6 Books That Help Me Create a Beautiful Life, Plus 3 On My To Read List

May 16, 2018 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

For a number of years I’ve been on a mission to intentionally create a beautiful life. It’s not always easy but I do believe we each have the power within us to mold and shape a life that brings us joy. I draw inspiration from a number of sources but as a lifetime book lover, it’s no surprise that I often turn to the printed word to help me create the beautiful life I seek.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

6 Books That Help Me Create a Beautiful Life

1. Living a Beautiful Life

I bought a copy of this book back in the early 90s and became an Alexandra Stoddard fan immediately. I was totally enchanted by the lifestyle portrayed and have since read almost everything she’s written. Living a Beautiful Life is chock full of delightful ideas for adding beauty to our homes and our daily lives. I re-read portions of this book fairly often.

2. Chic & Slim

I “met” Anne Barone, the author of the Chic & Slim books (there are several) in a Yahoo Group many years ago. She was one of the first to try to explain just what it is about French women’s lifestyle that keeps them slim. Far more than a diet book, Chic & Slim explores the culture and daily lifestyle of the French. There is much to emulate here.

3. Lessons From Madame Chic

This beautifully-written book by Jennifer L. Scott reveals many secrets of the French “je ne sais quoi” that many of us find so alluring. Ms. Scott has published two additional books and is working on another. I will be reading them all!

I wrote a 4-part review of this book which you can read here.

4. The Cozy Life

While I admittedly draw much of my inspiration from the French, I have also been smitten by the Danish concept of “hygge”. I’ve written a couple of posts on the subject:

How to Create Your Own Cozy Hygge Corner

Hygge in the Springtime

5. Lagom (Not too little, not too much)

While “hygge” has become extremely popular in the past couple of years, the Swedish “lagom” is just starting to enjoy widespread popularity. I’m reminded of the childhood story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears in which Goldilocks discovers that which is “just right”.

American culture is often a study in extremes. Hoarding or minimalism. Obesity or eating disorders. Overwork or excessive idleness. Lagom is all about moderation and balance – something I believe to be a worthy goal.

6. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

This last book may seem an odd choice but hear me out. If you aren’t familiar with the concept of “death cleaning”, here is what the author has to say about it:

“Death cleaning is not about dusting or mopping up; it is about a permanent form of organization that makes your everyday life run more smoothly,” she explains. And you may even find the process itself enjoyable, she adds. “It is a delight to go through things and remember their worth.”

The idea is to avoid leaving a gigantic task to your loved ones when you die. The author suggests this should be undertaken somewhere around one’s sixth decade but it can certainly be done earlier. In fact, I would argue that it’s not a bad idea to have this concept in the back of one’s mind even if you’re only 30 years old. Many of us accumulate way more than we actually need or enjoy and that excess complicates our lives.

Life With Dee‘s tagline is “create a beautiful life” so it should come as no surprise that I am constantly on the lookout for resources to help me do just that. If you have any suggestions I’d love to hear about them!

Three More On My To-Read List:

You may also enjoy these posts:

Aging Gracefully ~ How the French Woman Does It

LWD’s Favorite Francophile Books

Create a Beautiful Life ~ Afternoon Tea Ritual

5 Lessons I Learned From ‘Little Women’

May 11, 2018 By Deanna Piercy 5 Comments

I don’t recall exactly how old I was the first time I read Little Women but I’m guessing I was around 10. I loved it and have read it several times over the years. A brand new three-part adaptation premiers this Sunday on Masterpiece Theater and I am so excited to see it! There have been several adaptations over the years:

Little Women Movie & TV Adaptations

Yesterday I had the opportunity to see the 1949 version starring June Allyson, Elizabeth Taylor, Janet Leigh and Margaret O’Brien at a local theater. I had dozens of things on my to-do list but some things are more important. I hadn’t seen this particular version before. As I watched I was reminded of some of the lessons that can be learned from this classic story.

5 Lessons from “Little Women”

1. It’s better to give than to receive.

The March girls give up their own Christmas presents in order to buy gifts for their hard working “Marmee” and experience the joy in giving to someone they love. In a more challenging lesson, they give their Christmas breakfast to a very poor and hungry family. It’s not so difficult to give to someone dear to us but to give to someone outside our circle of family and close friends stretches us and deepens our sense of empathy.

