In July 2005, in need of a creative outlet, Melanie Shankle began writing a blog called The Big Mama. Since then, her blog readership grew beyond her wildest dreams. In addition to her own blog, Shankle is a regular contributor to several others, including The Pioneer Woman. Her debut book, Sparkly Green Earrings (Tyndale House, February 8, 2013), recounts personal tales of motherhood. Shankle lives in San Antonio, Tex., with her husband and daughter.
On your nightstand now:
I just finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and it will stay with me forever. Deeply moving. And now I've moved on to the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins because I felt like the last person on the planet who hasn't read them yet.
Favorite book when you were a child:
I don't know how I could pick just one. I was that kid who turned my closet shelves into a library and let my friends check out books. A few that come to mind are The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg, the entire Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder and anything that Judy Blume wrote. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing was the first book I read that made me laugh until I cried.
Your top five authors:
How do I choose? I have such a deep respect for anyone who knows how to put words together. Kelly Corrigan, Anne Lamott, Erma Bombeck, J.K. Rowling and C.S. Lewis. How's that for a mixed group?
Book you've faked reading:
Other than maybe Beowulf for a high school literature class, I can't think of a book I've faked reading. And for the record, I don't regret not reading it. It's kind of like Algebra II; I've never needed it in real life.
Book you're an evangelist for:
The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan. It is beautifully written and will make you laugh and cry on the same page.
Book you've bought for the cover:
Honestly? I don't know that I've ever bought a book for the cover. I'm more of a read the back cover and decide if it sounds interesting kind of girl.
Book that changed your life:
I would have to say One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Not only did it make me want to be a better writer, it made me look at every day with gratitude for every gift I've been given by God.
Favorite line from a book:
I actually keep a notebook filled with my favorite lines from books so it's hard to narrow it down. But here are two that immediately come to mind: "If you want one thing too much, it's likely to be a disappointment. The healthy way is to learn to like the everyday things, like soft beds and buttermilk--and feisty gentlemen." --from Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." --from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
Probably Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. I wasn't prepared for how hauntingly beautiful and deeply spiritual it would be and, even though I've read it again, there's nothing like discovering it the first time and the amazement at how the story weaves together. But I also loved The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I've read them several times, but there is nothing like discovering them for the first time. It's pure storytelling magic.