Welcome to my weekly Book-ish post where I share what I’ve been reading and watching recently. If you missed it, you can see my Reading Goals for 2018 and 44 Books I Plan to Read This Year.
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This week, we went and saw two movies in the theater — and I’m happy to report that our MoviePasses worked again!! (They hadn’t worked two weeks ago when we tried to use them — our cards were declined — and we were thinking to cancel our accounts.)
We saw Oceans 8 and Adrift. Oceans 8 was like I expected having seen the other Oceans movies. However, since it had Sandra Bullock in it, I expected it to be funny… and it just wasn’t funny. It wasn’t terrible, I’d say it was just so-so. Not terrible, not amazing.
Adrift is a movie that I’m still mulling over. The whole story line is pretty incredible and inspiring… and it’s based on a true story, too. I read that it is fairly accurate other than one big plot line (which actually ends up not being at all what you think and which is then actually accurate. I won’t say more so I don’t spoil anything).
That said, I was surprised and bothered by how much skin was showing for a PG-13 movie. There wasn’t anything sexual or explicit, but there was a whole lot more skin than I expected and I think it ruined what could have been a pretty inspiring movie for me.
In addition, the movie developed quite slowly — almost as if they were trying to stretch out the story to make it fill a full two hours. Despite these two things, I still think the story line is really inspiring and I’ve thought about it a lot and talked about it with others since watching it.
But I don’t think I can recommend the movie and would highly suggest reading reviews before seeing it.
I’m currently reading At Home in the World and am enjoying it — especially as I gear up for two international trips in the next two months! It makes me want to do a LOT more traveling as a family!
And I’m also listening to the audiobook of This Life I Live. It wasn’t what I expected and I almost didn’t keep listening, but I’m glad I did because there have been so many parts of it that have really made me stop and think about how choices make such an impact on your future and how your choices as a parent really affect your kids.
Did you see my list of 15 Books You Should Read This Summer? I also have a free printable Summer Reading Challenge Pack that you can download here.
When I Find Time to Read
People are always asking me how I find time to read. Honestly, it’s because I love to read, because I’ve chosen to prioritize it, because I don’t have a lot of other hobbies, and because I can’t not read. Also, when you love something, you usually can find ways to get creative to find time to fit it in — even if it’s in the little nooks and crannies of life.
I wrote a post on 3 ways to find more time to read — even when life is busy. And here are 7 more ways to find time to read.
The best part of this week has been that my Arkansas Razorbacks are at the College World Series and beat Texas – WPS! Lots of baseball at our house. 😉 We’ve been really enjoying the show, Brain Games, on Netflix. Appropriate for kiddos and parents alike.
I read two books over the weekend. The Rejected Writers’ Book Club – slow start but quirky, fun, and ultimately very sweet – and Convenience Store Woman – strange, intriguing look at societal norms and how they impact our behavior. Not sure I’d really recommend the second one.
Yay for baseball!! It’s so fun when your team does well!
Are there now many movies you are now watching that before you changed your life around that you may not have seen?
Hmm, I’m not sure I know what you’re asking exactly. But if it’s whether we’ve changed our standards on what we watch, no. We’ve always been picky about what we watch and rarely ever watch R-rated movies because most have things in them we personally don’t feel comfortable watching. We’ve found that review sites are so helpful to know ahead of time whether we feel comfortable watching a movie or not. I made the mistake of not reading reviews for Adrift. Lesson learned!
I opt for audio books because I’m a knitter and quilter. I get to listen while enjoying my other hobbies.
I got out of the habit of listening to audiobooks, but have really fallen back in love with it this summer! Overdrive is the best! (Although I’m being told by my readers that Libby is even better… I need to check it out!)
I am reading “Blessed are the Misfits: Great News for Believers who are introverts, spiritual strugglers , or just feel like they’re missing Something- Brant Hansen
Great book for the rest of us!
Oh! That sounds like a great book!
I read Teaching From Rest and Screen Schooled this week. Both have inspired me more to shut off the screens and play more games and get outside with my kids. I can’t wait to teach them Dutch Blitz! That was a favorite of mine in college, and I forgot about it until your posts this week. I’m starting Wired for Healing and Dear Mr. Knightly this week. For our family read, we are finishing the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I think I might read Johnny Tremain with the boys next.
I LOVED Teaching From Rest!
