Monday, February 13, 2017

A Splendid Book-Nudge for Couples

Technology's seeped into every nook and cranny of our lives, hasn't it.  Truth be told, most of us would agree that it hasn't done our closest relationships any favors.  

Here's how one couple has redeemed their screen time, melding technology with some good reads ... and a cozy intimacy.




Janet writes ~
I enjoyed your recent blog about books you are reading and was wondering if you and Tim ever read books together.  My husband and I enjoy reading books on his Kindle ... he reads his Kindle while it reads out loud and I follow along on my Ipad.

Does that make sense?

Anyway we are always looking for books we would both enjoy and I didn't know if reading was something that you and Tim did together or not.

Linda responds ~
I love how you read with each other!  Your story's a perfect example of how technology can bring a couple together.  I love this.

We don't do alot of reading together, although recent days have found us side by side in our chairs at the fireplace, each of us with our nose in some kind of reading material.

It's quiet and cozy and kind of intimate.

Anyway, if you'd share some of the books you've read together, I'd be most interested ... and would love sharing your list, too!

Janet recommends ~
These are the books we have read together -

You & Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity
- Francis & Lisa Chan

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
- Francis Chan

You'll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times
- Max Lucado

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream
- David Platt

Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus
- Kyle Idleman

Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home: Hope & Healing for Families Living w/PTSD & TBI
- Marshele Carter

The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
- Nik Ripken




doing any reading out loud with your loved ones?

do tell ...




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sharing Janet's story with

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{smile}

53 comments:

  1. I once asked a friend for a newspaper. Instead, she replied: "Newspaper? We no longer buy them. Here have this!" She handed me her Kindle. I tell you, that wasp soon met its maker as I hit it hard sending pieces of glass and plastic flying all over the place. My friend was mad with rage.

    Apparently, technology did not bring us closer together that day!

    Did you know you can contribute to my next book I am writing? Click the link:

    https://timeforreflections.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/an-appeal-to-all-my-readers.html

    God bless.

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    1. Dear Reader ... be sure to head over to Victor's place in the UK to see how you can contribute to his next book!

      Cool, huh?

      Delete
    2. And Victor, you'll be cheered to know that my sister spent 45 minutes reading and laughing over at your place today, thanks to the link you shared. She said she would have spent the rest of the morning reading your blog if she didn't have a work deadline to meet!

      {Our dad was from Scotland, so we're all about that quirky British humor!}

      Delete
  2. The first title tapped my heart for certain. And what a neat idea, to read together. Love the post, Linda.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love this idea of reading together! We used to do it when we were driving on vacation, but not when we are home. Will try it -- I just have to make sure not to correct him if he mispronounces a word!

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  4. Hi Linda! My husband and I don't read together, he reads very seldomly and we don't agree on genre either. The way these two people read does sound like a lovely way to bond though. I'm glad they found a unique way to share quiet time together.
    Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!
    Ceil

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Our men are cut from the same cloth, aren't they.

      And you know what? I wouldn't change a thing!

      Happy Valentine's Day to you both, Ceil!

      Delete
  5. How neat! I love this! My husband is dyslexic so I read to him often. Right now we're working through Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reily. It's taking awhile since the sound of my voice puts him to sleep, lol! Thanks for sharing, Linda!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Yes, I read several of his 'Killing' books and they are outstanding. I can't go near the 'Killing Jesus' one though. No way.

      And I'd take that 'sound of my voice puts him to sleep' as the loveliest of compliments! Soothing, restful, soft, sweet ...

      Delete
  6. My hubby hates to read. Sad but true. And I love to read. But even if he did love to read, I think I'd rather read quietly than listen to someone else read to me. :) I think it's sweet that Janet and her husband read together. :) And the book suggestions sound great, too. Thank you, Linda. Love and hugs to you!

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    1. Janet is a sweetheart ... and it's no wonder she loves sharing books with her husband ...

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  7. That is such a sweet idea, and good book recommendations too!

