What I'm Reading in 2016 ~ Volume 4

The Lake House by Kate Morton ~ This was such a good novel - only the second Kate Morton novel I've read. I really enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more of her books.

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap by Wendy Welch ~ This book wasn't wonderful writing, but it was an enjoyable read. The idea of being surrounded by books all the time is appealing to this bibliophile. This book made me want to live in a bookstore and it made me think about how and where I acquire my books. If I'm ever in Big Stone Gap (or remotely close), I'd love to visit this bookstore.

Still Life by Louise Penny ~ This was the first in a series of books about Inspector Gamache, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I do not usually read mysteries, but I enjoyed this book and the character development. I'm hoping to get through this whole series eventually (there are 12 so far).

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown ~ I finally read a book by Brene Brown! I've been hearing of her work for several years and tried to read her newest book earlier this year. I quickly realized I needed to familiarize myself with her message and start at the beginning. This is a great book and I can see why it's praised so highly. I've read many books on wholehearted living in the past few years, so I didn't find Brene's message life-changing, but I can see why many do. I was convicted in some aspects of parenting and that is always a good thing - I've got plenty of room for growth in that area.

Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui by Karen Kingston ~ While I didn't get into the whole "feng shui" part of this book, I still found some useful ideas and tips to encourage and inspire me. I really liked the suggestion to replace "should" with "could" and "can't" with "won't". Karen also introduced the concept of a "dilemma box", which reminded me of the "outbox" from Apartment Therapy (which I read last month).  This book reminded me a lot of the Kon Mari book, especially in size. 

Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata ~ This was our read aloud for "Arrow" program (from Bravewriter....each month we are assigned a read-aloud and then do grammar lessons that are centered around the book). There was a warning attached to this book (from Bravewriter) that some of the war scenes were graphic, but we pushed on. I was not prepared for the language I encountered and was glad I was reading it aloud and could change some of the words and expressions. Overall the story was a good one, and we all enjoyed the look into the Vietnam War.

**I took this photo before I actually read any of the books. I started Better Than Before, but quickly realized it wasn't the right book at the right time. As for Hip to Be Square, maybe I'll get to it next month or later this summer. 

I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy for Quick Lit