Tag Archives: books

10 books that have impacted my life

boos 2I’ve seen lots of people on facebook/youtube/twitter talking about 10 books that changed their lives/made them think/impacted/whatever. I thought it was pretty interesting and I love learning about people’s faves. I wouldn’t say all of these are particularly life changing, but they are books that have, in some way, meant something to me.
1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – My love for the March sisters runs deep.
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – I truly believe that every person in America should read this book. And then reread.
3. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery – Anne Shirley is one of the most lovable characters ever written.
4. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (edited by Otto Frank) – Another Anne I can’t help but love.
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Steve Chbosky – I know this one is controversial and deals with heavy subjects but it is truly a great read. 
6. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson – Perhaps this could be the more grown up version of Where the Wild Things Are. Magically sad.
7. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson – Despite being written in a diary format, Speak felt much more “adult” than all of the other books I was reading in middle school.
8. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling – I started reading the series when I was in 8th grade and only the first 3 had been published. I was 22 when the 7th installment was published. As cheesy as it sounds, I feel like I grew up with the characters.
9.  Love Story by Erich Segal – I found a tattered, yellowed copy of this book in a closet in my parents hallway. While I figured it would be a sweet story, I wasn’t expecting how beautifully tragic it would be.
10. Anthem by Ayn Rand – Ray loaned me this book long before we were married or even dating. It was the first book of it’s kind I had ever read and I still love it to this day.books 1

I originally made a list of about 20 books, but chose to keep this blog post focused on fiction, with the exception of The Diary of Anne Frank. I might write another post focusing on non-fiction. What are 10 books that have impacted your life?

Recently Read

As most of you know, I work in a library. On the reg, people tell me about how they read 100 books a year. Well, I definitely do not read 100 books a year. Maybe I read 30 books a year. 45 in a good year. In fact, I can go 2 or 3 months without reading anything expect blog posts. I’m currently in a reading season so I thought I would share some of what I’ve been reading in the past month and a half.
My pastor always says “Readers are Leaders” which makes sense, but I’m not sure if it applies when you’re reading about Amish people fighting the undead. So… here’s what I’ve been reading lately:reading 1. The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle. Whew. YA novel about a young Amish woman who discovers a new evil in the outside world. I’ll confess, I’ve read some of those Amish lady novels… and I didn’t even hate them. This book is the perfect blend of a middle-aged-lady-amish novel and a YA paranormal romance novel. So… I basically loved it.
2. The Outside by Laura Bickle. Sequel to The Hallowed Ones. I’m in the middle of this one, but so far it’s been pretty good.
3. Love Does by Bob Goff. I was able to see Bob Goff speak at Catalyst in the beginning of October, and I actually thought he was a little bit crazy… but in the greatest way. I highly suggest this book!
4. David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell. I’m a huge Gladwell fan! This book is incredibly insightful but still simplistic enough for a lay person (like myself) to understand. Definitely check this one out!
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. I started the series when I was in 8th grade. 8TH GRADE, you guys!! I’ve read the Harry Potter series several times, but it’s been probably 5 years or so since I’ve read the first 3. I love starting from the very beginning!
6. Pawnee, the Greatest Town in America by Leslie Knope. This was a gift from one of my favorite friends, Jenna. We’ve recently been watching through old seasons of Parks and Rec, so I picked this up for some light evening reading. It’s SO much funnier than I even remember!
7. The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays by Ree Drummond. I’ve been reading the Pioneer Woman blog for about 4 or 5  years now (thank you, April, for the introduction!) and I always get super excited anytime she has a new book come out. Ree’s cook books are awesome because she includes LOTS of pictures. We made her broccoli cheese soup last weekend.

What have you been reading lately? Any suggestions for me?

Readers are Leaders

We watch a lot of netflix, but we both also enjoy getting into a good book (or magazine or blog). Here’s what we’re into right now.

What Ray is currently reading:
Zen and the Art of Mixing by Mixerman
A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
Money by Jamie Munson
Multi-Track Recording for musicians by Brent Hurtig

What Allison is currently reading:
Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the women who created her by Melanie Rehak
The Night Circus by  Erin Morgenstern
Triumph by Carolyn Jessop
Southern Living August 2012 edition

Weekend Thrift Finds!

This weekend we had really good luck thrifting! We woke up early and went to the flea market, which I almost never enjoy, but Ray found some mic stands for the studio at a great price. We also bought an antique climbing rose bush for Ray’s mom from the plant guy (who might be Rick Moranis). From there, we went to starbucks for fuel and continued on to various thrift stores where we found a vegetable themed crewel embroidery and a vintage drinking glass, a fire king mug and an impostor pyrex mug.

Goodwill was where we really hit the jackpot. So many good books and plays. And hello vintage thermos collection!

The pink thermos was actually purchased a few weeks ago but I thought it would be pretty in this photo.

Here are some books we found a few weeks ago.

What are some of YOUR recent thrift finds?