My Book Picks for Spring 2019
My sweet friend,
I’m so excited to be writing to you today! After taking a break from blogging for a couple of months, the arrival of spring has me feeling inspired in all sorts of ways.
I announced earlier this month that we are pregnant with our second baby - hooray!! (If you want to see the cute post of my daughter announcing it, you can see it over Instagram.)
I will tell you, this pregnancy kind of knocked me off my feet. I felt much worse than during my first, but recently the cloud is starting to lift. Maybe it’s the 2nd trimester, maybe it’s the warm sunshine . . . who knows! Taking an early pregnancy time-out was a gentle reminder that just like there are seasons of the year and the phases of the moon, we are not meant to be in production mode all the time. I needed a pause to hibernate, to read, to be with my family, and to Nurse My Nausea.
So . . . my debut blog today is a wonderful inventory of books I have been able to read (or listen to) during my hiatus. My tendency is toward nonfiction, so all of the suggestions on my list are about growth and development with one fiction sprinkle. Check out this week’s post, discover a new book, and maybe find some Spring Season Inspiration.
And remember - it’s OK to take breaks. In fact, it might be the most productive thing you could ever do :-)
Note: There are links to all the books below in the titles
1. Present over Perfect
The first book on my list book is near and dear to my heart. I’ve read it cover to cover three times, gaining a sense of calm that permeates into my real life every time. Shauna‘s writing is beautifully descriptive, heartwarming, and raw. She reminds us to stop hustling for our worth and start living more present. With examples weaved from her own adventures and family life, you are sure to get lost in the pages of this beautiful book.
Kate Northrup has been an online mentor of mine for many years. I am a part of her membership site for entrepreneurial mothers. Her take on time management, cyclical living, and syncing up your workflow with the seasons is truly revolutionary. After her first baby, Kate was so exhausted that she cut the workload for her business in half. But to her surprise and delight, her business not only stayed on course, it actually grew. From then on, she knew that she could do less and still live a full and beautiful life. With 14 practical examples of how to do less and live more, this book is a treasure for any working or stay-at-home mom. Really - any woman!
Lara Casey is one of my all-time favorite people. I can see how she loves her family and God in tangible ways. Her gardening analogy illustrates that even when progress is messy and slow, we can grow and blossom, bit by bit, just like a flower growing through the muck in the dirt. Lara’s voice is so soothing and sweet, listening to this one on Audible is my favorite choice. I could listen all day.
A collection of stand-alone essays, this book is perfect for a busy mom. Especially if you feel overwhelmed tackling a chapter book, this allows you to stop and start at your own pace, providing manageable, entertaining doses of reading. Gathered from an assortment of writers (pretty much a bunch of moms) from the Coffee and Crumbs blog, these stories are well-written narratives filled with honesty, vulnerability, and a lot of humor. You will find yourself laughing out loud and crying in the same five minutes. A must read for every mother, this book makes a GREAT baby shower gift - my choice for a new mamma every time.
OK, here is my one and only fiction book on this list. Recommended to me by my mom after I asked her for her BEST suggestion (since it has been so long since I have selected a fiction book). Now I find myself choosing this book over Netflix many nights! Using the Audible account I share with my mom, I am lingering in the bathtub just so I can keep listening, sometimes even staying up past my bedtime to find out what’s next. It’s a combination of both beautiful description and storytelling, mixed with a side of mystery. The characters are compelling, complex, and relatable. Reese Witherspoon has it on her book list and plans to produce it next year!
If you are interested in an Audible subscription---here is the link with free trial!
Now over to you. What’s the best book you have read in the last 6 months?
Need more ideas, recipes and inspiration? Head on over to the blog to see!