2. Money doesn’t buy happiness.

Both Aunt March and Mr. Laurence, the “old gentleman” next door have riches that anyone might envy. And yet money hasn’t brought either of them happiness. Aunt March is a cantankerous woman and quite difficult to get along with. Mr. Laurence can be rather crabby himself but we find over time that he is actually rather kind. Still, he’s not a happy man.

3. We all have character flaws but we can work to overcome them.

Meg is prideful; Jo is rebellious; Amy is vain; Beth is timid. Each girl possesses a character flaw with which she struggles. And while elements of those traits no doubt remain deep within, each girl makes great strides in overcoming these challenges.

4. Friendship is a valuable treasure.

The four March girls are not only sisters, they are one another’s truest friends. They also develop a close friendship with Laurie, the boy next door. These relationships sustain them through difficult times.

5. Listen to well-meaning advice.

All of the girls are the recipients of Marmee’s wise counsel and are the better for it. And while it was painful for her to accept at first, Professor Bhaer’s reaction to Jo’s early writings ultimately makes her a better writer.

Have you read Little Women? What did you think of it? Do you have a favorite movie adaptation? Are you planning to watch the new version? Who is your favorite March girl?

~~~~~

I’m now even more excited to see the new adaptation and truly hope it does the story justice. Click the photo below for more information if you want to see it, too.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

LWD Book Club ~ May 2018

May 1, 2018 By Deanna Piercy 8 Comments

Can it truly be May already? I just noticed I still have Santa mugs on a display shelf in my kitchen. Please tell me I’m not the only one who *thinks* I have all the holiday decorations put away, only to find a few stragglers weeks (months?) later. But yes, according to the calendar page I just turned over this morning, it is May. And that means it’s time for the May edition of the LWD Book Club. Let’s see what’s up for this month!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

LWD APRIL BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS

Death at the Chateau Bremont by M. L. Longworth

I listened to a podcast the other day with the author of this book. She has a brand new book out but I want to start with the first in the series.

The first installment in the beloved, sumptuous mystery series set in Provence, featuring chief magistrate Antoine Verlaque and his old flame Marine Bonnet, who must team up to solve a pair of murders

When local nobleman Étienne de Bremont falls to his death from the family château, it sets the historic town of Aix-en-Provence abuzz with rumors. Antoine Verlaque, the charming chief magistrate of Aix, suspects foul play, and when he discovers that Bremont had been a close friend of Marine Bonnet, his on-again off-again girlfriend, Verlaque must turn to her for help.

The once idyllic town suddenly seems filled with people who scould have benefited from Bremont’s death—including his playboy brother François, who’s heavily in debt and mixed up with some unsavory characters. But just as Verlaque and Bonnet are narrowing down their list of suspects, another death occurs. And this time, there can be no doubt—it’s murder.

A lively mystery steeped in the enticing atmosphere of the south of France and seasoned with romance as rich as the French cuisine that inspires it, this first installment in the acclaimed Verlaque & Bonnet Provençal Mystery series is as addictive and captivating as Provence itself.

If you’d like to check out the podcast here is the link:

203: M.L. Longworth’s New Provençal Mystery and Life in Provence

The Fringe Hours: Making Time For You by Jessica N. Turner

Every woman has had this experience: you get to the end of the day and realize you did nothing for you. And if you go days, weeks, or even months in this cycle, you begin to feel like you have lost a bit of yourself.

While life is busy with a litany of must-dos–work, parenting, keeping house, grocery shopping, laundry and on and on–women do not have to push their own needs aside. Yet this is often what happens. There’s just no time, right? Wrong.

In this practical and liberating book, Jessica Turner empowers women to take back pockets of time they already have in their day in order to practice self-care and do the things they love. Turner uses her own experiences and those of women across the country to teach readers how to balance their many responsibilities while still taking time to invest in themselves. She also addresses barriers to this lifestyle, such as comparison and guilt, and demonstrates how eliminating these feelings and making changes to one’s schedule will make the reader a better wife, mother, and friend.

Perfect for any woman who is doing everything for everyone–except herself–The Fringe Hours is ideal for both individuals and small group use.

Home Sweet Maison: The French Art of Making a Home by Danielle Postel-Vinay

French Women Don’t Get Fat meets The Little Book of Hygge in this lively, sophisticated, and practical illustrated lifestyle guide that shows how to enjoy la belle vie—to live like the French every day—transforming your house into a home defined by beauty, family, and accessible elegance.

How do the French create the elusive and alluring sanctuaries they call home? This question long intrigued Danielle Postel-Vinay. Thanks to a chance encounter with a French expat in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and years of immersive research, she embarked on a quest to discover the secrets of the French home aesthetic.

