R is for Reading

This is what my typical (and current) stack of books looks like...
My devotional, a fiction, some sort of self help/improvement read, something inspirational, a hobby/learning read and a cook book. I always have a pile on the go and I slowly putter through each and every one of them, reading them cover to cover (even the cook book).

I am adoring all of these books right now and would recommend them to everyone!
The Daily Message is a super easy way to read the bible daily. There's a bit of a debate over this translation of the bible, but truthfully I think it's that way with every translation. I read it along side some more "traditional" translations but I find it helps me understand everything better.
The Hobbit, my mister has been trying to get me to read this book for years now! With the movie coming out he only agreed to my continued book purchasing one the condition that I finally read this book. It's such a fun read! My only complaint is all the descriptions of landscapes... I'm convinced that this is the difference between male and female writers and readers. Men like trees, and dirt, and rivers. Women like people, and feelings and discussing/building relationships. Men write, in extensive detail, about trees, and dirt, and rivers while women write more about character personalities, feelings and relationships... I'm getting sick of reading about rivers...
Seven, I love this book! Jen is hilarious and totally relatable. I have been struggling with our family's current state of excess and Jen's journal of simplifying her and her family's life is completely inspiring.
Granny Chic, Tif Fussell is my hero.
Respect the Spindle, a great breakdown of how to spin your own yarn with awesome pictures! This book has helped answer a bunch of my questions.
What Katie Ate, so good. Just... so good. Pictures are amazing, food is amazing, everything... amazing. I can't look at this book without getting hungry!

What are you reading?

Bible Reading

For the past few years I have had a reoccurring goal every January... to actually read my bible cover to cover over a 365 day time frame.

I have yet to complete this goal.
In my humble opinion reading, understanding and walking away enlightened from your bible does not come easy to all, which is why when I stumbled upon this post over on Urban Nester I was so excited.
I can't wait to start putting some of Molly's suggestions into practice.
Do you read a bible? How do you absorb something that you may not find easy to absorb?

July Books

July was a good book month for me. I tend to "cluster read" before I have a baby and pound back as many books as I possibly can in the last few months. I did it with both of my previous pregnancies and seem to have gotten the bug again with this growing bean... I think it's all out of fear for the lack of time once the little one arrives, something tells me having 3 kids ages 4 and under will keep me away from a good book for awhile!

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I had heard a lot about this series of books and they kept popping up everywhere so I decided to join the band wagon and see what this book was all about. As expected it was full of good vs evil stuff as that seems to be the trend these days. The short version of the story line is that (the main character) Clary can see Shadowhunters who are invisible beings that rid the earth of demons... sounds a little hokey, possibly cheesey... but a well written easy read. I quite enjoyed this book actually and will probably continue to read the others in the series.  


The Birth House by Ami McKay is a wonderful book, this was a reread for me and although I didn't enjoy it as much the second time around as I did the first I still highly recommend it. It's the story of Dora Rare, who is schooled in the ways of midwifery for her community (in Nova Scotia Canada none-the-less, yay Canada! oops... sorry, too much Olympic fever maybe?). Not a deep thinking book but cozy in every way.


The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is sooo not the type of book I would normally read. It's about a young writer in 1920 Barcelona who is commissioned to write a book so compelling that it is treated like a religion and people would live or die for what it says... yaaaahhh... like I said, it was a little out there for me and I did have some troubles getting into it simply because I just couldn't quite get on board with the story. It was well written but I wouldn't want to read it again and if you were to ask, in person, my opinion I would probably shrug and say "meh".

What are you reading now? I have another month and half to go... perhaps another 5-7 books?

May Books

I love reading parenting books.
I'm not sure why though...
I am fairly confident and secure in the choices my mister and I have made for our family and I don't look to change many things or for much advice regarding our parenting style.
That said, I love hearing about how other's parent their children and why they think their way is the "best".
When I was pregnant with Zac I read a bunch of pregnancy and parenting books but haven't really had the chance to completely get into one for the last year or so given how busy the two boys have kept me.

Beyond the Sling and Bringing Up Bebe have caught my eye for a few months now and I have been itching for a chance to sit down and read them.
The boys have been playing exceptionally well together the past few weeks and I have found myself exhausted in the evenings with the desire to curl up with a good book and do little else; so I took the opportunity to pick up these books and get to reading.
The contrast between these two books was so interesting and amusing to read.

Beyond the Sling is about attachment parenting, encouraging co-sleeping, breast feeding for as long as possible, baby wearing, gentle discipline and so forth.

Bringing Up Bebe discusses the difference between American and French (France) parenting styles/philosophies. Basically that Americans are softer with their children and allow them to get away with far more then French families do. The Parasian parenting discussed in the book focuses mainly on setting boundaries and helping your child establish their individuality and independence.

Both are very well written and well researched books and I found both to be very interesting.
However reading these two books, back to back, just confirmed my feelings towards parenting:
No ones knows your family better then you and only you can decide what is right for your family.

April Reads

This month I read two books that I absolutely loved.