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    1. I agree ... these are superb choices no matter what your marital status. I've read Crazy Love and Radical and have heard very good things about The Insanity of God.

      Good picks!

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  8. The only time Jeff and I have done read-alouds is either very short nightly devotionals or books with our kids. I think I would love to do this, but Jeff? Probably not so much. ha. I'm glad it works for others though!

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    1. Our reading history as a couple sounds fairly the same as yours. And while I struggled with it for a time, I've learned that my husband shows his love and affection in different ways.

      And for that truth, 41 years later, I am deeply grateful.

      Delete
  9. I so love this idea, Linda, but my husband, like Trudy's, is not much of a reader other than technical articles and books he has to read for his work. However, I will suggest this to him and see what he thinks going forward. It's such a great way to strengthen intimacy as a couple.
    Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I just told my husband about the comments women are leaving about their husband's lack of enthusiasm in the book department.

      We both laughed ... and then he went on his way. He'll be back tomorrow to check out what you all are saying.

      I think he's relieved to know he's not the only one!

      Delete
  10. "Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home" is now on my reading list. We don't read together - Barbara has so much job-related reading to do that it isn't funny - but this looks like something I could use to help her from the sidelines. Thanks so much!

    http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2017/02/your-dying-spouse-271-do-you-want-to.html

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    1. Please let me know what you think of this book, Andrew. I'd so appreciate hearing your perspective, your review ...

      Delete
  11. Linda,
    I love that picture of you and your hubby reading together. My hubby is not a reader but our girl convinced him to start the Harry Potter series. Happy Valentine's Day to you...love and hugs :-)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Sorry to disappoint, but it's a free photo from either pexels or unsplash. But I DID choose it because Janet is a gorgeous blonde.

      If it was me, it'd feature a woman with some pretty serious gray roots.

      ;-}

      Delete
  12. Great list of books! Thank you Janet! My son just told me today that his wife was reading out loud to him. I thought that was really cool especially because it was my blog post! :) Many times they do read scripture together. Happy Valentine's Day!

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    1. Thanks for sharing about your son and his wife.

      Ya' know, if I could give married couples one bit of counsel, it would be to read Scripture and pray together each and every day. I know very very few of us who do so.

      And, honestly, I think that choice hasn't done our marriages or our spiritual lives any favors ...

      P.S. Your son has a pretty excellent mama!

      Delete
  13. The Insanity of God has a special place in my heart! So glad to see it on your list. My husband and I don't read books together - but we read the news together. We pray together, but read scripture separately:)

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    1. I'm hearing it's excellent, Maryleigh ...

      'The Insanity of God is the personal and lifelong journey of an ordinary couple from rural Kentucky who thought they were going on just your ordinary missionary pilgrimage, but discovered it would be anything but. After spending over six hard years doing relief work in Somalia, and experiencing life where it looked like God had turned away completely and He was clueless about the tragedies of life, the couple had a crisis of faith and left Africa asking God, "Does the gospel work anywhere when it is really a hard place? It sure didn't work in Somalia ...'

      Delete
  14. my husband is not an avid reader but we have been reading a devotional every night together for as long as I can remember.

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  15. My husband and I read different things, but I love the idea. Too much is done apart these days!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. That's one of the great big downsides of technology, isn't it ... we might be sitting in the same room, but we're oceans apart.

      Delete
  16. I can't even imagine this for my husband and I as our tastes are so different. For me, I seem to digest what I've read better when I can talk about it with someone. That is more often my sister-in-law. I did, however, introduce my husband to The Shack and he has since read it 3 times to our men. :)

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    1. I hear ya', Debby. Opposites attract?

      ;-}

      And did you see that The Shack is arriving on the big screen in March?

      Delete
  17. I love this idea. I know a lot of couples that do this with their daily/weekly devotions. My husband and I don't read together, but we share a love and passion for both reading and writing. So we often sit and discuss the books and projects we are on and it's been a very fun and engaging time as a couple. I love that you gave recommendations for couples of books they could check out together. Very smart! :)

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    1. And you live this and it makes me smile -->'we share a love and passion for both reading and writing. So we often sit and discuss the books and projects we are on.'