Experiencing first-hand la belle vie—the beautiful life—Postel-Vinay now shows everyone how to create their own French sanctuary, a home sweet maison, no matter where they live. Providing more than just interior decorating and design tips, Postel-Vinay teaches you how to foster the warmth, beauty, and rituals inherent in the French home and create an environment better suited to living a rich, full, connected life. At the center of the book is the idea that your house should be a reflection of you, your hobbies, your family history, your rituals, all the things that make your life unique. A happy home is a home that expresses your rituals and your taste, not one that relies on prefab décor from a mass retailer.

Home Sweet Maison takes a room-by-room approach to show how the French view:

The Aesthetic: why the objects in your home matter, why minimalism is overrated, and why the French always choose the perfect décor for their salons

The Practical: how to use mise-en-place, or the French art of organization, in your kitchen, and how to find the right stain-removing potions to create your own French laundry

The Sensual: the way the French employ scent in their home as a personal signature

The Philosophical: the idea that every room in a French house has a specific purpose, and that the activity in one room should never bleed into the others

Home Sweet Maison encapsulates the very heart of the French way of seeing the world: set the table formally, adhere to all the conventions of ritual and tradition, then take pleasure in indulgence. It’s about using French concepts and routines to change our homes, our relationships, and our lives for the better.

What’s better than curling up with a good book and a delicious cup of tea? And when the tea is named “Reading Nook“? Perfection.

Plum Deluxe “Reading Nook” tea blend

PREVIOUS LWD BOOK CLUB CHOICES:

Simple Organizing: 50 Ways to Clear the Clutter

April 3, 2018 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

I'm on a mission to completely declutter and organize my home this year. Or at least this decade. I'm a fan of Melissa Michaels' website, The Inspired Home, as well as the books of hers I have read. So when I had the opportunity to read and review her latest book, Simple Organizing: 5o Ways to Clear the Clutter, I jumped at the chance.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

I already had two of Melissa Michaels' books:

and...

I love them both so I had high expectations for her latest release. Fortunately I was not disappointed. Simple Organizing reflects the author's trademark style - beautiful yet simple and achievable.

A quick look at the contents shows that this book is more than the typical decluttering book.

LWD Book Club ~ April 2018

April 1, 2018 By Deanna Piercy 3 Comments

Happy Easter and welcome to the LWD Book Club selections for April! I’m really looking forward to reading this month’s books and hope you will enjoy them, too.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

LWD APRIL BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS

Summer With the Country Vet

When Lucy Jacobs is made redundant from her inner-city teaching job she fears her career is over. Teaching is all Lucy knows and she’s determined to get back in the classroom as fast as she can.

Except the only job on offer is at an idyllic village school in the middle of nowhere – Lucy’s idea of hell. Where are the disadvantaged kids who need saving, where is the challenge?

But as Lucy finds herself welcomed into the warm-hearted community of Langtry Meadows, she begins to realise new challenges await – like frogs in the classroom, a rather difficult donkey, and a very brooding local vet…

Local boy Charlie Davenport has his own issues about living in the close-knit village of Langtry Meadows. His private life is already fuel for the well-meaning gossips and the very last thing he needs is to get close to the new school teacher…no matter how lovely she is.

But as summer days drift away Langtry Meadows weaves its magic, Charlie and Lucy both get the chance to turn over a new leaf and start anew…maybe with each other?

A fun, romantic story to make you smile and long for your own country escape.

A Piece of the World

To Christina Olson, the entire world was her family’s remote farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, Christina seemed destined for a small life. Instead, for more than twenty years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and became the subject of one of the best known American paintings of the twentieth century.

As she did in her beloved smash bestseller Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful novel that illuminates a little-known part of America’s history. Bringing into focus the flesh-and-blood woman behind the portrait, she vividly imagines the life of a woman with a complicated relationship to her family and her past, and a special bond with one of our greatest modern artists.

Told in evocative and lucid prose, A Piece of the World is a story about the burdens and blessings of family history, and how artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy.

Playing House in Provence

Author Mary-Lou Weisman and her husband, Larry, didn’t want to tour a foreign country; they wanted to become part of it. They were eager to pierce the tourist veil, and get as close to the essence of the culture as they could. No more observing from the outside with their noses pressed to the glass. They yearned for someone to open the door and invite them to step right in and make themselves at home. They wanted to become so French that even Americans wouldn’t like them.

In September of 2003, the Weismans arrived in Provence, France, for the first of four, monthlong stays. Playing House in Provence follows them on their sometimes wonderful, sometimes humiliating, always playful pursuit, as they learn that feeling disoriented and stupid on a daily basis can be fun. So can looking up French words they need to ask for directions—où est la pharmacie—only to realize there’s pas une chance they will understand the answer.

