Skip to main content

What I Read in April



sunset at Semiahmoo

I was able to read quite a bit, again, this month, but I have low expectations for the coming couple months ahead. We're moving into Canada at the end of June, and that has most of our focus right now. Leave me a title if you had a great read this month! I hope you can find a good read here. 

*Blood, Bones, and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton I actually finished this book on the tail end of March. Nearly 10PM on March 31st, if I remember correctly, but I had already written up a March Reads post and I wasn't about it edit it that night. Ergo. Hamilton's memoir had so many great reviews that I jotted it down last year for 2014, slotted firmly in the 'foodie memoir' slot. Or so I thought. This wasn't a foodie memoir, complete with recipes of traditional family dishes and gushing over comfort food. This was a life memoir, where waitressing, preparing, catering, and owning a restaurant always happen to be in the background. This book was gritty, with very visceral images, especially the story about the lobsters. It's the story of the author starting around when she was an early teen, lied about her age, and got herself a job in a kitchen. I would recommend this book to a lot of people. If you love a bootstrap picker-upper, a coming-of-age after a lot of mistakes, a story with a strong female character, you'd like this book. 

*Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford This book had been all over blog-land (well, the blogs I read, anyway) and I saw a Skype interview that I enjoyed before I added this to my library list. I enjoyed reading this book, as it's part memoir, but I didn't know that I connected with it as much as I'd heard others had. I don't have a cell phone apart from an emergency phone, and I have set limits on the computer (before kids are out of bed, during their quiet time, and during the evening) although I'm comfortable getting online if I feel it's necessary throughout the day. Technology is something I do not struggle with, but I can see how this book would be extremely helpful for those who consistently feel frazzled, run-down, and distracted by technology.

*Praying for Boys by Brooke McGlothlin I listen to Kat Lee's Inspired to Action podcast every week, and Brooke was interviewed about a month ago about her book and ministry dedicated to praying for boys. I really liked the message she shared on the podcast, so I decided to have the library purchase this book so I could read it. This book is very short and the format is more like a devotional. The 'prayers' are broken into topics and then there are about 10-15 scriptures to pray with your child's name in the blank. I thought this was a really easy and great way to pray for my kids during the week I read it. I'd recommend this for others looking for a bit of direction in how to pray for their kids, and wanting some solid scripture verses to hold onto and continually pray over their boys (and girls).

*Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine Wow, I really hit the Christian women's memoir titles this month, but I think I got that out of my system because my next number of books aren't that genre. Crystal's MoneySavingMom.com is a great website and has awesome tips to help you save money, tidy up your budget, and save for big goals. This book was her story of how fatigue and exhaustion took over, and the disciplines and principles she used to help her out of that hard season of her life. I like Crystal's books because they are clear and to the point, and she always has great resources that I find I like, too.

*I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron Good golly, I just love Nora. I plan to read all her books in my lifetime, and I'm certainly on my way to reaching that goal. This was another 160+ page book that had me laughing so hard, and shaking my head 'yes', knowing that although she is completely different from me (like happily getting her hair done every few days in uptown New York City for exorbitant cost), she still writes universal women truths, and helps her readers laugh during the ride. I don't expect to give any less than 4 stars to any of her books. 

*Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott  This book was lovely. Anne is one of my all-time favorite authors and this non-fiction work is her book on writing. She wrote down every chapter just like she teaches a class, and somehow it works, even though there is never a writing prompt to be seen. In true Anne appeal, just about each chapter has something profound or hilarious to offer, and makes you just want to write down all her quotes and try to emulate her. She even has a chapter on that. I've really enjoyed writing through books this year, as a practice and a discipline, and I'd recommend this book also if that's your cup of tea. 

*Owls and Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver Oh, look, another Mary Oliver poetry book! This should not surprise anyone. She is one of my favorite poets, and I generally like just about every poem in every collection. There were a few essays in this book and I do not regret skipping them. Life is too short. I want to read poetry, not essays. So. I just read the poetry. And I liked it! 

*Smart Money, Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and (daughter) Rachel Cruze I can't even wait to shout "We're Debt Free!" at some point in my life, and with Dave's advice it'll hopefully be sooner than later.  We've lived without credit cards for many years and we'll never own one again (and yes! we have excellent credit). We've followed Dave's steps for a good portion of our married life, and with this new book of his (theirs), I wanted to see the practical steps for teaching kids wise financial principles. This book was very easy to read and very blunt. I like both of those qualities, especially if I'm going to recommend it to others. I really liked how they broke up certain age groups and had different, practical ideas to teach wisdom with money with each bracket. I'm totally on board, Dave. 

Comments

Unknown said…
I have been looking for some new reads, these are great! Thank you!
OSr Group said…
congratulations, it looks beautiful...
Flush Door Manufacturer in India

Popular posts from this blog

Home School Activities: Board Games We Love

My children have recently become enthralled in the world of board games. I was never a board game player. Sure, I remember long summer hours (days? it seemed like it..) spent around a Monopoly board, but I was never one to suggest to get out the cards, or a game. As my children have grown and they are now able to do activities with me, I started noticing that they really took to puzzles (when done all together) and the one or two board games I happened to have kept in the storage room. They were always asking to play Candy Land and so I figured I should branch off a bit. Over the course of the last year, I have found GREAT games, even ones that I love to play alongside them. The amount of 'teaching' they have gotten through games is jaw-dropping. Counting, team-playing, math related patterning, are just some of the skills I've watched develop. I asked before Christmas on facebook what my friends and their own kids loved and I was thrilled with the response. We have found ov...

Home School Resources: Links we Love

Source: ladyanndeborja.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest Today I'm just sharing a list of my favorite go-to resources for home schooling. It's a list of where I find games, books, crafts, and fresh inspiration. Also included are articles I've loved about home schooling. One of my favorite websites about homeschooling, updated daily, is Simple Homeschool . It's a shoot off branch of SimpleKids & SimpleMoms, and they often have great giveaways, advice, and have concise and interesting topics. A friend recently guided me to World Book Online to find the general requirements of each grade. At the curriculum fair I went to in April, I remembered two vendors that I want to revisit if they return. One was Hepner's Legacy and the other was Miller's Pads and Papers (don't be fooled by the poor websites, they have great products at good prices). TED Talks . Go. Watch. Now. All of them. Awesome. Even if home schooling is a laughable topic to you, you're ...

How To: DIY Sand/Water Table

How To: Build A Sand/Water Table for Under $30 ! Sorry this took me so long to blog, but I had to have a tool list and full instructions before I could do so. A little history on my love for the sand/water table . I love the idea behind tools for tiny hands, i.e. the Montessori Method , and like to have Lukka 'figure things out for himself', even when he is playing. I try to have the most simple and basic toys available for 3 reasons: a) simple toys generally have less parts, which means less of a hassle for me b) simple toys inspire way more creativity and imagination than do 'exact replica' toys c) they are much more aesthetically pleasing to look at, therefore, not making every nook and cranny of our house an eyesore! I know the last reason is just for me, but it's true. Plastic things don't generally last 1/2 as long as wooden or fabric toys, and they are unattractive. For this reason, I started to look for a wooden sand/water table as opposed to a pl...