As I reached up last night to turn off the light next to my bed I caught a glimpse of my nightstand. The first thought that came to mind was "I really need to clear that off." But then I started thinking of which books I'd put away on a shelf… and I couldn't decide which needed to go! I am reading all of them. So I started thinking about some other options and before I knew it I was asleep.

This morning I took a second glance and instead of continuing my problem solving from the night before, it occurred to me that you could probably tell a lot about a person by the books on their nightstand. Well, maybe not always. But the case was definitely true for me this morning.

Here's what I'm reading:

Songs in the key of Solomon - This is a couple's devotional book. I'm gonna be honest and tell you all that we are not reading this right now. But I keep hoping we will, so I won't take it off of my nightstand.
Nathan Training Log - I got this training log recently as part of a running program I joined and it's still blank. Of course that's because there is no pen on my night stand with which to fill in the pages (NOT because I haven't been running). ;) I shall remedy this situation today.
Unclutter Your Life in One Week!! - I am a big fan of the Unclutterer Blog and at the bottom of every. single. post. the writer encourages you to purchase her book. And every single time I read it I say "No, I don't need that." Well… obviously that didn't happen every single time. I could only fight temptation for so long. So now here is her book… cluttering up my nightstand. :) Honestly, I'm really enjoying it and I'm already being inspired to continue simplifying my own life.
Montessori From The Start - I picked this up at a yard sale and have enjoyed reading through it. The biggest thing it has done for me is shown me that allowing my daughter self-play time and self-discovery is, indeed, seen as a good thing by people other than me. It has given me the pat on the back that each mom occasionally needs throughout her mothering experience. It has also given me a lot of fun ideas for directing Sunday into further self-discovery.
Made to Crave - I had the pleasure of seeing Lisa speak live a few weekends ago and she is hilarious! I've had this book for a while and I went ahead and bought her new book as well (and she signed it!). But I vow to finish this one before I start the next.
Practical Paleo - This book has floored me. Here I thought I was buying a book about making the Paleo diet a practical part of my life and when it showed up at my doorstep I quickly realized I was reading a biology book. 400+ pages of full color information. Straight up education about our bodies, what we are putting into them, and how it is affecting us. It is inspiring, you guys. I'm seriously considering starting a Paleo Challenge for myself in the next few months… we shall see. (Speaking of, would anyone be interested in joining me??)

So those are the books on my night stand. What you cannot see are the other 10 books on the floor next to my bed. Eeek! I have this little empty black bookshelf in my home that I really want to use… but I know as soon as I pull it out to put books on it, it will quickly become cluttered with other items and start driving me crazy. So what's better? A bookshelf of clutter or another pile of books next to my night stand? Oh gosh… this simplifying things is such a work in progress!

What are you reading right now? Not that I need more books to add to my collection... well, you never know. Maybe I do. :) Please, share your current favorites in the comments!!