Watch for my review of Melissa Michaels’ new book, Simple Organizing: 50 Ways to Clear the Clutter. It is available for pre-order now and will be released April 3rd.

What’s better than curling up with a good book and a delicious cup of tea? And when the tea is named “Reading Nook“? Perfection.

Plum Deluxe “Reading Nook” tea blend

PREVIOUS LWD BOOK CLUB CHOICES:

Let’s Read! March 18, 2018

March 18, 2018 By Deanna Piercy 3 Comments

Looking for something to read? I ran across several books I wanted to share with you so I decided to start a new feature. Every so often, I’ll share a few books that look intriguing. Of course, the LWD Book Club will continue as well. Watch for that on the first of each month. But we can’t ever have too many books, right?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

Coco Chanel transformed forever the way women dressed. Her influence remains so pervasive that to this day we can see her afterimage a dozen times while just walking down a single street: in all the little black dresses, flat shoes, costume jewelry, cardigan sweaters, and tortoiseshell eyeglasses on women of every age and background. A bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume is sold every three seconds. Arguably, no other individual has had a deeper impact on the visual aesthetic of the world. But how did a poor orphan become a global icon of both luxury and everyday style? How did she develop such vast, undying influence? And what does our ongoing love of all things Chanel tell us about ourselves? These are the mysteries that Rhonda K. Garelick unravels in Mademoiselle.

A perfect debut novel is like a perfect dress—it’s a “must have” and when you “try it on” it fits perfectly. In this richly patterned story of sisterhood, ambition, and reinvention Sofia Grant has created a story just right for fans of Vintage and The Dress Shop of Dreams.

World War II has ended and American women are shedding their old clothes for the gorgeous new styles. Voluminous layers of taffeta and tulle, wasp waists, and beautiful color—all so welcome after years of sensible styles and strict rationing.

Jeanne Brink and her sister Peggy both had to weather every tragedy the war had to offer—Peggy now a widowed mother, Jeanne without the fiancé she’d counted on, both living with Peggy’s mother-in-law in a grim mill town. But despite their grey pasts they long for a bright future—Jeanne by creating stunning dresses for her clients with the help of her sister Peggy’s brilliant sketches.

Together, they combine forces to create amazing fashions and a more prosperous life than they’d ever dreamed of before the war. But sisterly love can sometimes turn into sibling jealousy. Always playing second fiddle to her sister, Peggy yearns to make her own mark. But as they soon discover, the future is never without its surprises, ones that have the potential to make—or break—their dreams.

What if Virginia Woolf’s sister had kept a diary? For fans of The Paris Wife and Loving Frankcomes a spellbinding new story of the inseparable bond between Virginia and her sister, the gifted painter Vanessa Bell, and the real-life betrayal that threatened to destroy their family. Hailed by The New York Times Book Review as “an uncanny success” and based on meticulous research, this stunning novel illuminates a little-known episode in the celebrated sisters’ glittering bohemian youth among the legendary Bloomsbury Group.

From Marc Levy, the most-read French author alive today, comes a modern-day love story between a famous actress hiding in Paris and a bestselling writer lying to himself. They knew their friendship was going to be complicated, but love—and the City of Lights—just might find a way.

On the big screen, Mia plays a woman in love. But in real life, she’s an actress in need of a break from her real-life philandering husband—the megastar who plays her romantic interest in the movies. So she heads across the English Channel to hide in Paris behind a new haircut, fake eyeglasses, and a waitressing job at her best friend’s restaurant.

Paul is an American author hoping to recapture the fame of his first novel. When his best friend surreptitiously sets him up with Mia through a dating website, Paul and Mia’s relationship status is “complicated.”

Even though everything about Paris seems to be nudging them together, the two lonely ex-pats resist, concocting increasingly far-fetched strategies to stay “just friends.” A feat easier said than done, as fate has other plans in store. Is true love waiting for them in a postscript?

In author Loretta Nyhan’s warm, witty, and wonderful novel, a widow discovers an unexpected chance to start over—right in her own backyard.

Paige Moresco found her true love in eighth grade—and lost him two years ago. Since his death, she’s been sleepwalking through life, barely holding on for the sake of her teenage son. Her house is a wreck, the grass is overrun with weeds, and she’s at risk of losing her job. As Paige stares at her neglected lawn, she knows she’s hit rock bottom. So she does something entirely unexpected: she begins to dig.

As the hole gets bigger, Paige decides to turn her entire yard into a vegetable garden. The neighbors in her tidy gated community are more than a little alarmed. Paige knows nothing about gardening, and she’s boldly flouting neighborhood-association bylaws. But with the help of new friends, a charming local cop, and the transformative power of the soil, Paige starts to see potential in the chaos of her life. Something big is beginning to take root—both in her garden and in herself.

If you have any books you’d like to recommend, please leave me a comment!

