What's in Your TBR Pile?

Previously, I wrote about how Debbie Macomber’s book Thursdays at Eight resonated with me, but that other of her books remain in my to-be-read pile.  I started thinking about what my TBR pile is composed of, and why.

My original TBR pile began many years ago, when as a teenager I subscribed to the Harlequin Reader Service.  Four to six books arrived in my mailbox each month.  Sometimes I read them all before the next shipment arrived, and sometimes I didn’t.  I also subscribed to a hardcover book club and Writer’s Digest Book Club.  My home library grew.

During those teenage years, my focus was on love stories and their exotic locations.  I was fascinated with characters with knowledge well beyond my years.  I wanted to visit the settings in the books; even Montana and Virginia seemed exotic to me at that age!

Closely following love was sorrow.  All that teenaged angst was really depressing!  I started reading poetry, especially that of Rod McKuen.  Then I started writing poetry, sharing it with friends who shared it with other friends, which was all well and good until it landed in the hands of my crush.

When I was burned out on human love, I turned to animals.  My love affair with horses had begun years earlier, but the closest I could come to having a horse of my own was living vicariously through books. I devoured books by Marguerite Henry, Mary O’Hara, Walter Farley and Will James.  I learned about and fell in love with Seabiscuit long before Laura Hillenbrand told his story in 2001.  I branched out into stories about other animals as well.  All Things Bright and Beautiful and All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriott made me smile and want to make a difference in that area. For awhile I dreamed of becoming a vet, but my failure to grasp chemistry and a severe cat allergy put a stop to that.

My reading path took me through history and biographies, feeding my desire to learn what makes people the way they are. This, in turn, brought me back to historical romances, particularly western historicals.  I am in awe of historical writers, both for their knowledge and their ability to bring those worlds so vividly to life in the pages of their books.

Although I’ve always been drawn to romances, when we started our family, I found myself particularly drawn to romantic comedies. I guess I needed a fun escape from the stresses of parenthood.  Now that my children are grown, I increasingly find myself drawn to continuity series with family at the heart of the books.

Looking back over the years, my TBR pile has definitely reflected different periods of my life.  Some of those TBR books have moved to my keeper shelf.  I don’t often re-read a book, but I find comfort knowing those books are there.  They represent parts of me, showing how I have grown and changed, and they reflect who I have become.

What’s in your TBR pile?  Please share.

Words to Live By

About five years ago, I read Debbie Macomber’s Thursdays at Eight. I confess it’s the only Debbie Macomber book I’ve read, despite my mom and aunt raving about and plying me with more of her books. They just keep getting shuffled in the to-be-read pile in my back room. And yet, something about Thursdays at Eight spoke to me.

The four women in the book were constants in each other’s lives. The last line of the blurb sums it up well. Their experiences become “opportunities for all of them to learn, to nurture, and to overcome life's obstacles--together.”

One of the ways the women supported each other was by choosing a word for the year. I loved this idea!  In the chaos of everyday life, it helps to have something to keep you centered. Having a word as a theme for my daily life resonated with me.

Each year since reading Thursdays at Eight, I’ve chosen words I hoped would encourage and enhance my creativity; words like choices, write, progress, accomplish, and focus. Sometimes they were simply written on a piece off paper and kept near my computer. Other times they were printed on index cards, and carried with me. The words were never far from my thoughts, though. Any time I thought about something writing related, the words were there reverberating in my brain, motivating me to write.

But words are just words by themselves. I had to choose to put them to work for me, to live by the words I had chosen in order for them to serve their purpose and allow me to improve my writing. Along the way, I learned my words often applied not just to my writing, but to my life in general.

I took advice from that cover blurb and decided to look upon each day as an opportunity to seize with both hands. My word for 2015 is persevere. I will need to make conscious choices in order to meet my writing and other goals. I also need to nurture my muse, so I plan to stop and smell the roses along the path of perseverance, and savor the journey.

What book(s) have you read that resonated strongly with you?  Please share.