Welcome to Litsy!

#summersouls #perfect @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Hmmm, had some good moments. It was a memoir type book and as that okay, although I couldn't relate. Definitely have to be in the mood to read otherwise gets annoying, IMHO. Had this book for a long time, paperback so happy I finally read it and did switch to audio half way through 🎧📚

I bailed on How To Do Nothing.
I saw Present Over Perfect on the featured shelf in Target, so I borrowed it from the library and it's much better.

I really enjoyed this read. As a mother, wife, Christian, and working professional I can relate to her story. Always striving to be perfect, but missing out on life in the process. Growing up it was all about self sacrifice for the greater good over self care in order to shed the light of what‘s good. My motto these days is to have no expectations, and let God lead me to what he would have me do. For me , it‘s to be there for my family.

Starting a new audiobook this morning while I savor this cup of tea.
#audiobook #bookntea

This one didn't work for me.

I really enjoyed "Bread & Wine" by Niequist, so when this book showed up in Amazon Prime Reading it was a no-brainer for me.

It turned out to be too self-helpy for me. I couldn't wait to be done with it, and I skimmed a lot. Granted, I am not a perfectionist so I really couldn't relate to the author and her struggles.

Onward!

This book was incredible. As a type A, driven, people-pleaser, this put words to situations and feelings I've encountered, but never knew how to put into words. It started a little slow, but the second half of my copy is book-eared all over to mark sections that were particularly meaningful to me. I would definitely recommend this one!

How is week one already over?! I didn‘t get any runs in this week, or reach my steps goal, but I hit all my other goals...including finishing 1/3 books. And we went on a beautiful 4 mile hike last Sunday to this waterfall. Water, planks, squats all done! Onward and upward to next week!
#bfcr2 @Meaw_catlady @wanderinglynn @Airykah13 @BlameJennyJane @bookandcat @Peddler410 @Minispok @ness @Econaghan @Lucy_Anywhere

I just finished listening to this gem and loved it! I felt like she was talking about me at times, I truly got so much out of this book. So much so that I‘m ordering a copy so I can go back and re-read it. This is one I think I‘ll go back to time and time again!

I read this one slowly, an essay or 2 at a time, savoring her thoughtful words and ruminating on their effect on my heart. As someone who has a tendency to keep moving forward even when it hurts, worrying too much about what others think, and puts everyone before myself, this book resonated with me and reminded me that I am enough. Right now, right where I am, I am enough.

Ooh, 1/3 in and this book is my jam! I‘ve needed these words for awhile but I‘m glad to finally make the space to fit them in. #currentread #simplify

Meh.. quick listen but repetitive- also didn‘t realize how religious based it would be.

I honestly didn't know a whole lot about this book before I borrowed it from the library via #Libby. I had read a lot of people raving about it, and I felt like it was a good opportunity to work on my goal of reading more NF. That being said, I'm also not a very religious person. Organized religions have a lot of hypocrises and other issues within, so I struggle with them. I didn't realize this was a faith-based book. And honestly?

⬇⬇⬇

Just no. Was too christian for me. It probably had great advice, I was just turned off.

Not a bad book but it really got me thinking about white supremacy and the Christian women‘s self help genre, though the book had nothing to do with race. #audiobook

I read this book in audiobook format and I think it is a great way to take in this book. It felt like journal entries that she chose to share with me. This journey Shauna speaks about in her book is something that I started on years ago after my body completely failed me. This book was a great reminder and encouragement to me.

This.
This was so good for my soul.

The latest installment in the self discovery journey that is 2018. Looking forward to this one.

This was a decent book. I had expected a more practical approach to being present rather than perfect but it was more Shauna‘s musings and life story (which is fine). Just not what I expected.

I expected this book to be a bit more meaty, but it did have some good nuggets of wisdom I appreciated. The good news is that I am half way done my #readingchallenge 2018!!! I'm ahead of schedule!!!

I adore the concept of being present over perfect. Of believing that your own soul is enough and beautiful. In putting the best, most cherished parts of yourself into your favorite, most cherished, people.

4.5 hours in and this is my second audiobook finished.

Give me updates! How's #25infive going for all the Littens?

After spending 3.5 hours today receiving multiple mammograms and an ultrasound I thought that I should use this decidedly healthy body of mine to exercise instead of read. All this chaos has only allowed me two hours of reading today. Taking my audiobook into the shower with me for progress. 🤷🏻‍♀️😂🤷🏻‍♀️😂 #25infive

So far, the author is using more words than necessary to explain her points. It could be that it‘s making me uncomfortable. Still, lots of stage setting. #lunchandabook Chimichurri potatoes and baked chicken with spicy mango BBQ sauce.

!!!

