Myth #1: Good, New Books are Too Expensive
While reading The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, I came across this novel idea he invented called a "public library." As it turns out, he started the idea out as a means of sharing literature with some of his colleagues, which then developed into a means of helping to educate the masses who would otherwise never have been able to afford a personal library of any substance.
Go figure, you just continue to pay your taxes (though that's not a requirement) and you can go check out any book that you want for FREE! Armed with this knowledge, which I had already known but chosen to ignore, I no longer had an excuse that it would be too expensive.
Myth #2: Reading Takes Time & I Don't Have Time
One of the wonderful things that I have become acquainted with in recent years are Audiobooks. I realize that some traditional diehards may think an Audiobook doesn't count as reading or is the lazy man's route, but I frankly don't really care. :)What I can tell you is that I read about 103 more books last year than I probably would have had I not used audiobooks. What are some of the benefits of listening to an audiobook?
- You can listen while you do other activities, such as driving, exercising or, if you have a pair of waterproof earbuds like me, while you're in the shower! Once I started looking for times when I could listen to a book, I found that I had a lot more time to read than I had originally thought!
- You can accelerate the reading speed to whatever you are comfortable with - my preference is 2.00x for most books. This also means that you are able to read books more quickly and cover more ground.
- You can have the book with you wherever you go, assuming that you have your phone. Furthermore, if you download it to your device, then you don't have to use any data to listen to it!
Thanks so much to those who provided suggestions for me to read! Another great place to get great, hard-to-find audiobooks is obviously Audible (any Amazon/Audible purchases made after clicking the link help support the blog and are much appreciated). That is where I get books that I can't find in the library.
If you're looking for some suggestions, here's what I read in 2019:
Praiseworthy Pursuits's bookshelf: 2019-read-shelf
Our story centers around a simple little hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. He is fairly well off, as far as hobbits go, and is thus able to spend much of his time relaxing at home with a good book and his smoking pipe. Although he, like most h...
Roger Ebert is a talented writer with a candid, casual and yet surprisingly introspective style that makes for easy reading. While I really enjoyed some of the parts about his early life, career in film criticism, his loyalty to the Chic...
Interesting dystopian version of the future, though I could have done without some of the language. It definitely makes you consider how you spend your time. I also appreciate how it describes literature as a means of transferring knowle...
Absolutely delightful book for young readers! We read it as a family and my daughter kept asking every night at bedtime if we could read another couple of chapters of "Frindle." A simple, clever story that sneaks up on you with some hear...
Solid and reliable concepts but a bit bland to read. I preferred "The 5 Love Languages" since it contains more true accounts and metaphors that make the concepts more tangible and interesting. If you're looking for a more scholarly appro...
A pleasant and inspirational read with each chapter recounting a new aspect of his adventure to, through and from the Tongan Islands where he served as a missionary. This is very much a narrative and moves along nicely with no real slow ...
With a teacher's talent for explaining powerful truths in understandable ways, Stephen E. Robinson teaches about topics often misunderstood by Christians. He addresses the distinction between personal perfection and perfection in Christ,...
A terrific read enhanced by frequent and meaningful quotations from Hal Eyring's extensive journal. An inspiring portrait of a man who, though in many ways is very ordinary, has been humble and teachable enough for the Lord to do great t...
An absolutely Stupendous story! It perfectly complements and expands upon the beloved "Christmas Carol." While taking nothing from the original story, it lovingly develops its principal themes by enlightening our understanding of true ch...
An easy read and an inspirational wartime tale of courage, kindness and faith. "Christmas Fudge" effectively highlights a few bright spots in a terribly dark time and place. Like fudge, it's sweet in all the right places and leaves you w...
Short and insightful. A powerful reminder of not only the reason for the season (Jesus Christ and the love of God) but the realities of mortal life that accompany that wonderful gift.
A simple, comfortable, mystery with no great surprises, but short enough that it's simplicity is not a problem.
Very short, very simple story. Almost too short, if you ask me. As long as you are only expecting a short bedtime story, this will do nicely, though. It effectively demonstrates the power of simple charity, kept hidden by an unselfish de...
A delightful story of Christian historical fiction surrounding the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ. I especially enjoyed experiencing the perspective of a common Jew who didn't know Christ personally, but only knew of Him, as oppos...
A fun bit of historical fiction, one part history and another part magic. Having done a great deal of research, the author takes us from the origins of the Catholic Bishop Nicholas a few hundred years after Christ through many different ...
Fascinating dive into WWII from the perspective of a young French boy in the days leading up to D-Day. The author clearly did a great deal of research to tell this compelling and historically accurate tale. A great, quick read.
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