I love getting lost in a good book. The smell of the pages (especially old books), how the space around me can be peaceful and exciting all at once, and how I can be transported to a new world filled with amazing characters and extraordinary situations.

I have always enjoyed reading; however, it wasn’t until recently that I realized how much reading means to me in terms of my self-care. Getting pneumonia over the holiday knocked me on my butt. I wasn’t able to work, workout, was in a lot of pain, and the last thing I wanted to do was leave the house. After several hours of binge watching netflix (the entire second season of YOU in one sitting) I began to pine for greater mental stimulation. And thus, I picked up a book, then another, and another. I finally had created the space I so craved, to be snuggled up in a blanket on the couch, with a cup of tea, and a good book.

“An hour spent reading is one stolen from paradise”- Thomas Wharton

My discomfort began to disappear from the forefront of my mind. I devoured the pages before me, and before I knew it my energy matched that of the space around me: calm, peaceful, and perfectly content with the present moment. Reading gave me an escape, a space to heal. Heck, reading kept me freaking sane while I sat in my house alone for a week (which if you know me, you know I am notorious for getting cabin fever).

I am so grateful for the simple pleasure of getting lost in a good book. It’s an activity I love, have always loved, but don’t put aside enough time to do.

Moving forward in 2020, I am making the commitment to creating more space for slow, mindful moments, and a lot more reading (who’s with me!?)

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most

accessible and wisest of counselors; and the most patient of teachers.”- Charles

W. Eliot

For those of you who are wondering what books I read while I was sick, here is a list of books I was particularly fond of in 2019.

1. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides– I blew through this book. A psychological thriller about a criminal psychotherapist who get’s word of Alicia Berenson’s case: A famous painter who one night shoots her husband in the face five times then goes silent and refuses to speak again. This book was a real page turner that kept me wanting more. With that being said… I have some thoughts about the ending… While great, I wished it had had more of a punch.
2. Where the Crawdad’s Sing by Delia Owens– Wow, wow, wow! I LOVED this book. A coming of age story set in the Marshes of North Carolina in the 1960’s. Young Kya “The Marsh Girl” raises herself amongst the marshes after her family drifts apart. She navigates surviving on her own, the challenges of coming into womanhood, finding love, and losing everything. A story of a young girl burdened to grow up fast with the surprise and mystery of a local murder. Another page turner!
3. Those Girls by Chevy Stevens– Now this one was… heavy.. I feel like I can’t say too much about this book without giving it away but it’s a story that will captivate you and turn your stomach all at once. Three sisters, haunted by a dark past, trapped in a horrific situation with nowhere to run. Survival, loyalty, pain, suspense, despair, and revenge. Not for the faint of heart… I actually had a hard time reading this one but also couldn’t put it down.
4. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz– I read this book every year! This short book (138 pages) packs a spiritual punch. It is a code of conduct for living your best life by releasing self-limiting thoughts, and finding freedom, happiness, and love. Just… read it and thank me later 🙂
5. Altar of Eden by James Rollins– Oh my gosh. I cannot wait to read more from this author. I devoured this book in two days. My boyfriend’s dad has been telling us about this author for years and now I can see why. This book was so good! Im just going to copy the synopsis here for you:

Following the fall of Baghdad, two Iraqi boys stumble upon armed men looting the city zoo. The floodgates have been opened for the smuggling of hundreds of exotic birds, mammals, and reptiles to Western nations, but this crime hides a deeper secret. Amid a hail of bullets, an underground secret weapons lab is ransacked–and something even more horrific is set free.Seven years later, Louisiana state veterinarian Lorna Polk stumbles upon a fishing trawler shipwrecked on a barrier island. The crew is missing or dead, but the boat holds a frightening cargo: a caged group of exotic animals, clearly part of a black market smuggling ring.Yet, something is wrong with these beasts, disturbing deformities that make no sense: a parrot with no feathers, a pair of Capuchin monkeys conjoined at the hip, a jaguar cub with the dentition of a saber-tooth tiger. They also all share one uncanny trait–a disturbingly heightened intelligence.To uncover the truth about the origin of this strange cargo and the terrorist threat it poses, Lorna must team up with a man who shares a dark and bloody past with her, now an agent of the U.S. Border Patrol, Jack Menard.Together, the two must hunt for a beast that escaped the shipwreck while uncovering a mystery tied to fractal science and genetic engineering, all to expose a horrifying secret that traces back to mankinds earliest roots.But can Lorna stop what is about to be born upon the altar of Eden before it threatens not only the world, but also the very foundation of what it means to be human? 

I would love to know what books you are loving lately! Comment below with your favorites and must reads!

Also, I can’t help but think that we should start a book club! 2020-The Morning Bird Book Club. Who’s in? Let me know in the comments below! 

Xoxo,

-Britt Anderson