Goodreads | 25 in 12 + Reviews

Happy Monday, friends! I had the most wonderful and relaxing weekend, which included lots of time to read—one of the goals included my New Year's Resolution for better balance in 2014. I realized last year that I was turning on the TV way more often than picking up a book, and half of the stuff I was watching was just plain stupid. I knew I would feel more accomplished and relaxed if I chose reading over TV, so I'm taking on a challenge: Read 25 books in 12 months. And guess what? I've already finished one book! It feels so good to fill my mind with meaningful and poignant stories instead of ridiculous stuff on TV. (This is not to say I'm not watching any TV. Of course I still have my favorite shows that I can't give up. :) )

So, I'd LOVE to hear your very favorite book recommendations to add to my list for 2014. Here's what I've got so far (taking care to mix fiction with non-fiction with spiritual with business, etc., for a well-rounded, book-filled year!):

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
2. Help, Thanks, Wow by Anne Lamott
3. I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
4. Film is Not Dead by Jonathan Canlas
5. Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen
6. Blog, Inc. by Joy Deangdeelert Cho
7. The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
8. Emma by Jane Austen
9. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
10. Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter
11. Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
12. Boundaries by Henry Cloud
13. The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan
14. The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon
15. Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner
16. Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle
17. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
18. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

As a thank you for helping me complete my list, I have some reviews for you on my recent reads. Some are great! Some are not so great. Did you read any of these? What did you think?

The Butterfly's Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe. I'll start with my least favorite and work my way on up. This book was just a little too corny? Unbelievable? Annoying? I can't quite put my finger on it, but I just couldn't get into it. The gist of the story is that Luz, who is recently left alone when her grandmother guardian passes away, goes on this journey to Mexico to follow the monarch butterflies as they migrate south. The butterflies symbolize her grandmother, which is beautiful and all, but the whole thing was just a little too much for me. (**)

Weird by Craig Groeschel. I really enjoyed the premise of this book—that we should try to be more than normal in a society that's all about fitting in—and the two sections on time and money were right up my alley (especially because I read this towards the end of the year when I was feeling out of sync). But then I realized I had some major ideological differences than Groeschel and I just couldn't get over them as I finished the book. Hint: He rags on Ellen. ELLEN! (**)

The Sisters by Nancy Jensen. This is good old-fashioned fiction at it's finest. The Sisters really surprised me. The story is intricately woven through multiple generations of women, all stemming from two sisters in the late 1920s. After a complete misunderstanding, the sisters are separated and start very different lives of their own. Their daughters and granddaughters add to the story that's not as black-and-white as it seems. (****)

Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. For some reason, I tend to avoid reading classic novels. That sounds pretty terrible for a reader like me, but I think it's because it reminds me of school and I don't want to be reminded of school when I'm reading for fun. Anyways, after reading Their Eyes were Watching God, I realized I need to read more classics now that I'm older and can appreciate them. What a beautifully written love story that stems from complete bitterness and despair. I loved the redemption after all Janie Crawford, the main character, went through. A must read! (****)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Oh my goodness, this book. I told my mom (who gave me this book!) just a few days ago that I couldn't get over how every character in this book talks (totally unrealistic! I obviously have a problem with using my imagination!), but after finishing it three days later, I don't even care. John Green weaves the most breathtaking and heartbreaking story, and I couldn't get enough. Hazel, who is the heroic narrator, suffers from terminal cancer, which doesn't define her necessarily but obviously greatly affects the way she sees the world and lives her life. When she meets Augustus, a fellow cancer survivor, her world is turned around. I really can't do the book justice with my words, so you'll just have to go pick it up! (*****)

Goodreads | 7

So I know I just did a Goodreads post, but I tore through a couple books on vacation and had to share my beach edition with you all ... complete with sand. :) Really, is there anything better than soaking up the sun with a good book in your lap? We relaxed hard in St. Lucia and that means reading an entire book in one day. Enjoy!

7 by Jen Hatmaker. I needed this book. Badly. Nathan and I found it really ironic that I was reading it while vacationing on a tropical island because the premise of the book is how to live a simpler life. Everyone can use some simplifying, yes? I know I do, and Jen's (yes, we're on a first-name basis) seven areas in which she simplified were really perfect: clothes, shopping, waste, food, possessions, media and stress. Every month, she (and sometimes her family) would work on cutting back in one of these areas (read: only eating seven different foods for an entire month) to learn what it feels like to NOT have everything you want right at your fingertips. Did I mention that Jen is hil-AR-ious? For proof, check out her blog.

