Birthday Book Haul
As is the way with all bookworms, I am now going to show off all the books I got for my birthday!
Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin - This may be a lot like Marie Kondo's book about tidying up, but without all the woo woo stuff like thanking your socks for their service. I aspire to a minimalist lifestyle (except for books), but I live with 2 people who prefer excess. (The third one tends toward minimalism also.)
Miniatures and Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen by Peter J. Leithart - I really hope this guy's last name is pronounced "Lightheart". That would just be outstanding. You know I want every book about Jane Austen. This is short and has a gorgeous cover. It's probably a Ph.D. thesis but whatever.
Finding God in the Mess: Meditations for Mindful Living by Brandan McManus SJ and Jim Deeds - What even is the SJ? Oh Society of Jesus. Very hoity toity. Anyway, meditations sounds good. It's also a short book. Hooray! This was on my wishlist, so it's not just a random gift.
The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbktu by Joshua Hammer - I feel like the title gives away why I wanted this book. I mean, all librarians are bad-ass but I would like to learn about the ones in Timbuktu.
American Cozy: Hygge-Inspired Ways to Create Comfort and Happiness by Stephanie Pedersen - More minimalist theory with the added bonus of cozy! Hygge is the Danish practice that focuses on comfort, togetherness, and well-being. This book includes organization tips, decor themes, etc for creating coziness and slowing down.
The Chimes by Anna Smaill - This is a dystopian book about a London wherein no one can make new memories and writing is forbidden. A guy comes to town and brings music to help combat the dreary sameness? The summary is vague.
The Ensemble by Aja Gabel - From what I can tell by the summary, this is a found family story about a string quartet. It follows them through their ups and downs.
One Question a Day: A Five-Year Journal - I made my own DIY five year journal several years ago, but it didn't turn out very well. I took it from a Pinterest page that appears to have done a random order for the questions because there would be a question that clearly went with another question (i.e. Why is that?) but it didn't match with the question before that. I gave up on it this year. But now I have this cool professional one! I'll start Jan. 1.
Shit, Actually by Lindy West - This book is a collection of movie reviews. The author believes The Fugitive is the best movie and compares all the following movies to that one. The title is taken from her review of the movie Love, Actually. I'll try not to take umbrage at the fact that she tears apart one of my favorite Christmas movies. I heard some excerpts from this book on a podcast and immediately wanted it. So when my kid asked me what book I wanted for my birthday, I told them this one.
Pride and Prejudice: The Complete Novel, with Nineteen Letters by Jane Austen and Barbara Heller - This is fabulous! My husband is very proud that I didn't even know such a thing existed until I was holding it in my hands. The letters are in tipped in envelopes. It's gorgeous!
I think that just about covers my book loot. I did also get various and sundry bookmarks. I think I might have enough bookmarks in my collection to use a separate bookmark with every single book I read without reusing any. This will of course not ever happen because I like to look at my favorite regularly. Maybe I should consider creating a bookmark display case. Genius!