Books

A few days ago I was "tagged" by another blogger to give my responses to the following list:

1. One book that changed my life
2. A book you've read more than once
3. One book you would want on a desert Island
4. One book that made you laugh
5. One book that made you cry
6. One book you wish had been written
7. One book you wish had never been written
8. One book you are currently reading
9. One book you've been meaning to read

Sorry to disappoint anyone who might have been waiting to read my responses to that list, but I really don't have any interest in answering that line of questions. Yesterday I finally decided that I might at least give it a try, but as I started to think through it (and actually started to do some writing on it), I quickly realized that my first thought (of not doing it) was where it would remain. I love to read, and do read a lot, and have read countless good books over the years, but I don't retain much memory of what I thought about each book, or what the titles were that impressed me in any particular way. Plus, rarely do I have only one answer to those kinds of questions, even if I could actually remember any that I would want to comment on. So, I have chosen to decline the "tag".

However, in that same vein of thought, yesterday I did one of my favorite things to do . . . I spent a very long time browsing through books at the local Christian bookstore, and came home with four books. There are many different types of books that I enjoy reading, but the list below represents some of my most favorite type of leisurely reading:

The Zippered Heart (Healing for the Secrets We Hide Inside), by Marilyn Meberg
I'm always interested in anything she writes, and have read some of her books. This is one I've seen before (probably at one of the "WOF" conferences), and thought about buying it, but didn't. Now I'm eager to start reading it, but it will have to wait until I've finished the one that was the real reason for me to go to the bookstore yesterday.

Found (Book number three in "The Firstborn" series), by Karen Kingsbury
Karen is my favorite author of Christian inspirational fiction. I've read most of her books over the last few years. The only ones I have chosen not to read were Tuesday Morning and Beyond Tuesday Morning (a series that was based on the true story of what happened on "9-11" in 2001). I just couldn't put myself into that scene again. This "Firstborn" series is actually a series that followed up on another series (called " The Redemption Series") that I really, really enjoyed. I've been waiting a very long time (since last November) for the third book in this "Firstborn" series. In the meantime, she wrote two other novels, of which I have read one: Like Dandelion Dust, and found it very good, as usual. Last night I began reading Found, and got about half way through it. I had to force myself to put it down and go to bed!

Moments of Grace (Stories of ordinary people and an extraordinary God), by Nancy Jo Sullivan
I haven't read anything by this author before, but I love to read stories of how people's lives are touched by God in wonderful ways.

Treasures for Women Who Hope (a compilation of personal stories of well-know Christians), by Alice Gray
Alice is one of my favorites! I've been personally touched by her life (at a ladies retreat many years ago), and I have read many of her books. Most of her books are simply what this one is -- encouragement from the lives of others' personal life experiences, which is actually one of my most favorite types of reading.

Reading is definitely is one of my most addictive favorite things to do! Once I start a book, I can hardly pull myself away from it until it is finished! I go through "spells" with reading. I'll spend lots of time reading for several weeks, and then take a complete break from it when I realize what an all-consuming hold it has had on my time and attention. It's also like that when I start the project of making a quilt, which is why I don't make very many quilts (have sewn only five quilts in my lifetime--so far).

Speaking of addictive activities that I enjoy, I also enjoy working/playing at the computer, and, of course, blogging is one of my favorite things to do on the computer -- that, plus computer games such as FreeCell and Sudoku. (Yes, I am one of those nuts who got caught up in that new game craze called Sudoku.)

But, speaking of blogging, as I was, sometimes I think I'd like to take a break from blogging. Sometimes I run out of ideas or thoughts for a new post, and think, "Why don't I just give this up?" I've done that before, only to start into it again after I've had a break from it. So, if someday you realize that you haven't seen anything new here for awhile, just figure that I'm in that spot once again, that I just don't feel like continuing with it, or just can't think of anything that is really worth all the time and effort that I put into it, or maybe I've started a new quilt, or maybe I'm spending all of my time with good books to read.

Reading a good book is a very good use of my time! Maybe someday I'll work on giving my answers to that list I mentioned at the beginning of this post . . . nah! It just ain't gonna happen, so don't hold your breath waiting for it!