Books

In January, I usually do a post of what books I have read the previous year. This year, it's a little different. I did read this last year, but, almost entirely, I re-read books I had already read. I'm not sure why. It wasn't a conscious choice, I think I just wanted the familiarity of good book friends that I knew and loved. I re-read the entire Harry Potter series, the Anne of Green Gables series, Pride and Prejudice, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The only new book I read was The Blue Castle, by L.M. Montgomery, which hardly even counts because it's by the same author as Anne of Green Gables. It was a great read though, once you get past the horrible Harlequin-romance looking cover.

My book list for this upcoming year will look a little strange too, because I've already made a decision about what kinds of books I will read this year. Backstory: Ever since becoming a mom of two, and especially since being called into the Primary and then Nursery in church, I feel like I've been going through a bit of a spiritual-learning drought. At church, I spend sacrament meeting trying to keep my kids entertained and quiet, and I spend the rest of the block in the nursery, keeping other peoples' kids entertained so their parents can attend classes (I don't dislike my calling, but I will call it how it is). At home, I spend the days caring for my children. When I do get spare minutes during the day to myself, it's very chopped up time - a minute here, 5 minutes there. Not exactly enough time to immerse myself in study and reflection. And when the kids go to bed, I either finish up chores, like ironing or dishes, and/or just plunk myself down on the couch and watch a show. If I do read, it's usually something I can pick up easily and just digest a little bit at a time (hence, probably, the re-reading of the last year). I read my scriptures every day, but, if I'm being honest, it's more often than not a cursory quick reading so I can mentally check it off my to-do list. And that has bothered me for some time. So, I'm making a change, and reading is it.

This year, I will only read church-related books. I have read "churchy" books before, but let's be honest here - church books are hard to get into and sustain interest in sometimes. The problem I usually have is that I have a hard time picking them up in the first place. But once I do, I find myself wondering what took me so long and loving reading them. Reading nothing but this type of book will solve that problem, since it's the only thing I'm allowing myself to pick up in the first place. The other thing I hope this goal will accomplish is to help me study my scriptures better, by the simple reasoning that if my mind is on spiritual things, it will be easier to apply that frame of mind to my scripture reading.

Oh, and I'm not writing this as a way of saying that this is something everyone needs to do, or to get pats on the back. I just hope that by putting this in writing, it will help me to stick to it. I'll let you know how I fared next January. And if you're interested in seeing what I'm reading and what I thought about it, you can follow me on Goodreads. I just finished President Monson's biography, which was excellent, and I'm hungry for more. :)