Savor: April

This is such a season for savoring, and April brought many more moments to savor.

Because. . .of course! BOOKS!  Sharing book with family--even better!  I snapped a picture of Alan reading Robinson Crusoe to the kids--I love how engrossed they are.  And Tyrell "reading" to Aryana was too precious to resist.

I got to go to another Beth Moore conference with my sister and my sister-in-law.  This is such a great annual tradition, a time of renewal and great fellowship. . .

and laughter.  Always lots of laughter.  (I totally busted Marcy stealing Andes mints from the bathroom of the fancy restaurant.  giggle)  And Shayla and I introduced Marcy to sushi.  I KNEW she would love it!!!

I so treasure these girls, and our relationships!

A first with our friends, Troy and Caren, we tried out a local movie theater that serves a meal during the movie!  How FUN is that?!

More savoring with Kiana, she read her first chapter book ALL BY HERSELF--a Magic Tree House tale.  She was SO tickled.  She has also been having some fun experimenting with her hair.  She wanted to get it straightened, so I let her get it done (no chemicals, just a flat iron).  It was cute, but I like her curls better.  She did too.  She was soon in tears, "I miss my curls".  I'm glad she decided she loves the curly hair the Lord blessed her with.  treasuring. . .

I'm so thankful for Kidan who occasionally pitches in to help me with a hairstyle.  She is so much faster (and BETTER) than I am, and this style was particularly cute.

And finally, Destry's last concert as concertmaster with the Des Moines Youth Symphony, his last high school performance.  After all these years of running him to lessons and rehearsals. . .

savoring. . .

Bookish Questions

I saw that my friend Carrie over at Reading to Know answered some assigned bookish questions, and I thought it would be fun to play along in answering those same ten questions (hey, they're about books, why not?!).  What would some of your answers be?

1.  Do you remember the first book you read or really liked?
My dad bought me a copy of Where the Red Fern Grows when I was in third grade.  I would hate to have to guess how many times I've read that book!

2.  How did your love for reading come about (grew up in a reading family, a certain book captivated you, etc)?
My dad is a big reader, so he modeled it before me, and both my parents read to us children.  Also, I grew up with no television, to which I attribute some of my love for reading.  My parents were also really good at helping me build up my own personal library from garage sales, gifts, etc.

3. What is your favorite genre to read?
Why?  Why must I pick just one?
I suppose it depends on why I am reading.  If it's to learn or gain encouragement, I would say books about christian living.  If it's just for fun or escape, I will have to say fiction.  But really, I like all sorts of genres.

4.  What genre do you avoid reading?
Because Carrie already said christian fiction, I will avoid my soapbox on this topic (except I do love Francine Rivers).

I don't tend to read science fiction books, although I have read a couple.

5.  What is your favorite movie based on a book?
Hmmm, this one is difficult for me.  I don't watch lots of movies, and I don't always know if they're based on a book.  But I will say The Help, because I thought it followed the book pretty well.

6.  What is your least favorite movie based on a book?
I am sure there must be something, but I simply can't think of any right now.  I know there have been plenty of times when I moaned "Oh, the book is so much better!", but I don't have one standing out to me right at the moment.

7.  What is your favorite time and place to read?
Curled up in a chair in the living room while the children are napping.

8.  Are you in any "real life" book clubs or discussion groups?
Yes, I started a book discussion group with several other local homeschooling moms.

9.  How many bookcases do you have?
12
(This question makes me nervous.  Is someone staking out my house to come and STEAL my BOOKS?!)

10. What is a favorite quote about books or from a book?
There are several quotes I love that eloquently express the truth of how reading teaches us about both ourselves and about others and even open our eyes to a bigger world than ours.

• The most influential books, and the truest in their influence, are works of fiction.  They repeat, they rearrange, they clarify the lessons of life; they disengage us from ourselves; they constrain us to the acquaintance of others; and they show us the web of experience so we can see it for ourselves.  Robert Louis Stevenson

• Reading may be an escape, but it is not escape from my own life and problems.  It is escape from the narrow boundaries of being only me.  Reading in some wonderful way helps me find out who I am. . .Reading enlarges my vision of the world; it helps me understand someone who is different from me.  It makes me bigger on the inside.  We tend to see the world from our own perspective; it is good to see it from the eyes of others.  Good literature helps me understand who I am in relation to what others experience.  --Gladys Hunt

• The wonderful thing about books is that they allow us to enter imaginatively into someone else's life.  And when we do that, we learn to sympathize with other people.  But the real surprise is that we also learn truths about ourselves, that somehow we hadn't been able to see before.  --Katherine Peterson

My Top Ten Books of 2015

I try to go back over the books I read each year to pick my "Top Ten," so even though it's already January 2 (of 2016!), I'm going to share my top ten books from 2015.  I think this year I'll try to categorize the 76 books I read and choose a favorite (or two) from each category.  I'll also try to link to the reviews I wrote of each book.

