2016 READING CHALLENGE // PART 1

 

Welcome to the first annual June November 2016 Reading Challenge! As I mentioned in my B+ Goals for January, reading is an important part of my well being. It's one of the things that truly brings me enjoyment. And while I have always taken time to read, I'm feeling a little stale. I reread a lot (I may know Anne of Green Gables by heart), but I need to branch out and read more new books. I also want to add more non fiction to my reading list this year and really try to enjoy it.

 

I'm setting up a reading challenge for myself by choosing a theme for each month of this year, here are the first six themes:

 

-A book to inspire me

-A book given to me by someone else

-A book about finances

-A book I've been wanting to read but haven't

-A book that I've started but haven't finished

-A book that's a classic

 

And here are my choices:

 

 

To Inspire: Better Than Before, Gretchen Rubin

This book about habits is, so far, amazing. I loved the The Happiness Project and this follow up book by Rubin isn't disappointing. It feels like a real game changer.

 

Given To Me: Circling the Sun, Paula McLain

My husband gave this to me for Christmas and I can't wait to read it. I loved The Paris Wife (also by McLain) and am looking forward to this story. Plus, Downton Abbey is getting ready to end this season (NOOOOOO!) and I'll need a 1920's lifestyle story to replace it.

 

Finances: Smart Money Smart Kids, Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze

The husband and I have taken Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace course and it was a big eye opener. We've followed his practices since. I've been eyeing this book written by him and his daughter for some time and am looking forward to reading it and applying the lessons to our kids in money management.

 

Wanting but Haven't: Brooklyn, Colm Toibin

I want to read this before I see the movie, which looks lovely.

 

Haven't Finished: Masterminds and Wingmen, Rosalind Wiseman

I've mentioned before that I've been reading this on and off. Well, I've been reading it on and off for over year :/. Time to buckle down and finish it!

 

A Classic: Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

Confession: I've never read any Dickens (except A Christmas Carol). It's time!

 

I'd love for you to join me in the 2016 Reading Challenge! I'll be posting updates throughout the year and would love to see what you're reading too.

 

READING LIST

Currently on my Night Stand:

Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery. The Anne books are always what I pick up to read in between books. I've read the entire series multiple times. I love these stories and can't wait to pass them down to my children. I sort of try to live by the mantra "What Would Anne Shirley Do?"

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo. I read this book this past spring and was completely inspired by it. I've already done the clothes part of the book (we ended up with about 20 bags of clothes between the four of us!) and plan on going through the rest other steps this winter and spring. I don't thank my shoes everyday, but the idea of only having things that "spark joy" is amazing.

Dorthea Lang, A Life Beyond Limits, Linda Gordon. I've admired Dorthea Lang since I was a teenager and am excited to get into this biography of her. I read the introduction and I'm saving it for holiday reading!

Masterminds and Wingmen, Rosalind Wiseman. This book is written by the same author of Queen Bees and WannaBes. It talks about how boys think, the struggles they are facing, and how we can help them through it. I've been continually reading this along with whatever else I'm reading (I read more then one book at a time.) and love the ideas it presents about rising a son.

What are you reading?

READING LIST: CALL THE MIDWIFE

 

 

Have you heard of Call the Midwife? It's a television show on PBS about midwives in postwar London in the East End. It's a fascinating show with a great cast. It is inspired by the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, which are even more fascinating then the television show.

 

Jennifer Worth (formally Lee) was a nurse and midwife in the 1950's who went to work in London's East End after the war with a small Anglican nunnery. She herself was not part of the religious order, but worked and lived at the convent with both the nuns and other young nurse/midwives like herself. There she recorded not just the work she was doing on a day to day basis, but the history of midwifery, medical care, and the people of the East End in England.

 

This trilogy is honest and beautifully written, and shows not only the great work these women were doing but the hardships that the people were facing. It is detailed and unsentimental (the television show can get a bit sentimental), and shows the deep honor these women took in providing the medical care that people so desperately needed.

 

From the dark alleys of prostitution, to the notorious work houses, to the family that gladly anticipates their 25th child, these books are simply wonderful.