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I'm Lisa Kirk, a wife, mama, writer, and founder. Since 2010, Something Pretty has been home to my favorite memories, reflections, and inspirations. Thanks so much for reading!

Summer Reading

Lifestyle

Thanks so much for all of your great suggestions when I asked for book recommendations! I have had the hardest time carving out time to read for fun ever since I graduated, other than when I’m traveling, but Dave and I have started to read for the last 10 or 15 minutes before bed. I have a really hard time falling asleep, so this new little habit was brought on in an effort to cut off screen time a bit earlier. I’m not sure how much it’s affected my sleeping quite yet, but it sure is fun, and it feels great to finally dive into some summer reading! Here’s what’s on my nightstand:

summer-readingThe Privilege of Being a Woman: I read this book about authentic femininity in college, and then a sweet friend gave it to me as a wedding gift. I don’t remember much about it other than that I loved it, and I can’t wait to revisit it from my new perspective of being a wife.

Make It Happen: A little bit of a shameless plug for my boss’ book :) I loved helping to edit the original drafts of Make It Happen, but I haven’t read the completely finished version yet. I’m really looking forward to seeing how it all turned out!

Stars, Stripes, and Edelweiss: Mark Kalpakgian, the co-author of this book, was the Director of Student Life for Franciscan University in Austria when Dave and I studied abroad. He and his wife recently released this memoir about their time there, and not only is it a fun read, it’s also really sweet to be reminded of all the little bits and pieces of the tiny Austrian town where Dave and I met and lived for a semester!

Go Set a Watchman: No explanation needed! I love Southern literature and am excited to dive into Harper Lee’s new book, despite the mixed reviews.

What are you reading this summer?

P.S. I have to share this in light of posting my morning routine earlier this week–last night, Dave and I were packing for a weekend trip to see his family, I was baking muffins to bring along, and we had just come home from running a bunch of errands. It was almost 10 PM, and in order to get up early, we try to be in bed around 10:30. Dave was washing dishes when he realized his foot was getting wet–our pipes were suddenly leaking like crazy!! By the time maintenance came to fix it and we finished all our to dos, it was 11:45, so today, we skipped our workout and slept till 7:15 :P Purpose over perfect, y’all!

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  1. I always love seeing what others are reading! Make it Happen was truly excellent, and I’m pretty sure I highlighted something on every page. Definitely a worthy read!! And I’m 2/3 finished with Go Set a Watchman right now! TKAM is in my top five books of all-time, so Go Set a Watchman is a must-read. I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!!

    • Lisa says:

      Excited to hear that you’re enjoying Go Set a Watchman! I’ve heard mixed reviews, but I think I’m going to like it too! :)

  2. Mary says:

    I have been trying to get back into books lately now that I have renewed my library card. I am ashamed to admit that it has been several years since I have made it through a full book. I have been reading Bringing Up Bebe, about an American living in Paris who compares French and American parenting styles. ;-) It’s been a fun read, even though I actually haven’t read many parenting books altogether.

    I will have to check out the Kalpakgians’ book. I have been having Austria-withdrawals myself! Did you hear that there is an alumni reunion trip next summer?

    • Lisa says:

      I have heard great things about Bringing Up Bebe! Definitely on my list for someday when we get to that stage :) I’m afraid the Kalpakgians book will only make Austria withdrawals worse, haha–but it’s been a fun read so far! We were definitely tempted by that reunion trip…how awesome would that be?

  3. Lara says:

    You are so kind and I am SO grateful for all you did to bring Make It Happen to life!

  4. Dana says:

    Let me know how Go Set a Watchman is!

  5. […] 1.  Drink a glass of water every morning before work. 2. Work through the 28-day challenge in the Tone It Up book. – I’m feeling a little iffy about this book. I like the concept, but since it goes day by day, I’ve found myself unsure of what to do if I miss a day because of a long work day or other obligations. So far, I’ve just started over twice and am plugging along :P 3. Finish writing our wedding thank you notes. – I am kind of mortified that I haven’t finished this yet. It’s going to happen this week!!4. Invite someone I don’t know very well out for coffee. 5. Choose (and start) three books to read this summer. (Find my list here!) […]

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