My Current Reading List...

I was in a bit of a reading frenzy a month or so ago, but as my life swirls rapidly down the rabbit hole that is directing two Christmas programs simultaneously, I've sort of fallen off the cart. But when I took my sixth grade English class to the library on Wednesday, I couldn't resist (between running between the adult and juvenile sections looking for books on Francis Scott Key and the Boston Tea Party) finding a few new titles for myself. These, along with a few new (recent) downloads, have me set for the next few weeks at least. (Also, Janssen's post from earlier today kickstarted me into writing this so thanks, J.)

1. Start by Jon Acuff- I started following Jon on Twitter a few months ago after seeing lots of his (hilarious) tweets retweeted by friends. Since then I've become a huge fan of his blogs, Stuff Christians Like and Jon Acuff, and have been fascinated by his proactive approach to achieving your goals in life (among many other topics.) Anyway, I finally downloaded Start and I feel like I've highlighted half the book. There is so much good stuff and it really makes all my excuses about why I'm not doing more of what I love seem really lame. It's the kind of book you really have to internalize and apply in small bites just because there's so much good stuff that needs to sink in, but I'm loving it.

2. Hometown Legend by Jerry B. Jenkins- I grabbed this one in a hurry at the library this week. Jerry Jenkins and a sports book? That's all I really needed to know. I love anything by him, and of the myriad of topics he has covered in fiction, his passion for sports always shines through to me.

3. The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis- have you heard of this? I had, in some distant corner of my brain, but it wasn't until this past week in my tenth grade class (where we read a portion of it) that I was blown away by the substance of what he has to say. It's not easy reading (having been written around 1418) but it's really great stuff. I just recommend reading it in small portions and thinking them over (much the way I read C.S. Lewis.) This quote is one of my favorites so far: ""If you would understand Christ's words fully and taste them truly, you must strive to form your whole life after His pattern." Woah! Great stuff, and I'm sure I'll be posting more about these little nuggets as I come across them.

4. A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary- a memoir by the woman who is only my number one favorite children's author in the world? Sold. I can't wait to start this one!

5. Quitter by Jon Acuff- apparently I'm just a Jon Acuff groupie but the subtitle of this book really resonates with me- "Closing the gap between your day job and your dream job"- wow! I love that it's not a throw-caution-to-the-wind kind of chasing your dreams book but instead teaches how to go about it in a smart, deliberate way. I'm very excited about it, and, like Start, I know I'll be taking lots of notes and obnoxiously reading portions aloud to Jonathan. 

So, that's what's on my book list right now. I'm not very good at reading multiple books at the same time, and since several of these are a little heavier/thought-provoking I may break from them and switch to fiction just for a break, but overall I'm very pleased to be thinking and learning and even dreaming a little. =)

What are you reading right now?


Ash