Reading...

I am a voracious reader....or at least I used to be.  I have started carving out time, once again, to read, and it feels fabulous.  I used to flip my computer open right after dinner and get to work.  When you are self-employed, it is often difficult to set work boundaries.
I have come to understand that just like a 9-5 working woman, I deserve a break at the end of the day.  I have also noticed that I am much more productive overall if I allow myself to "shut down" at the end of each day.  Now, after dinner, once the dishes are washed and put away, and the house tidied up, I crawl into bed and read.  Our library has a 'Netflix-like' queue system, which allows me to reserve any book that I want, and usually, within a week or two, it is available for me to pick up.  My queue is always maxed out with 25 books... here are a few of the titles I am currently enjoying:

This Life Is in Your Hands: One Dream, Sixty Acres and a Family Undone by Melissa Coleman
I am currently in the middle of this gripping memoir.  Melissa's parents were part of the "back to the land movement" of the 70's.  They left behind all of their possessions, and moved to rural Maine to build an organic farm.  For all of us (including me) that have an idyllic notion of what it's like to run a farm, this book is a real eye-opener.  I am gingerly turning each page, because I know that soon, tragedy is going to strike this young family.  Melissa's younger sister drowns in the pond on their property, and the family slowly begins to unravel.  I can't put this book down...but I am just not ready

Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton
I haven't started this one yet...but it promises to be excellent!

Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante
Told through the eyes of Dr. Jennifer White, an orthopedic surgeon with severe dementia, this is a gripping story of friendship, love and the power of memory.  A murder mystery intertwined with a family drama, it's simply incredible.

Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year by Anne Lamott
Anne writes about her foray into motherhood with brutal honesty and amazing wit.  Every new mom should be required to read this heartwarming book.

The First Husband by Laura Dave
A "beach read"- fun, easy and entertaining.  I enjoyed it because the main character is a travel writer...what a dream job...or is it?!

Do you have any good recommendations for me? 

*these super cool midnight moon pictures were taken by my mom...aren't they hauntingly beautiful?

  Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Bee (August 17, 2011 at 2:30 PM)  

i love exchanging book lists. i'll have to jot down a few of these.
have you ever read White Oleander by Janet Fitch? it's gorgeous, poetic, sad, and beautiful.
and i just finished The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman, which was fantastic.

Michelle Shopped (August 17, 2011 at 8:14 PM)  

i just added blood, bones and butter to my queue...savage beauty by nancy milford is a favorite of mine but as a former librarian and also a voracious reader my list of recommendations would be endless, but two of my favorite publishers are milkweed and algonquin books (and i go to their websites occasionally to see what's next on my list to order from the library)...

mjb (August 17, 2011 at 10:07 PM)  

Blood Bones & Butter was so good I didn't want to read anything afterwards because I knew it wouldn't measure up!

Kristianna (August 17, 2011 at 10:36 PM)  

Okay, this isn't a book recommendation, but a rec for a Kindle or other reader. I resisted for years and regret it. I'd have read so much more while mine were small (mine are 9, 6, and 3). I still buy real books for some things, but just for literature I'll read and never look at again, it's made me so happy.

Kylee –  (August 18, 2011 at 12:09 PM)  

Just wanted to let you know you had a book review on decor8 today!

Jessilyn (August 23, 2011 at 10:49 AM)  

Hi Christine,

Thanks to you, I bought This Life is in Your Hands last night. I'm so excited to read it :)

Hope you are having a great week.

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