Posted on by Angela

My “To Be Read” List

I am a list maker. I can’t help it. I think in lists. I make a to do list, content list, book list, reading list, a list on lists. I probably should see someone about it, but I would need to make a list first. Oh well, the truth is that to some extent my lists help keep me on track.

This is especially true when it comes to my reading list.  I have a list of books I want to read, my TBR list.

I set up All for One into themes. The theme for August is Back to Basics. So, I wanted to include this theme into my reading. My reading list for August needed to reflect this. I haven’t chosen doctrinal books, but rather classical Christian literature. We are already into mid-August so even I realize I probably will not be able to read all of these before we get to September. But a goal is something to strive toward.

I wanted to share my August list with you. If you are looking for something to read this August, grab one of these classics and dive in.

  • Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
  • The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
  • The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer
  • Crazy Love by Francis Chan
  • The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
  • Miracles by C. S. Lewis
  • Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners by John Bunyan

So, you see the only modern book is by Francis Chan and even it is not that recent. It came out a few years ago. My husband loved the book, and I never read it, so now is a good time to get into it. If you have never read C. S. Lewis apart from the Chronicles of Narnia, his nonfiction reminds me a lot of the writing of the apostle Paul. Very intellectual, very deep, but worth the read. The Screwtape Letters is another of Lewis’s fiction. I have actually read this book, but many years ago and it is time for a new read. I remember reading some of The Pilgrim’s Progress when I was much younger so with this one also it is time for a fresh look. Tozer is a short book that shouldn’t take long to read. So, here they are the August book challenge for me and you if you don’t already have something on your TBR list for August.

I have a much longer list of books I would like to read but let’s not get into that craziness. What about you? What is on your TBR list for this month? Have you selected one or do you just read as the mood hits you?

Be sure to let me know in the comments what you are reading and if you are taking the August challenge or have one of your own. I would love to hear from you.

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Angela

Posted on by Angela · 2 Comments

WHAT I’M READING NOW

When I began All for One, I intended it to house a page for book reviews. If you drop by often, you have no doubt noticed there is one lonely book review. I rediscovered my love for reading and found there were some really good books out there and some really not good books out there. I thought I would give my reviews on them. I set myself a reading goal for each year and started reading. Then this year hit, and my son introduced me to Brandon Sanderson the author of the Stormlight series. These books are not small. I have read the first two books; each book has upward of 1200 pages. So, every other book I have planned to read fell away. I have now taken a break and have about three books going at once.

I read digital and print and enjoy both. There is something about the feel and smell of paper that you don’t get from a Kindle or tablet. I use a tablet and have several reading apps. My favorite reading apps are Kindle and Apple. I have Nook and Google books and some others, and I will use them but don’t enjoy them as much. I really don’t like Google books and use it the least. It just doesn’t seem as user friendly as the others. Maybe it is the user. Plus using digital you can have an almost unlimited number of books at any time so there is space saving advantage. Yet I love walking into bookstores and seeing the stacks of books and breathing in the scent. I am almost immediately at ease. Bookstores are my happy place. Whether I buy a book or not. Of course, I usually buy at least one. After all you can never have too many books, right?

What does your reading list look like? Do you read one book at a time or several at once? I usually have several books going at once. I somehow manage to keep them straight. My husband and son are the opposite. They each read one at a time finish it then move on to the next one. I drive my husband crazy because I might have a stack of books close by. My son is in his twenties and is discovering reading for pleasure after school and college. So, for him one at a time is good. Plus, he is reading Sanderson.

Right now, I have three going. I am reading Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis, The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, and Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson (much shorter than the Stormlight series). I look at my list and realize there is not a mystery among them. Mystery is my favorite genre. I try to balance my reading with some nonfiction which is why there is C.S. Lewis. I also will cross genres, I don’t want to miss any good books, Atwood’s dystopian, and Sanderson’s fantasy. So, I imagine after these I will be ready for a good whodunit.

What are you reading now? Are you like my family and read one book at a time? Or are you like me and have several going at once? I believe there is no wrong way to read if you read. There are a lot of books out there. Pick one, or two, and settle in. Let me know in the comments what you are reading now.

Angela