books on a rainy afternoon

It's a good thing today is one of those wet, misty, cloudy days when Vancouver decides to remind its dwellers that she is a temperate rain forest. Rainy days are reading days in our apartment, and I've got a stack of new books to read. Nonfiction, New York Times bestsellers, theological musings, biographies.

The books on my Summer 2011 reading list include ~

1. Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates

(started reading but had to return to the library; will continue reading later this summer. I was so sad to have to give it back, it was soooooo well written!)

2. The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

(currently reading, will probably finish this evening)

3. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

4. Room by Emma Donoghue

5. Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin

6. The Secret Life of Dresses by Erin McKean

7. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

8. When God Goes To Starbucks by Paul Copan

9. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

10. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Have you read any of the books on my summer list? Any other titles you recommend I add?

xox

a home for my books

I've been doing a lot of reading lately and now have books scattered everywhere. There are books on my floor, books on my desk, books on our coffee table in the living room. There are books in the kitchen, books in my closet, books in the hallway. (OK, no, there aren't really books in my hallway ... yet) Today, I was looking around at the literary chaos and thought to myself, "Self .. you REALLY need a bookcase."

I've been keeping an eye on Craigslist and have strolled through Winners and the thrift shops in my neighborhood, but I haven't found anything that really catches my eye. Sure, I've found bookcases but they're either not the right color or they're too big and bulky or they're just downright ugly. I want something that looks great in our apartment and matches the rest of the decor. I want something practical, but not boring ... something stylish, but affordable. Something perfect. Turns out perfect is a hard thing to come by, so the search continues.

I'm starting to doubt that I'll ever find the ideal bookcase (at least, not one that falls within my budget) so I decided to google "book storage" for inspiration. And wowza - inspiration overload!

That's pretty much my dream living room right there .. pink sofa, lots of pillows, simple bookshelves on the wall. Love it.

I love the artsy look of books piled on the floor, but when it comes to my own personal space I think I'd prefer to have my books lined up on a proper shelf where I can see the titles clearly and not have to search through things to find the book I'm looking for. Plus, I'm so clumsy I'd probably trip over the books on a daily basis. I do, however, love the idea of having huge art prints in my reading/library area. Note to self: I must get on Etsy later tonight to find some good ones!

Love the idea of having just a few books piled neatly on a little cake stand like this, with a candle or small statue on top. I think this would look super stylish on a bedroom dresser or a coffee table. I might do this with a 2 or 3 of my books. Unfortunately, though, I still need to find storage for about 65 other books! :(

How do you store your books? Do you have them all on a bookcase, or have you found a creative way that works for you? Please share - I'm desperate!!

xo

Photo Credits ~ first photo unknown (sorry!), second and third photos from Apartment Therapy, last photo from The Chic Line (amazing blog, one of my faves!)

book thoughts ...

Not too long ago, I had a friend over at my apartment for the first time. I gave her a quick tour of the apartment and left her to wander about for a few minutes while I prepared some tea. When I came out of the kitchen, I found her standing in my bedroom carefully scanning my bookshelf.

"I have this theory that you can find out a lot about a person by the kind of books they read," she told me without looking up.

"Really?" I asked, intrigued. "So what do my books say about me?"

She pondered this for a moment before answering:

"You're all about food, God and dating."

I had to laugh because her analysis was right on the money. I forgot all about her theory and our conversation until I ventured into the "Teen" section of Chapters yesterday to pick up a Christmas gift. I haven't been in the teen section of a bookstore in years - not because I think of myself as too old to read a book aimed at teenagers, but because my basket tends to be loaded up with novels before I can even step out of the "New Releases" section. The last time I made it to the teen's section, Babysitters' Club books were still bestsellers and Harry Potter was just a character in a novel, not a multi-million dollar franchise.

Needless to say, stepping into the teen section was quite a shock. Not a single Babysitters' Club book in sight ... it was just row after row after row of vampire novels with dark covers and titles written in red font made to look like blood. I grabbed the gift I was searching for and got the heck out of there 'cause, honestly, it creeped me out.

I'm not against vampire novels. I'm really not. I'll admit that I've never read any of the Twilight novels (or any other vampire series) so for all I know they are totally wholesome, uplifting wonderful works of literature. All I'm saying is that there was something sad about seeing the whole the teen section looking so dark and depressing and grotesque.

To cheer myself up, I picked up this book on my way out of Chapters ....

The Christmas Chronicles (aka the Autobiography of Santa Claus). The book begins like this: "You're right to believe in me. Oh I know it's hard sometimes. There are always people eager to tell you there isn't a Santa Claus, that I'm just a story made up long ago ..." I read that and was hooked, so this will be the book I read on the airplane next week.

Anybody else doing any reading over the holidays? And what are your thoughts on the whole "you are what you read" theory?

