:: preface ::

Well, I decided to go ahead with a book discussion blog, seeing as I am very bookish. I've always loved reading material. I had a good, long phone chat with my Mom last night. She is a fellow bookworm, and she reminded me that she didn't give up books when I was born. I was her first priority, but she always found time to read. When I was 2-3 years old, she read on the couch while I entertained myself on the coffee table. I played with my little dishes, dolls, and books. Another favorite activity of mine was to dump all my Mom's magazines on the floor and immerse myself in glorious, glossy paper. Last night, my Mom laughed: though I'm 33 years old, not much has changed.

I'm not a mother yet, but I am determined to find a way to read once we do have babies. Our pastor's wife shared her reading tips with me; she has a two year old son and an eight month old daughter. This lady is a very attentive mom, but she discovered that she could read while nursing both bambinos, and that her daughter sometimes sleeps better if held - another prime reading opportunity. If nothing else, she reads for 30 minutes a day. These tips inspire me.

You might wonder, "What's the deal with Jenni's blog titles?" I've probably mentioned over on dreams of genevieve that for quite a long time now (even pre-Johnny), I've known my daughter's name will be Genevieve. After I married Johnny, we knew with the same certainty that our son's name will be Calvin. Call us nutty, but we just know somehow. Maybe we'll have more than two kids, but for now, we've claimed these two names. I'll wait to explain each moniker 'til I'm actually with child. I can't give away everything, you see.

As I've (hopefully) grown with dreams of genevieve the past four years, it's bothered me that my future daughter has a namesake of sorts, but not her brother. Late last night, at the mere thought of a book discussion blog, I had to give Calvin his own little namesake. Johnny and I both read like fiends due to our Moms' influences, and our siblings also read, so I'm sure Genevieve and Calvin will enjoy books to some degree. Thus, "and books for calvin" hints that we'll do our best to mold our children into bookworms. We shall pass down our book collection to both kiddos and make frequent trips to the library.

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Since I just started reading Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, I decided to make it the first book discussion here. Megan is on board - won't you join us? I'll wait if you need to request Enger's book from the library. I have a hunch we'll dig his novel, so pretty please? Both men and women are most welcome.

My other selfish motive is to learn from each of you, and the authors. I'm one of those aspiring writers, so my aim is to see books in a new light, away from my perspective, thanks to your brilliant minds. And as always, great books are some of the best writing teachers.

My plan is to read 1-2 chapters a week, post a thought or two, a few quotes, and y'all will post your own contributions in the comments. And seeing as I am not a super-talented photographer, I would love to gather your pictures of each book we read (via e-mail - in my profile). I'll post your photos here and there, giving you credit, of course.

For now, here's one of mine which I used on dreams of genevieve:

[photo by me. The bird items are Etsy gifts from my Mom, and she loaned to me Peace Like a River. The beverage is organic chai w/coconut milk.]

Enjoy clicking on my bookish links while we wait. If you know of any links that suit my fancy, please send 'em to me. By the way, don't you agree that more authors need informative, well-designed web sites? Like Marilynne Robinson, for example?