Hello, my name is Audra and I am a book hoarder. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I was never a fan of reading, but there is something about a title and cover of a book that grabs my attention and makes me want to buy it. To buy it and never read it. Until now. Over the years there have been a handful of books that I have enjoyed and have let friends and family members borrow them. And I seem to be in the same season as many of my friends who just need a good read to spark some extra motivation. Motivation like what I’ve recently received by getting up earlier every morning at 7 am and drinking a cup of coffee and reading a chapter a day from 2 books at a time in the quiet of my home before the monsters wake up. It is peaceful. It is ME time. It is beautiful. So now, not only do I have a stack of books sitting on my desk, but I also have an Amazon wish list FILLED with books. The only problem, I don’t have room for all of them in my house. The only space I have allowed for them is at the top of our stairs and it is two small cabinets. Either I needed a giant book shelf somewhere or I needed another option.
In my “mom” post, I mentioned that my husband is an excellent gift giver. He always asks me what I want for that holiday and usually I add it to our Amazon cart or send him the link from the exact website and he gets it. So this year for Mother’s Day, I wanted a kindle. We are traveling to Aruba in July which is a long trip there and back from Southern California and packing multiple books takes up too much space. I always pack 2-3 books and then never touch them or carry them wherever we are going- the pool, the beach, on a boat, in a car, you name it- they sit in my heavy backpack unopened. But then I saw this kindle and thought- perfect! All my books in a tiny space! It’s waterproof so I can read by the pool or at the beach or even IN the pool! Anti-glare, even better! 3 months of free kindleUNLIMITED, yes! 17 of my books on my Amazon wishlist are included in the kindleUNLIMITED, hallelujah! I’m on a roll here people! Can’t you tell? Lol. So on Mother’s Day I opened my kindle and got right to work! Downloaded my 17 books and will start reading them as soon as I finish these two books I am committed to currently.
So then last night, as I was talking with some girlfriends, they were asking me about book recommendations and so I decided to add a tab on my blog with all the books I’ve read and liked. Make sure to check it out! Maybe you have read them all and can comment new recommendations for me? Maybe you haven’t read any and some of these sound good to you! Maybe none do because you hate reading like I did. Either way, I truly believe in the importance of referrals. It’s so easy to post a bad review or low stars for a bad experience but how often do we pass along a good or especially GREAT experience? Do you love your hair stylist? Why not tell everyone you know? She could use the referrals to gain new clients to bring in more income. Love your bug control guy? Same thing. What about your favorite restaurants? They could use more customers! And even reading a good book. Someone wrote that book and by telling others about how great it was can bring others to buy it and put money back into the writers pocket which is their livelihood.
I also love the term shop local. I love local places in my community. The mom and pop shops. The handmade detail. The personal experience. The quality and dedication and story behind each item. It’s intimate. Special. The bonds that I have made with people over referrals is just as special. We recently got solar on our house and our solar guy is a new found friend! He surprised us with sea world tickets for our family to enjoy out of the kindness of his heart. He also hooked us up with a mechanical bull for our annual summer bash! He’s a hard worker with a kind heart and has many of the same interests as us! So why wouldn’t I want to refer others to him!?
Let’s make this world a better place! Let’s spread the word about all of our good/great experiences! Why shouldn’t others enjoy those experiences too! Let’s all become book hoarders together! 🙂
The REAL me, Audra
Against the Grain 