Beach books.

We will be vacationing on the beach in a few short days and I'm so excited! Reading books is something I've always enjoyed but never seem to have the time to do... so I want to make it a priority when we go on our trip. (And I want the priority to continue when we return to reality!) I have a bad habit of buying books that sit un-read or half-finished collecting dust on my nightstand. The pile of said books will be coming with me to Florida and by golly, they are going to get read!

I'm especially excited for the book & workbook "You and Me Forever" by Francis and Lisa Chan. I've read several books by Francis and would highly recommend all of them! (Crazy Love and the Forgotten God) "You and Me Forever" is a marriage book with a radical, eternal perspective. The Chans wrote it after returning from their 20th anniversary trip where they spent time serving in Africa. 100% of the proceeds from the book are donated to various ministries and you can even download the audiobook for free! Check out the website here. My hope is that Taylor and I can listen to the audiobook on our 12 hour drive and then go through the workbook a little each day. That will be such a treat!

I'm also looking forward to learning from the book: "The life-changing magic of tidying up" by Marie Kondo. Have you heard of it? I've read the first section and it's so interesting! One of the 'tasks' prescribed by the author is to take every single piece of clothing from your drawers & closet and put them on the floor. I'm strangely excited to do this, but also a little bit nervous... I have an inkling that I'm going to be repulsed by the sheer size of the pile despite my habitual "I-don't-have-anything-to-wear" feeling. Regardless, I hope this book can inspire a life with less stuff in our home and more space for things that matter- loving on people & creating memories!

The other two books are ones that I have been working on for some time now... they're the dust-collecting repeat offenders. They're good books but I just need to stick a fork in them and be done. Wish me luck!

"Gift from the Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (wife of Charles Lindbergh)
"The Big Disconnect" by Catherine Steiner-Adair

What good books have you read lately? Please share! (Along with any tried and true tips on how to read a book cover-to-cover in a reasonable amount of time. Ha!)