I have read a bunch of Whole 30 related books as I am doing that now, bit I also listened to “Just Open The Door” by Jen Schmidt, “Kiss the Wave” by Dave Furman and just started “The Gospel Comes With House Key” by Rosaria Butterfield.
I started The Gospel According to God by John MacArthur and am going to pick it up again now that I am in Isaiah for my daily Bible reading.
I had gotten away from reading/listening to books for a while and I’m happy to be doing it again!
It sounds like you’ve been doing a LOT of reading — how inspiring!
Currently I’m reading Jennifer Scott’s “At Home With Madame Chic.” I love her Madame Chic books! I also just finished Bob Goff’s “Everybody, Always” and was so inspired, of course.
As far as movies go, the last one we watched was The Greatest Showman and while I was entertained, I found myself waiting for the big thing to happen, because it had been talked up so much! When the movie ended I found myself saying “What?! Nothing exciting happened!” Oh well 🙂 Guess I just didn’t get it like the rest of the country 🙂
Most people seem to enjoy the soundtrack more than the movie? I haven’t seen the movie or listened to the soundtrack yet.
Ha! The Greatest Showman is fantastic if you love Broadway musicals. If those aren’t your thing, well, it’s probably going to be a letdown!
I like musicals but was also underwhelmed with The Greatest Showman. One of my problems was that the music didn’t fit the time period stylistically. I felt like I was lost in some kind of time warp. I expected something more Les Mis or even 1930s (which still wouldn’t have been the correct time period…). Modern pop to a 1850s time period felt weird.
Ha! Yes, if you were to analyze it, you could poke all sorts of holes in it. 😉 I heard that they had decided to have it not be time period specific, which is why the music was kind of all over the place. I loved it for that — because it was fun and fresh and just makes you feel happy to listen to it and watch the movie! 🙂
I stayed up half of Saturday night reading THE HOME FOR UNWANTED GIRLS by Joanna Goodman and then finished the last of it Sunday night. For as much as I read it’s not often a book is worth losing sleep, but this one was totally worth it! I highly recommend it. It’s historical fiction. A little bit ORPHAN TRAIN and a little bit BEFORE WE WERE YOURS, both of which I also loved, but it’s own powerful story.
Thanks so much for the recommendation!
I prefer non-fiction. I just finished “The Doctor Will See You Now”, which is a collection of essays on a variety of aspects of the practice of medicine. Valuable insights about how doctors see things.
I’m sure that was a fascinating book!
We don’t go to the theater much at all, but we do watch family movies at home most weeks. This past week we watched The Three Musketeers (I had never seen it and was surprised to enjoy it) and Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken. I had never heard of the last movie, but it was based on a true story and I love those types of movies. The topic is not PETA-approved as it is about horse diving as a form of entertainment, but it was a heart-warming story that I really enjoyed.
Wait, horse diving?? I don’t even know what that is!
LOL! I didn’t either. It’s a circus-style act that was popular in the 1920s where a horse and rider jump off of a platform that is about 40 feet off the ground into a body of water below. Like I said – not PETA approved 😉
Whoa! That’s crazy!
I *loved* Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken when I was a kid! I haven’t thought about it for a while. I’ll have to watch it again soon, thanks for mentioning it!
I’m glad I could remind you of the movie :). And maybe your recommendation will be even more motivation for Crystal to check it out 😉
I could not bare to see a horse dive off anything !
I used to love the circus as a child and young adult.
One day , it hit me how cruel it was to train and display animals for entertainment!!!
I’m glad you shared this information, I know not to watch or read a book with this subject matter…
Thank you for sharing.
Debbie
The book “Free of Me” by Shannon Hodde Miller is a great read. I have followed her blog (She Worships) for a few years, this is her first book, she does a excellent job of exploring why we need to not get caught up in making life all about us.
Thanks so much for the suggestion!
Definitely a great read! I loved it and have given it to friends.
We watched ‘Leisure Seekers’ at home because it is about empty nesters on a road trip in their motor home. It was hilarious since we just bought the motor home but then we were blindsided by the ending when the wife decided that the best way to solve their old age health problems was to commit suicide together. UGH! I am still reeling from that.
No way??? For real??? That’s awful!
Please include a spoiler alert when posting this type of movie information.
Sally, you are absolutely right and I apologize.
All is forgiven.