Many years ago I started keeping a reading journal where I’d write a short summary and a quick impression of each book I had completed. As with a lot of my journals, this one was eventually forgotten as life got busy, but I found it one day and really liked the idea of keeping this record of books. This became increasingly relevant for me as a mama. I knew that doing this in blog form would be an easy way to reference books by topics. Also, by sitting down to write about each one, I find my brain is more likely to remember these books. So, in theory, I’ve got a running catalog of books we’ve read so I can reference them as needed.
I love books! I read and reread books. Mostly this is because I enjoy my favorite books so much and love to revisit them. Sometimes, however, I feel I’m kind of cursed/blessed in that I can forget a story’s plot quite easily and be completely surprised by it over and over again. (And if I don’t write about books on here right away, I sometimes have to wait until a reread before I write about them.)
My typical order starts with checking books out from the local library. (I’m the one with a stack of 20 books on hold at any given time and the mom who is telling her kids, “No, you may not get any more books!”) If I fall in love with a book, it goes on my wish list. I look for it at local used book shops or at library book sale or on BetterWorldBooks. The books we own and keep are the ones we love. There is nothing haphazard or random on our shelves. I believe that with so many books out there, there is zero reason to read anything less than the best.
…which brings me to my next point. On this blog, I will only write about books I have really enjoyed. While they might not all be my all-time favorites, they are all ones I think highly of. I do this for a couple of reasons. The main reason is that I don’t bother reading books I don’t like. I know a lot of people who will struggle through books they don’t enjoy simply because it’s on a book list or bestseller list or they’ve just got some sort of self-imposed obligation to finish it. This is not to say that I give up on books too easily. I know that sometimes I’m just distracted or not in the right mood for a certain book. A couple of my absolute favorite books are ones I gave a second shot after initially putting them down. It’s a bit of an art figuring out how much of a chance to give a book and if/when to return to it at a later date. But, I definitely won’t spend too much time with a book I don’t like.
The other reason I won’t write a negative review on here is that, while I haven’t written a book, I can only imagine the amount of time and courage involved in such a process. This world’s got enough real problems to write about without criticizing authors or artists for putting themselves out there and doing their best.
Lastly, you’ll probably notice most of the books on here are picture books or children’s books. The picture books are because I have kids–although, I will say some of these are up there with my favorites of all-time. The kid and YA books are because I love them; I always have. For me, a book is about escape, and I find that many books for adults cover adult topics. In my escape time I don’t want to read about the sad or scary stuff of life. I’m sure there are many amazing adult fiction books out there; I’ve read some of them. But just because they are done well or are interesting doesn’t mean they’re necessarily enjoyable for me. It’s the same reason I don’t like watching overly dramatic movies or scary movies. It’s not that I’m trying to shy away from the “real stuff” of life; it’s just that, for me, especially with very limited time these days for reading, I want my entertainment outlets to be relaxing, enjoyable, and fun.
This blog is only a small sampling of books. I’m sometimes shocked to realize that some of my dear favorites are not on here yet. It’s hard to keep up with writing about each book in the daily craziness of life. But, I’m doing my best to get them posted. Thanks for being here!