I like this chair. I sit in it every morning. It’s a really good reading chair.

Here’s what I’ve been sitting in this chair reading lately.

• The Wild Birds, by Wendell Berry — I thought I had read all of the books in Berry’s Port William series, but lo and behold, there was one more. And it was sitting on the public library shelf eight blocks from my chair. This is a compilation of six stories featuring some of his beloved characters. It’s been really fun to read one author’s works over the course of a year.
• Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading, by Eugene Peterson — Eugene Peterson is the author of The Message version of the Bible, but he’s written a whole slew of other books besides. I liked the idea that reading is an art. I labored through the first few chapters, wondering if I had the brain power to keep up with Peterson’s academic style. Then we started understanding each other and I underlined the daylights out of the rest of the book. I’d like to read more from him in 2018.
• The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah — I picked up this hardcover at a library book sale for $1. Library book sales are the best. This was a historical novel about two sisters living in occupied France during World War II. I learned some things about that time in history, but didn’t really connect with the characters. Instead of getting wrapped up in the story, I was too aware that I was reading a story.

Where is your favorite place to read?

“Ordinary people have big TVs. Extraordinary people have big libraries.”
–Robin Sharma–