I think too much when I read.

Maybe that is why we should read. But it does take me a LONG time to get through books that aren’t novels.

I have a little “goal” this year – and it’s lofty. I want to engage in conversation with people about what I am reading.

I’m cheating a little bit though. The book I am starting out with, I’ve already read. I finished it earlier in December, and as soon as I put it down, I KNEW I needed to re-read it and talk about it.

My sweet husband thinks I should be taking graduate school classes instead (and he’s probably right). And to be honest, I don’t see this happening forever (soon I hope, I’ll be able to look after my OWN children, all FIVE of them) but until then, I want this time of “physical” rest to not be a time where I look back and wish I had something to “show” for it. I’ve really been soaking in a lot of encouragement through blogs. Through some particular women, and some amazing “movements” and I want to take part.

But I am NOT perfect. I may not post my list each week, or I may have a week with a lot more sadness and pain (or fear) and my thoughts on a particular chapter may not be written out. But my intention (oh, another word that leads to guilt in my life) is that I will be able to share some of my honest reflections and some of my story with you as I read these books.

The first book on my list I just finished my first chapter “reflection” on this morning. I read it last night (Christmas night) while my family was not at home. They got home before I could write out what I was thinking about.  What you will see on the “Reflections” pages are a series of quotes from the chapter (the things I underlined/starred/copied into my journal) in one colour marked with a page number. The other series of quotes will be in another colour and will be from whatever Bible is near my side at the time (or whatever version that I memorized the verses in when I was younger and memorizing verses with regularity). Other quotes I will attempt to footnote properly – although as this is NOT a graduate thesis, I am not promising any particular style or format.

At some point I will probably add some kind of affiliate links. At this point, though, my earnest suggestion is to shop at your LOCAL, INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLER. If you happen to be in Vancouver, BC, Regent College has the best (and one of the last) theological bookstores. I could spend (wait, I do) hours and hundreds of dollars there. They will order any book not visible in their on-line catalogue. This is not an affiliate link, but my husband DOES work for Regent College, so there is some affiliation! What they do have that nobody else has is audio of lectures, sermons, classes of some of the most noted theologians and scholars of our time – Gordon Fee, JI Packer, Eugene Peterson, Darrell Johnson, James Houston (I’m leaving out way too many). So if you have a commute and want to be engaged in knowing God, dive in! Download some MP3s!