What I Read Last Week - Part 1

Today I'm linking up with the Book Date blog for the It's Monday. What Are You Reading link-up.

I read 8 books last week!

1. My Life As Laura - which I already blogged about here for the Laura Ingalls Wilder reading challenge.

2. Heart & Sole: The Shoes of My Life -

When I'm in a reading slump, what usually pulls me out are books that are mindless fluffy entertainment. So I picked this book which was a memoir of a woman's life told through the shoes she wore (and loved) over the years. I didn't love this book (other than the part where the author invented the word shopportunities. I'm definitely going to borrow that word in the future.) But I did like the way this book gave me a chance to reflect on the shoe moments in my life. I was a child in the 80's so my shoe past unfortunately involves a lot of jelly shoes. For those of you who weren't children in the 80's (or who have too good of taste to wear see-through, sparkly shoes that feel like they're made out of rubber) here's a link that will show you just how bad my taste in shoes used to. Wow, with shoes that sturdy and well-designed, it's hard to believe that I ended up having problems with my feet as an adult. Sadly, I also allowed my love of Little House on the Prairie to dictate my elementary school shoe choices and I frequently went to school wearing prairie boots like Laura. I feel like we should have a moment of silence for my Mom who had to search for Laura Ingalls-style prairie boots for me and Bert saddle shoes and red Ernie-style sneakers for my sister in the pre-Internet days. Having weird kids is hard.

3. Nourished: A Search for Health, Happiness, and A Full Night's Sleep -

Let's get the shallow stuff out of the way first: I really like the cover of this book. It's so pretty!

After not sleeping well for the first few days of the week, reading a book that talks about a full night's sleep sounded heavenly. Unfortunately, this book did not solve my sleep problem. But I did find it helpful in a lot of other ways. After reading it, I realized that sometimes even a person like me, who doesn't have kids and therefore has more spare time than a lot of people, can fail to do things that are nourishing. I waste time on mediocre activities and don't do things that would truly make me feel happy, rested, or fulfilled.

I really connected to this passage, "I like my boundaries. I need my boundaries. Having a few clear parameters makes life easier." It's like the author was describing me. I have to invent rules for myself all the time. I tell myself that I have to eat a salad before I can have cake. I have to read through 20 more books before I can buy anymore. I've basically become my own babysitter. Without those self-imposed rules I start living like a teenager whose parents are out of town for the weekend.

I can't wait to tell you about the other five books I read last week. Please join me tomorrow and I'll share my thoughts on the remaining five books. In the meantime, I would love to hear about the books you read last week (or the bad shoe choices you made in the past!)