Friday Faves – Books Edition

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Are you ready for the weekend?  This weekend we have rain, rain and more rain in the forecast.  I have a couple of projects at the house I’m planning to work on and JB has an all day birthday party on Saturday. Other than that, I think we’ll be staying put for the most part. There are plenty of K-cups on hand and a new delicious creamer in the fridge. A rainy weekend provides a great opportunity for a bottomless cup of coffee in one hand and a good book in the other. I can’t wait! Can someone get the memo to my kids that this is my plan?

Here are 4 books that I’m currently reading, or have read recently, and 1 fun fiction book series that began my love for clean, fun romance novels. I love getting wrapped up in a good book and totally shirking all my other responsibilities!

Finish – Jon Acuff

If you’re a recovering perfectionist like me, you want to read this one. I’m only a few chapters in, but my perspective accomplishing goals has been completely altered. Achieving some desired end requires time. Since I’ve decided to spend more time writing and growing this blog, I’ve had to make choices between writing or shopping, writing or sleeping, writing or cleaning, etc. He describes this as deciding what to bomb! As a perfectionist, admitting that I can’t do it all well is a tough pill to swallow. In this season of my life, I’m going to bomb some areas of my life as I focus on pursuing other things. So many good little nuggets for thought and I’ve still got a lot to read.

Chasing Slow: Courage to Journey Off the Beaten Path – Erin Loechner

I devoured this book in a weekend last fall. I had never heard of Erin Loechner, but this book came highly recommended in a minimalism page I follow on Facebook. It’s a diary of sorts of her personal journey of learning that contentment isn’t found in our stuff. I identified with so many of her personal struggles. I may have cried when I read this little snippet – “Do you know what happens when we victimize ourselves? When we hand over power to circumstances? We lose everything that matters. We lose the freedom to change, the grace to rise above, the strength to get up off the couch.” That’s a picture of so much of my life! Her writing was so honest and authentic.

The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own – Joshua Becker

This was the first book related to minimalism that I ever read cover to cover. Every Monday as I wheel the trash to the curb, I think about one of the many small takeaways I got from this one – Embrace Trash Day! No shame in putting your junk on the curb. When I’m consciously getting rid of junk, I try to find everything I can possibly put into the garbage can or recycle bin and set it on the curb. Nothing more freeing than letting go of useless junk. If you are tired of being overwhelmed by your stuff, this book is a great place to start for inspiration.

Less: Minimalism for Real – Rose Lounsbury

I think I read this one the next weekend, after I read Chasing Slow! (My house must’ve been a total disaster for a few weeks in the fall, not that it’s not normally a wreck.) If you’re looking for a method to deal with your clutter, that’s what this one offers. The contents of this book are based around her LESS method of decluttering and organizing. Lay out your vision and purpose, Empty, Sort it twice and Systemize. If you have time and are motivated, I believe her system is doable and will put you on your way to a clutter free home. I’m actually going to apply some of her principles to my master closet overhaul I’m going to start soon.

Take a Chance on Me (Christiansen Family Book 1) – Susan May Warren

Several years ago, I stumbled upon this series of books. I read them totally out of order, now that I think about it, and I still need to read the last book in this series. These books are based around the Christiansen family, who own and operate a rustic resort in Minnesota. In each book, one of the Christiansen’s grown children, finds love through various random circumstances. By the end of the first book, I was totally sucked in and felt like I was part of their big, faith filled family and couldn’t wait to get my hands on the next one. Each story has the typical twists and turns that come with finding new love.  As the weather gets warmer, hopefully sooner than later, and you find yourself in a lounge chair by the pool, I highly recommend this series and her Deep Haven series for your idle time! You won’t regret the time your heart gets wrapped up in the Christiansen family.

Let me know if you read one of these! I’d love to hear your thoughts. Enjoy your weekend!