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!)

Comments

  1. Heart & Sole looks good...I also love to mix up my reading with lighter books.

    Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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    1. You're welcome. I was happy to visit your blog. And thanks for stopping by mine!

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  2. I’ve been on a reading hiatus for a few weeks now. I just can’t find anything that captures my interest. Sigh! Good for you getting those pages in. Sometimes a break is all we need. I should read Nourished. And probably something light and fluffy.

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    1. I hope you find a great book to read soon!

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  3. That is a lot of reading, well done for rising to the challenge.

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  4. "I've become my own babysitter." I love the way you worded that. I do the same sort of things. I try not to bring in new clothes/shoes/books until I've removed the same number. My house is small and "stuff" can easily get out of hand with so many new temptations out there every day.

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    1. My Mom has always had the policy one-in-one-out. It's taken me a long time to adopt that policy as well, but she was so right!

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  5. A life told through your shoes...it's an interesting thought! :)

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    1. It was a really interesting idea for a book - I just wish the follow through had been as interesting as the idea.

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  6. I love the idea of knowing your boundaries and establish some quirky ones myself. If I clean the kitchen, I can read. Becoming your own babysitter :) A great way to look at setting parameters.

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    1. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who does this!

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  7. You continue to amaze me with your determination, and wise to make your reading choices eclectic. Variety adds a little spice.

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    1. Thank you! I've always loved reading a wide variety of genres. Horror and Sci-Fi are pretty much the only ones I don't read.

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  8. The shoe memoir sounds fun, even if it is someone else's. I have always been into shoes, and have worn incredibly uncomfortable ones for the sake of fashion. ;-) I look forward to tomorrow's post. :-)

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    1. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who wore uncomfortable shoes because I thought they were cute. Although looking back, I can't figure out how I ever could have thought jelly shoes were cute.

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  9. I love how your elementary school days shoes were inspired by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Too cute. I'm sorry you have had trouble sleeping. Are you on Pinterest? Supposedly there are stretches and even breathing exercises done before bed that may help foster a good night's rest. I hope you're able to get past this. Your daily reading goal is ginormous! Wow. What kind of reading challenges did you have in school? I don't remember having any. My daughter's class has one of 40 for the school year. She has probably reached that by now.

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    1. Yes, I am on Pinterest. Thanks for the tip, I'll look it up!
      The reading challenge I did in elementary school was called Book It. We got awarded free Pizza Hut coupons for reading a certain number of books. I was locked in a fierce competition with this other boy at school. We were both determined to win. I'm really stubborn, so I couldn't stand to give in and I ended up winning!

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  10. The lighter books usually help me with reading slumps. Enjoy your reading and have a great week!

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  11. Ha that inner monologue cracked me up! And I know what you mean- sometimes we just need a reading break. Glad you made your page goal though. :)

    I like the bit about boundaries too. It's interesting the things we do in order to be adults ha ha!! Have a super week.

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  12. Hi, thanks for stopping by! I know the feeling! I have so many books in my library that I still have to read and I keep buying more!

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  13. You seem highly disciplined. Only 500 pages? Oh my. You don’t sound like your own babysitter; you sound like your own Nazi death camp keeper! Lol.

    I hope you get some solid sleep and enjoy your week.

    https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2018/03/zen-and-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance.html

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  14. I believe lighter books are absolutely necessary. They're like a mini vacation where your mind is just floating along happily. Or at least they are for me. And I hear you on the Humble Bragging. I scroll past articles trying to help people read a book a month and I'll just be here like but why? It feels so foreign to me sometimes when I realise the whole world isn't made up of people who just love to read.

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  15. Sometimes it's just not possible to resist buying books. I've just accepted it!

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  16. Neat books. I usually reach for romantic comedies when I don't have a brain to read anything deep. Keep up the great work on your challenges. Thanks for visiting The Book Connection.

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  17. Lol I love that your reading dictated your shoe choices!! I LOVE Laura too!! I have not heard of this challenge before!!! I need to check it out. :) Have a great week!

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  18. i love shoes ... great cover. i'll look into it more. thanks for your bloggy visit. always fun to meet new book friends. have a great week. take care and thanks again for stopping by. ( ;

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