I LOVE reading and I have to say, other than a sporadic novel here or there, I really haven't read much in the last few years between school and the basement remodel, work and having Scotty. 

Now I have more time and access to Overdrive (whoever thought of creating a digital library deserves a Nobel Prize) I've gotten back on my reading game. I do have to say I have developed a slightly embarrassing tendency to read self help-ish type books. But really it stems from wanting to learn and be uplifted from what I read. So with that warning, here are what I liked about the books I've read or listened to lately. 

Heaven Is Here

I've been meaning to read this for a while and it did not disappoint. I cried and cried while I read this one. It was funny because I already knew Stephanie's story and have read some of her blog but it was still so touching. She made me feel proud to be a mom and reminded me about what's important. I sincerely think she minimized her suffering too, I can't even imagine going through what she did. And even more noteworthy is her relationship with her husband, what a great example of selfless love. 

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

I've been wanting to read his book for a while after reading about Dr. Gottman's ability to correctly predict a couple's future success or failure after observing them for 10 minutes. I think he's right like 90% of the time too. I listened to the audiobook and it started off interesting and explained his research. I did think it was bit repetitive and eventually got into actual exercises which were kind of boring to listen to so I stopped mid-way through the book. I did enjoy his principles for keeping your marriage strong as well as him correcting common misconceptions on why marriages fail (one big one was it doesn't matter if a couple argues, it matters how they argue). 

One thing I want to apply was improving my "love map" or knowledge of my spouse. Basically the premise is you need to know lots of details about their daily lives, opinions, and feelings or eventually you'll become disengaged and it will lead to other problems. When we were dating, David and I asked each other lots of get to know you questions and worked on building out that love map. I think it's easy to just used to your routine and become business partners instead of friends and confidantes. Being married you organically build out your love map at times, but at other times it's easy to lose focus and stagnant. 

The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up

I like reading "fad" books to see what they're all about. If you haven't heard of this book, you might need to be a little more involved ;) 

I definitely don't 100% agree with Marie Kondo but I did really enjoy the book. I loved the overall message of the book: surround yourself only with things you love and bring you joy. It sounds little hedonistic until you think about it. Life's too short to live in a house full of stuff that doesn't add to your life. And I loved how this philosophy quiets our need to keep up with others and accumulate more. 

And we seem to accumulate stuff that just makes our house cluttered and full, but doesn't add anything meaningful. Having boxes of pictures that we'll sort one day and books gathering dust because you don't enjoy them doesn't equal joy. I love the idea every single item in my home can have a place and bring me joy.

Things I didn't necessarily agree with:

Kondo advocates for things like talking to your belongings, emptying out your purse every single day, and some other kind of kooky things. She swears she has a 0% rebound rate, which I feel just can't be true. I'm pretty sure she forgot to factor in things like moving, having kids who have clothes of many different sizes, and the fact that your needs and belongings change at different stages in your life. I really doubt her students never accumulate clutter again.

But I do like her way of purging things by category. So one day you go through all your shirts, then the next day all your pants, etc. I think it's a good way to avoid burnout when you're tidying. I also like her folding system and am going to start doing that. I also like her point about if everything has a place, it's easier to avoid clutter. I even agree with her method of evaluating what to keep and to discard (does the item spark joy?). 

Even though I don't ascribe to her method 100%, it has motivated me to go through my things, really evaluate what they're adding to my life and implement some of her ideas. I think I've gotten rid of 16+ bags of stuff at this point.

The Magnolia Story

This is my last "fad" book. I just started watching Fixer Upper and I'm OBSESSED. Along with the rest of America, I would sell my child to get Joanna and Chip to create my dream house (jk, Scotty you're worth at least 10 dream houses ;). 

But I'm a fan of this power couple because of how inspirational their lives are. They're religious, they have lots of kids, they've built several successful businesses together and they're a just a wholesome and fun couple. 

I loved this book so much. Their story is a great reminder of how Heavenly Father is in the details of our lives and He cares about our dreams. I loved the things Joanna shares about what she learned along the way- she too kind of came to a similar philosophy as Marie Kondo. 

You need to create spaces that bring you joy and inspire you. For her it's her garden, for Chip it's their farm. She also realized she needed to stop trying to create Pinterest perfect houses and instead design houses that were functional as well as beautiful. Basically life is about joy and shared experiences and spaces should be designed around that not around trends. My favorite quote was when Joanna said, "love what you love." No apology. Marie Kondo also shares stories of clients love interesting things (like a collection of mushroom figurines) and she encourages them to display them and celebrate them even if other people don't understand or have the same preferences. 

What an awesome philosophy! Love what you love, don't be so caught up in what the world tells you to care about and you'll have happier.