52 BOOKS :: SLOW START

So one of my goals for the year was to try and read 52 books. Again. I set this goal every year and always fall a little bit short. I think my problem is that I tend to start several books at once and I probably need to read straight through one book at a time. I have a really hard time starting a book and not finishing it though, so that lends to the problem.

This year....I have only read FOUR books. Not good. So much stuff went on at the beginning of the year. And then we moved. I have about 10 books on my nightstand. And I'd love to finish all of them. But, now we have Netflix in the bedroom (something we never had before)...and the call of FRIENDS or The Office is too much at night.

But I did want to share the first 4 books. Hopefully, I can share another 4 later this month. There are so many new summer books about by my favorite authors!!

Anyway, here are the firsts for 2016.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Okay...so I have seen a lot of people feature this book on Instagram, but I always put it off because the title seems a little hokey. With good reason....the book is definitely a bit silly. Don't get me wrong, there are some valuable insights in this book. I especially liked her approach to getting rid of things. We were in the process of packing/moving while I was reading this, so I was confronted with how much of a pack-rat I am. We move every couple of years, so I always thought that was a good way of weeding through what I really want. But, y'all, I have boxes of cards. Birthday cards, Christmas cards, thank you cards. It's kind of crazy. I just have always had a bit of a sentimental touch...but seriously, nobody needs to keep thank you cards from 10 years ago, right? So I liked her attitude towards appreciating things for the service they provided (even if it is just the joy of opening the card) and then getting rid of them. While most of my stuff is in storage right now, I'm actually pretty excited to put to use her method of going through everything and sorting what it is that brings joy vs. things to part with once we get to our new place.

The Shunning by Beverly Lewis. I've gotten on a bit of an Amish kick in the last year or so. Beverly Lewis is definitely my favorite Amish writer, but I'd never read this series. I enjoyed it. I actually read a more recent book that revisited some of the main characters in this book. So that was a little frustrating. I believe there are two more in this series...they are on my to-read list. If you like Amish books, and somehow haven't read this one...do it!

Big Fat Disaster by Beth Fehlbaum. This is a young adult book about a girl who struggles with her weight and her place in her "perfect" family. I'm going to be honest and say I didn't love this book. I didn't like any of the characters and it just wasn't relate-able or believable.

For the Love by Jen Hatmaker. LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. I seriously laughed out loud several times throughout the book. Just such a good read.

What are y'all reading?