Looking for What to Read this Summer?
The sun-filled days of summer are upon us. Maybe life slows down a little. Maybe life speeds up. Maybe life gets just a little bit crazy. Whether hitting the beach or the hiking trail, heading out on the boat or on the road, enjoying long lazy days or days filled with family, friends, and festivities, if you're a book lover like me, you may also be looking for what to read this summer.
I Can't Help Myself
I can't help myself. I admit, it's sometimes a problem. It sometimes slows me down. It sometimes causes me to lose my place. But I confess, I'm always reading several books at a time.
My husband typically reads one book at a time and he finishes and is on to the next book in a week or so. I, on the other hand, have different books for different times of the day, or for different purposes. All being read at the same time.
In the morning I focus on spiritual, and the book is typically some sort of devotional. However, with my passion for Scripture and my faith, I'm likely to be reading something else during the day as well. In the evening, when I'm winding down, I prefer fiction.
As a writer working on a novel, it's important to feed my creativity and imagination, so I try to read in a wide range of fiction genres. But whatever I'm reading, it has to be a compelling story. Otherwise, I close the book and move on to the next. Too many books, too little time.
I have so many areas I want to grow and books to go with them. As a writer, I always want improve, so I read professional books on the craft of writing. As a follower of Jesus, I seek to grow and understand my faith more with spiritual books. I have a catch all category for the non fiction books that don't fit into either of those two categories. Sort of mental exercise or curiosity.
Since my husband and I travel a lot, we like to pass the road time with podcasts and audio books. He, of course, only has a couple of podcasts that he listens to. I, on the other hand, have over three dozen podcast I currently subscribe to. Like I said, I can't help myself. And it's sometimes a problem. Regardless, we do like a good book to listen to when we're on the road (read by a good voice actor - we can't be falling asleep after all).
Here's what I'm reading:
After my lengthy elucidations, are you curious about what I'm reading this summer?
Spiritual - Inspiration and Incarnation by Peter Enss
Spiritual/Professional - Kingdom Writers by CJ & Shelley Hitz
Spiritual - What if Jesus was Serious about Church by Skye Jethani
Professional - Refuse to be Done by Matt Bell
Mental - The Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Fiction - The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Audio - Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman
Sigh. Yes. I know. That's more than a few. That might explain a lot. But that's probably a whole other blog. So in the words of a sweet friend of mine, we'll put a pin in it for right now.
What about you?
What summer plans do you have? Will you schedule in some time to kick back, relax, and enjoy a good book? Have you thought about what to read this summer? Got some good recommendations for me? Let me know, I can add it to my ever-growing, never-shrinking list of books to read.
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