E-book or Hardcopy

A new week! Hopefully one where I am less sick...boo. Forgive me if I am slow on commenting or visiting your blogs in return. I hardly visited any TTT posts last week AND I posted my Dream Reading Spots but forgot to link it up!! :// This week Bookish Musings is on hiatus, but I still wanted to discuss this topic: E-book or hard copy??

What a topic! And it has become a huge point of dissention among readers lately. Here is my question: Why does it have to be one or the other??

Image from Instagram: amzech1188

I think hard copy will ALWAYS be in the heart of the reader. The covers. Oh the covers. Ebooks don't have the COVERS. Also, the pages. Being able to flip those pages bring such satisfaction. The way the ink words spill across the pages so cozy and hold such delicious new page smells. Real life pages are so much easier for flipping back and forth when you lose track of the story or want to find a quote. Hardcopy books tell such stories in and of themselves. Bent pages, underlined sentences, highlighted words tell me what the reader was thinking and experiencing; a story of the reader reading the story. 

But EBOOKS! Talk about the epitome of convenience. If I can't find the book at the library and don't want to drop almost $20 to buy it at the bookstore: Amazon. I can get that book the day it comes out and not have to wait eons for the library to pick it up. Or the waiting lists. I once requested a book, and didn't get it for five months, which at that time I forgot I had requested it! Ebooks are sooo my first pick when it comes to a situation like this. Being able to have several books on my person at all times, is just. the. best. While feeding and rocking Baby Girl to bed, I can read one handed quietly. Ebooks also make ARCS a lot more accessible to the common reader/reviewer like me! 

So my answer: Always both. I always have one hard copy book and one ebook going at the same time. 

So tell me: Do you prefer hard copy, ebook, or both??

50 Fridays Marriage Challenge review

The Fifty Fridays Marriage Challenge by Jeff and Lora Helton
Goodreads Summary:

Transform your marriage with this revitalizing relationship guide that challenges couples to answer important questions together and grow in mutual understanding.In our modern, fast-paced society, it is easy for couples to drift apart and suddenly find their marriages in need of serious help. If this sounds familiar, then Pastor Jeff Helton and his wife Lora have a challenge for you: sit down once a week with your spouse to answer a question together. It could be something as simple as “What makes you laugh out loud?” or as deep and challenging as “If you had one day left on earth, what would you say to your spouse?” or “Are you satisfied with our level of physical intimacy?”

The 50 Fridays Marriage Challenge is a fun book specifically designed to spark open and honest conversation between partners at any stage of married life. Each short chapter includes an engaging question, a brief message, an encouraging quote, a Bible scripture, and a prayer. The short messages bring hope to rocky marriages by providing a safe, gentle space for discussing important matters, such as communication, conflict, in-laws, finances, children, sex, and much more.

By taking the 50 Fridays Marriage Challenge, husbands and wives will find that their Friday evening talks—whether they laugh together, delve deep into the topic at hand, or plan and dream for the future—may be the only time they spend in close conversation that doesn't involve the kids, the checking account, or who took out the trash. Spend a few precious moments together once a week with this book, and you will ultimately see your marriage transformed.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. The release date is September 3rd, 2013. Current Kindle  price is $9.72.  (9/6/13)

My Thoughts:
The idea behind this devotional is pretty obvious from the title, but just in case: The idea is to spend a few minutes each week being intentional about your marriage. Pick a day and a time to set aside to converse and connect with your spouse. There are 50 questions/challenges, so technically it would take you 50 weeks to complete. While that might seem overwhelming it really isn't. That is five or ten minutes a week! I hope you would consider your spouse worth that time...or you might want to be looking for other marriage counselling books... :) You can easily customize this to your relationship and lifestyle. Perhaps two questions a week or one a night! 

The devotions themselves are short. Each week opens with a question or challenge, then a Bible verse, the devotion, and then a quote. The devotions aren't just stories from the author's lives like so many other books, but offer a lot of practical lists and ideas. This ALWAYS hooks me. I am a gal who NEEDS PRACTICAL advice! 

This is a great Christian devotional. Because I was trying to read it in time to review, I didn't get to go through all the questions on a weekly basis with my husband like the book suggests. I read through it straight, but will definitely be going back to share with Hubby all my highlights. 

I did go over a few with Hubby on a 2 hour car trip. He didn't seem to mind them, which for him says a lot about how good the book actually is. He thought they were the perfect length. The challenges we covered seemed to be not too 'hard' and not too 'easy'. Some of the challenges I read through myself were 'meh' compared to some of the 'better' challenges. I found myself disappointed in those ones. I think the authors set themselves up for a lot of practical tips, hints, and activities and so it really hit me when I came across one that wasn't as helpful. 

Official Rating: 4 Stars. I would recommend this book to all my married friends!! It is a great way to spend time focusing on your spouse each week.  

Books that Intimidate Me

Piggy backing off of this week's TTT, Books I should've read in school, I thought it would be a good time to share my list of intimidating books.

Ever have a book, maybe two, that are staring you in the face.....and you back down?? Maybe even run away?? I seem to have plenty. Some I even bought and can't seem to get around to. Ever. Oops!

