How Can You Read This?

I am a voracious reader, and have been for as long as I can remember. I slowed down a bit in college, slowed down more when Curly Girl and Boy arrived, but now, I'm picking up steam again. I like to read about 1 book a week, though it is more often 1 book a month.

And I read across several different genres. I won't claim to get absolutely everything in, but I do alright. My favorite are mysteries and biographies. Yep.

There is one genre I have shied away from though - advice and self-help books. Whether they are on marriage, parenting, pregnancies, how to stop chewing your nails, how to make a million dollars in a day, how to anything, I don't read them.

I've always maintained if there is something I think I need to fix in my life, then I, with God's help, will fix it. I get irritated just reading book jackets in the self-help section in which one book says "do it this way" and another says "do it that way" and a third says "do it both ways even though they are complete opposites and cancel each other out!"

However, every once in awhile, even I, with my extreme desire to do it myself and reach those high, perfectionistic goals I have set, have to admit that maybe an outside perspective would be good.

It is why I started reading 7 Ways To Be A SMARTER Mom (though I never got past chapter 4, something that still bothers me. It is why I tried to read Having a Mary Heart In A Martha World (before I got too busy and couldn't finish it - ironic, I know).

And it is why I ordered myself three books on Thursday: The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman (this has been recommended to me for years, and if I like it, I will most likely buy The Five Love Languages for Children as well), Love & War by John & Staci Eldredge (though not a John Eldredge fan at first, I love his book EPIC), and The Love Dare by Stephen Kendrick (because I rather enjoyed the movie Fireproof and want to see more about this book and it isn't something you borrow from the library, since there is a journal section and all).

I've been married eight years now. I have three kids. And life is a lot different than it was when I promised to love, honor and cherish Mr. Curly until death do us part. And so I'm hoping, through expanding my knowledge through some new reading, to gain new knowledge and understanding that will make me worthy to stay and love Mr. Curly until death parts us.

I'll let you know what I think.

Post title from Beauty and the Beast