My First Love

I wrote a post ages ago about my first childhood memory. It was a warm spring day in Omaha, Nebraska and I'm sitting on a small version of those old lawn chairs - the ones with the plastic woven straps that stick to your sweaty flesh and leave patterns on the backs of your legs. My mom and my aunt are in their bathing suits and we're on a roof-top patio of an apartment building soaking up the rays of sunshine before we knew it was bad for us. My aunt and mom have big Jacki-O type glasses perched on their noses and one of them (I can't remember which) is wearing a sun hat. Each woman has her own harlequin romance novel and I sit with my stack of Golden books by my chair - not able to really read yet, but carefully turning the pages and absorbing the stories through the colorful pictures of bears, bunnies, puppies and fairytale characters. It was the beginning of my love affair with the written word . . .

Lately, all I have really wanted to do in life is retreat to that quiet spot that only a good book can provide. The drive of my heart and spirit is leading me to stare longingly at bookshelves of books - in my home, in the stores, at the library and wish for more time to read. I'm on book #2 for 2008 and I just feel like time is going much too quickly for all the things I want to get read this year. I promised you my 2007 list but have been struggling to tear myself away from the current book to post but someone called me on my promise (thanks Michelle!) so here's some that I can remember.

The first book and the last book I read in 2007 were actually by the same author. I didn't plan it that way, but it was kind of fun to bookend the year with someone I really respect as an author. I started the year with "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. An awesome memoir of a difficult and joyful time in her life. I loved it (mostly) but must admit, some of the meditation sequences made me a bit uncomfortable. I consider myself a pretty open person but sometimes those passages made me wonder if other spirits were involved in some of those experiences and being called "God". I appreciated her honest, raw voice and hearing about her cross-cultural experiences with so many different kinds of people. It was certainly confirmation in my eyes that God uses others to minister to the needs and hurts in our lives and bring us closer to Him. I ended the year by picking up Gilbert's collection of short stories called "Pilgrims" at lunch one day and really enjoyed those. I'd give both books two thumbs up.

Another of my favorites of 2007 was "The Twentieth Wife" by Indu Sundaresan. But unfortunately, I tried another by this same author later in the year and put it down after about 50 pages. I usually give a book that long and if it hasn't grabbed me by then, I will often put it down for other options. I figure there's way too much out there to read anyway.

2007 was supposed to be the year I abstained from buying books. My resolution was not to spend any money on books but to read the ones I already had. That lasted until about February - President's weekend to be exact. At our women's retreat I was the lucky winner of a big discount at the conference center's bookstore. Enter, "The Women of the Ark" a fictionalized account of Noah's wife by Jean Holmes. Very interesting and an inspiring book of faith. If you've seen "Evan Almighty" this year, you can just get a small glimpse of what Noah's wife must have had to put up with as she watched her husband take on this task from God.

I could go on and on with descriptions, but to keep this short and sweet - here's the rest of the list (what I can remember) with some quick endorsements.

"Epic" by John Eldredge - A great inspiration for writers about the Larger Story being written by a loving God. Short devotional book - great to keep in your purse or in the car.

"Plan B - Further Thoughts on Faith" by Anne Lamott - Great book but "Bird by Bird" is still my favorite.

"The Whole World Over" by Julia Glass - Somewhat of a disappointment (LOVED her first book "The Three Junes") but still a good story and kept me hooked and reading for hours at a time.

"Transformation - How Glocal Churches Transform Lives & the World" by Bob Roberts, Jr. A book I read for work, but has inspired me personally in my efforts to make sure that my church is a "colorful" one where people of all ethnic traditions and backgrounds feel like they are an EQUAL and necessary part of God's family.

"1000 Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini - A second novel as good as, if not better than his first ("The Kite Runner"). Read it now. Really. Now. It will make you amazingly grateful no matter what crappy situation you are facing in life.

"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen - One of my favorites of the year! Outstanding research and character development. I re-read the introduction three times - it was so riveting! (I love books that start strong!)

"Read the Bible for a Change" by Ray Lubeck - Awesome help for understanding the Bible and how to read it.

"The Rest of God" by Mark Buchanan - An awesome book about the need for Sabbath. Very practical and full of good insight and wisdom about the concept of rest and its importance. Read this after I just about killed myself with work, family and other obligations this past fall. Loved Buchanan's writing style and I'm hoping to read more of is work in 2008.

And how could I forget this magical book? One of the best I read all year! Others agree - nominated as an ALA Best Books for Young Adults! Congrats Laini! Now get back to work on Silksinger!

That's my meager list, I wish it was twice as much - but there's always room for more. Of course this list doesn't include the many books that I started or bought in 2007 but haven't made their way into the "finished" category. Sadly, there's lots of those. Right now I'm following Laini's prompting and reading a YA book I bought for my daughter that I'm LOVING! (The "Book Thief" by Markus Zusak - awesome!) and J. and I are going to read "The Spiderwick Chronicles" as soon as he finishes his current book.

Here's to happy reading for all of us bookworms in 2008!