The House At Riverton by Kate Morton 

The bulk of this story takes place in England in the 1920's. The story is told in first person by Grace, now approaching 99 years old, who worked as a lady's maid during her late teens. While working for the family at Riverton, Grace whitnesses a horrible event which she keeps the true facts secret for her entire life. She is approached by a film maker, while living in a nursing home, who is making a movie of the event based on the details recorded in the history books, which causes Grace to relive her days spent at Riverton.

If you would like to see/hear more about the book (worded far more engaging then I ever could) the author, Kate Morton, did up a little description that can be found on You Tube, here.

The Suitcase Series Volume 2: Dottie Angel

I loved this book. I'm actually reading it again right now! Tif (aka Dottie Angel) Fussell writes in a way that warms my heart and makes me feel so cozy. The words make me giggle and the pictures make me swoon. Full of inspiration and laughs, what more could one ask for in a book? 

Cook Books

I have a love for cook books. 

I read them cover to cover, almost like novels, and have a sizable collection.

I thought I'd share some of my current favourites incase you have been feeling the need to expand your current collection...

... and I totally broke them down into catagories... perhaps this shows how freaky I can be about my books... thaaat or it just makes me look super crazy organized... you can decide...

Bloggy Love

Pioneer Woman (books 1 and 2) and Joy The Baker (blog here) are two of my favourite ladies on the web, the fact that they have both authored books, makes my life a very happy place.

Seasonal Reads

 Nigella Christmas by the lovely Nigella Lawson is so... Christmas-y! I read it at the beginning of every December just to help me get in the spirit. Her mint hot chocolate is everything right with the world.

Twelve by Tessa Kiros is all about cooking using seasonal ingredients, which is something I really need to try and do more of!

For the kiddies

 Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey is a delicious book, when Jill O'Connor wrote another book, by the same title adding Treats for Kids, I could not look the other way. Most, if not all, the recipes in this book are easy enough to be made with little helping hands, and once your kids are older then mine, easily completed with little supervision.

First Meals by Annabel Karmel is a great resource book for what your kids should be enjoying at each stage in life up to preschool, it also provides great recipes and meal plans. Love it.

Baking Goodness

 Chocolate Chocolate by Lisa Yockelson is a yummy book... and oh so pretty.

The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book is alway a go to for me. The recipes are delicious and easy and are always made using ingredients that are easy peasy to find.

Inspirational

Sometimes I like to just look at books to see the pictures and be inspired. It's even better when the books have great recipes, which both of these do.

At Home with Magnolia by Allysa Torey is delicious and beautiful and the same could be said for Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros. I look at both of these books all the time to be inspired creatively, decoratively and foodly.

Healthy

I will be honest, I do not have a lot of "health" books. I am careful with what I eat, most of the time, but my passion in the kitchen is not usually for anything steamed, green or poached. 

That said both of these books (Now Eat This Diet, by Rocco Dispirito and So Easy by Elle Keiger) have great recipes in them and I have turned to both on many occasions very please with my results.

That's just to name a few of course... 

February's Books

This month revolved around mostly one book for me I'm afraid...

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover

I found this book a bit of a challenge to read.

The story follows the Price family into a small village in the congo as missionaries. Nathan Price is a hard headed baptist preacher determined to save and baptize all the people in the village come hell or high water. Although his voice is never portrayed in the book it does follow his actions through the lives of his 4 daughters and his wife.

The story is told through the Price girls and it follows them from their mid/late teens up into their 50's.

I am not at all politically minded so the political aspects of the book, discussing the independence in the congo during the 1960's made this book a hard one for me to really get into.

Would I recommend it? Probably, as it was really well written and I did find it an enjoyable read until the politics came in...

...I did fit another quick read in though too...

Oddfellow's Orphanage by Emily Winfield Martin

I loved this book! 

Coming off The Poinsonwood Bible I needed an easy and cozy read and this one did not disappoint. I actually read it all in one evening. 

There is no complicated summary to this book, it simply follows the adventures of the children (also a hedgehog and onion headed boy), that live at Oddfellow's Orphanage.

It's an "early chapter book" full of Emily's wonderful drawings.

I really couldn't have enjoyed this book more and I look forward to reading it with my kids! 

What are you reading right now?

Books

It's been awhile since I updated you on what I've been reading so here we go!!

The Gentle Art Of Domesticity

By Jane Brocket

This is more of a coffee table book to me.

I'm not 100% certain but I think the book may just be a series of blog posts published in book form, but I like that. She talks about all kinds of things and finding the beauty and comfort in domestic arts. I've never sat down and read this book cover to cover, but I do so love puttering through it.

The Help
By Kathryn Stockett
I decided that I had to have been the last person on the planet not to have read this book so I picked it up and didn't put it down until it was done. Seriously, such.a.good.book! I loved it. I laughed, I cried, I baked a caramel cake.
It's the story of coloured maids in Jackson Mississippi in the 1950's and the things they see/experience working in white homes.

Shades of Grey
By Jasper Fforde
This book is a little tricky. I quite enjoyed it, but you very much have to get out of this world to get into the story. It is a story of a world based on chromatics. Your place in society, your jobs and your marriages are all based on your colour perception. The story follows a "red" around named Eddie Russett. He is sent on a bit of a journey from his home of Jade under Lime to a place called East Carmine. Eddie has hopes to not ruffle any feathers and keep to himself while on his trip, confirm his high red perception and move up in the world marrying a high society Oxblood. While on his trip however he meets and falls in love with a beautiful but tempermental Grey named Jane. Jane questions the rules of their colour based society and encourages Eddie to do the same.

I enjoyed the book very much once I was able to get my head into Eddie's world.
This is the first book in a series and I would love to read the other books... once they come out...
I didn't actually know it was a series book or else I would have waited for all the books to come out before I started reading it... I'm nutty like that, I hate reading one book and then waiting a year for the story to continue!!

What are you reading right now? I'd love some suggestions to put on my February book list.

Book in Review

I feel like I am flying through my list of books to read.
Turns out if you focus on 1 book at a time (instead of 8) you actually finish them!!

A couple of weeks ago I started Little Bee by Chris Cleave.

I really wanted to like this book. All the ratings on the back were super positive and it just looked cute.
The description didn't give away too much as "the publisher's did not want to spoil" the story.

Yah... I didn't like it.

I wish I did, I really wanted to... it was just... meh.
I had no attachment to the characters and quite honestly was pretty over the "story" by about the middle of the book.
It's a story of a 16 year old girl (Little Bee) who immigrates to England after almost loosing her life to "the men" who were killing villages in Nigeria to get at the oil underneath their tribes. She is saved on a beach by the other main character, Sarah, who is having marital issues with her husband.
The story follows these two around as they try to sort out their life issues essentially...
Juuuust, not my thing...

So! Moving on!
I have found the last couple reads to be slightly disheartening in my bubble of good books. While they have all been well written, none have completely sucked me in so deep that I can get lost in the characters and the story.
And I like to get lost in books.
What's the point in reading a book if you can't get a little lost, is my opinion.
I decided that due to my current low-ish state of reading, I'm going to re-read some favorites.

I'm taking on The Hunger Games again!!!
I'm so super excited actually. They are turning this series of books into movies and I am beside myself with excitement about them.
Some people have Twilight, other's have Harry Potter, I have The Hunger Games.
My tummy actually does flip flops every time I watch the trailer.

Come on March 23rd!!!!

Have you read any good books lately? I'd love some suggestions!!

Baked Clay

When you were little did you ever bake clay and decorate it?

I stumbled upon this idea a little while ago in one of my craft books and was all over it!

It's easily a 2 day craft, and I am all about 2 part crafts with the boys (now that the need for instant gratification has lessened), so I quickly whipped up a bunch of the clay and set the boys onto it.

I manned them with rolling pins and cookie cutters the first day...

and paint and paint brushes the second...

(whoever thought to put paint in empty ice cube trays?? Brilliant!)

They had a great amount of fun.

Baked Clay

4 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 1/2 cups water

Put the flour and salt into a bowl and pour the water over top. Mix (works best if you do this with your hands) until a clay forms. You may need to add more water, if this is the case do so 1 tbsp at a time until everything comes together.

After your kiddies have shaped their creations bake them on a cookie sheet for 3 hours in an oven set at 200. Allow to cool completely and then paint!

Book In Review

I can officially take another book out of my "to read" pile and mark it read as I move it to the shelf.

I have completed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo!

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (in a nutshell) is about Mikael Blomkvist, a financial reporter and Lisbeth Salander, a private investigator. In the beginning of the book Mikael is found guilty in a libel case and is sentenced to do jail time. The dates for his sentence are not immediate and while he is waiting to go to jail he leaves his job, as a financial reporter. He is then hired by Henrik Vanger to write his family's autobiography and find the answers to the unsolved disappearance of his niece over 20 years before.

My thoughts? 

So very sweet of you to ask!

I liked it. I thought it was really well written. 

I didn't realize going in that this is book one of three but I am considering reading the next one. 

I found the character of Lisbeth a little confusing for most of the book but towards the end it is mentioned that Mikael thinks she may have Asburgers. Knowing this made it a bit easier for me to understand her character, which is the only reason I share it here - I don't think I'm ruining anything... 

And now on to the next book!

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Have you read any good books lately?

Book in Review

Do you remember this book?

I decided to read it a few weeks ago and focus all of my book reading energy into only this book.

What did I think of it you ask?

I was so lost for most of it... I have no idea what to think to be honest!

As I had expected it was a pretty intense book, and while I did take some things away from it, I found it pretty hard to understand most of the time.

Ms Ann Voskamp writes beautifully and uses discriptions I could never, in a million years, come up with ("The tall girl [her daughter] lets the door swing loose and it slams the fingertips of Little One [other daughter] and she yelps a pain dance of salty tears." ), but she is almost poetic.

And I don't do poetry... I'm not smart enough to understand poetry... it's too... deep...

Would I read it again?

Probably not... unless I get super smart... and into poetry... 

This month I decided to read a basic fiction to give my brain a little rest.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

I see it everywhere, from bookshelves to blogs to TV shows... so I decided to be a bit of follower this time and see what the big deal is about this book!

Would you like to read along?