Books I Love

I absolutely love to read. There were times early in my marriage that Steve would make comments like, “You always have your nose stuck in a book.” Since then we’ve struck a pretty easy deal – I still read and now he does, too. I’ve recommended several books to him over the years and he has been known to say, “I can’t believe I don’t have a book to read right now – we need to go to the library.” But, I try not to ignore him when I’m reading and I pick times when he’s not around – like sitting in car rider line at school or after he’s fallen asleep in the evenings – to read. So, here’s a list of books that I’ve read and really liked.

The Mitford Series by Jan Karon – absolutely, hands down, my favorite books. The stories all center around Father Tim, the Episcopalian Priest in the town of Mitford, NC. The town is based on Blowing Rock, NC where the author lived when she began the series. Father Tim has an easy going faith – one I’ve tried to emulate. I’ve learned a lot about life – and being a Christian every day of the week – from Father Tim.

The Harmony Novels by Philip Gulley – a great series about Sam Gardner, the pastor of the Quaker Church in Harmony. Anyone who has ever been in ministry or even gone to church for more than a few Sundays will recognize some of the characters.

Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling – I know, I know, they’re supposed to be kids books. But they are so much more. My good friends, Leigh & Lisa, both told me I HAD to read them. That I would fall in love with the characters and get completely wrapped up in the storylines – as usual, they were right! My brother-in-law gave us several of the books a couple years ago & we completed the set as the books came out. My son has read them all at least 3 times. Steve and I have both read them all and were sorry to see the series come to an end. I was especially sorry to have to tell my son that the movie based on The Half Blood Prince has been moved from November ‘08 to July ‘09. He was NOT happy!

Be Happy or I’ll Scream by Sheri Lynch – Sheri is half of the morning radio show Bob & Sheri that originates in Charlotte, NC and is syndicated all over the USA. (This is her 2nd book – I haven’t read the first one, Hello, My Name is Mommy but I’ve been on the lookout for it.) Sheri decides her family life should be like the families on TV – seriously, this is the premise. She embarks on a year long quest to make her family “perfect” – with hysterical results. Now, this is not a “Christian” book (whatever that means) and she lets a few choice words fly here and there, but overall it’s a great book for any Mom who has thought she’s less than the best & gets the crazy idea that the next door neighbors, the people at church or the people on TV have it all figured out.

Levi’s Will by W. Dale Cramer - I stumbled across this book at the library. (The library near my office has an Inspirational Fiction section that I love) The book is about Will Mullet McGruder, who at 19 years old flees his Amish family in Ohio to find a new life, a life he chooses not one chosen for him. The books spans about 40 years of Will’s life and we see, along with Will, that you can’t truly run away from your past or your family heritage.

I’m sure as soon as I post this I will think of 10 more books to add to the list.

What books do you recommend? I’d love to check them out!