~~~~~

LWD Book Club ~ March 2018

March 1, 2018 By Deanna Piercy 6 Comments

The LWD Book Club selections for March include fiction, memoir and self-help/how to. Something for everyone! Let’s see what we’ll be reading for the month of March:

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

LWD MARCH BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS

Sous Chef: 24 Hours on the Line

In this urgent and unique book, chef Michael Gibney uses twenty-four hours to animate the intricate camaraderie and culinary choreography in an upscale New York restaurant kitchen. Here readers will find all the details, in rapid-fire succession, of what it takes to deliver an exceptional plate of food—the journey to excellence by way of exhaustion.

Several years ago I read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain and absolutely loved it. I’m looking forward to another behind-the-scenes look at a restaurant kitchen.

Letters From Skye

A sweeping story told in letters, spanning two continents and two world wars, Jessica Brockmole’s atmospheric debut novel captures the indelible ways that people fall in love, and celebrates the power of the written word to stir the heart.

In my post The Gift of a Letter, I shared links to several epistolary novels. I love these and am eager to read this one.

Decluttering at the Speed of Life

While the world seems to be in love with the idea of tiny houses and minimalism, many of us simply can’t purge it all and start from nothing. Yet a home with too much stuff is a home that is difficult to maintain, so where do we begin?

In my efforts to simplify my life this year, I’m decluttering and organizing my home. I love the “A Slob Comes Clean” podcast and was delighted to hear that she has a new book out. My copy arrived yesterday and I’ve already taken a peek.

Let me know if you plan to read any of these or if not, what you ARE reading this month.

What’s better than curling up with a good book and a delicious cup of tea? And when the tea is named “Reading Nook“? Perfection.

Plum Deluxe “Reading Nook” tea blend

PREVIOUS LWD BOOK CLUB CHOICES:

LWD Book Club ~ February 2018

February 1, 2018 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

I am really excited about this month’s LWD Book Club selections. As both a Francophile and an Anglophile, these three books scratch that itch. Let’s see what’s up for February.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

LWD FEBRUARY BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS

A Small House in France: How an English couple turned a neglected French cottage, an acre of land and a walnut orchard into a holiday retreat

The little cottage stood out against a bleak skyline, forlorn, empty, neglected and overgrown. After a three-year search, could it be just what a retired English couple were looking for as a holiday home of their own? A magical holiday to rural France some years before had sowed the seeds of a daring plan for Brenda and Ray Barrington – to spend the early years of their retirement buying and restoring a cottage in the French countryside for use as a maison secondaire. Their budget and time were limited, but their enthusiasm and determination were boundless. The couple soon found themselves deeply engrossed in their dream project and discovering the full ramifications of owning a rural property deep in the land of wine and haute cuisine.

This is right up my alley! I dream of doing something like this. All we need to do is win the lottery.

Diary of a Provincial Lady

E. M. Delafield’s largely autobiographical novel is written as the journal of an upper-middle class lady living in a Devonshire village. Full of the peculiarities of daily life, the Provincial Lady attempts to avoid disaster and prevent chaos from descending upon her household, including a husband reluctant to do anything but doze behind The Times, mischievous children and trying servants, all the while keeping up appearances to society-at-large, and most particularly to the patronising Lady Boxe, with whom the Provincial Lady is eternally competing.

I was looking for a novel set in wartime England and ran across “The Provincial Lady in Wartime”. I do plan to read that one but decided to start at the beginning of the series.

Parisian Charm School

From savoring the everyday beauty around you to engaging in captivating conversations, playing dress-up, hosting impromptu dinner parties under the stars, and of course mastering the art of French flirting, the lively and inspiring lessons in this “syllabus” will help you rediscover your beautiful, fierce, romantic, engaging best self—to attract the best of everything into your life.

