a wide place

As usual, David and I brought a stack of books on vacation. We both like to bring a mixture of fiction, non fiction, and theology.

First of all, my Bible. I love leisurely vacation mornings reading the Word while the kids sleep in. I wanted to let you know about the Bible reading plan I’m currently using, because I really enjoy it. For the last five years or so, I’ve tried to read through the whole Bible in a year. I’ve managed to finish it in two years. Which means in five years, I’ve read my Bible cover to cover twice. That’s a victory!

Doing this doesn’t make me a more spiritual person. I’m just someone who, left to my own devices, gravitates to the same books and passages over and over for my personal Bible study: the Psalms, Paul’s epistles, and the Gospels, mainly. So I find that committing to a plan, even if I don’t finish in a year, means that I’m exposing myself to all the parts of God’s Word.

So this year I chose a plan Melissa Kruger recommended on The Gospel Coalition. Here’s her post explaining why. So far I’ve loved it, not least because there are five scheduled days of reading in a week. That means I have yet to fall behind! And — while I said I’m giving myself grace to take longer than a year — it’s still a great feeling to have a couple of catch-up days.

I’ve also challenged myself lately to write a short prayer in my journal after reading my Bible, because I’m struggling with finding a consistent prayer time. And that has helped me immensely start the day off connecting more deeply with the Lord.

So now, on to my beach reads.

This novel was first recommended to me by Amazon, and I waited a long time on the library list for it. But in the meantime, Linda told me how much she loved it, and I just knew it was one I’d want to own. So in an incredible feat of self-control, I ordered the book two months ago and then waited until our beach week to start reading.

I finished Horse in two days, and loved it even more than I expected. Until this week, my top two novels of 2023 were The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese first, followed by The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah. But Horse now tops the list.

I don’t want to give anything away, but Brooks’s writing is incredible, and through multiple points of view (which I actually rarely enjoy in novels), she weaves together a story of the world of horse breeding and racing, the art industry, and our nation’s history of slavery and racism. It’s both devastating and breath-takingly lovely. I can’t wait to read it again.

Next, I took a break from novels in order to allow Horse to sink in a bit. Judah got this book at my friend Beth’s recommendation a year ago, and has been telling me to read it ever since.

You may be wondering if I plan to become a novelist, and the answer is “No!” I’d never say never, but I truly have no desire to write fiction (perhaps nonfiction, one day, maybe).

But I love, love to read fiction. I have the utmost respect for writers and the work they put into their craft and I love picking apart excellent novels and trying to figure out what makes them so amazing. Plus, my teenager is writing his second novel, and I want to understand him better.

So enter Save the Cat Writes a Novel. I learned that this book was originally written by a different author for screen writers, and I now very much want to read that book too. Jessica Brody takes her readers step by step (or beat by beat, as she’d say) through what makes great novels work — everything from classics like Pride and Prejudice and Oliver Twist, to Harry Potter and Hunger Games, to chick lit like Confessions of a Shopaholic (which I’ve never read, by the way, but now want to because of Jessica Brody).

This book is just.so.fun. Also, it’s profound. In order for us to enjoy novels, they must reflect something of human nature. Our flaws. The lessons we must learn to find healing from those flaws. The crises we find ourselves in which pivot us forward into new ways of seeing the world. The transformation we undergo when we yield to the messy process of change.

Now I can’t stop analyzing the books I’m reading — like those I read this week — for genre and character and plot points. But it’s not tiresome, it’s fun. In short, if you’re an avid reader at all, you will love Save the Cat Writes a Novel!

Alongside of Save the Cat, I read Love-Centered Parenting on Hoopla. That was the result of another Amazon recommendation (they know me too well). I borrowed her book The Time-Saving Mom from the library and really enjoyed it. I also immediately started implementing some of Crystal Paine’s ideas, mostly in the realm of habits.

If you don’t know who Crystal Paine is, she’s the author of the popular blog Money-Saving Mom. I’d heard her on an interview on the Raising Boys and Girls podcast and was really impressed with her humility and honesty.

So after finding The Time-Saving Mom helpful, I dove into this latest book. I appreciate Crystal Paine’s writing because it’s concise. Her books are quick reads, but they’re also very deep. My favorite thing about her writing is her honesty. I’ve read plenty of parenting books, but many don’t delve into personal sins and weakness as a parent in the way Crystal does — all while honoring her children’s privacy. Honestly, the focus of Love-Centered Parenting is not on changing my kids, but on surrendering to the Lord and allowing him to heal and change my heart, as the chief sinner in my family.

I’ve struggled recently with discontentment in a couple areas of parenting, of not wanting to accept the cup God has given me. I’ve found myself easily irritated and, frankly, living with a victim mentality. Getting away from the daily grind of home life and reading Crystal’s book allowed me time and space to do some soul searching and to confess to God sins of building my reputation rather than connecting with my kids, wanting comfort, and entitlement (“I’ve put in all this work; why is it still so hard??”). Yes, I deal with entitlement. It’s embarrassing yet true.

Facing these truths, confessing them to God, and accepting His forgiveness has been beautifully freeing.

Now, Home Front. If you know me well, you know I’m a Kristin Hannah fan (sorry, Jessica!). I know her books can be depressing and sometimes drawn out. But I love, love the way she makes her characters come alive. I love how her settings are almost a whole character in and of themselves in a story (which is why The Great Alone may be my favorite; also, do yourself a favor and listen to the audiobook version. It is magnificent). I love how Hannah’s novels put me smack-down in a period of history I hadn’t ever considered before (like the Dust Bowl in The Four Winds).

This is another book I ordered from Amazon and tucked away precisely for this trip. I can’t remember exactly why I chose it from her dozen or so novels, but I’m so glad I did.

It has all the elements of a fantastic novel, according to Jessica Brody. A flawed and relatable hero, a catalyst that changes the heroes life, and journey they must take both internally and externally, and transformation in the process. I love the way her book portrays a real marriage. The story opens with the marriage in big crisis and Kristin Hannah is nuanced enough to not pin all the blame on one or the other of the spouses. I appreciate the insight she gives into both their journeys by alternating viewpoints.

Finally, it’s a novel about a military family, which is unusual for me to read. I found myself deeply humbled by the sacrifices these families and our nation’s soldiers make for America.

I highly recommend it.

Well, it seems that is that, my friends. Rarely have I found myself running of reading material on vacation, but I suppose that’s the sign of an excellent week. Now I’m rereading Rainbow Rowell’s YA novel, Eleanor & Park, on Hoopla before we head home tomorrow, because Jessica Brody mentioned it in Save the Cat and I remembered how good it is (hard, but good).

What are you reading these days?