Five for Friday - Five Favorite Summer Reads

This summer was different and exciting in that Anna Cate was able to spend time reading to herself. This new ability allowed me to actually spend some daylight hours reading what I chose to read. I tried to use the time to read a variety, some light reading, some intelligent reading and some reading to learn and inspire. Of the many books I devoured this summer, here are my favorites.

1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Incredibly written with flawed, yet memorable, characters, this book ruined fiction for me for several weeks. I just couldn't find characters that intrigued me the ways the ones in this novel had. It is also centers around circus life, an arena I had never given a second thought.

2. Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. I did an extensive project on the Roman myth of Cupid and Psyche in high school. So, when a friend mentioned that this book was Lewis' interpretation of the myth, I was immediately interested. It centers on the selfishness of human love and our inability to see ourselves clearly. I am honestly surprised that this book hasn't gained as much notoriety as many of Lewis' other works.

3. Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. To be fair, I began reading this book in the Spring. But, because I did not complete it until the summer, I am including it in my list. It really made an impact on mine and Matthew's relationship and the way we view one another's needs. The idea that genders view the world differently is not a new one, but his explanation of the way we react and why, was truly eye-opening for me.

4. Another Mother's Life by Rowan Coleman. This book I picked up not even sure that I was interested in reading it, but I am glad I gave it a chance. The characters in this book struggle with issues from long ago and attempt to decide if they are living the life they were meant to lead.

5. Lighting Their Fires by Rafe Esquith. I have long thought that we spend entirely too much time teaching children what they need to know instead of who they need to be. This book focuses on fostering qualities in children that society as a whole is losing. Some of these traits include time management, humility and selflessness. The author explains why the traits themselves are important and also gives suggestions as to how to encourage these traits in children.

Each of these books really gave me a chance to think about different issues in life and I think that is probably why I chose them from the others. I would like to include that Anna Cate and I completed three of the books from Chronicles of Narnia together this summer and that experience is one I will treasure forever.