      Simply terrific, Nicki. What a serendipity.

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  18. I love your book posts, Linda. And what a great idea to do a couples-reading piece the week of Valentine's Day! Randy and I both read a lot, but usually not the same things. We sometimes read side-by-side on the loveseat, and more often before turning out the light at night. I'm old school when it comes to books--I'd rather turn pages than scroll. But I am glad that technology has given couples like Janet and her husband a cool way to connect through reading!

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    1. I'm with you, Lois ... I love reading before turning out the light and much prefer paper to screens. The feel of a book is in my bones. I just can't get into screens.

      And I never even thought about it being Valentine's Day when I put up the post. I guess some things are just meant to be ...

      ;-}

      Delete
  19. My Tim and I read like you and your Tim, Linda -- side by side. He just finished the Kyle Idleman one, "Not a Fan," said it was a good one. Thank you for sharing this. xoxo

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    1. Great to hear a guy weighing in on books! Thanks for sharing your Tim with us, Crystal ...

      Delete
  20. Great post! Greg and I loved reading You & Me Forever while we were engaged and the first few months of marriage. We also loved reading The 5 Love Languages together around the same time. Early in our dating, while living 2,000 apart, I sent him a copy of one of my favorite books, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, and we read that together and would share our thoughts during FaceTime dates. We now read books together with our small group and currently are going through Case for Christ, which has been a great one for conversation!

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    1. You know I think The 5 Love Languages might have been one of the few books we've read together over the years. It sparked some interesting conversation, even though we couldn't nail down his love language.

      ;-}

      Elle, thanks for sharing a bunch of books to page through today. I really appreciate it.

      Delete
  21. I love reading with my spouse! We last read John Green 's Paper Towns and just passed the book back and forth after every chapter 😂

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  22. Francis Chan and David Platt's books are some of my all-time favorites and I didn't think about how they may also be something I can read with my husband. He has a kindle, too. I will have to send them to his device. I am adding 2 new titles to my list as well. Thanks for sharing this!
    Blessings,
    Dawn

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    1. I'd love to hear if you give this read aloud thing a try, Dawn ... and how it works for you guys!

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  23. What a sweet idea, Janet and Linda. My husband and I read such different things (he likes fiction, I don't. He reads technology books, I don't. I read some women's books, He doesn't...) We do a lot of reading in the same room, though. There is a peaceful quality to that. :) -- Thanks for the fun idea, and thanks for sharing with #ChasingCommunity today, Linda. xoxo

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    1. I'm so appreciative that Janet sent this idea my way ... and shared all their great finds!

      Delete
  24. My husband and I have started reading one book together each month. We don't read out loud but read at the same time and then discuss. So far we had read: The Road by Cormac McCarthy and The Martian by Andy Weir. March will be either Peace Like a River or The Room.

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    1. This is so cool, Pam! I love that you have your very own private book club.

      And thanks for the leads to some more good reads ...

      Delete
  25. Love this, Linda. Bruce is not much of a reader, so I either have to read it to him or buy it on audio for him. Recently, we both participated in a Mastermind Group where we read John Maxwell's 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. I was thrilled when I found the audio version for Bruce. -- Chatting about that fantastic book has stirred up lots of conversation at our house. I am so thankful!

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    1. We've listened to a few John Grisham books along the way to keep us awake on a 12 hour car jaunt.

      Let's hear it for audio! And good conversations that spring from the spoken word.

      Delete
  26. What a great idea... couples reading together. For us, because my husband listens better than he reads, and I enjoy reading, I read out loud. We read the Bible together in the mornings, and if I come across a book he might be interested in, I will read it to him. There is something very special about reading together, I agree!

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    1. Sounds like you've worked out a good give and take arrangement on this!

      Delete
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