What I’ve Been Reading Lately: August 2017
Much of my time for reading by the pool/at the beach/at the park this summer has been replaced with chasing/feeding/removing from danger my two sweet little people (the two big kids are pretty independent). Of course, I wouldn’t change a thing. But while I envisioned a summer full of reading, I haven’t quite checked as many books off my list as I was planning. I’m pretty thrilled to have read five books in the past month. How has your summer reading been going?
Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen
This was probably my favorite of the books I read this past month. It’s a slow, character-driven novel about a famous and extremely successful photographer who finds herself out of money and doubting her worth as a creative person. Through a change of scenery and new experiences she discovers herself and finds happiness. Similar in feel to Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner or Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry. It’s not a fast-paced action thriller, but I still found that I wanted to ditch all of my responsibilities and just keep reading. I loved the details about pursuing creativity and learning to be comfortable in your own skin.
I read this book seven years ago when my two older kids were small, and now I’m in that stage of life again with our two Littles. Being a homeschooling Mama of four, with a fairly large gap in ages, I feel myself needing to add more structure to our days in order to allow us to accomplish all that we need to do and still maintain my sanity. This book, which may be considered extreme in its’ scheduling, is a great motivator and reminder that establishing routines is beneficial to the entire family. I’ve implemented some new checklists and routines in the past couple of weeks and so far they’re working well.
The Midwife’s Revolt by Jodi Daynard
This historical novel set during the Revolutionary War is a well-written blend of actual events that happened to real people and a fictional mystery with made-up characters; extensively researched and very interesting. It’s a bit like Pride and Prejudice in the American Revolution. It tells the story of a young widowed midwife and her relationship with Abigail Adams, her attempts to become a spy and her bravery and strength during the extremely difficult war years.
Worth the Wrestle by Sheri Dew
My main takeaway from this book is the reminder that questions are good. I was inspired to dig deep into my gospel questions,in order to find answers through personal revelation. In this short but inspiring book Sheri Dew shares many practical and relatable personal experiences with questions she has had and the answers she has received.
Listful Thinking by Paula Rizzo
As a list maker and productivity addict, I was drawn to this book immediately. I didn’t find much that was new to me in it, but it did inspire me to keep up with my listing ways. There were some sections that didn’t fit me at all (the way we plan trips, for example, is very different) but on the whole I enjoyed reading the author’s suggestions and methods for staying organized.
What books have you been reading lately?
Heidi Hillman
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