Instagram Message: Can you guess where we were? Book'em, Danno.
I like to gather concepts, themes, ideas etc and write about them. Although I would love to, I can’t take credit for creating everything that I share with you. In other words - I’m not reinventing the wheel with my blog! Especially with this week’s topic: Books. Chances are you probably have already given a book to someone before so this is not something new. But if you have ever read a good book and loved it so much that you just had to pass it along, then you’ll agree that books make excellent thoughtful pinches!
Below are 10 functions of books that are, in my opinion, great reasons to give a book as a gift. Books can:
Cheer someone up.
Make someone want to cry.
Motivate someone to change their lives.
Serve as an escape from the mundane.
Give advice.
Hit a chord within us that we never knew existed.
Guide us away from something that we know is not right.
Educate us. Or as my neighbor used to jokingly say about some Barbie books her daughter used to read, “Make her dumber for having to read them with her.”
Be the basis for a blockbuster movie - even though the movie versions are never as good as the books - they do entertain.
Be the gift that keeps on giving. Unless the book is thrown away, the giving continues as long as it is passed along.
Newest obsession.
The main reason why I wanted to write about books as thoughtful pinches is because of my newest obsession, "The Pie Life." I just read it and I want to share with any and all women who work or who are thinking about going back to work. It’s challenging for me NOT to go crazy and buy a copy for everyone I know and give them out as pinches. The book is a quick read that offers data and realistic tips which are not over-the-top for women in the work force. I love how the author debunks the image of a scale where women balance life with work at one end of the scale and family at the other. I sat on this recommendation for awhile because I am very cautious when I pass along a “self-help” type book. Especially because these days I’m aware of the amount of pressure women have to be the best.
My parent educator always reminds our group of moms that when we were growing up there was practically only one book that existed for parents and it was written by Dr. Spock, the pediatrician guru. It might as well have been during the cavemen era but imagine if, in today’s world, we consulted one book for answers for raising children. Personally, I feel that there is so much information out there nowadays that a mother is almost crippled with too much information. I cannot be the only one who has a love/hate relationship with the plethora of parenting and self-help books out there. When my daughter was a baby I was so sick of reading books about getting her to sleep thru the night that when someone recommended a dvd (Sleepy Planet which I still highly recommend!) I jumped at the chance to NOT read a book! So flash forward to this summer, at a mellow girls night out, several of my friends were touting the book “The Four Agreements” which I hadn’t read. I was struggling with an issue with my mother so the book was highly recommended. One of my friends said she would lend me the book. And you know what? The very next day she actually dropped it off. Not only did she remember but she made the effort to drop it off amidst the juggling of her three boys! How thoughtful! She was impeccable with her word (which is a reference to the book). The only reason why I would ever read these types of books is if someone close to me recommends it. Since I barely have time to read, I’d much rather read fiction instead. However, I read the book in a day and immediately began incorporating the “lessons” into my family. Game changer. And it makes a great pinch.
A co-worker, Mary Brown, gave this to me right after my dad passed away. I was touched by the thoughtful pinch but it hurt too much to read it back then. Fifteen years later, I'm finally able to read it.
My mother-in-law gives me all types of books for every occasion. She loves to cook and pass along great recipes. I like how she writes a note and signs it just inside the cover.
My sister-in-law gave us the Hot Sour Salty Sweet cookbook for my bridal shower gift - it's beautiful. And since then, she has turned me onto a wonderful chef that she knows and has spoiled me with three of her cookbooks!
Last year my good friend Janet sent this to me after it changed her life and wanted to share it with me. Good stuff.
This book is only about 5.5 inches by 4 inches and is not thick at all. I received it as a guest favor when I attended a wedding almost 25 years ago. The bride had written the book which was published just prior to the wedding. At each place setting the book was neatly displayed. It added color and brightness to the decor and certainly added the warmth of a personal touch. I remember thinking she was so cool to be able to share that at her wedding. Which is probably why I held onto the book for all these years.
For my family, because I made it a priority, we created a library using three huge Ikea book cases in a sunny room in our house. The book cases are filled with a ton of books (even after purging many bags full) and half of them were gifts from friends and family. This week we painted the library so when it was time to put the room back together, my friend Jen, who helps me with interior design, insisted that I needed to purge even more books. I’m sure my other friend who helps me with organizing, Vasilia, would agree. But I won’t do it. Having too many books ISN'T a crime but I’m sure if my friends could, they would say (just like Jack Lord in Hawaii-Five-O), “Book’em, Danno!” because our library is not esthetically correct. Sorry, but somehow I’m ok with it.
Pinches,
Barb