My Name is Amy......and I'm a Bookworm

I read nearly 90 books last year.* Before you get too impressed**, remember that I have long car rides every week or two down to Mansa, plus bus trips several times a year, plus I was on over 20 flights least year. I am so grateful that I don't get motion sickness. A couple years ago when my friend Debbie came to visit she told me she wouldn't be able to read on the dreadfully long bus ride because she gets car sick. When I remarked that that was a sad, sad story, she chuckled and said, "That's what you said last time I told you that." LOL

I also don't have a commute so my day has extra hours in it. We also don't have much of a social life outside of our home. Many evenings we'll have power cuts so we can't do much or get online. I also cannot fall asleep--no matter how exhausted--without reading for at least 15 minutes. 

All of this adds up to lots of reading opportunities (well, that and sewing--but that's a topic for another time).

Last year I discovered sites like Book Bub and eReaderLove on Facebook. I downloaded a ton of free books--in fact I still have about 40 saved up for a rainy day. I found some great gems. 

Many of the books I read were light reading. I enjoy books in all genres, but am drawn to lighter fare because life can be tough and when I get to reading I often want to just let my brain relax.

Below are some of my favorite books of the year:

 

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh is the story of a child in the U.S foster system. I was incredibly caught up in the story and absolutely loved it!  

Kindness of Strangers by Mike McIntyre was one I got as a free Kindle book. I'm a huge fan of travel books (I wonder why? ha) and this was just right. Upon finishing it I immediately bought the story of Mike's journey around the world with his girlfriend. I didn't agree with every travel tip espoused in The Wander Year, but I enjoyed the journey vicariously.

I had no idea that Molly Ringwald was an author, and when I saw her book online at the library, I thought it was just a celebrity riding the wave. Not so! This collection of short stories was really well done.

A very quick and engaging read was James Patterson's The Quickie. From the first line I was drawn in and then there were twists along the way. A fun ride.

*I know all the books I've read because I keep track of them on Goodreads. Why not join up and become my friend? Amy M. (amyinafrica)

This year I've made one of my resolutions that I want to read at least 12 non-fiction books. So far on my list:

Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo. A look at the dangers of too much aid work in Africa.

When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert How can we as Christians avoid actually adding to the poverty issues.

Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster W. Cline, Jim Fay, Eugene H. Peterson. I'm a huge fan of logic. Combining this with parenting. Great!

Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick I've heard great things about this book. Can't wait!

Get Energy--Empower your Life by Denise Richards 

This is just the beginning. Do you have any to add to my list?

Of course I won't only be reading non-fiction. In fact I've already read some great books. One of them: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Oh. My. Goodness! You must read this.

 Have you read any great books that you can recommend? One of my favorite things to do is to search for a book from the digital library and putting it on hold. When an email lands in my box saying a book I've been waiting for is ready, it's like Christmas!

Exactly Three Years Ago: Are We a Normal Family?
Exactly Two Years Ago: Give the Gift of Life

I'm not an amazon affiliate. Sure wish I were, though.....

**I was just kidding.....feel free to be impressed. I love affirmation.