Story” by Michael Perry. I heard about it from him on NPR and would recommend it.
Yeah, I think most of our concern was over a missperception of what was in the books. I knew someone who dabbled in the occult and was a fan of Harry Potter, so I presumed it was a causal relation. I am glad that I was mistaken.
I will have to check out the Truck story. I definitely get burned out on fiction and have to switch to non fiction for a while.
I read the first 3 HP books when they first released and then I just waited for the movies. BUT. Now I’m older and wiser and realize that I really should have been reading the books! So…I’m collecting the paperbacks and as soon as I have them all, the fun begins! I’ve got four right now and it’s a fun little game trying to find them at booksales and in used book stores.
That’s so funny Victoria, I did something similar. I read the first book, stepped away from the series for over ten years, watched the first four movies with my brothers this year, and then read the whole series. I haven’t seen the last three movies, but I think the books have way more depth to them and that a lot of the Chritian symbolism gets lost in the translation to film. Happy hunting for the rest of them! We had all but 5 and 7, but I was able to borrow them for free on my kindle. I will have to keep an eye out for hard copies to finish our collection for the kids!
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