I love to read-- always have. I lost the drive to read for leisure during my pursuit of my Master's Degree but it was so freeing to get into a pattern of reading again. Whenever I feel super stressed about upcoming lesson plans, I drop off of the reading vigor for a while because I feel as though I need to spend that free time learning more about my subject material than to read a fictional story. Once I gain confidence in my teaching topics though, it's back to the leisure books!
I've had a few bouts of reading success lately and was so eager for Spring Break and all of the reading time that I actually obtained and finished two books before Spring Break even began. Therefore, towards the end of Spring Break, I was yearning again for something to read so I borrowed a book from my dad's vast collection and I'm working my way through that one now.
One of the books I read prior to Spring Break was In Bloom by Kayla Aimee. I found this book on super sale at lifeway.com and grabbed it while I was searching for a few more Bible story books for my kids. The subtitle intrigued me: "Trading Restless Insecurity for Abiding Confidence." Insecurity is something most women struggle with. Then when we add in different layers of life such as being a wife, mother, colleague, friend, etc. the insecurity can ripple outward and become overwhelming. Women are faced with criticism on several accounts and these judgments can make us question what we know to be truths: that we're loved by God and that we're beautiful, and that we're called to the purposes that we're in. It's not our job to shame anyone else. We don't become "less than" when someone else experiences success. We can truly experience joy with one another, and we can rest assured in what God thinks of us (and that His views of us are all that really matter). I love reading books that speak these truths to women, and Kayla Aimee wrote with such honesty that I felt like we had been friends for years. Her storytelling is captivating and the book was an easy read. I was able to devote little pockets of time during the week leading up to Spring Break and finished this book before we set out on our little overnight trip.
The other book I read during the first weekend of Spring Break was a library book and a new release. The Wife Upstairs is written by Rachel Hawkins who lives in Auburn! I read a description of the book on Erika's blog and when I got to the part about the book being set in Birmingham, I was hooked. I don't live in Birmingham, but I know of it and travel through it and I love when books are set down here in the South. Rachel Hawkins took a classic (Jane Eyre-- one of my favorites from high school) and re-imagined it in modern times and set it in the hills of Birmingham's elite. It followed the Jane Eyre story pretty closely, which made me want to race back to the library and check out the original and see if I understood any new parts that were over my head in high school. The Wife Upstairs is a suspense book, but not intensely so. This book was so well written that it hooked me from page one and I finished it in six hours. Granted, I was able to devote time to reading it on a Saturday when I had extra time. (Side note: there's a lot of language in this one, so read at will.)
After finishing off these two books, I was hungry for something else to read. I do go back to books that I already own and re-read several things, so I've been working my way back through Crazy Rich Asians over the last couple of months when I can't make it to the library as often as I'll be able to during the summer. However, I saw a book at my parents' house when we were over there for Easter dinner and I grabbed it and have been reading it in pockets of time over the last week. I anticipate it'll take me a while to get through it since I'm currently only on chapter three.
The book is Think by John Piper. It centers around the idea that thinking and feeling go hand in hand, especially when it comes to God's word and how Christians are supposed to view the world around us. It's incredibly interesting, but written very intensely and provokes a lot of thought while reading. The chapters don't even really seem to be that long, but I'm not making swift progress and that's okay with me. I look forward to continuing it and to applying what I learn.
Our fourth quarter of school started last week on Thursday, and I'm looking forward the longer days of summer! Let me know if you read any of these books!
Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba
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