Every chapter spoke to me, but media, possessions and stress hit me the hardest. I realized how much time I waste by giving in to stress. It's MY choice to be stressed and I'm embarrassed to admit how much I let it take me over. This is an amazing, eye-opening read. I especially admire Jen's faith and her dedication to social justice issues, which are both the inspiration for the book. Read. Now! (*****)

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen. This was the book that I read in one day on the beach. It was a super easy read (if you couldn't tell!) and a mindless mystery about a fictitious Southern town. The main character and a new/old friend stumble across a disturbing scene at an old mansion that's being restored. This leads them to uncover secrets that may or may not have to do with their own relatives. Kinda predictable. Kinda cheesy. But definitely entertaining. (***)

Goodreads | Wild

I have really relished reading time lately. It's nice to get lost in something that doesn't involve a screen (remember, I don't use a Kindle ...), and I'm trying really hard to read 15 pages or so every, single day. The last couple months, I've tried reading a variety of books (fiction, non-fiction, business, spiritual), and I have to say I'm loving the variety. Here are some of my recent reads:

Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Oh, this book. I'm not a camper or a super big hiker, but Cheryl, who wrote this memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, made me want to pack up my things and go find myself while hiking hundreds of miles. I really, really appreciated her honestly and tongue-in-cheek humor and found myself rooting for her every step of her journey. (****)

Eight Girls Taking Pictures by Whitney Otto. I really wanted to love this book, but I just couldn't get into it for some reason. It's cleverly put together with eight or so short stories that eventually tie together in the subtlest way, all about female photographers at different points in history (one starts out in the early 1900s, while another takes place in the '50s). I appreciated the artistic touches and the struggles that each character went through as she tried to make her way in a very male-dominated industry. For me, it was a little tedious, but it's definitely worth a shot if you're into a) photography, b) history and c) female empowerment. (**)

The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard. This was a quick, easy and entertaining read, although a little too far-fetched for me. The suspense is definitely there, which is good because this is a mystery, and I wanted to keep turning the pages to find out what really happened to the main character's father, who was mysteriously murdered long ago. I just wanted a little bit more when it was all said and done. I'd recommend this for the beach, but not to stretch your mind. (***)

Have you all read any good books lately? I'm collecting recommendations now for slow season! :)

Goodreads | Bread & Wine

I'm not a foodie. At all (unless you count having a severe sweet tooth as being a dessert foodie. Like right now? I'm dreaming of frozen yogurt with lots of hot fudge). Sometimes I'll act the part. You know, like taking lots of Instagram pictures of what I'm eating at such-and-such restaurant. But that's mostly because I like the colors or the artistic display on the plate, not really because I want to brag about what I'm eating. In all actuality, I'm quite boring. I eat when I'm hungry and I stop when I'm not. It's not a bad problem to have, but I always feel a little inadequate in today's food-loving culture. Despite all of this, when Shauna Niequist posted on her blog about giving away advanced copies of her new book, Bread & Wine, a compilation of recipes and stories about "finding community and life around the table," I was all about it. Sure, I might not qualify as a food lover, but I do love bringing family and friends together and I definitely identify with Shauna Niequist's writing. From the moment I finished Cold Tangerines, her first book, I knew I would read all her books. (That's a not-so-subtle plug. You should probably go pick up one or all three of her books this week!)

When I read anything Shauna Niequist has written, I feel like I'm sitting down to coffee with an old friend. Her writing style is casual yet smart, honest, rich and God-filled. Bread & Wine didn't disappoint. Throughout the book I found myself—my non-foodie self—recalling moments where food, and more specifically the presence of food on a table surrounded by people that are important to me, meant something more than just quickly nourishing my body. Like the first lunch I had in Luxembourg with my host family or the hodgepodge dinners my college roommates and I would throw together or holiday meals around my grandparent's table.

Shauna helped me see that it's not about the food necessarily, although that's an important ingredient, but it's really about what the food does or helps us do around a table (or even a proverbial table).

"We come to the table because our hunger brings us there. We come with a need, with fragility, with an admission of our humanity. The table is the great equalizer, the level playing field many of us have been looking everywhere for."

This idea inspires me. It inspires me to cook more. To invite family and friends over more. To celebrate life more. If you are in need of nourishment for your body, mind and soul, I encourage you to pick up Bread & Wine.

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I wasn't kidding about being inspired. I decided I was going to cook dinner a couple times last week, and one of those meals came straight from Bread & Wine. Shauna's O, The Oprah Magazine-adapted Mar-a-Lago turkey burgers seemed the perfect fit for our healthy-eating attempt, and we loved them. They were moist, a little sweet, and had a lot of unexpected flavor. It was a lot of chopping and preparing, but I took the time to do it and it was a nice break from staring at the computer screen.

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers (makes 12 burgers) 1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced Olive oil 4 pounds ground turkey breast 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon black pepper 2 teaspoons Tabasco (we left this out) Juice of 1 lemon 1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped 1/4 cup mango chutney (we used mango salsa instead)

Special Sauce 1/2 cup chutney (salsa) 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup ketchup 2 dashes Tabasco, or to taste (we left this out)

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in olive oil until tender. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into 12 burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.