Entering hour 16 of #24in48. A friend recently posted a quote from this book, and it intrigued me enough to pick it up from the library.

I love this book! Shauna really caused me to think and reflect on why I‘m doing what I‘m doing. As a result I let a lot go. And I‘m learning to recharge in silence.

Unfortunately, this one was not for me. I highlighted quite a few individual quotes that contained meaningful insights, but I ultimately did not connect with the author or her story. I found the book to be repetitive, lacking structure, full of humble brags, and lacking any real recommendations on how to be more present.

“This is what I call fake-resting. I‘m wearing pajamas. The kids are watching cartoons, snuggling under blankets, eating waffles. Aaron‘s reading or sleeping. It looks like I‘m resting, too. But I‘m not. I‘m ticking down an endless list, sometimes written, always mental, getting things back into their right spots, changing the laundry, wiping down the countertops.” [This book isn‘t perfect, but it has some spot on observations.]

This was the last book I was reading in 2017 and the first I finished in 2018. It was better than I expected and I enjoyed the bite-sized essays. A few quotes made their way into my notebook. Here are two: “sometimes being brave is being quiet” and “willingness to be fragile is actually what makes me strong.”

#QuotsyJan18 #commitment 🙊

I like the principle behind the book, but it basically just repeats the same thing over and over again with no practical application. She just said she was overworking herself and so she had to change. There‘s no explanation of ways to actually change.

On a simplifying kick lately, but I'm nowhere near frantic so I turned this one off.

Some parts really resonated with me, particularly in the first half. However, I also felt really disconnected from the writer in other parts. Perhaps that is because I began this journey with the mindset that this book would readily show me how to embrace present over perfect. In reality it was more of the writer's reflection on her own transformation. Image is an excerpt from Mary Oliver's poem "The Journey".

"I thought that my midlife season would be about pushing into a new future ... and it is. I thought it would be about leaving behind the expectations and encumbrances of the past. It is. What I didn‘t know is that it would feel so much like recovering an essential self, not like discovering a new one."
This book is amazing. I'm learning so much about myself, even through someone else's perspectives on her own life, never having met me.

#splashintosummerreads #grabthekleenex
The last two are more like healing "this-book-is-speaking-to-my-soul" kind of tears. So good though ?

Couldn't get through this. Too much memoir, too little wisdom to help the reader explore their lives. 2 out of 5 stars

I became a fan of Shauna's writing after reading Cold Tangerines. I'm not usually into faith-based reads but her essays are always beautiful and not at all preachy.
This book falls between a pick and a so-so for me. While there was a theme to the compilation of essays, the sentiment just seemed to repeat over and over instead of building/expanding. I enjoy her passion for life and the way it shines through in her words.

It's 4am and I woke up for no reason and can't seem to go back to bed. Wrapped up in a blanket with a book and a cup of coffee. 📖☕️

I finished a book on my poor neglected Kindle, felt better about reducing my TBR on there so decided to start this one I purchased as a daily deal on a whim several weeks ago. Somehow I ended up in the Kindle store and purchased 2 more ebooks (a Pat Conroy and a Wendell Berry) because they were a steal at $1.99 a piece.
*sigh* 😂
The TBR pile continues to grow and I'm not ashamed! 🙌

Prepping for some book reviews on my blog! Check out www.Kentuckyorange.com for reviews on recipes, beauty products, clothes, books, and more!

I finished this book yesterday on audio, but I can't stop thinking about it. I definitely want to read it again in print later this year to sort out some of my thoughts. She writes as an extrovert seeking quiet from the noise of her daily life. However I really connected to this as an introvert who seeks quiet from the noise of my thought life. Good stuff to 💭 on.

I'm in a fiction reading slump! I have plenty of great books I could read, but I don't feel like reading! 😱 What do you do when this happens?

Feeling so guilty listening to this while hammering out my to do list. 😱😂 #fixitjesus

This book is like a breath of fresh air. While I want to just plow through it and read all day because it is so good, I am making myself read it slowly and soak it up.

This book is resonating with me in the most meaningful ways. Namaste 🙏🏻

Yep, I'm still reading this one. I've been enjoying drawing this one out and taking in three or four short chapters at a time to really let the author's message sink in. I've also found myself stopping every couple of pages to take a picture of lines that really resonate with me. Lots of gems in this one.

A few years ago, I got a very strong urge to move toward a simpler, minimalistic life. My husband and I joke that we're doing things backwards because we've gone from having a huge house with 4 bedrooms to a 1 bedroom apartment. My dream is to someday live in a tiny house (it just has to fit a bath tub 😁). I found this book on Pinterest recently and got it from my library to continue my journey towards a simpler life. #litsypartyofone