Geez, another toughy! No, it's not that I'm not an avid reader, I am...just not always reading books. I read all the time, every morning in fact. But with soooo many resources on-line these days, it's rare for me to spend the money to buy a book when I can just read it on-line, you know?
But I'll give it a shot. Okay, here are my top 5 favorite books:
5. "Wild Dog" but I have no idea who the author is.
It's a tiny little paperback book I remember reading back when I was in 4th-5th grade, and I remember reading this book over and over and over again. It was incredibly thrilling, exciting, and unbelievably sad at times. I can still see the artwork on the cover the of the book so cleary in my mind. It looked very similar to this cover:
That's not the same book I'm talking about, but the illustration is fairly close. I think I may still have a copy of the book I remember buried somewhere in a box in my garage with a bunch of old childhood belongings.
The book I remember was one of the very first books I actually remember reading, and feeling for the first time a love of reading, being so excited and at the edge of my seat as I couldn't wait to read each and every page. It brings back fond memories of early childhood reading and my love of learning.
4. "The Snowman" by Raymond Briggs.
I received a copy of this tiny little book for Christmas 1990 from my very first boss, Russell, at my very first job, working as a cashier at a plant nursery in Maryland called Meadows Farms.
The book has no words, it's a still shot series of framed photos type of book, there's 175 beautiful illustrations that tell the story of a little boy who builds a snowman that comes to life and tells all the adventures they have together.
The book is one of my favorites not only for its simple and beautiful story, but also because my boss wrote a nice message in the front of the book thanking me for being such a wonderful employee, so it also reminds me of being 14 years old and all the memories from working that 1st job.
3. "God's Leading Lady" by T.D. Jakes.
When I quit working full-time back in August 2003, I received a copy of this book as part of the parting gifts my employees bought for me to say goodbye. It was given to me by a lovely young woman whom I mentored during the earliest years of her career. She was incredibly inspired by me as a mentor (a very humbling position to find myself in!).
I left my big corporate accounting job and put my career on hold to instead lead my life as a full-time mommy because my job required tons of late nights, overtime, and travel, which meant I had a family who barely ever saw their mom. It broke my heart to be away from my family so much, so in 2003 I took a HUGE leap of faith that somehow we would still manage to pay our monthly bills and put food on the table without mommy bringing home a paycheck.
With all of my fears and anxieties about the unknowns of my future, and questioning whether or not this decision was a good one, it was the perfect timing for me to read this book! The main theme centers around trusting in God in times of major changes and believing in yourself as a strong and powerful woman.
2. My dad's personal journal.
No picture for this one, but back in the summer of 1996, my dad spent an entire month writing out a very personal journal by hand in a small black hardbound notebook. This book is one of my all time most cherished possession in my entire life!
He wrote about many details from what his childhood was like, his teen years, the time he spent in the Army, dating years, meeting and marrying my mom, many details about my grandparents and great-grandparents that I never met and otherwise would know absolutely nothing about if it weren't for the memories he wrote there.
This journal is incredibly honest, makes me laugh, and makes me cry deeply. My dad is an excellent writer, he writes in such a way that you can easily visualize everything he's talking about almost as if you were there. He writes with humor, with honesty, and at the time much of it was from a very interesting perspective as he has just finalized his divorce the year before, so there's a ton of sadness and heartache in those comments. [Side note: good news, after almost 8 years apart, my parents reconciled and remarried each other on their same original wedding anniversary and have been happily remarried now for about another 7 years].
No one in my family has known anything about this journal I received back in 1996. I recently shared it with my mom & younger sis last month when they came out to visit and I read it to them cover to cover. It took an entire day and more than an entire box of tissues for us to get through it.
The book ends as my dad is talking about the events of my birth, which means there's TONS more details that need to be written (because I have 2 younger siblings, and a LOT has happened since I was born back in 1975 that someday I want to convince my dad to journal before he's gone).
1. The Bible.
While I'm often a really bad person when it comes to cracking open my Bible to study, go through devotions, etc. it wouldn't be right for me to conclude this list of my favorite books with anything else.
There's no doubt that I'm a flawed follower of Christ, making mistakes often daily, but my faith still remains at the center of who I am, who I strive to be, and the example I try to lead. The Bible is the ultimate resource for me to learn more about God and to grow deeper and closer in my relationship with him.
Wow, this daily post turned out to be far more serious in nature than I honestly expected. But there you go, a little more insight into getting to know me.
No picture for this one, but back in the summer of 1996, my dad spent an entire month writing out a very personal journal by hand in a small black hardbound notebook. This book is one of my all time most cherished possession in my entire life!
He wrote about many details from what his childhood was like, his teen years, the time he spent in the Army, dating years, meeting and marrying my mom, many details about my grandparents and great-grandparents that I never met and otherwise would know absolutely nothing about if it weren't for the memories he wrote there.
This journal is incredibly honest, makes me laugh, and makes me cry deeply. My dad is an excellent writer, he writes in such a way that you can easily visualize everything he's talking about almost as if you were there. He writes with humor, with honesty, and at the time much of it was from a very interesting perspective as he has just finalized his divorce the year before, so there's a ton of sadness and heartache in those comments. [Side note: good news, after almost 8 years apart, my parents reconciled and remarried each other on their same original wedding anniversary and have been happily remarried now for about another 7 years].
No one in my family has known anything about this journal I received back in 1996. I recently shared it with my mom & younger sis last month when they came out to visit and I read it to them cover to cover. It took an entire day and more than an entire box of tissues for us to get through it.
The book ends as my dad is talking about the events of my birth, which means there's TONS more details that need to be written (because I have 2 younger siblings, and a LOT has happened since I was born back in 1975 that someday I want to convince my dad to journal before he's gone).
1. The Bible.
While I'm often a really bad person when it comes to cracking open my Bible to study, go through devotions, etc. it wouldn't be right for me to conclude this list of my favorite books with anything else.
There's no doubt that I'm a flawed follower of Christ, making mistakes often daily, but my faith still remains at the center of who I am, who I strive to be, and the example I try to lead. The Bible is the ultimate resource for me to learn more about God and to grow deeper and closer in my relationship with him.
Wow, this daily post turned out to be far more serious in nature than I honestly expected. But there you go, a little more insight into getting to know me.
