Over the summer, I started reading Harry Potter. I was inspired by my ten (now 11) year old niece as well as my many cousins who have read the books. Next book in the series for me will be Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which I will begin tonight. My goal is to start Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by Thanksgiving. The books get longer from here on out.
In addition to Harry Potter, I’m also reading Part of My World by Jodi Benson. She is the lady who voiced Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. In the book, she talks about her faith, chasing her dreams, and of course her voice acting and stage experience. Jodi has also voiced Barbie in Toy Story 2 and 3. Reading this book has encouraged me to have a Disney Princess movie night down the road.
In the past, I’ve read various genres, most of which were inspirational or sports-related. Some of my favorite authors include Tony Dungy and Jeff Pearlman. Quiet Strength was one of Tony’s books that really caught my interest. In it he talks about his life, and his NFL experience as a player and coach. Some of those things mentioned in the book include finding a Godly wife, faith in God’s will for His occupation, overcoming bitterness from being fired from a head coaching job, and the crushing suicide of his 18 year old son just before Christmas in 2005.
Jeff Pearlman has written mostly biographies of famous athletes but one of my favorite reads from him was Showtime. This book highlighted the Lakers dynasty of the 1980s with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Pat Riley leading the way. I also enjoyed Gunslinger, which highlights the life and career of Brett Favre.
As for the Harry Potter series, this isn’t my first rodeo. I read the first three books in the Fall of 2018 when I began to seriously question whether of not WIS was still in my best interests. I stopped after reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and was getting ready to start Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. However, other things came up and I never got back to reading the series. Fast forward to 2023 and with inspiration from family and friends and colleagues, I get back into reading the books once again.
I owe my love of books (as well as Jeopardy! and ginger snaps) to my late grandmother as well as many of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. She instilled a love for reading in all of us and always taught us to think for ourselves.
Time to close off the blog.
Even though it’s fall, it’s never too early to start thinking about the highlights of 2023. I’m in the process of gathering up those newsworthy events that shaped the year for me. There’s a lot that can go into the list so it will be hard to whittle all of it down into one list.
Benny‘s hospital stay; getting my laptop; Canadian wildfires; Dylan Mulvaney; becoming club president; seeing Greensburg become a Club of Champions. We’ll see what comes out on top.
December 23 will be the day that I post my yearly Top Ten.
Stylish 🍒 