• For homeschool encouragement, I would pick Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie.  I loved it so much that I read it, coerced a bunch of friends to read it, and then read it again and hosted not one but TWO evenings in my home to discuss the book.  It has revolutionized and breathed new life and enjoyment into our days.  I'm also going to have to include Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto as it really made me think and validated my decision to continue this homeschooling journey, even though it's not an easy choice.
• Biography would be A Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A.W. Tozer by Dorsett.  I also read The Pursuit of God by Tozer himself this year, but actually enjoyed reading about him even more.
• My favorite book for spiritual encouragement would probably be The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller.  You are correct, there is no link to a review of this book because I simply couldn't review it.  This is another book that I read, gathered a group of friends to read it with me, and then hosted book discussions of the book for a few weeks.  This book caused me to look at the parable of "the prodigal son" more closely than I ever had before, and especially to consider how lost the older brother was.  It also challenged me to truly examine what sin is--not just a list of moral failings, but the root principles of sin.
• My favorite memoir would be The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates.  This book was a fascinating 'case study' of two men with the same name, same age, same race, who grew up in the same area during the same time in very similar circumstances. . .but who had two very different fates.  Fascinating.  I also have to include Jaiya John's Black Baby, White Hands as a close second favorite memoir.  It was not an easy read for me, especially as a White mama to Black children, but it was very thought-provoking and well-written.
• The best historical book I read was Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.  It makes one think of Unbroken, although it is not quite that good (Hillenbrand is a master of her craft!).  It tells the story of the young men who won the gold medal rowing in the 1936 Olympics and what I enjoyed most was the way the author illustrated the effect their character had on their lives.
• Hands down, the best fiction novel I read this year was Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova.  I have enjoyed all of her books so far (her background as a neuroscientist really adds to her stories), but this story of a man affected by Huntington's disease was especially well-done.
• Classics--I have to pick two.  I couldn't decide between Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  They were both well-written in different ways, but both provided much to discuss regarding character.

For next year, I have set a Goodreads goal of reading 85 books, and a friend and I are trying to choose books from the guidelines set out by Tim Challies in his 2016 Reading Challenge.  It's going to stretch me, but that's a good thing.  (We've made a spreadsheet on google docs to record our readings because we are just big dorks like that!)

I'd love to hear your recommendations and favorites from the last year (my want-to-read list needs to continue growing, right?).

What's On Your Nightstand--October

I haven't played along with the nightstand posts lately, nor has my reading been terribly organized.  (Do you suppose there is some correlation?)

In September I read a couple of current fiction novels, Dark Places by Gillian Flynn and The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, and I re-read a homeschool book, Ignite the Fire by Teri Camp.  I also re-read Francine Rivers' novella, Unafraid, and read a short book by Russell Moore about adoption, and I finally got to Harper Lee's recently published book, Go Set a Watchman (which I have not yet reviewed).



As I look ahead to October, we have quite a bit of traveling scheduled, so I'm hoping to read some more current fiction a friend has recommended that I've borrowed on my Kindle, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce and The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant.

Carrie's Book Club has chosen The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for October, and it's been several months since I've read along, so I hope to get to this one.

Two friends have recommended Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah Mackenzie, so I recently ordered a copy.  I have read the first two chapters and enjoyed them very much.  I got the pdf journal with my order, so I'm thinking I'll read it quickly, then go back through and read it more carefully while journaling through it.  I may even have to gather a few friends to read and discuss it with me!

  

I've also been slowly re-reading Raising Godly Tomatoes by L. Elizabeth Krueger.  I have read this excellent parenting book several times, and it's the one I recommend whenever anyone asks me for parenting advice or a parenting book to read.  Little Miss Aryana has necessitated my brushing up on training a strong-willed toddler.  (rueful grin)  I've been slowly reading this for several weeks and want to finish it up in October.

There are other books I'm interested in reading soon if I get time, such as I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla and Cleaning House, but they might have to wait until the next month.  I'll be really happy if I can check the above five books off my list the end of October.

Raising Real Men

Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys by Hal Young

I was pleasantly surprised by Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young.  I've owned the book for almost two years, but just never felt like reading it.  I've read so many books about raising boys in the last 17ish years, and couldn't seem to get excited about reading another one.

But I actually think this is one of the better books about rearing boys that I've found.  It's easy to read, the writing is conversational in style, and they address both practical and philosophical points.  One of my favorite chapters was entitled "Who's in Charge Here" and was about leadership.  It highlighted both the struggles young men have with submitting to authority and the need for them to rise to servant leadership in a way that they can "carry the burden of leadership without creating a dictatorship of 'me'" (98) and I think I'm going to have Destry read this chapter.

