End of Summer reading

This has been the summer of the novel for me. I couldn't bring myself to rest and heal without a distraction. My book wishlist that I started building before Christmas has been struck through in short order, and several were too good to keep to myself. So if you are facing an end of summer beach trip or a last ditch effort at a tan, may I put forward for your reading pleasure:

The Last Telegram by Liz Trenow - A quick read about a british woman who inherits her family's silk factory during WWII. Along the same vein as The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Schaffer {also a favorite}.

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks - Another historical fiction about a small village as it copes with the plague. Brilliantly written - I plan on hunting down more of her books.

Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison - The story of Rasputin's daughter from her childhood with the infamous healer and the fall of the Russian monarchy to her career as a lion tamer {who could make that up??}. A slightly heavier read than the first two.

The Book Thief by Markus Zuzack - An orphaned girl's journey in Nazi Germany, the point of view is unusual and requires some getting used to, but the characters are deep. It gave me a new appreciation for what it might have been like to live under that regime and balance sympathy and your family's safety.

Moving out of historical fiction:
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson - could be entitled "how to come of age in your 70's," the characters deal in real issues and have honest failures. Her style is tragically humorous.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave - my heaviest read on the list, but a compelling look at the casualties of African civil war.

The two guilty pleasures:
World War Z by Max Brooks - run out to read this one before Brad Pitt messes it up! Zombies are not at all my thing, and I probably won't read another zombie novel, but Brooks' dissection of world cultures and how they would respond to an offensive crisis is brilliant.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin - so far a 5 book series with the promise of 2 more. These books are hot right now, and they should be. A fantasy world as realistic as Earth itself {dare I say on par with Middle Earth??}. A word of warning: these are grisly books, full of war-time violence.

My pregnancy tradition:
Our Covenant with Kids by Timothy Sisemore - I read this every pregnancy to get my mind and heart back on track, focused on the end game not the daily process. An excellent way to prepare for a new little one or to find new strength with existing kiddos. Others like it: Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp

Finally, sermons by Spurgeon, 5 minutes of worshipful doctrine to right orient my heart. Free as an eBook.


The girls also made some marvelous library discoveries that will have to come another day.

Happy reading, mommas!

Peace in the stacks

We have days: Monday grocery shopping, Wednesday library {most weeks}, Friday day off with Daddy. Weekly rituals give something to anticipate and add structure to lives that lean towards the reactionary, which wheel squeaks the loudest.

This morning, after two years of library trips, I realized I was breathing easily at the library. A little girl was crying and whining, her mom trying every trick to calm her. My girls kept giving her the 'seriously, get a grip' look while I browsed the non-fiction shelves for school material. Small one sat with a modest stack of board books, happily flipping pages, pointing out animals. Big one lost herself in the Illustrated Grimm Brothers. They sat like that for thirty minutes{!}. I finished before they did. A family milestone.

How did this happen?

Our first library trips were nightmarish. Big one emptied the board book bin all over the floor and ran circles around the circulation desk while we checked out. Small one wrapped her body around a book and screamed torture if you tried to remove it - we worked out a system where I held her over the counter and the librarian scanned the clutched book. We barely made it to the library once a month because momma couldn't take it.

Even a few months ago, small one ran the stacks in a peace disturbing game of hide and seek. Big one sat down next to a stranger and told him she wore 'big girl panties' all the time. And I snatched books of the shelf without cracking the covers hoping a few would prove school worthy.

A peaceful library trip is such a small thing, yet my heart sings. The library is one of my happy places - all those books that I don't have to pay for. Made even better by sharing it with the girls. Especially if we can enjoy the literary wonder without ruining it for others.

At least until little man discovers the board book bin...

The library is our greatest home teaching resource, even over free coloring pages. I want more for my family than an education. Recognizing the ABC's is not enough, a subgoal really. What good is reading if you hate opening books? My homeschooling hope is that they become life-long learners, seeking information after degrees are earned, when no one is testing their knowledge or offering career incentives.

A questioning mind complemented by a library brimming with answers are true tools of learning. When the girls bound for and squeal over new books, curiosity sprouting, we're on the right track.

What I'm Reading

Baby, it snowed outside. The girls and I are stuck inside again.

If I had nothing else to do, I would make a huge pot of tea and read, curled up in our big blue papasan chair. But really, who can afford such self-indulgence?

It got me thinking about the books I love right now, and I thought I'd share.

For G:

• The Jesus Storybook Bible - amazing. No, AMAZING!! Tim and I enjoy this one as much as Gwennan. In fact, the other day, I closed it after reading the 10 plagues and said, "This is the best book. Wait, this really IS the best book."
• Is Your Mama a Llama - I love the rhymes in this one. It's so sing songy that G bobs when we read it,
• The Belly Button Book - "beebo." Who wouldn't love a story about hippos and their belly b's?

For Me:

• Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass - We watched Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" the other day, so I wanted to read Lewis Carroll. Not sure where Tim Burton came up with the plot of his movie, but I rather liked it. Alice in Wonderland was a reread from my college children's lit class, and I enjoyed it, again. This was my first time with Through the Looking Glass, and well, it was odd.
• A Study in Scarlet - The first adventure of Sherlock Holmes. I just started this one, and I love Doyle's writing style as well as his cooky characters. In case you think my taste random, it is a little bit. I'm on a classics streak right now because they are free to download to my phone (love public domain!!), and my phone is the most portable, easiest to use while nursing  reading device I have.
• Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe - I've been working on this one for a while because it's just too meaty to read in one sitting. Fantastic book that covers the foundations of Christian belief.

That's my reading list during this cold month. What are you reading???

A Bad Habit Faced

Confession... I'm a lousy reader... now. Why? Hulu. Is it really their fault? Of course not. They provide the material at my mouse click with limited commercials 24 hours a day. But I'm the lazy bum who frequents the site.

I used to read for the joy of it. When I was little, the library offered a reward system in which you received a free personal pan pizza after 20 or 25 books. I think I earned them every other week. I had a laundry basket to hold all my library books. I remember getting so caught up in whatever I was reading that I would pray for the characters at night.

Then, library fines caught up to me, really to Tim. I think he might have a most wanted poster in the Knoxville Library System for borrowing over a dozen books and keeping them for more than 6 months. We actually received a notice that it would start affecting his credit if we did not return the books. Yikes!

I was afraid to reenter the library at that point. But that did not stop me from going to McKay's - the best used bookstore maybe on the planet (probably not, though). I got lost in McKay's, wandering up and down aisles of great classic works and modern Oprah Book Club picks and Children's books - Oh, how I love children's literature! If I could make a career out of loving children's literature, I would! I want to be the lady who dresses up and reads amazing tales to small children every Thursday at 11.

So what's happened to me? I can't blame it on being burned out from school. If anything, grad school trained me to read longer and smarter.

In fact, I still love to read, once I actually open the book. But 90% of the time, when I get a free moment, instead of opening a book, I crack open the computer. Before I know it, a TV show is playing. Keep in mind, I would never miss the shows if I didn't turn them on. I don't spend all week thinking, "I wonder what happened on Flash Forward or Fringe?" I don't care.

Theoretically I'd rather be reading. And my mind (probably my writing, too) would benefit. So I'm starting an experiment. I am breaking from Hulu (couple time with Tim excluded) and spending my resting time reading - reading paper pages, not just webpages.

First on my list, catch up on my "read through the Bible" plan, then finish the really interesting book in the women of India that I started a month back. Wish me luck!