It’s Monday! What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What are you reading? Is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journey and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. Kellee and Rikki at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts gave the meme a kidlit twist. It’s a great way to reflect on what you’ve read and reviewed the last week and plan what you want to read next. Join up with us and discover what good books other people are reading.

IMWAYR 2015

We are in the midst of a garden-palooza at our house. We have zucchini and squash and cucumbers and melons piled everywhere. I’ve been baking zucchini bread, freezing squash and corn, and making pickles. It’s too bad the tomatoes are a bust this year, but I did scrounge up enough to make some peach salsa for us to enjoy this week. As you can see, I’ve found a new source of entertainment this week, too. The hens love time outside their run to chase bugs and eat grass. The neighbor’s dog (an adorable young’un named Sandy) also loves to watch the chickens, so I go and sit with them with Sandy on a leash. I think I may have found a new kind of chick lit!

chick lit

I finished…

Nothing! That’s what happens when I read too many books at once. And I’m learning to enjoy and savor the books I’m reading rather than always rushing headlong through the pages to get to the end. There are still some books I rush through to find out what happens, but the books I’m reading recently have been those that invite me to ponder. I spend time with the book in my lap, staring off into the distance as I absorb the words and thoughts.

I’m currently reading…

Walden by Henry Thoreau – I finished the first chapter on economy. I’m not sure I could live as simply as Thoreau did, but I do find myself thinking about what things cost in terms of the time it takes me to earn the money as well as the price. I can relate to Thoreau’s desire to have more time to pursue his own interests rather than someone else’s (as he would at a job). I think what strikes me the most from this chapter is that Thoreau doesn’t insist that everyone live as he does. Instead he advises each person to discover and follow their own path.

Mercy and Melons: Praying the Alphabet by Lisa Nichols Hickman – This week brought reflections on Origami and Overcome, Prayer and the Phosphorescent Bay, Questions and Queen Anne’s Lace, Rainbows and Resurrection, and Soap and Sanctification. My favorite quote came from the reflection on P: “Maybe prayer is most like this. We jump into the swamp at midnight with the hope of meeting an energy greater than our own. We are lost in the dark, but we leap with faith. And there we are met with light beyond our imaginations. We are met with a grace that we draw around our shoulders as a garment for our grief, a cloak to console, a comforter that holds us together. As we move, tentative at first, we suddenly see that we are swimming in the stars. We are cloaked in a surprising light. Our prayers aren’t lost in the deep, but lifted into an odd but beautiful luminosity.

Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman –  The three chapters I’m reading for this week focus the state of our souls. I love the invitation to more laughter and less shame. One of the hardest lessons for me is being willing to live without clear answers or direction, but to trust anyway. I love exploring the questions raised by literature, but when it comes to my life I want to know if I’m on the right track before I get started. The past few years have been an exercise in living without knowing where I’m headed, and I’m just getting comfortable with it. I also am intrigued by the question she poses: With whom in the Bible does your soul most closely relate today?

A Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult – The more I reread, the more I remember as I work my way through this book. Having read it before (and remembering mostly how it turns out) is allowing me to ponder more of the questions raised as I read it this time through. When, if ever, is the death penalty justified? Could I forgive someone who murdered those I loved most? How do different people see and respond to the same events? I should be able to finish this story this week.

Coming up…

Hmmm…I think I want to finish a few of the books I’m still reading. Then it’s time to head to the library to see what else I find.

What have you been reading this week?

Disclosure: I participate in the Amazon Associates Program. If you decide to make a purchase by clicking on the affiliate links, including in the linked picture above. Amazon will pay me a commission. This commission doesn’t cost you any extra. All opinions are my own.

14 Comments on It’s Monday! What are you reading?

  1. Myra from GatheringBooks
    August 11, 2016 at 7:40 am (8 years ago)

    Hello hello! I remember you mentioning What Have You Lost by Naomi Shihab Nye months ago – I got that book through Book Depository and read it while I was overseas. It was a huge comfort to me while traveling. 🙂

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      August 11, 2016 at 1:57 pm (8 years ago)

      I’m glad you found and enjoyed the poetry collection! It has some fabulous poems.

      Reply
  2. Cheriee Weichel
    August 10, 2016 at 11:23 pm (8 years ago)

    I’m in the middle of dealing with boxes of peaches we brought back from the Okanagan a couple of days ago. Canning, salsa, can’t decide about jam. Our zucchini is a bust, but we have tomatoes coming on like candy. I think I will add Waldon to my list of books to read now that I am retired and thinking of simplifying our life.

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      August 11, 2016 at 1:55 pm (8 years ago)

      Too bad we’re not close enough to trade zucchini and tomatoes. Enjoy your peaches. I’m excited to have our jam through the winter. For me, the inspiration to revisit Walden comes from the changes we’ve gone through–my leaving teaching to work at home, our daughter leaving for college next week.

      Reply
  3. Crystal
    August 9, 2016 at 5:09 pm (8 years ago)

    I like this kind of chick lit. 🙂

    When I was growing up I only ever read one book at a time, but have found myself reading 5 or more sometimes. It’s a fun way to read. Have a great week.

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      August 11, 2016 at 1:53 pm (8 years ago)

      I’ve always read more than one book, but now find myself focusing on one at a time more often.

      Reply
  4. Kellee from Unleashing Readers (@kelleemoye)
    August 8, 2016 at 10:05 pm (8 years ago)

    Love the photo! 🙂 And I’m jealous of all of the gardening! 🙂

    Happy reading (and savoring) this week!

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      August 11, 2016 at 1:52 pm (8 years ago)

      Thank! I’d be glad to share our garden abundance if you’re ever close by! Right now we’re in the season where people hate to see us come!

      Reply
  5. Ricki Ginsberg
    August 8, 2016 at 7:08 pm (8 years ago)

    I love that you are reading Walden. It makes me so happy because that book is so inspirational to me.

    I laughed out loud about the chick lit. You’re too funny!

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      August 8, 2016 at 8:53 pm (8 years ago)

      Or as my daughter says, slightly crazy. I’m enjoying Walden even more this time. It’s one of those books I should revisit every so often because my understanding shifts as I have lived more.

      Reply
  6. Jane
    August 8, 2016 at 2:25 pm (8 years ago)

    I haven’t thought about zucchini bread in years, my mum used to bake it quite often when I was growing up – maybe I should try my hand at baking again! You’ve got me inspired! 🙂

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      August 8, 2016 at 8:51 pm (8 years ago)

      I love zucchini bread. I freeze many loaves (and eat plenty, too) in the summer and enjoy it all winter long. We’ve been experimenting with recipes this year to lower the sugar so my daughter can enjoy them on her new diet.

      Reply
  7. Julieanne
    August 8, 2016 at 11:12 am (8 years ago)

    I love the way you are processing multiple reads. Sometimes I do that just because my interests shift. Perhaps that is a way to see how things interconnect.

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      August 8, 2016 at 8:50 pm (8 years ago)

      The books I’ve been reading together have been very serendipitous in how the interconnect with each other.

      Reply

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