The Book List - January, February, March

In a recent post, I mentioned that I started keeping a "books I've read" list last year.  Several people were curious about what I was reading and asked me to share.  So I thought I would share most of my "book list" once a month.  Since it's already April, I'll post the first three months of this year all in this post to "catch up."

"I like when Mama reads books about dump trucks to me!"

 JANUARY:
My Son: "Behold the Lamb of God" by Jim Baumgardner - A historical fictional book about Mary, the mother of Jesus.  I liked that this book got me thinking more deeply about Mary than I ever have (well other than when I watch the wonderful movie "The Nativity"), though I didn't really care for the author's writing style.

Alone Yet Not Alone: Their Faith Became Their Freedom by Tracy Leininger Craven -  Set in Pennsylvania in the autumn of 1755, this historical fiction book tells of the Penn Creek Massacre which happened in the French and Indian War.  Two sisters are kidnapped by Indians and hold fast to their faith in God during this terrifying time.  I really enjoyed this book!  It was actually assigned to Tabby for her Veritas Press history course (online) but I always read all the books assigned to her too.


Fit to Burst: Abundance, Mayhem, and the Joys of Motherhood by Rachel Jankovic - I think the subtitle describes this book well.  I enjoyed the short chapters - some of which really hit home with me - just as I enjoyed Rachel's first book Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches. 

The Vision by Debi Pearl - Set in east Tennessee, this book pitted Islamic Terrorists and White-Supremacists against a group of Bible Believers.  It was not like any book I've read before but I got hooked into the story and am curious about the next book in the series.  Though the story was fictional, there was a lot of factual information both in the story and footnoted on the pages.

Thankfully no race or religious wars with our chickens!

FEBRUARY:
Guardians of Purity: A Parent's Guide to Winning the War Against Media, Peer Pressure, and Eroding Sexual Values by Julie Hiramine - This is another sub-title that describes this book well.  I did learn some useful things.

Orange Blossoms Everywhere: The Story of Maud & Delos Lovelace in California by the Betsy-Tacy Society - Tabby and I really enjoyed reading through Maud Hart Lovelace's "Betsy-Tacy" series a number of years ago.  We actually both have our own set of the books since we enjoyed them so much!  This particular book, is a factual account of Maud and her husband's semi-retirement in California. 

The Big Book of Homeschooling by Debi Pearl - This book is chock full of lots of great homeschool ideas.  I have several pages of lists I made from it of activities to do with each of my kids.  I love reading about the homeschooling ideas of others - both successes and failures.

The DaVinci Road: Observation and the Art of Learning by Rebekah Joy Anast - I learned about this book in The Big Book of Homeschooling.  Rebekah shares glimpses into their homeschooling days of how they teach by using the five senses and observation.  This book gave me some interesting ideas to ponder.

Holy Cow by Rebekah Joy Anast - I bought this book at the same time I bought The DaVinci Road.  It is written for teens and is about a Navajo farm girl and her family set in New Mexico.  In many ways it is an autobiographical book for the author and her current life.  I learned a lot about raising animals, herbs, agriculture, and genetic modification and really enjoyed the story.  Caution: if you are thinking about giving this book to your child, know that there are a few strong curse words in the book. 

From Ruby Ridge to Freedom: The Sara Weaver Story by Sara Weaver - Do you remember the terrible tragedy - known as "Ruby Ridge" - that happened in Idaho in 1992?  Sara was a teenager at that time and her brother and mother were both killed by government agents.  (Her brother's dog was also killed and her dad and a family friend were shot.)  This book is about Sara's story and about the healing she finally found in Jesus Christ.  Note: If everything you know about Ruby Ridge is from what you saw on T.V. - then let me say you don't really know what happened.  The Weaver family should not have been the ones demonized.

"No one better mess with Exhaust Pipe or me!"

MARCH:
Lost on a Mountain in Maine by Donn Fendler - I read this book out loud to Tabby and Hunter.  It is a true story of a 12-year-old boy that was lost on a mountain for almost two weeks.  The courage and perseverance of this boy, along with his faith in God, was remarkable.  Note: if you get a copy of this book, get an older copy.  I read that the Christian content was deleted out of the later versions by the publisher.

Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis and Clark by Gail Langer Karwoski - This was another historical fiction book from Tabby's Veritas Press history course.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Before it I hardly knew a thing about Lewis and Clark.  Now I am fascinated with them and their Corps of Discovery.  We have one little chick that likes to stand on top of My Precious the hen.  We've named him "Meriwether" after Meriwether Lewis.  :)

Sacagawea by Judith St. George - This book was about the Indian woman that traveled with Lewis and Clark.  I read it because I wanted to know more about her.  Interesting book!

Jumping Ship: What To Do So Your Children Don't Jump Ship to the World When They Get Older by Michael Pearl - This book is full of wisdom in ways to keep you close to your children and keep their hearts turned towards home and God.

Mama's Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes - Frank actually read this book to us as a family, after supper at night.  But it was such an enjoyable book, I am including it here.  It is the story of an immigrant Norwegian family living in San Francisco in the early 1900s.  The author based it on her family (think Little House on the Prairie books).  Mama was such an inspiring, resourceful woman.  There was also an older movie made from this book called "I Remember Mama" which we saw and enjoyed. 

Once on This Island by Gloria Whelan - Veritas Press history course!  When the war of 1812 broke out, the British took over Michigan's remote Mackinac Island.  Some of the American's left, including the O'Shea children's father, to join the American army.  The three O'Shea children were left to run the family farm in their father's absence.  (The children were not that little - I think 12 years and up.)  It amazes me that children used to be able to successfully take on this type of responsibility.  (People just seem to stay "children" so much longer these days.)

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris - This book builds off my last sentence above!  This book is to inspire teens to put down the video games and iPhones and get busy doing things that really make a difference and will help them later in life.  The book has lots of amazing examples.  (And if you didn't already know this, the world did not have "teenagers" until the 1900s.)  I gave this book to Tabby to read and she whizzed through it in 2 days.

Tabby's new chicken coop.  For her Silkie Bantams - not her brothers!

Secrets to Getting More Done in Less Time by Donna Otto - This book was recommended to me by my friend C. from Haven Enterprises.  Since I love any book about organization and how to try and save time and accomplish more, I devoured the book.  Got some good ideas to add to my arsenal.  :)  Included in those ideas are ways to better my Home Management Notebook.  (Anyone have one of these?  Perhaps I should blog about it sometime - it's helped me so much.  C. has a recent blogpost about hers - which she calls "My Brain" - on The Haven's blog here.)

Finally - this has nothing to do with books - but I wanted to share some photos of my Lilly-colored garden.  (This is different than her memorial garden which is on the other side of the house and full of lily flowers starting to grow.)  I planted bulbs last fall and now everything is red-white-and blue!  (The fencing is to keep the chickens out!  We can probably take it down now.  I was leaving it until the flowers were well established.)

What about you?  Do you have some favorite books you'd like to share or good books you've read recently?  If so - please leave a comment!

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