Inkwells & Images

writing, editing, photography

Reading

Empty Shelf Challenge: August 2014

by 3 Comments

I’m resting, and a large part of that for me is reading.

A good book has always allowed time to stand still for me, which is exactly what I need these days.

Here is what I read in August as I continue the #EmptyShelf challenge. It’s pretty basic: starting December 23rd, you empty one shelf of a bookcase in your house completely. Hence, “Empty Shelf.” Then, through the entire next year, you fill that shelf with the books that you read.

To read what I’ve read this year by month:

January // February // March // April // May // June // July

Nonfiction Books Inkwells Images Empty Shelf Abbigail Kriebs

Here is what I read in August:

39.) Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown – Ever since I stumbled upon her TED talk on vulnerability (worth the 20 minutes of your time, really and truly), I’ve been interesting in her research on shame and wholeheartedness. This was a great read, which I subsequently purchased, and its a topic that I am pondering more and more as I put my writing out there – or try to overcome hesitations to do so.

40.) The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente – This was a delightful book, one that I definitely want to read again and again. Read my full review here.

41.) Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard A. Swenson, M.D. – After Scott and I explained to our pastor our need to step down from the youth ministry for the time being, he lent me this book. While I have been reading about and studying the idea of a simpler life and have more margin for a couple of years now, it was nice to read once again that margin is important and that taking the steps needed to restore it in your own life is not being selfish. I love that Swenson delineates between mental and physical strain, and talks about the need for margin being a “semi-visible” pain that needs to be addressed as much as an illness with obvious circumstances:

Living without [margin] does not cause a sensory pain, but instead a deep-seated subjective ache. Because the ache and heaviness are only semi-visible, the pain of margin-less living is hard for us to talk about. “

I would recommend this book to anyone who just feels like life is moving too fast these days for them to enjoy it. I know I needed more margin when I wasn’t enjoying even the best things, because I was too busy preparing for the next thing. There was no time for reflection or anticipation in life, and I am looking forward to restoring that joy to life this fall.

42.) Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem by Kevin DeYoung – I borrowed this book, too, from our pastor. I think we must be similar, Type-A academics, because he highlights almost all the same passages that I would have highlighted were it my book. If you are a Christian and feel “too busy” all the time, read this book. It helped me recognize that I feel frazzled because life has no rhythm, no natural routine of work and rest – it’s all work, all the time, and my self and my husband – and Christ! – are just getting the leftovers. I have a feeling that I will be flipping back through this book again and again in the coming weeks, as I recalibrate and recharge.

So there’s what I read in August. I said in January that I wanted to read more nonfiction this year than I had in years past, and if this month (and the photo above) is any indication, I think I am well on my way.

What did you read in August? 

Empty Shelf Challenge: July 2014

by 2 Comments

Quick recap: Jon Acuff introduced the #EmptyShelf challenge in December. It’s pretty basic: starting December 23rd, you empty one shelf of a bookcase in your house completely. Hence, “Empty Shelf.” Then, through the entire next year, you fill that shelf with the books that you read.

To read what I’ve read this year by month: January // February // March // April // May // June

We moved in June, and I still don’t have enough shelf space for all of my books. Still no empty shelf images, but I’m getting there. I think.

July was a really fun reading month: I didn’t get through a lot of books, but one of them has become a new favorite for sure. All of the books I read this month were from my local library. I’m linking to the ones that I am planning to purchase so that I can read them again and again.

Here is what I read in July:

36.) Rich Kids of Instagram by Maya Sloan – I picked this up because I found the concept interesting: it’s a Tumblr account turned into a novel, revolving around the Instagram lives of really rich kids. The book was horrible, full of cruel, self-centered people. I expected it to be outside of my normal reading scope. What I didn’t understand was this: at the end of the novel, everything works out for everybody. You don’t identify with any character, you don’t feel affinity for anyone, but in the end all is well. It just doesn’t sit well with me, still.

37.) Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – This is easily a new favorite. I will be buying this in hardcover – it’s that good.  This is no surprise considering how much in love I was with Rowell’s Attachments earlier this year. Fangirl is a sweet story about a girl in love with a series of books, so much so that she doesn’t always allow herself to live in the real world. And when she finally does: it is just as magical as the books she gets caught up in. Read this book as soon as you can.

38.) Austenland by Shannon Hale – I feel kind of silly saying this, but I follow Shannon Hale on Twitter (@haleshannon), but have never read any of her books (until now). Shannon is well-spoken, even in 140-characters, and chimes in on all sorts of issues relating to the publishing world and our culture at large. Austenland was a fun book about a thirty-something single girl in NYC who is in love with Mr. Darcy – aren’t we all? She spends three weeks in a Jane Austen-inspired Regency retreat, and learns that maybe her obsession was for a reason after all. I had to go back and re-read the ending the day after I finished the book – it was just too perfect to not read again.

 So … what have you been reading? Anything good?

Dust & Dust Jackets: The Great #BookBoxUp of 2014

by Leave a Comment

I feel like I have been walking around in a haze of moving dust this last month and a half.

We accepted an offer on our house at the beginning of April. A lot has happened since that day, and after a few weeks of uncertainty, we finally have a closing date at the end of May. While we will officially move on the 31st, I feel like I have been moving all month long: slowly acquiring boxes, cancelling utilities, finding and leasing an apartment. The actual packing has been sandwiched between multiple work trips for the day job and training for a new freelance gig.

As excited as we are about moving, it cannot get here soon enough. I am ready to be done with this constant state of limbo.

On Saturday, I packed up my books. In an effort to make the process a bit more enjoyable than just shoving all of my favorites into cardboard boxes and sealing their fates with packaging tape, I opted to live tweet the process. Here’s the feed from Storify:

The tweeting made the task a much more engaging one. I loved being able to flip through texts as I packed them away, but also to share some of my favorite moments on social media just in case there were other sympathetic readers who wanted to follow along.

Here’s to hoping the #BookBoxUp of 2015 is just as enlightening.

Have you ever had to downsize from a house to an apartment – and downsize your book collection accordingly? How did you do it?