Bluebird Books

"How do you find so much time to read?" This is the question bookworms are often faced with when someone they know bumps into them at the grocery store after seeing their bookish blog posts or #bookstagrams.  I'll be honest, I feel a little defensive when someone asks me this. Are they implying I'm ignoring other, more important things (sometimes) or are they incredulous that I would use my free time to read (also, sometimes)?  Reading is my favorite hobby, it's true. So I've actually thought a lot about how to answer this question. If the questioner is not really serious and just looking to make some kind of passive-aggressive dig then they will soon regret it. Because I have an answer, but it's going to take a minute. I use routines to get so much reading done. This may raise my nerd status exponentially, but with a large family and other responsibilities and hobbies, routines work.  we have a lot going on around here Like many readers, I bring a book wi

  February is a very cold month so you might think I wouldn't like it. But February has Valentine's Day and my birthday so as long as the amount of chocolate I get outweighs the amount of snow on the ground WE GOOD. Here are the things I'm reading, watching, listening to, and buying this month: Reading I heard about Yinka, Where is Your Huzband from Annie on From the Front Porch . She said it is a great February rom-com in the style of Bridget Jones's Diary but cleaner because the protagonist is a Christian...but not an obnoxious Christain...it's just part of her life.  Ummmmmmm, yes, please! I love that comp and I love rom-coms. And as a Christian, I find Christians in popular novels to be annoying or so over the top sweet you get a cavity. So far, the portrayal of Christianity in this book has been honest and real, and totally refreshing. I'm loving it so far. Yinka is definitely someone to root for! When I read Cloud Cuckoo Land last month (was it only las

 Violets are blue Winter's almost over There are so many new books to review! I know...it's weak...but I tried. Spring is coming soon and with each new season comes a new list of books that pique my interest and get me excited to go check the mail and see if my preorders have arrived yet.  I never used to preorder books but social media has helped me understand that preordering books help the authors and publishers. I have also been more than a little annoyed when showing up at a store and finding the new release I've been anxiously waiting for is either sold out or not yet stocked because there wasn't enough interest. Sigh. So now I do my best to support the creators and the industry I love so much by preordering a few titles each season.  I'll be honest: I haven't decided which of these books I am going to preorder but I want all of them. Unfortunately, money does not grow on trees. Leave a comment with the spring books you're most excited about and maybe

 It's February! February is my birthday month and the month we usually get a big snowstorm. It's also a short month which I think is a kind of a grace since it makes winter feel a little shorter.  Speaking of grace, I'm going to need some for the first half of the year. I am reading two really long books that I've been wanting to read for a long time. Infinite Jest , of course, and Bleak House are my slow but steady books. Both should be done around the time the kids are done with school, but slowly chipping away at these behemoth books wrecks my monthly reading count. Bookstagram posts of people who finished 8+ books in January activate my sense of competition. Reading is not competitive...unless you make it competitive...which then sucks all the joy out of it. I am skilled at this.  So I'm announcing here and now that I won't apologize for a low number of books read in any given month. I will remember that my reading life is mine, and big books that slow me d