 I can't tell you how many times I've read Anne of Green Gables. (My daughter has also now read it multiple times.) I started reading it when I was a young girl and have reread it many times (crying a bit each time). And yes, I've read the rest of the series at least twice more. It's such a beautiful story, full of fun and mischief and life lessons and the goodness of humanity.
But when I read it this month for my book club, I noticed it hit a bit different. You see, at the beginning of the book, Anne is eleven. And, right now, I am living with an eleven-year-old girl.
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 Every year, I love to set my goal on Goodreads. I keep it around the same each year because I usually hit within about ten of the year before. Well, this year I set it at 120. And Goodreads actually told me I ended at 107. Definitely the least amount I've read in several years.
But you know what? I'm okay with that. Because I also edited eight books. And wrote two books and a novella. And released a book and a novella collection. And was a mom. And a wife. And preschool teacher and tax preparer and Bible school teacher and several other things. So it's okay that reading slowed down a little because life was FULL.  As an author, I love learning about other authors. Especially ones I've read for my whole life.
Since I was a little girl, I knew about Laura Ingalls Wilder. My mom read the books to my sister and me when we were little girls. And I always wondered about what those places she described looked like in real life. Fast forward to me reading the books to my children. We've read all but The First Four Years together. So, when I suggested we take a trip to see where she really lived, everyone was on board (except maybe my husband who knew how many miles of road trip that actually was).  Writing Home was my fourth book, and it released in 2021. Four years ago, January. It's still one of my favorites, although every one of my books is my favorite in some way or another.
Needless to say, it broke my heart when I found out the publisher who had released Writing Home was dying at the end of last year. Writing Home still has one paperback copy on Amazon, and that is all. But, I'm working on republishing it. Because it's still a really good story. And because I have an amazing friend who knows how to do all these publishing things and is willing to help me figure this out.  When I ended 2023, I had not reached the goal I set myself in the Goodreads yearly reading challenge. And while it doesn't really matter, it still frustrated me. So, I lowered the goal for 2024 by five books. This is me, trying to learn how to live this life I've given myself with two kids, four jobs, etc. I figured that was attainable because I ALMOST read that many back in 2023.
Y'all. This year I read 125 of 120 books. I kid you not. I could have just left my goal the same as it has been for the last however many years. Life is crazy. Anyway, want to know a little more about what I read?  If you've followed me for long at all, you know I love all things bookish. Socks, T-shirts, mugs, etc. Therefore, it probably doesn't surprise you that I own a shirt and earrings that look like a Christmas tree made of books. I just can't help myself. They're too cute.
So, when my publishing company family decided to participate in our own version of Jolabokaflod, I was intrigued.  Do you ever read about a food found in books and think, "What is that?" Or, are you like me, and you go on Pinterest and do a search for a recipe? I can't help it. I love to learn about new foods. Let me rephrase that: I love food!
And it's always fascinating to me to read about new foods in books. A few weeks ago, I was reading The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek for our book club (If you want to know what I thought of it, that's another conversation, but feel free to ask!). In the book, the main character makes a Scripture cake. Do you know what a Scripture cake is?  At the beginning of the summer, my daughter's most-anticipated activity of the summer was reading. She didn't have to put a book down and go to class or do homework. She could simply enjoy as many stories as she could squeeze in. And she squeezed in a lot. I'm not sure how many hours she got this summer because she lost track around day three. But my son kept track of his reading log for a contest we'd entered and he logged 7,307 minutes (over 121 hours).
Don't worry. We did more than read this summer. But we did burn through quite a few stories and make multiple trips (per week) to the library.  Do you read with your children? My husband and I have always read books to our kids, but the books have become more mature as the children have. I've mentioned several times that we've been reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder books together adn we're almost finished with that series. We're hoping to start in on Narnia soon.
But we're also sharing a love of reading another way. I've shared quite a few of my favorite books from growing up years with my daughter. She's read quite a few of the Oz books by Baum, A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, and Anne of Green Gables, among others. I love seeing her fall in love with characters I've loved for so long.  My daughter is nine and very much not in the "boys are cute" stage yet. Which I'm totally fine with. She thinks they're good friends and sometimes funny, but she doesn't want a boyfriend. Honestly, until this year, she didn't really want to read any books with that stuff in it either.
But, in the last year or so, she's read a few of my favorite stories, like Anne of Green Gables (and most of the rest of the series) because she absolutely loved Anne and wanted to know when she was going to marry Gilbert. And, as we've been reading through the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, she's watched Laura be courted by Almanzo. And y'all, the giggles! |
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