So here is my list of 10 Books that Intimidate Me:

Rebecca

Bought this one for free on the Kindle. I think I even started it, just a few pages. And even though I have heard it is an excellent book, I just never seem to get myself back to it.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief is one of those books that I am sure everyone but me has read. I remember reading a sample on the Kindle and thinking it sounded creepy or wondering how it was going to relate to books at all. I never bought it.

Gone Girl

I own this one in hardcover. I think I bought it from Amazon when they were having a sale on bestsellers. I had good intentions on reading it. Then, I saw tons of mixed reviews. And I found out it has a bit of a mystery. For some reason, I have to be in the right mood to read a mystery. That mood hasn't struck lately.

The Casual Vacancy

I think the reason this book intimates me so much is because I don't actually want to read it. But you sorta have to, if you are a fan of J.K. Rowling. I want to support her as she tries to break away from Harry Potter. I heard this book isn't all that awesome though, and perhaps has some violence in it? I think if I ever stumble on this book for free or at the library, then maybe I will wander in.

Anna Karenina

I meant to read this book before I even knew they were making it into a movie. I swear. Years ago it was on my list. And then another year....and then another...yeah. The sheer size of this is daunting. I know it will be involved as well as it is an older book and the writing is probably more dry and hard to swallow. Maybe I will just watch the movie??

The Illiad and The Odyssey

Yes. I think this one is understandable. I don't think I will be able to convince myself to read it anytime soon. But perhaps when the kid(s) are grown up and moved out.

Little Women

I own a really old copy of this book. The date is in roman numerals and I haven't yet found anyone who could read them for me. I love the book, so old, aging, spine loose with worn love...and I have never read it. I have read the first two chapters a million times. Why can't I ever make it past that point?? Maybe because I hated the movie. They should redo it with good actresses this time.

The Hiding Place

This is the one book on the list that I truly lament not having read yet. Corrie ten Boom is an amazing woman, so I should want to read her story for myself right? Apparently: wrong. I am intimidated by this book because of all the feels I know it will make me feel. Too many.

The Great Gatsby

Sometimes being in Honors English in high school can be detrimental to your reading education. We never read the 'classics', including the Great Gatsby. I always told myself whenever it came up that I would read it eventually. Then the new movie was coming out and I wanted to read it first.......still haven't done it. What is a Gatsby anyways??

Lord of the Flies

Again, a book that honors english skipped over (What did I read instead?? Sheesh!). I never wanted to go back and read it because I figured it was something dumb like Hatchet or Island of the Blue Dolphins. I could never stand books like that. Apparently it is a little more post-apocalyptic? Still not sure. But I know I should read it. eventually. just to sound like an intelligent book reader.

Those are my most intimidating books. What books scare you a little??

Books I Should Have Read in School

Today's Top Ten Tuesday question actually had two different options....and I went with neither of them. Sorry! Instead of the suggested "Books That Should Be Taught in Schools", I went with Books I Should have Read in High School. Because let's face it, I have no idea what should be taught in schools these days. An most likely if it is being taught in school, I am not reading it. I will read the classics, but I just don't want other people's political statements pushed on me when I am trying to relax; that is what a lot of 'teaching' books seem to be these days. 

So...here is my list of books that I wish we had read in Honors English classes. Now I feel like the dumbest honors english class student ever, but my classes just skipped over these ones. Reading them now would make me feel 'behind'...or something..

1. The Great Gatsby. I have a chance to read this one now and look 'normal' because of the new movie that just came out.

2. Lord of the Flies. William Golding. 

3. Streetcar Named Desire. Tennessee Williams. 

4. Catch 22. Joesph Heller. 

5. The Giver. Lois Lowry. Did someone tell me there was a sequel??

6. A Tale of Two Cities. Charles Dickens.

7. Anna Karenina. Leo Tolstoy. 

8. Poisonwood Bible.  Barbara Kingsolver. I think this was an option for my Intro to Lit college class senior year, but I choose something else.

9. Beloved. Toni Morrison. 

10. Their Eyes Were Watching God.  Zora Neale Hurston. 

Let's establish that I did read some great books in HS including Mice and Men, Martian Chronicles, all of Shakespeare, Snow Falling on Cedars, Cold Mountain, Into Thin Air, To Kill a Mockingbird, Animal Farm, 1984, Catcher in the Rye, and Fahrenheit 451 to name a few! So I am not completely dorky. Every now and then I get on a classics kick. I read all of the Hunchback of Notre Dame (snore), Austen, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights (more snores), Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for funsies.


List the classics you have read! Which ones did you love? Which ones did you loathe??

Dream Reading Spot

Ah! So glad to be joining Bookish Musings for her Behind the Blog linkup! I missed it last week in favor of my Top 6 Books list. This week we are discussing our Dream Reading Spots. 

Honestly?? I wouldn't need a fancy location. Somewhere like the Eiffel Tower or Venice would be fantastic, but probably a major distraction. All I need is somewhere comfy cozy to sit/lay and quiet! I pulled some pictures from my Pinterest boards to give you a visual of my dream reading spot: