On My Nightstand

Aside from Go, Dog Go (my middle guy's latest favorite) for the umpteenth time, I haven't been doing a whole lot of reading lately. But I have managed to finish a few books since my last recap in February. 

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• Little House in the Big Woods & Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

My three-year-old and I have been reading the Little House series every day before naps for the past two months. I think I am enjoying this routine as much as he is. Since I know it will not hold the attention of my almost two-year-old, once he is asleep, my oldest and I cuddle up and read a chapter together.

This classic series will always hold a special place in my heart because my dad started reading it to my sister and me when I was about three. I also share a first and middle name with the author and my older sister's name is Mary. That's a lot of coincidences for a three-year-old! 

While most are familiar with the first few books in the series, I find that many have never heard of Farmer Boy which details the childhood of Laura Ingalls Wilder's husband Almanzo Wilder. He grew up on a thriving dairy farm in New York State. Not only does Wilder describe the daily chores and routine for a farmer (which fascinated my son) but she also proposes an overall theme that addresses the value of working one's own land and the independence that stems from it. Music to this farmer-girl-wanna-be's ears!

• Call the Midwife: Farewell to the East End by Jennifer Worth

I loved the first book in this series. The second book was also really good but it was a little more depressing. This third one, however, did not hold my interest, no matter how hard I tried to convince myself to like it.

My main interest in this series stems from the fact that I am a nurse and that I love everything about Midwifery. Since this final installment contained very few chapters involving the two subjects that interested me most, I struggled to get through it.

Its one redeeming quality, and my motivation to push through, was Chummy's romance and wedding which didn't take place until the final couple of chapters!

• Hail Holy Queen by Scott Hahn

I loved that this Marian book, unlike any I had ever read before, was solely based on Scripture. (Not surprising, of course, since it's written by Scott Hahn.) From Genesis to Revelations we find references to Mary throughout the Bible in some very unexpected places. 

I would definitely recommend this book, regardless of your familiarity with the topic of Mary. You may find that Hahn is able to shed some new light on Scriptural references to Our Lady that you are already aware of. And, like me, you may be surprised to discover Scriptural references you never knew were there. 

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Linking up with Jessica today:

On My Nightstand

Hard to believe the first month of 2015 is already over! In an effort to keep track of the books I complete throughout the year, I plan to link up with Jessica each month:

(Except maybe next month I'll actually have my post ready by Wednesday? ;)

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So, here's what I have been reading lately:

• The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis

When I can't find anything else of interest at the library and I just need an easy, light-hearted book to read before bed, I usually gravitate toward the Amish fiction genre. So far, Beverly Lewis is the only author in the genre that can keep my interest.

Amish fiction never fails to make me want to move to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Growing up my family visited the area often and more recently my husband and I took the boys there for a camping trip. I loved taking walks and seeing the Amish homes and farms up close.

The Fiddler is the story of Amelia, a professional violinist and Michael, a Amish man. Though they obviously come from very different backgrounds, when they meet on a whim they both feel an instant connection based on their similar struggles between pleasing their parents and following their personal dreams.

A lover of classical music, I appreciated the author's ability to incorporate Amelia's violin and fiddle playing into the story so much so that I could almost hear the music in my head as she described it.

While it was not necessarily a page-turner, The Fiddler was a warm, engaging story that included just enough romance, a lot of soul-searching, and the simplicity of the Amish way of life. I definitely plan on reading the next book in the series, The Bridesmaid.

• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (abridged) 

I read this abridged version, illustrated by Christian Birmingham, to my 3 1/2 year old as an experiment. I wasn't sure if I should start reading chapter books to him yet so I tried this abridged, illustrated version of the C.S. Lewis classic to test his ability to remain engaged.

I was pleasantly surprised by his interest, even in the wordy pages with very little or no illustrations.

I thought it would be a good book to read before his nap, after his younger brother was already asleep. Once I started reading it to him, however, he continued to request it the rest of the day. We ended up finishing it in less than two days.

The illustrations are absolutely exquisite and I would recommend this version even if only to look at the beautiful pictures. Although we finished the book on Tuesday, both my sons have spent long periods of time just gazing at each of the colorful pages.

I'm so happy to discover that a whole new world of classic stories has opened up to my son now that I know he is ready for chapter books.

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That's all for this month. Winter is usually a slow reading season for me because most of my reading time occurs while the boys play outside and between the cold and snow our outside play time has been very limited lately. 

On My Nightstand

I'm excited to be linking up, a little late, with Janssen from one of my all-time favorite blogs, Everyday Reading for a Quarterly Reading Link-Up:

I love the idea of recording of what I have read so a link-up is the perfect motivation to get me to actually do it.

While my list of completed books from the past couple of months is shorter than usual, I am happy to see that it includes a lot of spiritual reads all of which I found much more enriching than the fiction reads I naturally gravitate towards.

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Bridge to Haven: I must say, while Francine Rivers is one of my favorite authors I was very disappointed with this one. I had a hard time relating to the main character and found the plot and characters unrealistic and one-dimensional.

Lineage of Grace: This is another one written by Francine Rivers and it is broken down into individual stories about the five women whose names are mentioned in Jesus' lineage. I loved the first four but, being the Catholic girl that I am, I had to stop reading the story about Mary, the Mother of Jesus, because the author's non-Catholic perspective frustrated me too much.

