READING

Being a full-time student, I've had limited time to read for fun the past couple of years. And with parenting, marathon training, and commuting, there is even less time.

This makes me sad :(

I enjoy reading. And my list of books I'd like to read (and in some cases reread) is getting longer and longer. With this in mind, I've decided to set a reading goal for myself for the new year (post on my goals for 2010 is forthcoming). My goal is simple... read one book for fun because I want to read it every month this year. As a secondary goal, D and I have decided to read two books together this year.

Where I'm starting...

D and I have decided that the first book we'll be reading and discussing is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families. We hope that this book will inspire us and help us to dream big and build more effectively as a couple and family (if nothing else, I'm expecting it to generate some good discussions between us - D is a huge Steven Covey fan; I'm not a convert - yet).

My first read of the year is The Life of Manny: Discovering Why People Follow A Leader.

For those of you who know me, this isn't the type of book I'd gravitate towards. I'm more of an Oprah's Book Club-type of girl. I love the Twilight series (still need to read Breaking Dawn). That said, I was inspired and excited to read The Life of Manny because it was written by Ray East. The same Ray East who read at my wedding. The same Ray East who has been a spiritual mentor to D for years. The same Ray East who every time I talk with him I come away feeling inspired. The same Ray East who is a blessing to our family. The same Ray East who is so quick to offer praise, advise, and good council.

We visited Ray in NYC the weekend of the marathon. It was then that he told us about his book and its upcoming publication. After listening to him talk about his book for about two minutes, I knew it would be at the top of my list of books to read in 2010.

I'm about 60 pages into The Life of Manny and am so enjoying it. Ray has creatively and uniquely turned a book on leadership into a page-turning novel. I'm learning and taking notes as I am enjoying the story. It is a great book; well written.

I highly recommend it.