I completed 90 books in 2019. If that’s a staggering number to you, I recommend you take my free 5-day challenge to read more books!
While I didn’t hit my goal of 100 books in 2019 (and didn’t match the 103 I read in 2018), I’m content with that number.
We had a lot of life happen in 2019 with homeschooling, foster care, pregnancy loss, and -ahem- video games. 90/100 is still an A in my book.
These books were all new to me in 2019. If I included rereads, this would’ve been more like top 30!
The beginning of this year was a roller coaster for me. Extreme highs contrasted with extreme lows.
One day I was on top of the world.
My business was keeping me busy. We had a packed social calendar. And after years of infertility, we were pregnant again!
Then we suffered a miscarriage and lost the twins.
Grief sapped my energy. Depression steals your personality. I was trapped in my thoughts, unable to focus on the hobby I once loved.
I had to find a foothold and grapple my way up Depression Mountain, through the Vale of Tears, and get back to myself.
The journey has changed me in countless ways. But I’m so glad to have reading back. Here are 7 ways to shake the cobwebs and jump back into reading.
Do you read more than one book at a time? I like to keep a mix of serious and lighthearted, so there’s always something to fit my mood. My husband prefers to focus on one book at a time, so he can see how much progress he’s making. There’s no right way to read.
Our days are short. Don’t waste your time, attention, and emotional energy on a book you don’t like.
With libraries, indie bookstores, Amazon prime, and the rise of self-published eBooks, we have never been more spoiled for choice. If a book isn’t meeting your needs, you can get the same or better content from another title. Never feel guilty for passing on a book.
Welcome to Quick Lit! Here are short reviews of the books I read over the past 30 days. Only 7 finished books this month, and two were quite short. But I’m so excited about one book, I had to immediately start a Facebook book club to share it with others.
May is the month of Mary, and Mother’s day is right around the corner. Now is the perfect time to start a book on the Blessed Mother. Here are 7 excellent reads about Mary. Check out the other Seven Quick Takes on This Ain’t The Lyceum.
Do you scramble every morning to get out the door? Do you feel like you start each day 10 steps behind? There’s just not enough time in the morning to get every last thing done. The key to smooth and easy days, is starting the night before. Here are 17 simple ways to make life easier for tomorrow.
We finally started ABA, and it has been wonderful! My dear almost-3-year-old man separates easily, engages with his super-fun therapist, and has learned so much already. His goals are mostly language, attentiveness, and self-regulation. Yesterday we did a whole puzzle together, and then he helped me clean up his room (without being asked!) That never happened before!
My reading goals in 2017 focus on spiritual formation. Some for my child, some for me. You’ll notice there is a considerable overlap. Chiefly because motherhood, my vocation, is itself a spiritual formation. Let’s get started!