As a believer in everyone pitching in to make the household run, I especially liked their admonition that "every job in the Air Force was meant to support the larger purpose" (191), so it isn't just Mom and the girls' job to take care of housework.  They further supported their point with I Samuel 30:24 and say "any service that advances the family's mission is worthwhile and needs to be valued" (192).  I think this is especially relevant as I've seen some families so concerned with making their boys be "men" (read "manly") that they relegate all household maintenance to the women and end up with lazy, inconsiderate slobs.

Now as my firstborn son approaches independent manhood (he'll be 18 in just four short months), I really got a lot out of the last couple chapters about launching arrows.  "This is why we work to raise real men.  There is a time to protect our sons and a time for them to start protecting others.  There is a time to teach and disciple and control the influences our sons face, then there is a time for them to instruct others and to meet those influences and conquer them" (230).  We're in this season.

I was convicted by Hal's admonition to Melanie "If you don't have time for devotions, you don't have time for school" (132) as I have been remiss this year in putting our Bible study time after academic studies.  I need to get my priorities back into shape.

A couple other quotes I liked:

"If he hasn't faced the trial yet, or he's in the midst of it--encourage him.  If he's been to the wars and is limping home wounded--comfort him.  Once the wounds are bound up, encourage him to rise and face the fight again" (54).

"God made men to be warriors, some with sword, some with the pen, all with the will to resist temptation and strive for righteousness" (78).

I'm glad I finally pulled this one off the bookshelf and can cross it off my TBR Pile Challenge.  It was well worth reading, and a couple of the chapters were especially beneficial in this season.

March 2015 Nightstand Report

I am happy with what I accomplished in my reading this month as I learned a lot.  Here were my goals (linked to reviews where applicable):

• The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer was my selection for Carrie's Classics Book Club.  This was also one of the books on my list of books I want to read in 2015.  I finished it and got a lot out of it, even as it wasn't the easiest book I've ever read.  I hope to post my review this week, and we'll be discussing it on Carrie's blog this week as well.

• The Other Wes Moore:  One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore.  I really, really liked this memoir about two Black men raised in the same area in the same time period with the same name and many similar circumstances who took two different paths.  I highly recommend it.

• Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver.  Kingsolver is a good storyteller, but this one didn't measure up to The Poisonwood Bible and I still don't agree with her worldview.  As usual, however, she made me think, so I'm glad I read it.

• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  I was hoping to start this classic with my son for literature this month, but we both had many commitments so I wasn't sure we would get to it.  We didn't, but we cleared our calendar for it so we can look forward to it next month.

• Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young (from my TBR Pile Challenge).  I am halfway finished with this book and anticipate finishing it next month.

Additional books I read this month included:

• Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman which was an interesting memoir about a WASP's time in prison.  I wasn't crazy about the narrator, but I did find the book rather interesting.
• One Plus One by Jojo Moyes was "escapist fiction" and I enjoyed its lightheartedness even as it discussed a couple of themes I found worth pondering.
• A Passion for God:  The Spiritual Journey of A.W. Tozer by Lyle Dorsett.  I read this biography alongside The Pursuit of God and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has any curiosity about Tozer's life.  

In April I hope to read:

• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens with Destry for literature
• Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young (finish)
• 1984 by George Orwell (for Carrie's Classics Book Club)

And depending on time, maybe one or both of these from my "To Be Read" Pile Challenge:

• Little Heathens:  Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish.  Kristy keeps talking about how much she enjoyed this one, and she's only let me down once. . .(Jasper Fforde, cough) :)
• Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto.  I'm in my 14th year of homeschooling and I've never read this book.  How can I truly qualify as a homeschooling mom without having read it?

TBR Pile Challenge

What a great idea!  I came across it too late to technically participate, but I am going to go ahead and join "unofficially".



The idea is to make a list of 12 books to read in 2015.  Each of these books should be something you have had on your TBR list for at least a year.  I'm adding an embarrassing element to it--I want it to be a book I have owned a copy of, and still not gotten around to reading!  I always used to buy one book, read it, and then by another and so forth.  Somehow I have purchased more books in recent years than I can keep up with reading (almost always from thrift stores or free on Kindle, but still!) so I have several on my shelves that I haven't read.

Here is my list of books that I already own which I would like to complete this year.

1. Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child by Anthony Esolen (Kindle).  I've seen this one recommended and reviewed many times.  I was delighted to see if free one day for my Kindle and downloaded it.
2. Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young.  I was ordering some rubberband guns for the boys off their site and rather impulsively added this book to my order.  I have read many books about raising boys, and I guess I got tired of the subject, since I never opened it.  Now that the authors are coming to speak to our homeschool group and they will be staying at our house, I'm thinking I should be able to say I've read it when they see it on my shelf!
3. Little Heathens:  Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish.  Kristy keeps talking about how much she enjoyed this one, and she's only let me down once. . .(Jasper Fforde, cough) :)
4. The Measure of a Man: a Spiritual Autobiography by Sidney Poitier  this looks fascinating to me, I have just never put it high enough on my list.
5. Keeping Our Children's Hearts by Steven and Teri Maxwell.  I have owned this for several years, and have liked many of their books.  I need to read this one.
6. Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand.  I picked this up from a thrift store after loving Unbroken.  Briana and Destry have both read it, and Destry says it's even better than Unbroken.  
7. Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin.  What a fascinating premise!  I know I'm going to get a lot out of this one.
8. Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto.  I'm in my 14th year of homeschooling and I've never read this book.  How can I truly qualify as a homeschooling mom without having read it?
9. Forgotten God:  Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan (Kindle)  I've had this one for almost two years.
10. Lit!  A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke (Kindle)  Why have I not read this yet?!
11. Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn (Kindle)  I want to read it, but am sure it will be convicting.
12. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul (Kindle)  I know, I can't believe I've never read this one either.  Let's rectify that this year.

Bonus book:  Truman by David McCullough  I have wanted to read this one for so long (ever since Jeff was reading it and wouldn't stop talking about it!), but must admit the size has intimidated me.  I've read 2-3 of his books and love his writing style, and always learn so much.  Maybe this summer. 

So, does anyone want to play along?  You don't have to come up with 12, but what books do you have sitting around that you haven't read yet?

March Nightstand

Well, here it is the end of February, and I'm looking at my list of books I read last month, as well as planning what to read in March.  I only read one book from my February plan as well as only one from my 2015 Goal List.  I'm telling you, I think I have reading ADD!  There are so many books I would love to read, and I get distracted easily when I see a new one.

So, for what I read in February, I read two in preparation for the speakers on our marriage cruise:

• Still Growing  by Kirk Cameron
• Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman

I also read one book (yes, only one book!) while on the vacation.

• Petra: City of Stone by T.L. Higley

And during the last couple weeks of February, I made it through the selection for my local book discussion (but haven't yet written my review):

• I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (the only book which was on both lists!)

In March I'm planning to read:

• The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer was my selection for Carrie's Classics Book Club.  I have wanted to read this one for a long time, but have never gotten around to it.  I'm hoping having some accountability will force me to dive into it, and I'm excited to see how I learn and grow through its reading.

• The Other Wes Moore:  One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore.  My good friend, Misti, checked this as "want to read" on her Goodreads account and I was intrigued by its description.  I love a thought-provoking book which helps me better understand people and the choices they make.

• Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver was recommended by Misti.  I was thoroughly sucked in by Kingsolver's "Poisonwood Bible" (I could, in fact, read it again) so I'm looking forward to her storytelling again, even while I don't tend to agree with her worldview.

• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  I'm supposed to start reading this one with Destry for literature this month.  We both have busy months ahead of us (he with music competitions and performances as well as a week at TeenPact and I with. . .well, life while reading Tozer!), so I don't anticipate either of us finishing it, but we both appreciate Dickens and are looking forward to this one.

• Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young.  Since I've owned this book for over a year (blush) and 1) still haven't read it but 2) they are coming to speak to our homeschool group this month and staying at our house. . .well, I think I should get it read!

Hopefully I do a better job fulfilling my reading goals this month than I did last month!

On My Nightstand for February

I've been plugging right along with my list of books I want to read in 2015, and I'm hoping to cross off at least one more in February, or maybe two.  I'm not setting very high reading goals for February because. . .

insert happy dance here. . .

my hubby and I are going on the Love Like You Mean It cruise!  We will be gone for almost a week, and while I love my kiddos dearly, I am terribly excited to have some special time with my man.  Since he isn't nearly the reader I am, I doubt we will spend much time lounging on the deck of the ship with our noses in books (although that also sounds like a delightful vacation!).  I will probably still read on the plane as he tends to doze while flying, but that will likely be all the reading I will accomplish that week, and that is just fine with me.

So without further ado, here are the books I'm planning to read during the month of February:

• I Am Malala:  The Girl Who Stood up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai

I have had this one on my list for quite some time and am determined to read it this month.  I selected it for my local discussion group to give myself some accountability and I am really looking forward to it.

• Tender Warrior: God's Intention for a Man by Stu Weber

I'm pre-reading this book for my 17-year-old son.  It came highly recommended by someone I trusted (I just can't remember who that was!), and I'm finally getting around to it.

• A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet by Sophie Hudson

This one was free for my Kindle, and I'm thinking it might be a fun, light read for the airplane.  If you have a great recommendation for another vacation book, I would love to pack another one along!




I'm not expecting to have lots of time to finish these, but I hope to start The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer in preparation for Carrie's Bookclub and I will be starting Great Expectations by Charles Dickens with Destry for his literature studies.