If you been with us in the Mr. B's community for a bit now, you've probably picked up on the fact that we both love reading. Our desire for simplicity and entertainment has led to even more reading time, and we are loving it. Here are some of the books we're currently enjoying:

• Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, a novel about the heartbreak of traditional African culture, further confused by the coming of Europeans. Desperately truthful and challenging.
• Be Your Own Herbalist by Michelle Schoffro Cook. In an effort to learn more about God given remedies found in plants, Lara has picked up this book as the first in her quest to learn about herbs for healing. We hope to incorporate this into some future Mr. B's goods.
• The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines. A fun and quick read. And as entrepreneurs ourselves, it is fun to read their about how they got started and to get some ideas of how we can be doing things better.
• The Story of Tea by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert Heiss. This book is a treasure to Shem, who loves tea so much it borders on mania. With so much history and tradition surrounding tea, no other beverage on earth, not even coffee, wine or beer, rivals this wonderful drink.
• The Bible. This will always be on our reading list forever and ever. There are lots of books that offer truth, this is the only one that is the truth of God. That’s a pretty strong statement underscored by the fact that Jesus is the only religious figure to say he is God and then prove it by resurrecting himself. Even for those who do not believe these things, it is an amazing book that is the root of 3 of the 5 major religions (Islam, Christianity and Judaism) and is considered sacred by nearly half the world.

Also, speaking of reading, we are going to be installing a little mini library in our shop (or probably right out front of it) as a way to promote less screen time and more reading. If you're in the area, come by sometime next month to check it out, we promise to always keep it stocked with some great reads.