Read-Aloud Log April/May 2013

Our in-house librarian and cute little book worm thought the picks from the past couple of months were great!

March/April Little Kid picks:

Boynton, Sandra. Are You a Cow?

DK Publishing. Baby Surprises!

Fujikawa, Gyo. Mother Goose.

Katz, Karen. Baby Loves Spring: A lift the flap book.

Laden, Nina. Peek a who?

Mackenzie, Carine. (Learn about God series) (God is faithful, God is kind, God has power, God knows everything, God never changes)

Stinson, Kathy. Red is Best.

Wilson, Sarah. Love and Kisses.

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Mommy Favorites:

Clarkson, Sally. Ministry of Motherhood.

Hertzberg, Jeff. Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day.

Hunt, Gladys. Honey for a Child’s Heart: The Imaginative Use of Books in Family Life.

Macaulay, Susan Schaeffer. For the Family’s Sake: The Value of Home in Everyone’s Life.

Montgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables.

Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House in the Big Woods & Little House on the Prairie.

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I decided a couple of months ago to start rereading some classic children’s book and believe it or not I had never read Anne of Green Gables before. It was such a good book and I loved rereading my favorite Little House books:)

Favorites for me included Ministry of Motherhood, For the Family’s Sake, and our new favorite pizza dough recipe came from the cookbook above. Seriously, that book on pizza has transformed our dinners. There is a GF recipe and a regular one and you can make the dough and keep it for up to 14 days in the fridge making pizza whenever you like. Amazing.

For Elizabeth I would say the favorites were Mother Goose, Love and Kisses, and any of the Carine Mackenzie books. The board books by Mackenzie are some of the best I’ve come across in accurately conveying the character of God in a Biblical and yet child friendly way. I’ve found myself encouraged after reading through them as well.

 

Any favorites these past few months?

On My Bookshelf

These days finding time to read is a challenge. Often, if there is time before I’m ready to call it a day, I spend those moments with Alex, on the couch, watching his next reality TV favorite. (think Gold Rush, Storage Wars, etc.) That’s what they call true love:)

But those things I have read this year so far have proven to be excellent. I find that these days anything that I read must be worthwhile and able to be picked up on whim…meaning I might get a chapter or two in before it begins to collect dust on the dresser. And then it may get picked back up in a week or two if its lucky.

Finished Books

- Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman

This may have been my favorite book of 2013 so far. I have much more to say, but for me this book was liberating.

 - Flying with Baby by Meg Collins

Short, sweet, informative, and packed with the best tips for flying with kiddos. Definitely worth $2.99.

 - Baby-Led Weaning Book and Cookbook by Tracey Murkett

Great read if you are at all interested in bypassing purees in the feeding of your kids. Informative and very interesting!

In the middle of

- The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller

Such a great book on marriage. Quite possibly the best one I’ve read yet and I’ve read A LOT of them with my mentor.

 - Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson

I’m halfway through this one and every chapter so far I’ve had tears. There is so much in this that I NEED to hear and so much that I NEED to know others have felt, gone through, and experienced. So far it’s my tied as my favorite book of the year so far.

Just cracked open

- 7 : An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker

So excited to read more of this one. I’m always interested in ways to simplify and rid our lives of things that hinder us. Although if I’m honest, I’m not sure I can be as radical as Jen was:)

 - The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

I’m very excited to get started reading this one. I have so much to write about going from an infertile woman to a mother. I never knew the emotions that would come and the things I’d struggle through but I’m hoping this can help make sense of the mayhem.

Obviously I need some new options for fiction and non-parenting books…

So what have been some of your favorite books?

Book Review: When the Hurt Runs Deep

All around us, day in and day out, people come and go and I’m certain so many are hurting.  This world, fallen and broken, does not reflect Eden, where hurt was swept away.  We live with hardship, pain, doubt, denial, and deep, deep hurt at the things our eyes have witnessed.  From famine and tsumani, suicide and cancer, to the day by day aching's, as we wait, wonder, and ponder.  Our hearts often question, “why me?”, “why now?”.

One of my favorite bible study authors Kay Arthur, faces these wonderings, ponderings and questions regarding hurt and pain that surround us in the world in her new book When The Hurt Runs Deep: Healing and Hope for Life’s Desperate Moments.  She offers a fresh, straight forward approach to helping us answer these questions in a way that not only glorifies the Lord but offers healing for the heart.  Divided into 18 chapters the  book begins with a glimpse at a few biblical lives as they faced trials and hurt that came their way.  She has not only seen and witnessed hard times but has walked this road personally, and it shows within the book.  Her wisdom is biblical, personal, and applicable.

The book walks through anger, suicide, the question of why, and suffering among others and throughout the book nuggets of wisdom abound to not only comfort the heart but to bring the readers mind to Christ.  She mentions in the beginning that the “soveriegnty of God…is the very key that unlocks and heals our hearts (25)” to which I firmly say Amen.  And she spends the rest of the book walking through hard issues to which she continues to go back and rest in the place of our Sovereign God.

As someone who has walked through hard things and had my eyes witness hurt and pain firsthand, like so many of you, this book was a great reminder of who I trust in, why I do, and how redeeming and good His love is.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.  It’s a great resource and the appendix offers a great study guide for two or more.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their book review program Blogging for Books.

on my bookshelf

As a child I always had my nose in a book. My parents could not purchase books fast enough.  In fact one of my favorite places to visit was right next door to where my mother worked, the local bookstore.  I would mosey through the racks of books, eyes fixated on the colorful bindings and cover photos, trying to discern just what story would be my next favorite.  Though many times my choices included the every popular Babysitter's Club and Boxcar Children, every once and awhile classics would slip into my hands.

I was not alone in my love for reading.  My mom and dad both fostered in me an appreciation for words and stories that is still ingrained in my today.  Every night, for years, my mom would cozy up next to me in my little twin bed before I was swept away by magical dreams and read to me.  And one thing I'm grateful for is that she did not stop when I was able to read on my own.  She kept on and the book selections grew to more insightful and difficult chapter books, but we shared this time, together, allowing the story to create a bond between us that only we had.  It was such a special time and to this day, reading with children tops the list of my favorite things to do.

It shouldn't come as a surprise, I suppose, that this love for literature and the written word, shaped my college experience.  I was an English major.  Not so amazing if you do not want to teach or allow it to position you well for a career in law, business, marketing or journalism.  But to me, sentence structure, the etymology of words, the creation of an idea, the ability to speak through writing took over my heart and then and there I decided on English.

There's the history...let's move forward to the present time. You will never walk in our house without seeing stacks of books lingering about.  In fact, the hubby often wonders at this love for reading.  Here are the books that I am in the midst of right now.  Right now I am enjoying being able to hop back and forth between books, some I'm almost finished with and others I'm just starting.  I think it will be enjoyable to give you a review on finds I find noteworthy and give you updates regarding which books are on the bookshelf. Plus I would love to hear what you are all paging through...I always need new ideas!

 

 

Marathon by Jeff Galloway
Spoken From the Heart by Laura Bush
Helper by Design by Elyse Fitzpatrick
My Life in France by Julia Child
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (one of my favorite children's books)

On my nook (the top book in the photo)


A Praying Life by Paul Miller

What's on your bookshelf? Have a favorite read from 2010?