I’ve been hearing a lot about this new book and decided to give it a go.

I hope you’ll join me in one or more of these books but in any case, I’d love to hear what you’re reading these days. And if you have any suggestions for future LWD Book Club selections, please let me know!

PREVIOUS LWD BOOK CLUB CHOICES:

LWD Book Club ~ January 2018

January 1, 2018 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

Not only is it the beginning of a new month…it’s the beginning of a new year! My word for 2018 is “simplicity” and you’ll likely see that theme reflected in a number of this year’s book club selections. Two of the three books this month relate to the concept of simple living. I hope you enjoy them!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

LWD January Book Club Selections

Walden – Henry David Thoreau

At Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau reflected on simpler living in the natural world. By removing himself from the distractions of materialism, Thoreau hoped to not only improve his spiritual life but also gain a better understanding of society through solitary introspection.

I’ve read this several times but it’s been many years since the last reading. I think it’s time to revisit Walden Pond.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately…”

“Walden” is available free on Kindle and your public library is sure to have it. Years ago I found a lovely, vintage, hardcover edition at our local used book store for just a few dollars.

Sweetie by Kathryn Magendie

For shy, stuttering Melissa, the wild mountain girl named Sweetie is a symbol of pride and strength. But to many in their Appalachian town Sweetie is an outcast, a sinister influence, or worse. This poignant and haunting story takes readers deep inside the bittersweet heart of childhood loyalties.

For this month’s fiction selection I browsed through my Kindle library. I have LOTS of books on there which I have yet to read. Since January is my annual “no buy” month, it only made sense to choose something I already own.

The Simple Home by Rhonda Hetzel

Award-winning blogger Rhonda Hetzel shares the day-to-day practicalities of a simple life and shows you how to rediscover the heart of your home. With a year of monthly projects that make household management easier, Rhonda encourages you to set up good systems, make what you need, and appreciate what you have. Learn how to stretch money further, safely clean your home, and cook from scratch with 40 favorite recipes, including step-by-step guides to baking bread and making cheese. Whether you’re part of a family, living alone, or thinking about retirement, this is an inspiring, indispensable guide to slowing down, taking stock of your life, and finding pleasure and satisfaction at home.

I read this author’s short book, The Simple Life, earlier this year. It was only 41 pages and when I finished, I wanted more. The Simple Home came out in November and has a five-star rating on Amazon. I can’t wait to start this one!

I hope you’ll join me in one or more of these books but in any case, I’d love to hear what you’re reading these days. And if you have any suggestions for future LWD Book Club selections, please let me know!

PREVIOUS LWD BOOK CLUB CHOICES:

LWD Book Club ~ December 2017

December 1, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 5 Comments

December already? How did that happen? Not only is it time to really get the holiday season in full gear, it’s also time for the final LWD book club selections of the year. This is a busy time of year but it’s still important to set aside time for self-care. One of my favorite self-care activities is reading. Even twenty minutes with a good book can refresh my spirits. Let’s take a look at the LWD December book club selections.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

LWD DECEMBER BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS

Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon

Many years ago, back when I was a hospice nurse and on the road quite a bit each day, I became a fan of audiobooks. Listening to a good book helped pass the time in the car. That is when I first discovered the Mitford series books by Jan Karon. I immediately was taken with the quirky characters and the charming mountain village of Mitford.

I have read the original Mitford series books but somehow never read “Shepherds Abiding”. I think this is the perfect time to do so. Also, I ended up with two copies so I plan to do a book giveaway here on the blog soon!

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Before we know it, a new year will be upon us. January is always a good time to take a look at our habits and make some adjustments. I did a bit of research on habit books and selected “The Power of Habit” to read this month. If you have a favorite book about developing habits, please leave me a comment. I plan to read at least a couple of books on this topic.

Belize: A Novel by Carlos Ledson Miller

Our final selection is a self-published book set in Belize. Before our recent trip, I decided to look for a book set in Belize to read while visiting the country. This one had very good reviews so I downloaded it to my Kindle. There are a handful of editing errors but not enough to seriously detract from the story which is quite good. I’ve always enjoyed learning about new places through novels and if you want to know a bit about Belize I think you’ll enjoy this one as much as I did.

As always, I would love to have you join me in reading one or more of these selections if they are of interest. But in any case, I’m always interested in hearing what YOU are reading. Leave me a comment!