Our House in the Middle of Our Street

just a few of this month's reads!

This month was sort of a red letter one--I can't believe all that I got to read in just 31 days. Thankfully, a few of these reads were very short (I'm looking at you Juliet and Mary Ventura), but mostly I just plodded on through one chapter per day with the others (so many holds all at once!) to finish them all in a timely manner. That worked very well, especially as most of these wouldn't be page turners or ones I could sit with for long. It's a long list so let's get to it!
*Attachments by Rainbow Rowell - I LOVE Rowell's work and always sneak one of her super fun YA page turners in when I'm downright tired. This was a funny and interesting little love story that I connceted with because I know the place. Rowell is from Omaha and so I can see in my mind's eye exactly where she's talking about even if she isn't 'talking about it' with real names. The bands playing at the Sokol? I've been there …

slow mornings; a Mast favorite!
April was a pretty decent reading month, considering it was a full month. The kids had their Destination Imagination tournament (1st place in both categories!), a few field trips, wrapping up of the kids' co-op with Celebration Day, horse camp each week, planting our garden, Easter Celebrations and the like. Phew! We squeezed in finishing a couple good read-alouds, too. Here's my list:
*True You by Michelle DeRusha - This was another book that felt right in line with books I've been reading relating to spirituality and the Christian faith; but really, the breaking down of the false self (see The Gift of Becoming Yourself and Emotionally Healthy Spirituality). I love DeRusha's metaphor of pruning a tree that shows up in section breaks. The author lives in my hometown, and so I felt a bit more context with what she was noticing throughout the seasons (and relating them to the context of a faith journey) becuase I've been to all those p…

Surprisingly, I read more in the blips of the month before and after my trip than I did in all of February!

*Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Pete Scazzero - This was a book I was going through with my small group, and boy was it good. It's a book that, upon finishing the first time, you shake your head a bit, wonder at what you just read, and realize you need to immediately start over to absorb more. Highly recommend for just about everyone.

*Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd - This was a mother-daughter travel memoir intermixed with changing life seasons and gorgeous scenery...pretty much right up my alley. A bit melancholy at times, but the writing, oy. Monk Kidd talks about the beginnings of her bestseller--The Secret Life of Bees, while simultaneously coming to grips with mothering her daughter in a new way. Loved it! It was an unexpected book club pick and I was here for it.

*Prairie Suite by Twyla Hansen - This is a short book of poetry about the Spring Creek…