“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” ― Madeleine L’Engle
Did you read anything good this year?
For me, this year was full of good stories. Many people create lists of books they intend to read throughout the year, but I’ve found that no matter what, my list never quite gets finished. Many books get replaced, new releases often jump on the list, etc. so instead I have a different system. I say system– It’s essentially organized chaos with tall piles and wonky stacks all over the house, but it works. It’s basically the Hogwart’s Room of Requirement around here, but we book-lovers manage.
Here’s a little peek into my crazy system–
The nightstand pile. 1-4 books. Usually one fiction, one non-fiction and one devotional. These are my most current reads and the ones I grab to stick in my bag. Except now I also keep 1-2 on my phone with this.
My to-read next shelf on our big wall of books in the living room. These are my “next reads.”
My next-next reads. This shelf is cleaned out periodically, and usually filters onto my ‘next’ shelf.
The reader’s guilt shelf. (I know.) These books are ones I probably won’t get to any time soon; I keep meaning to begin them but never do. They are there to remind me that I have really no business watching television. Unless it’s Masterpiece which broadens my mind and my anglophilia. (Currently: Sherlock but I can’t talk about it because traumatic things just happened.)
All in all, it was a fantastic reading year. I set out to read 24 books and I only read about 20– but I’m perfectly happy with that many pages. Seeing as several of them were quite huge, I’m looking straight at you, Harry Potter, and it’s really about what we gained from the books and not how many there were after all.
If you’re curious– here they are. And in the comments, I’d love to hear some of your favorite reads this year. If you really recommend them, they might even skip over the next-next reads shelf!
2016 Good Reads
The Hobbit. J.R. Tolkien (A re-read but fun all the same.)
The Lake House. Kate Morton
Delicious. Ruth Reichl
The Bronte Plot. Katherine Reay
What Alice Forgot. Liane Moriarty
Harry Potter Books 1-7. J.K. Rowling (Re-read, but so fun to do them all in a line. Definitely utilized this to get all these pages read.)
Writing Down the Bones. Natalie Goldberg
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. Austin Kleon
Roots & Sky: A Journey Home in Four Seasons. Christie Purifoy
Curious Faith: Rediscovering Hope in the God of Possibility. Logan Wolfram
The Hiding Place. Corrie Ten Boom
A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens
Harry Potter & the Cursed Child. J.K. Rowling and Jack Thorne
The Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Andrew Peterson (Yes that Andrew Peterson. This one was clever and captivating. I cannot wait to read the next in the series.)
Favorite Family Read-Alouds of 2016:
The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter
Little Author in the Big Woods: A Biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Yona Z. McDonough
Still in Process:
A Portrait of Emily Price. Katherine Reay
Your Turn! I’d love to hear what pages you wandered through this year. We may get a little snow this weekend (our first bit this year!) so I’m already planning my snow day pages. Hooray for Cozy!