I've been reading Louisa May Alcott's classic "Little Women" for the first time since elementary school, and I had forgotten what a charming little book it is. I only remembered bits and pieces of it, and that is mostly from the Winona Rider version of the movie, but of course the book is much better!

I just finished a chapter entitled "Experiments," where the two oldest March sisters find out they have a summer to do as they please. The younger two decide they want to spend their days as carefree as well, and their mother decides this would be a great lesson for them all. The girls neglect their chores and play and do as they please, only to find themselves bored and irritable. Towards the end of the chapter, Mrs. March feigns fatigue and allows their maid to have the day off, and instructs the girls to take care of themselves as they desire. The day turns into a disaster, and they discover just how valuable, meaningful, and enjoyable work can be.

What a wonderful chapter this was! Hard work, especially around the house, is something that I sometimes have a lot of trouble bringing myself to do. The chapter made a point to emphasis the little touches that made their home comfortable--a fresh flower in a vase, a freshly made bed, and so on. They dearly miss these things when no one is up for doing them. I would love to have a home that is as cozy, but my laziness usually wins out.

I found the benefit of a well-kept home appealing, but also just the appreciation of a job well done. The March sisters learn what trouble and discontent happens when one is idle, and what joy one has when work is done well. This is a lesson I still am learning, and I hope it is one I will take to heart.

This coming year I am hoping to spend much more time reading, both the Bible and any other quality book I can get my hands on. I have learned so much this past year in my readings, but I feel like I have only nipped the tip of an iceberg. To keep myself motivated (and accountable) I plan on updating my "Currently Reading" selections more frequently, and I am keeping track of everything I read in 2008 in the sidebar as well. (I listed Jane Eyre as completed in 2008, even thought I read the bulk of it in 2007, so it isn't entirely cheating.)

I also found a blog hosting "The 2008 Puritan Reading Challenge," and I am planning on jumping in this as well. The basic gist is that there will be one short Puritan book "assigned" each month, and the host will be giving background information and such for each book. I have been meaning to read some of the Puritan classics, but never knew where would be a good place to start. I'll be keeping a button for this on my sidebar as well.

Finally, if anyone has any great books that changed your life, provided wonderful encouragement, etc, please let me know and I will add it to my "must read" list!

I'm currently working my way through the Reformed Expository Commentary's book on Esther and Ruth during my evening devotions. So far I've only plugged my way through half of Esther, which is explored first in the book, but even though I haven't finished, the commentary has proved invaluable to me.

I have always thought of Esther as this amazing woman of faith, someone I could admire, but never quite relate to. After all, she was a queen of Persia who put her life on the line to save her people from extermination! After working my way through the first 4 chapters, it is obvious that the author delves deep into the book and shows just how much Esther is like the rest of us.

She lived in a time where the Jews had returned to Jerusalem after exile, but her family had decided to stay in Susa, the capital of Persia, far away from their Jewish homeland, traditions, and temple. After being summoned to the king's court, she spent a year lavished in beauty treatments, only to find herself married to a heathen king. Mordecai told her to hide her Jewish heritage from everyone. She lost touch with her family for several years, where she was surrounded by Persian culture, living up life in the wealth of Susa. The only contact she had with Mordecai was sending her servant to him. She seemed to have forgotten the Lord and her own people. Then Mordecai asked her to reveal her identity and plead with the king to spare her people after Haman desired to condemn them to death. You can see how Esther is a ordinary person after all, with temptations and sins and shortcomings like the rest of us, as she struggles with fear approaching the king after a life of such comfort and pleasure.

Nowhere is God mentioned in all of this, a feature unique to the book of Esther. Yet you can easily see Him working behind the scenes, orchestrating Esther's life (and others') in this narrative to redeem His wayward people. God uses everyone for His purposes, not just the ones of great faith! How comforting is this to me when I struggle. In this time after Christ, where divine revelation had ceased, it is marvelous to plunge in this book and see that the Lord does obviously guide our lives, even if it is not always visible to us.

I saw this meme on Amanda's blog, and decided to steal it for myself. :-)

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?
I generally don't have a preference, since I buy most of my books used. I will most likely choose the cheapest option. However, if it's something special I want to keep, then I'll go for the hardback.

Online purchase or brick and mortar?
I love Amazon and get most of my books from there. I do like walking around bookstores, though. I will buy books on clearance from stores.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
I really have no preference. Aren't they the same store? ;-)

Bookmark or dog-ear?
Oooh I hate dog-eared books! I always use a bookmark. Usually whatever is lying around. It's not too uncommon to see me using a piece of Kleenex as a bookmark. :-)

Mark or not mark?
I like to mark my Bible and I did underline my college textbooks, but just normal reading-for-pleasure books I tend to leave clean & pure.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
I usually group my books by subject.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
Well it depends how often I am moving. There is no better way to pare down your unnecessary books than to move a lot! I tend to keep everything, though.

Keep dustjacket or toss it?
I usually keep it, unless it's not in good condition. When I worked at the library in college, I would cover the dust jackets that I particularly liked.

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
I always remove it. I'm scared of bending the edges of the dust jacket and causing it to look ratty.

Short story or novel?
Novel.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)?
I really don't have a preference!

Lord of the Rings or Narnia?
Narnia Narnia Narnia. :-) Although Lord of the Rings certainly isn't bad.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Chapter breaks. I need some sort of closure.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
I think I prefer the former - it's more dramatic.

Buy or Borrow?
Depends on what kind of book and if I'll get a future use out of it. If it's something I will want to refer to often, or something I want to take my time reading, then I'll buy.

New or used?
It doesn't matter as long as the book is in good shape!

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
Either recommendation or browse. I rarely read reviews, unless they're written by someone I know. (As in, I'll read a review on a blog, but not necessarily by a professional reviewer for a newspaper.)

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
I can't stand loose ends not being wrapped up. So tidy ending unless it's just a part of a series.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or night time reading?
Nighttime reading, right before bed. Unfortunately Paul doesn't like the light on and he always goes to sleep before me... Must come up with a solution for that...

Standalone or series?
Either, as long as the series is ended in an appropriate time.

Favorite series?
Anne of Green Gables. Chronicles of Narnia is a close second.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Hmm how to choose... Letters Never Sent by Ruth Van Reken really, really impacted me... Oh and I'm a HUGE fan of Mary Stewart! My favorite is definitely The Moon-Spinners. When I was younger, I really enjoyed Enid Blyton's Adventure series. They were great! Now I want to read them again...

Favorite books read last year?
Hmm... Well it's hard to say. I really liked The Cat Who Came for Christmas. And I finally finished the Anne of Green Gables series, although technically I read the last book or two in 2007. :-) I also found Taking Charge of Your Fertility really eye opening.

Favorite book of all time?
Anne of Green Gables.

Three questions I am surprised not to see . . .

Fiction or NonFiction?
It depends if I am reading for pleasure or for research. For pleasure I enjoy fiction, especially historical fiction. If I'm trying to learn something, then I will pick up and enjoy a nonfiction. Nonfiction books that I read for pleasure are biographies and historical events.

One book at a time or have several in process at the same time?
Usually only one, although I will have several sitting out waiting to be read.

Crack the spine or leave it unbroken?
Hmm I seriously never think about this. I guess I like the book to remain as pretty and untouched as possible, but I also hate reading a book where it takes all my finger strength just to keep the pages open.

Yeah, that's right, we are bibliophiles--not just readers, book-lovers.