Yes! It is Summer!
Officially on the calendar, anyway. When we picture summer, we see picnics, lake views, outdoor activities, and time away.
For me, it is an invitation to dive into books… without guilt! Every year for the last few years, I have “escaped” into a world of reading, which is a true vacation for me. Of course, book reading is not confined to summer, I also think of lazy winter nights by the fire.
When do you read? And what do you love to read?
The last few years I have revisited the Mitford series by Jan Karon (my favourite for emotional and spiritual encouragement), and read through the entire Anne of Green Gables stories.
This year I was inspired by some book purging we were doing. It gets me every time. “I can’t throw out that book!!” These were companions and friends of long ago, dog-eared and precious.
So I decided to revisit some of these books before I decided to keep…. or discard. One of them my daughter spied, and it disappeared into her home quickly – I guess it wasn’t just MY favourite!
These are a few of my books I am re-reading. Some have my maiden name still in them.
I was fascinated to read “Not Regina” again, since I had worked on an Anabaptist paper for my recent classes at Carey Theological College. It is a story of a young girl during the time of the Anabaptist persecution, and part of my roots.
“The Earth Is Round” is another historical novel that tells some of the same stories my own great-grandparents experienced when they immigrated from Russia. This book is falling apart but I enjoyed every word.
“Star of Light” was a missionary tale, and I’m looking forward to rereading “A Man Called Peter”, which was the story of Catherine Marshall’s first husband.
And I have many more. How could I throw them out? But I could lend them, sharing is a wonderful idea!
I do have a Kindle device and read there too. In face my own book “A Journey of Hope” is available on the Amazon Kindle Store. I didn’t think it was worth another printing which is costly, but it was a good way to make it available to those who would like to read it.
However, there is nothing like settling into a comfortable chair, or a lounge chair at the beach and settling into a good story. Here’s to happy reading, and wonderful escapes to places we can learn from and delight in.
And an addendum: I’m so pleased to share that my story “The Christmas Ornament” will be included in the latest edition of Hot Apple Cider books, and will be published early this fall. I will be posting more about this book – another book to read once our summer is over!
