Shall We Read? {The Book Thief}

Who is up for a little reading?

I have the very start of an idea forming, and I need your help tying this whole concept together into a pretty little bow.

I'm currently about halfway through Heaven Is Here (by Stephanie Nielsen, blogger behind nieniedialogues.com, who survived a small plane crash along with her husband and tells the tale of that journey). I'm enjoying it so much. Stephanie's blog was one of the first that I ever read. Our lives did not have a lot of similarities, but I was captivated by her perseverance and strong, active love for her family. She writes beautifully, and I have been reading every night before bed (and sometimes sneaking in a few pages during Camille's naptime).

I'm hoping to have lots of time to read this weekend -- 100% chance of rain! -- so am aiming to wrap it up soon.

Leading me to the question, what next?

I read the other day that our local library is hosting a Community Read initiative, where they invite community members to all read the same book and engage with each other about what was read. I was really excited to see that one of the titles they chose was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It was chosen for their teen/young adult category, but I have talked to plenty of adults who have absolutely raved about this book. It's been on my "must be read" list for a while.

I have decided that The Book Thief will be my next read, and I'd love to find a way to engage with you if you'd like to read it along with me (and many of Charlotte, NC's library patrons!). Here's where I need some ideas ... how could we make this happen? I'm not even sure if a formal discussion really needs to occur -- maybe it's just enough that we can all take a pledge to read this book in October?

So, I'd love to hear your thoughts -- are you in? Any ideas on how to engage with each other? And if you've already read this book, are we in for a real gem of a read?

A Fabulous Read

As we approach the holidays, I'll share with you a fabulous book that I read this summer.  I think there is nothing more special than gifting a wonderful book to a loved one. 

This book was a random one that I picked up on a trip to the bookstore with Ian.  I was about to leave for a week's vacation with my family and was hoping to pick something that I could throw in my straw bag along with my sunscreen, camera, and wedding magazines to take to the pool. 

I ended up being wildly engrossed in this amazing book and skipping out on social moments (like hanging out with my sisters on the side of the pool and chatting) due to this incredible novel.  Sorry sisters, I'll try to bring a less gripping read next time!  :)

Add this to your Christmas wishlist immediately and don't look back.

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