Call the Midwife: Shadows of the Workhouse: If you watch the show you just have to read the books. They go so much deeper into each of the stories and characters that I often had to remind myself that the events described are indeed true.

Rome Sweet Home: Since I attended the university where the author of this book teaches, felt I ought to read his most famous book about his and his wife's conversion to Catholicism. Most people who have read it say they couldn't put it down and I must admit, I felt the same way!

The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth: An interesting, in-depth look into the Catholic Mass and its correlation to the book of Revelation. Highly recommend to Catholics especially but also to anyone who is curious about the history and source of the Mass.

The Christmas Note: This Christmas story was written by the same author as The Christmas Shoes and several other Christmas stories. It was short, sweet, predictable, and quite honestly, nothing special.

Finding Father Christmas: I read this book every Christmas Season because it never fails to leave me with that warm, cozy Christmasy feeling. It starts out during a snow storm in a small town outside of London on Christmas Eve. Now if that doesn't put you in the Christmas mood, I don't know what will.

Bridge to Haven: I must say, while Francine Rivers is one of my favorite authors I was very disappointed with this one. I had a hard time relating to the main character and found the plot and characters unrealistic and one-dimensional.

Lineage of Grace: This is another one written by Francine Rivers and it is broken down into individual stories about the five women whose names are mentioned in Jesus' lineage. I loved the first four but, being the Catholic girl that I am, I had to stop reading the story about Mary, the Mother of Jesus, because the author's non-Catholic perspective frustrated me too much.

Wives of the Bible: I started this Bible Study over the Summer and just finished it last week. I would highly recommend it to any woman, married or single. It is quick and easy to do but in depth and challenging at the same time. It taught me a lot about my role as a Biblical, Christian wife and the author offered practical means to apply these principles to my daily life.

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A trip to the library with my boys later this week will hopefully result in a nice, fresh stack of books to kick off the new year!

Tear Soup

After enduring a sudden and devastating loss recently, a friend of mine lent me the book, Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss by Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen.

One of the authors is a Registered Nurse with years of experience in Hospice.

It is actually a children's book, complete with detailed illustrations, but beneficial to all ages.

As I turned each page I found myself thinking: Yes, that's exactly how I feel! (With the exception of being angry at God... I plan on tearing that page when I purchase my own copy.) This short, sweet, little book put into words everything that was going on inside of me but that I hadn't been able to express.

Afterwards I felt validated and "normal" which gave me hope that if others have survived such losses, I suppose I can too.

At the end there are tips for those who are grieving and those who's loved ones are grieving. This is my favorite part. Never having suffered a major loss prior to this, I now wish I had read these tips years ago so that I would have known what to do when my loved ones were grieving.

In Praise of Stay at Home Moms

Perhaps it's her straight-forward, no nonsense approach, (or perhaps it's because we share the same name :), but I love Dr. Laura.

When I saw this book at the library, I couldn't pass it up. A book in praise of me? Okay!

Now, let me first say that it is NOT a sacrifice for me to stay home with our son. With my husband's blessing, I happily stay at home, raising our son, cooking and baking up a storm, and making our house a home. Yes, this has meant that we live without many "extras" but, we both feel it is well worth it.

In a world that is centered around having as much money as possible, this book was a great affirmation that what I do each and every day is invaluable, despite of the fact that I don't get paid, monetarily.

For women who perhaps gave up careers that they loved in order to stay home full time with their children, this book is a great pat on the back because Dr. Laura offers practical reminders of how very worthwhile that sacrifice is.

On days that are particularly long (if you're a stay at home mom you know what I mean ;) just reading a paragraph or two of this book will give you the encouragement you need to get back to your little ones with a more joy-filled attitude.

I find myself often forgoing time-sucking activities that I can live without in order to sit down on the floor and just play with my son. As much as I want to vacuum that dog hair off the carpet, the ten minutes I instead spent building a block tower or looking at books with him was much more rewarding for both of us.

Oh, and this book is also a great read for the husbands of stay at home moms because Dr. Laura establishes and encourages the traditional gender roles in a family that are so often criticized in today's society. (Although my husband didn't sit down and read the book himself, I probably read every other paragraph out loud to him so I think he got the gist of it. ;)

So, if you're a stay at home mom who could use a refreshing reminder of why you do what you do, I encourage you to check out this book.

Bringing Up Boys

A few days after my son was born, my mom ran to Barnes and Nobles and bought my husband and me a few items that she considered essential for brand new parents to have sitting on their coffee table. These included a Good Night Moon Baby's First Year calendar, a copy of What to Expect: The First Year, and a copy of Bringing Up Boys. 

That evening, after noticing that that Bringing Up Boys was written by Dr. James Dobson, my husband immediately picked it up, and began reading it, out loud. From that night on, we read one chapter together every night until the book was completed.

Such an excellent book! If you have a son, I highly recommend it. Growing up with all sisters, my family was kind of like Little Women: other than my dad, boys were pretty foreign to us! (I wish I was exaggerating, but I'm not!) Obviously I had my husband's input to guide me but still, I felt a little in the dark about how to raise a son. 

It's an easy read complete with heart-warming, tear-jerking, and laugh inducing stories. At the end of each chapter, there is a very helpful 'Questions & Answers' section. The experience and sound advice that Dr. Dobson offers is vital to Christian parents raising children, particularly boys, in today's society.

Oh, and if you have a daughter, there's no need to feel left out: Dr. Dobson also wrote Bringing Up Girls! 

Have you read either of these books? What did you think?