Chairs from the Curb: Summer! And ALL the Books

School is finally out, it's nice and hot and I'm ready to do little but read and ride my bike.

I thought I'd let you in on a few books I've already read and ALL the ones I've ambitiously purchased to read this summer.

Why I Hate Green Beans by Lincee Ray

One of my favorite authors, Melanie Shankle, plugged this book so I decided to give it a try.

Lincee is funny!

And also vulnerable and sweet.

It's written as a series of essays from different parts of her life.

Seriously, the whole why she hates green beans story is hysterical.

This book was super easy to read and would be great to take on vacation.

Because of this, I follow Lincee's podcast

which is also called Why I Hate Green Beans.

If You Only Knew by Jamie Ivey

This is such a great book. It follows Jamie's Christian upbringing and how some bad choices made in her teens left her feeling unworthy in the church. How people in the church made her feel like she could never share that part of her life. She began believing that "if they only knew" all the parts of her past, people would ask her to leave the church or think very little of her.

Very thought-provoking and revealing how the church AND us as believers

may not always extend grace the way God does.

I read this over spring break. I was actually sitting out on the balcony of the bad hotel reading a chapter on sin shock when the drunk college kids started whooping and hollering and announcing they were in Miami when they indeed were not.

It was convicting.

I highly recommend this. It would be a good gift for the college girls in your life too.

Jamie has an awesome podcast called The Happy Hour.

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

This is more of an inspiring motivational book than a Christian living book. Rachel breaks down typical lies that we believe that get in our way of fulfilling our purpose. She shares her own story of working for a Hollywood studio, becoming a wedding planner to the stars and then starting her own media company. It's hard not to feel ready to tackle the world after reading this.

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle

I used to always say that I loved this book growing up. I still have the copy I read back in the 70s. Here's the thing I discovered when I reread it: I DON'T REMEMBER IT AT ALL.

Not even a few things.

It was super hard for me to finish with all the sciencey fictionish stuff.

And I have less than no desire to see the movie.

The End.

Everybody Always by Bob Goff

Bob Goff also wrote Love Does, which I adored.

I just started this and already have it marked up. It's so good.

He's such a great storyteller.

Other books I have purchased for the summer but not read yet are:

Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan

The Middle Place and Glitter and Glue were such great books so I have high hopes for this one.

The Rock, The Road, and The Rabbi by Kathie Lee Gifford

I did a quick 7-day devotional plan on the bible app on my phone based on this book and loved it, which led me to this purchase.

Just Open the Door by Jen Schmidt

I heard an interview with Jen and she talked about how we have become a generation of Pinterest perfect pretty table settings yet we don't actually host anyone for dinner anymore. She talked about how people feel that they deserve to just sit on the couch alone in their sweats rather than fellowshipping with friends and neighbors. This intrigued me.

Steal Away Home by Matt Carter and Aaron Ivey

I heard about this on the Happy Hour podcast since one of the authors is Jamie Ivey's husband. It's the story of the unlikely friendship between the English theologian Charles Spurgeon and a slave named Thomas Johnson. I can't wait to start this one.

Laugh It Up! by Candace Payne

Candace is the Chewbacca mask wearing mom who laughed her way into viral video fame. I heard her in an interview and she is so well spoken, knows the scripture and flat out funny. She's a blast to follow on Instagram. Especially during her recent trip to Israel.

One Beautiful Dream by Jennifer Fulwiler