The idea for a traveling book club started brewing after I had posted on Facebook about a copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up I was done reading. I said I’d mail to anyone who wanted it. When several people responded, and promises of the first person mailing to the next to read and on and on, an idea was born. I love sharing books with you all. I would love even more to get together with you for an in person book club…wouldn’t that be a blast?

Well as much fun as it would be, for right now a virtual traveling book club will have to suffice. We may not be able to get together in person, but we can connect with books through the magic of online communication. The idea is evolving, but for now here’s the scoop on how it will work:…

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The photographer in me really doesn’t like the time change… the earlier setting sun means the less time during the day for photography. The book lover in me loves daylight savings time because I feel like the colder weather and darker evenings are an open invitation to cozy up with a good book.

I haven’t read much this year. In fact I’m only half way to meeting my goal of reading 35 books in 2014 and there are only 2 months left in the year! I guess I’d better get busy so I can share more book reviews with you!

I haven’t shared a Connect Through Reading book reviews post since March…not because I haven’t read anything good. Quite the opposite. I’ve read some great books, but just haven’t found the time to share them with you. Of course,  if you follow me on Goodreads, you don’t have to wait to see what I’ve been reading and loved lately. Make sure to hop on over there so we can connect that way too.

I’ve read several books between my March book reviews post, but I’m only going to share my top few faves with you today! Read below for my thoughts on the books: Whistling Past the Graveyard, Landline, Love With a Chance of Drowning, and If I Stay. …

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I am so excited to be sharing this post with you today, because #1) it means I’m finally feeling well enough to read again and #2) some of these books are sooooo good! I’ve been not reading much at all this year so far, and it’s killing me. I’m so glad to have my energy back and the desire to read books again! Without further ado, let’s chat about books, shall we? …

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Happy 2014, friends! I hope your new year is off to a very happy start!

Every year, instead of giving myself a list of resolutions I most likely won’t keep, I choose one focus word. My word for 2011 was Happiness (hence starting my Happiness Reports), 2012 I chose Connect (which launched my Connect through Reading posts) and 2013 my word was Simplify (Simplify Saturday was a result).

My focus word for 2014 is…

So what does it mean to INVEST in 2014? Well, much to my husbands dismay I’m not referring to stocks and savings accounts, necessarily. Instead I’m talking about plans to:…

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Friends, I’m so excited for today because as part of the Dine & Dish 7 Years of Blogging Celebration, I’m giving away one of my absolute favorite things, ever!

I’ve written about how much I love my Kindle Paperwhite compared to the other e-readers I’ve tried. You can read all about that here. Before we start the giveaway though, I have some Connect Through Reading updates for you. It’s the time of year I like to hunker down and read as much as possible, so I have a lot of book updates to share with you today!

Remember, let’s follow each other on Goodreads so we can stay up to date on sharing our favorite book recommendations!…

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Today I’m sharing a special Connect Through Reading post – it includes a really fabulous Banana Beignet recipe – but it’s special for other reasons! I have to give you some backstory first, though.

About 9 years ago I was working from home doing a job I hated. I was working as a recruiter for a 1 man company. Recruiting was my background and the pay was good, but the type of recruiting I was doing required me to be on the phone a lot throughout the day cold calling. Cold calling is something I detest, but the job paid well and I really liked the guy I was working for. Now, mind you, I had a 2 year old and an infant at the time. I was really trying to balance it all, and was stressed out to the max. I thought I should have been grateful to have a job from home that was flexible so I could be at home with my kids, but again… every time I would pick up the phone to make a call, I wanted to throw up and cry.

I was part of a book club and along came our month to read the book Tending Roses by Lisa Winegate. This book, with the quote to describe it being “The lessons that most enrich our lives often come at unexpected moments and from unlikely places. ” absolutely changed my life. This one story, so tender and achingly real, touched my heart in so many ways and taught me an important lesson about recognizing what the priorities in our life should be… and how quickly life can pass us by. I quit that recruiting job the day after I finished the book and decided to find something more rewarding (hello Dine & Dish!). It was one of the best moves I’ve ever made and I owe it all to a book.

…

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First up is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. 

I’ll admit, I’m a big “judge a book by the cover” girl, and I honestly avoided reading this book (and the one following) because of their covers. They just didn’t pull me in or grab me. I am so very thankful I was convinced by some friends to pick this book up because once I did, I couldn’t put it down.

The Fault in Our Stars is a story about two teenagers who meet in cancer support group, develop a friendship and fall in love. It’s about finding hope and meaning on their journey and sharing a common ground with someone who “gets it”. I can’t tell you much about the story without giving it away, but you will laugh, and you will cry and you will be so heartbroken when this book is over because it will be a permanent part of your heart, forever. I read this book weeks ago and am tearing up writing this because this book touched me so. Oh, and full disclosure… it’s young adult fiction, but please don’t let that stop you from reading it!…

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A return to the Dine & Dish “Connect Through Reading” posts as I share reviews of my favorite books I read this summer!

Last year I read a ton… more than I probably have in any other year. I read so many great books in 2013, I knew my streak was likely to not continue for much longer!

This year reading has been more of a struggle. I started out the year reading some not so great books – most of which I didn’t finish. I had a really hard time finding books as great as my favorites from last year. I persevered though, and after a little bit of a reading break, I’ve finally read some really great books I’m excited to share with you!

I love connecting with you all through the books we’ve read, so make sure to share what books you’ve read lately that you’ve loved (or didn’t love) in the comments section below. Also, let’s connect on Goodreads so we can continue to share our book recommendations!…

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