My To-Read List

So I'm sitting at my local Starbucks on a Saturday morning for the first time in awhile. The scent of my grande Bold Pick wafts over from the table next to me, and people chatter to one another over their coffee. A really cute older couple are meeting on a first date at the table next to me. He is wearing a flat cap and a sweater vest. She looks like a brunette Martha Stewart. It's sweet to hear them talk about their grandchildren and the apartment complexes they live in and insurance premiums and their favorite places in the city.

This morning I was tempted to simply post the draft I had written earlier this week, the one that I would have posted for you on Wednesday had Blogger actually been working. Yet, it seems that the unexpected extra time was the best remedy for the inexplicable hesitancy I had in posting it before, because after reading the draft again and skimming through old posts, I realized - I've said this before. This happens to me often. More often than I'd like to admit.

So instead I'm going to touch on a subject I haven't mentioned in awhile: what I'm reading. Last weekend I went to see the newest film adaptation of Jane Eyre starring Mia Waskowska and Michael Fassbender and Judy Dench (love her!). I loved it.

I have never read the book, which I feel slightly ashamed to admit as an English major.  My best friend owns the book and let me borrow it after we saw the film and I am now about one fourth of the way through it and enjoying every page. Literature of that era is often hard to adjust to because of the vocabulary, but Charlotte Bronte wrote from Jane's perspective with distinct frankness, making it an easy read. My best friend claims that I'll fall in love with Mr. Rochester even more than Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy, but that remains to be seen. 

My goal this year has been to read at least one book per month, but I haven't been disciplined thus far. I think I can have Jane Eyre read by the end of May if I read at least two chapters per day. With my nine-to-fiver and freelance work, plus writing this blog and all the other responsibilities I am tied to, reading for pleasure all too often takes a back seat. Yet, when I am reading a book I enjoy, I feel much more edified and inspired than when I'm not.

So here is my to-read list for the next few months; hopefully I can stick to my goal and get through all of them:

I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere by Anna Galvada

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

One Day by David Nicholls

O Me of Little Faith by Jason Boyett

Quitter by Jon Acuff

Blood, Bones, & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

Love in the Time of Cholera by Bagriel Garcia Marquez

Love Wins - Rob Bell

Surprised by Hope - N.T. Wright

Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg

Bossypants by Tina Fey

As you can see, my list is a mixed bag of fiction, theology, "self help," foodie reads and writing advice. I'd love to know your reading list. Are any of these on your list or have you read them already?

Have a good weekend, friends.