-xox-

Book Report :)

Remember how I said one of the things I wanted to do during my 24th year was read 24 books? Well, one down and just 23 more to go! Today was cold and rainy here in Vancouver, so I opted to say home and ended up finishing Donald Miller's book, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life.

My friend Jen brought me this book back in April when I was sick and ordered to go on a bed rest for a few days. It took me awhile to finish it (April and May have been pretty busy months for me) but I can honestly say it's one of the best books I've read in ages. If you're looking for an great read this summer that will challenge the way you look at life, then this is the book for you!

Donald Miller wrote the memoir Blue Like Jazz a few years ago, and it quickly became a New York Times Bestseller. The book was such a success, producers decided to turn it into a movie and contacted Miller to help them come up with a screenplay. A Million Miles In A Thousand Years is all about what Miller learns (about life, humanity and himself) as they "edit" his life to create a good screenplay for the movie. The book is written in a conversational style and is full of really wise insights and touching true anecdotes ... but essentially, the point Miller is trying to make is that life is one big story and it's up to us to make sure we're writing a good one. He doesn't tell you how to make your story a good one and he doesn't provide step-by-step directions for finding fulfillment in life ... but he does challenge readers to embrace the unknown, take chances and invest extra time & energy into creating lasting memories. It's an awesome read & I highly recommend you pick it up at your local library if you get a chance. The first few chapters are a little slow, but I promise it gets really really good as it progresses.

Next on my reading list ... 1984 by George Orwell (the author who wrote Animal Farm). My roomie Katie lent me this book and it doesn't really seem like my kind of story but she loved it so I'm gonna give it a go. I also lucked out and found The Time Traveler's Wife at a used bookstore for $10 so I'll be reading that this summer, too. And I've got two books on pre-order with Amazon ... Decision Points by George W. Bush and Cuba: A History by Sergio Guerra-Vilaboy ... strange combo, I know. Hopefully there will be lots of reading going on over the next few weeks!

So, tell me ... what book(s) are on your reading list this summer?

xox

hello, November.

Wow. It's hard to believe that November is actually here. Only one full month of university left. With graduation on the horizon, I've been spending a lot of time thinking (daydreaming) about the simple things I'll have time to do once my everyday life is no longer consumed with homework assignments and exams to study for.

One of the things I'm most looking forward to is having time to read. I used to read all the time and would average two or three books a month, but then I went to university where I was bombarded with hundreds of pages of "required readings" each week. It was hard enough trying to stay on top of my class readings, so reading novels and other books for my own pleasure became something I did on spring break, Christmas break and summer vacation.

I've been busy making lists of books I need to get my hands on so that I can read up a storm in January! I know, I know. I'm a nerd.
So far, my lists include ~

For Fun -
1. Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
2. White Oleander by Janet Fitch

For Personal Growth -
1. The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
... started reading it awhile ago & must finish
2. Mere Christianity by CS Lewis
3. When God Goes to Starbucks by Paul Copan
4. God's Politics by Jim Wallis
5. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
6. City of God by Augustine

Because They're Classics -
1. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. Beloved by Toni Morrison
4. All The King's Men by Robert Penn Warren

.... As you can I see, I need a little help coming up with books to read "for fun". Any suggestions?

full of grace ♥

I just finished reading a book called "Mistaken Identity" about the two women pictured above, Laura VanRyn and Whitney Cerak. My sister got the book for Christmas, but I borrowed it last night and couldn't put it down. Laura and Whitney were involved in a car crash on their way home from a school banquet. Authorities contacted the VanRyn family and told them that Laura had survived but was in critical condition ... they told the Cerak family that Whitney had been instantly killed. For months, the VanRyn family stayed by Laura's side in the hospital, caring for her and nurturing her. As she began to regain her strength, the family noticed that something wasn't right. One day, during a physio-therapy session, the therapist asked Laura to write her name. She wrote: WHITNEY.

This true story is absolutely incredible. The families of both women are such strong, devoted Christians and the book outlines how their faith and their belief in the goodness of God is what got them through such a horrible ordeal. I put the book down and was filled with so much admiration for both the VanRyn and the Cerak families, they are such an inspiration to me.

There were two parts in the book that really touched me. The first was when Whitney's sister, Carly, is told that her sister was instantly killed in the crash. Her immediate reaction is to tell her friends: "God is still good. He is still good. This doesn't change that at all." The second was when Lisa, Laura's sister, discovers that the girl she thought was Laura is actually Whitney. She kneels down next to Whitney's wheelchair and whispers: "you're doing great Whitney, you're doing great." I was deeply moved by the genuine grace these two sisters had in the midst of all their sorrow. We could all learn a lot from them.

If you have a chance to read the book I really recommend it ... it is a powerful story of hope and faith, and it will move you.

xox