“He fed his spirit with the bread of books.” ~Edwin Markham
I’ve always been addicted to loved books and considered them friends. I usually have a big stack of books to read. When I run out, I order more on sale from Amazon.
Yes, I’m a book junkie. But I wait for months after a new book has come out and everyone is screaming about it, “You HAVE to read Crush It!” or “Did you hear about Seth Godin’s new book Poke the Box?” (Actually, I think I got that book free from Seth’s site.)
After the hooplah has died down, Amazon offers used best-seller books on sale as low as $2.99 – I love it! (Some Kindle books are even cheaper.) By now, Ray and Leah know that any packages the UPS man drops off on our front porch are for me.
Leah no longer asks, “What is it?” She just hands me the scissors and she waits as I rip it open impatiently to see the title: Run Your Butt Off. (Just kidding; I haven’t ordered that one yet…though I should! Or maybe I should just run, instead of reading about running.)
For Ray’s birthday this year, I bought him a Kindle, but I love actually physically holding a book in my hands. When the local Borders went out of business, I was upset. Where were all those lovely books going? What would happen to them? With the Kindle and Nook, I fear the worst fate for books. Give me a good book, some comfy pj’s, a soft blanket, and a cold drink or cup of coffee, and you won’t see me for awhile. Heavenly.
Right now these are the stacks of books that I have by my bed, on my desk, and in my dresser:
- I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou -a book recently recommended to me by a friend)
- Maya Angelou – A Glorious Celebration (same friend)
- Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God (Francis Chan – on passionate faith)
- Life’s Healing Choices (John Baker, Foreward by Rick Warren – my coaching class/Bible study curriculum)
- Food and Loathing – A Lament (Betsy Lerner – on thinness being the key to success, or so we think)
- Now Discover Your Strengths (Mark Buckingham, recommended by my coach)
- Find Your Strengths : What The Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently (Mark Buckingham, recommended by a friend)
- What Clients Love: A Field Guide to Growing Your Business (Mark Beckwith)
- The Trouble With Islam: A Muslim’s Call for Reform in Her Faith (Irshad Manji)
- Saving Money and Time Without Losing Your Mind (8 authors on frugality and time management)
- Living Simply (Joanne Heim – love her writing!)
- Misplacing God (Joanne Heim)
Plus, all the downloaded pdf’s of various topics from home management and healthy recipes to marketing that I’ve saved on my laptop “to read later.”
Obviously, I can’t read these all at once. I just have to read them in bite-sizes each day, usually at night before I go to bed. I could wake up earlier in the morning, but I often have problems with insomnia (my friend Diane calls this “entrepreneurial ADD”), and I love to sleep. I’m not a morning person. In fact, extremely cheerful morning people tend to really annoy me. (I’m sorry if you are one!) Ray knows NOT to say “Good morning” happily to me when we first awake or he’s in trouble. Since I have insomnia, I probably should read all my books then, in the middle of the night….but then that might make my insomnia worse.
What are your favorite books? What are you reading now?
Do you prefer physical books, or do you like reading yours on the Kindle, Nook or other device?
What do you think will happen in the years to come with books? Will they become a thing of the past, like dinosaurs?
I hope there will always be physical books.
Share your comments below.
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