Another good reading month... Lots of audio book listening while I unpacked and settled us in, then too exhausted for much besides an episode and a chapter or two most nights!
First, the grown-up reads!
📖 Bible study: I finally finished Luke and then I started the apocrypha, the collection of books that originally appeared in the first King James version that were later pulled to make printing cheaper. They're no longer considered part of the Biblical canon but after learning more about the history of it all, we purchased a copy! I'm currently (slowly) reading Esdras 1.
📖 Airborne (Christian, fiction, suspense)... I was sick while reading this deadly virus story 😅 It was a good one! I will definitely try more Diann Mills when I'm in the mood for suspense again.
📖 The Bridge (Christian, fiction, Christmas)... Just what you look for in a Christmas novella- sweet, slightly cheesy, slightly dramatic. I already requested the movies (2-part story) from my library!
📖 Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family (secular, nonfiction, science)... This one is from 2010 but I still got so much out of it! I'm so grateful to not have had a cell phone for so many of my childhood years and I'm so glad we haven't let our kids use ours too much!
📖 Firstborn (Christian, fiction)... This one is centered around a woman who secretly gave a child up for adoption at age 16 and how her husband is reacting to this unexpected news when her firstborn child shows up in her life. This was just what I love in a Robin Lee Hatcher book- deep, rich, meaningful struggles with flawed characters who are attempting to find solutions to worldly problems in a godly way.
📖 Sacred Marriage (Christian, nonfiction)... Goodness, loved this one! I had made myself a goal to read a marriage book this year, a goal I make most years, but kept putting it off because, I dunno, we're just in a good place. I begrudgingly used up a Hoopla download on this just to say I'd done it but of course I ended up so inspired! There were lots of things that didn't apply to my specific marriage but I was especially moved by thoughts on marriage being an amazing place for Christians to grow spiritually- to work on becoming more like Jesus by loving our spouses unconditionally and looking for ways to serve our spouses. But! It did take me a while to get through the audio version since marital intimacy came up far too often for me to ever listen with my kids around. It's not just mentioned in the intimacy-specific chapter(s?) but just all throughout the book. Anyway- recommend.
📖 Spiritual Midwifery (secular, nonfiction, pregnancy/birth)... Honestly? Too much for me😅 A lot of the birth stories were too hippie for me and there were a few language choices I found vulgar (to be fair, she actually went over this in the beginning, that there's no winning here since some are offended by this and others are offended by more clinical terms) BUT the actual midwifery information was so helpful! I still think often about becoming a midwife or doula when my own children have all grown up.
📖 The Summer of Yes (Christian, fiction)... The cover made me expect pure fluff but there was some great, deep stuff in this book about female friendship + regret + second chances! There's a romance thread here but it's not like a typical romance story and was such a delight! Not very Christian though, fyi.
For my kids' shelves:
📖 Cooper Kids Adventures #3: The Tombs of Anak (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... It has taken me too long to get to book 3 but I finally did! I expected to push through for my kid's sake but instead I really enjoyed it! I learned last year that Christian archaeology books really fascinate me.
📖 Dream Traveler's Quest #2 (Christian, middle grade, fiction, fantasy)... You all know fantasy isn't my favorite and this one is especially too fantasy for me but it was fine and a hit with my oldest.
📖 Fatal Fever (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... I am always so into health stories and found this history of Typhoid/ Typhoid Mary so fascinating! My heart breaks for that poor woman though.
📖 Kingdom book 2: Kingdom's Hope (Christian, fantasy, YA)... Not my personal favorite kind of book but one I do think will be a hit among some of my kids. I'll move on to book 3, too.
📖 Little House in the Big Woods (secular, middle grade, historical fiction, TGTB book list)... My youngest of course has no memory of this one from the last time we read it so was so excited when I pulled it out as this month's read-aloud. She did feel sad about some of the hunting/butchering descriptions but the overall cozy and idealistic portrait of their family life was very appealing to her.
📖 No Place Like Holmes (Christian, middle grade, mystery)... Fun read for mystery fans.
📖 The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids, volume 10 (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... This reads more like a magazine. I was hoping it would teach a lot of great skills but it was more of a combo between fun and weirdly informational. It'll really interest one of my kids, probably none of the others.
📖 Operation Happy (Christian publishing house but no Christian themes or mentions, middle grade, historical fiction)... I did like this Pearl Harbor WWII story in the end but I was on the fence about it for the majority of the book. I was also bummed it had no faith themes at all. Zondervan has been letting me down in this department for the past few years.
📖 A Plague of Unicorns (Christian, middle grade, fiction, fantasy)... I thought this one was okay but not a favorite. There is a lot of talk about unicorns "eating and excreting" and one mention of a character wondering where babies come from.
📖 The Seed of Faith (Christian, middle grade, Christian fiction)... Such a lovely (short) Christmas read with a good message.
📖 A Smart Girl's Guide: Manners (secular, nonfiction)... I liked this one. There are a lot of "obvious" etiquette issues addressed that even adults don't all know, like not to ask people embarrassing questions, but there were also more subtle issues addressed here that will help our young ladies navigate the world with fewer socially awkward moments.
📖 Summer on the North Star (secular, middle grade, TGTB)... I'm always up for a good Alaska story! Not my very favorite but I liked this one just fine.
📖 The Tinker's Daughter (Christian, historical fiction)... Loved this historical fiction account of John Bunyan's blind daughter, Mary, and her faith journey!
📖 The Trumpeter of Krakow (secular, middle grade, historical fiction, TGTB book list)... The middle ages are a favorite historical fiction time period around here right now and this one worked just fine!
📖 Wolf Soldier (Christian, YA, fiction, fantasy)... Not my style (not a fantasy fan) but will definitely appeal to my oldest in a couple years, and probably some of his younger siblings too. I can already tell this is going to be a favorite series.
📖 Zia (secular, middle grade, TGTB book list)... I didn't love Island of the Blue Dolphins but I actually really enjoyed this sequel!
Library picture books we especially loved: Bunny Should Be Sleeping // The Eye of the Whale // Pup 681
I loved The Bridge and Summer of Yes! I am reading Farmer Boy now as a little girl in my SS class is reading it and its the only Little House book I never read!
ReplyDeleteFarmer Boy is a fun one for sure!
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