On Facebook this morning, I saw a post about National Book Lovers Day and suddenly found myself under a DEADLINE. As a new blogger, I’ve set a goal of writing every week. But it’s only Tuesday, and I have people coming over this afternoon to study a book together. Guests coming or not, I put the cleaning off and began this post. After all, they’re readers. They’ll understand. A post about the books I have read this summer was already on my to-do list, and today has to be the day.
I’m an advocate of reading books, teaching lessons to 1st graders called “Read, Read, Read” and “Books Build Brains”. Most of the books I read are nonfiction. They just seem more useful to me. I read physical books, not digital, and I usually buy them. They become a sort of reference library, and I love having a copy that I can hand to someone else.
Books that I started and finished this summer:
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
I grabbed my neighbor’s copy of this one last summer when she brought it over to sell in our garage sale. Enough other women had referred to it that I thought I ought to read it. Now I’ve turned into one of the women who refer to this practical and fun marriage help book. The author has determined that people show love in five distinct ways and that each of us responds to one or more of these more strongly than to the others. The couples’ stories Chapman shares are insightful and encouraging. I highly recommend The 5 Love Languages to anyone who desires to develop a lasting marriage after the infatuation wears off.
This is Your Captain Speaking by Gavin MacLeod
I stumbled upon this one at Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, where I buy lots of books for under $5. The cover photo of the smiling captain of The Love Boat caught my attention, and the subtitle, “My Fantastic Voyage Through HOLLYWOOD, FAITH & LIFE”, sealed the deal. MacLeod has written this autobiography in his 80s with a humble and endearing style. When I gave a copy to my mom, I told her, “Parts of it will make you laugh and parts will make you cry, but that’s the way a life is!”
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
This is the first of two books written by Harper Lee, preceding To Kill A Mockingbird, but published 55 years later. I read Mockingbird for the first time last summer and was enchanted by it. Go Set a Watchman was my vacation read (fictional) and one that I found thought-provoking and relevant for the times. I recommend reading Mockingbird first and not expecting Watchman to be much like it.
What I’m reading now:
Mother & Son: The Respect Effect by Emerson Eggerichs, PhD
I am a fan of Eggerichs’ “Love & Respect Ministries” resources. This is the latest, published in spring 2016. The title hints at an important element in a successful male/female relationship that I missed in Chapman’s book about love languages. If you are the mother of a son of any age or someone who teaches or supervises young men, you can gain understanding about what motivates them and skill in speaking so they will listen from this book.
What I read on most days:
I begin nearly every day with my favorite book. It is actually a collection of 66 books written by 40 inspired authors over a 1,500 year time period. It is autobiographical, and allows the reader to interact with The Author as she reads. “According to Guinness World Records, the BIBLE is the best-selling book of all time with over 5 billion copies sold and distributed” (quoted from Wikipedia).
And the book that my friends and I will be talking about in just a couple of hours? The Family of Jesus by Karen Kingsbury, also purchased at Ollie’s and containing a great blend of history and fiction.
Happy Book Lovers Day!