Post-Grad Life

Ok, so I'm not officially a post-grad until after Friday, but all the work is done and life is decidedly different. Little by little, my house is getting cleaner. I've watched a few movies and even went out to a theater to see one! And I've started on the pile of books that have been waiting patiently for the day when I would finally have time to read books of my own choosing. Nobody has asked yet what those might be, although I was frequently asked what I was reading for classes. Not all of the titles of my current reading material are as distinguished as those I was reading for my literature classes, but some are notable, and all are worth recommending, I think. So, for those of you who still want to know what Melissa is reading, here goes:

The Bible (NIV Life Application--today I read Proverbs 2 and John 17)
This I read daily, although I don't always read the life application notes anymore. Maybe now that I have more time for quiet time I'll do more of that. They're almost always helpful.

Pathways To His Presence, A Daily Devotional by Charles Stanley
This is a good, solid devotional that starts with a prompt to read scripture first. Today's reading was John 17, one of my favorites, and an encouragement to pray conversationally. This whole month the devotional are focused on prayer, which goes nicely with the E.M. Bounds book.

Hope for Each Day by Billy Graham
Dad and Lydia gave me this one for Christmas. Each day's reading is short, but nicely inspirational. I've always liked Billy Graham's straightforward simplicity.

The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer
I also got this one from Dad and Lydia last Christmas, and am glad to finally have time to read it. I put it on my wish list after several different pastors mentioned it as one they continually reread. I'm only on chapter 4 so far, but already I am putting renewed depth of thought into my prayers.

At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances by Alexander McCall Smith
This one is purely for fun, and won't take long to finish. I became a fan of this author through the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, as have many, and went looking for other books he had written. This one is the third (and last) in a series about a pompous German professor of romance philology who wrote a book called Portuguese Irregular Verbs that noone has read but of which he's quite proud.

I have more by Alexander McCall Smith in my pile of books I hope to read this summer, as well as books by Barack Obama, Anne Lamott, Oscar Wilde and C.S. Lewis. I'll also be reading whatever Tristan and Tabitha get assigned for summer reading, and I may check out the Riordan series that started with The Labyrinth. Tristan enjoyed it and the press is calling it "the next Harry Potter."

I hope I never tire of a good book, and I have a renewed determination to read for myself rather than just going by what others tell me somebody said, which is partly why Obama's book is on the list. More about that later.