Reading to Know

Lord of the Rings Legos

2012-05-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, my friends. Just in case you hadn't heard the news.

LEGO Gandalf Arrives (9469)

LEGO Shelob Attacks (9470)

LEGO The Mines of Moria (9473)

LEGO The Orc Forge 9476

LEGO Attack on Weathertop (9472)

LEGO Urak-Hai Army (9471)

LEGO The Battle of Helm's Deep

*GRIN*

Happy Memorial Day weekend to you!

Book Club - Tom Sawyer

2012-05-24T23:19:00.002-07:00

Just a note to say that we're going to delay the link-up to May's selection (Tom Sawyer) until Tuesday, May 29th. It being a holiday weekend and all, we'll give a couple extra days to finish the book and write up your post discussing this book! Check back Tuesday for the link-up post!

Why Isn't a Pretty Girl Like You Married? : Part II

2012-05-24T06:00:00.005-07:00

It should be (and has been) noted (in yesterday's comment section) that this book is available on K*ndl*. I try never to mention this fact, and assumed someone would follow the Amazon trail and discover this for themselves. They did. And I rejoiced. In a weird way.

Moving on . . . .

Picking up where I left off (see Part I) in our discussion of Why Isn't a Pretty Girl Like You Married? . . .

~~~~~

Wilson rightly spends quite a bit of time talking about the subject of contentment with her unmarried reader. Raise your hand if you are always perfectly contented with your situation in life, be you unmarried or married! What? No?

Contentment is a hard one to conquer because we're selfish beings by nature and we like getting what we want when we say we want it. "Wait" is not a popular word in our vocabulary as a general rule. Therefore I found her discussion just as fitting and convicting to read as a married woman as she meant it to be for the unmarried woman.

Jesus has promised that He will never leave you or forsake you (Heb. 13:5). This is the reason that every Christian can be content with the circumstances God has given. He is always with us through every trial. . . . Thomas Watson, the great Puritan preacher, wrote that "It is our work to cast away care; and it is God's work to take care." God's Word is full of promises to us; we must believe them and rest in God's care for us." (Chapter 5, Is this really God's best?, page 41)

I remember being told as a teenager that if I did not learn to be content as a "single" then I would never be content married. My fifteen-year-old thought at the time was, "Well! Then I will NEVER be content!" Both the adviser and myself were right. But I don't think that contentment is a lesson that we easily learn. I certainly cannot see how this could be mastered before entering the blessed state of marriage and therefore shouldn't be the bar by which we judge whether or not we are ready to be married. (Note: I do believe a lack of contentment is a character deficiency and should be attended to. Scripture is plain and clear on the subject matter. We must strive, if necessary, to learn to be content.) Wouldn't it be lovely if we learned to be content when we were toddlers?

Scene
Toddler: Mommy, may I have this cookie?"
Mother: No, not now. You need to wait until after dinner.
Toddler: Ok! That will be wonderful! I will happily wait to eat it later!

Ta da! We've learned contentment! Cross that one off the list and move on to another!

No, I really don't think it works that way. I think it's more of a lifetime refinement. I seem to becoming better at learning to be content with my present circumstances faster. But I still kick against the goad when I'm not getting my way immediately. (Why doesn't the prayer, "Make this go away, dear Lord! NOW!" work for me?!) I'm continuously learning to be content, no matter the circumstances. I don't think that's a challenge just for unmarried people -- we just tend to focus on their noticeable lack of a mate, knowing that can feel bad (for them and for us). What I'm trying to say is, what Wilson had to say on the subject of contentment can be applied to the general mass of Christian females, not just those who are without a spouse at the moment.

On this same topic, she says this about the desire to get married which I particularly appreciated:

Part of the way to freedom for women in this bind is to help them see, first of all, that it is not only okay, but positively healthy to want to be married. There is nothing in the world wrong with wanting to be married. It is only wrong to be miserable about it. And wanting to be married does not equal discontent. Many women are feeling a false guilt about this. It goes something like this: "If I were truly godly, I wouldn't want to be married. I would be happy to be unmarried for the rest of my life. But I do long to be married, therefore I am not rejoicing in the Lord, and therefore I am guilty of sin." But you can confess false guilt all day long and never feel forgiven. God forgives real sin not our imagined sin. (Chapter 7, Don't Pretend to be Happy, page 50)

I was laughing and nodding during this paragraph. I remember! I would feel guilty about wanting to be married. I felt like I would be laughed to scorn if I ever confessed outloud to wanting to be a wife and a mother. I thought I was discontent because I wanted something that God had not planned for me at that time and therefore I was in sin. But I wasn't! Now, of course, I can see single friends saying, "I would like to be married!" and I think it's a wonderful thing to hear. As they would like to be married, I would like to see them married because I think marriage is a wonderful thing. So we pray and we support the desire of the heart while not being miserable. Can I get an Amen?!

Wilson references a book by Jeremiah Burroughs (which I have not read) entitled Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment and shares the following:

Burroughs suggests in his book that instead of trying to get our circumstances up to match our desires, and therefore finding contentment, we should instead be striving to get our desires down to match our circumstances. What this means is that the unmarried woman seeks to be satisfied with God in her life now, while asking Him to provide a husband in the future. She doesn't have to quit "desiring" marriage; rather, she must have an equally great desire to rejoice in the Lord now. (Chapter 7, Don't Pretend to Be Happy, page 55)

Lastly, what do women tend to do but verbally process anything and everything in life with other people? (You can either nod your head sagely at this or laugh or cry or both.) We talk, talk, talk about our feelings and emotions. I love that Wilson addresses the need to choose particular friends to process particular things with. She urges unmarried women to use caution in sharing too much about their inner thoughts and feelings indiscriminately. She advises the following:

Women tend to confide too much in one another. Call it over-sharing. They shouldn't be surprised when some of their confidences get shared elsewhere. Be careful about talking too much about the men you are interested in, about past relationships, or about your own personal struggles. Share with people who can help and don't just vent. If you talk about the man you're interested in, and find out that someone else likes him too, this can obviously lead to competition, envy, hurt feelings, and all the rest. It's wiser to keep it to yourself. If you need input, talk to a very trusted friend, maybe your mom or the pastor's wife. Don't talk about the guys with the girls. Sometimes this seems like innocent entertainment, but if one of the girls ends up marrying one of the guys you said was a dweeb, you'll be sorry you said anything about it. (Chapter 14, Loving the Competition, page 95)

Single or no, I believe women do "over-share" with one another and it's to our own detriment as well as those we are closest to. There seems to be a disease running rampant in the tongues of females these days. We can't seem to stop them from wagging! Every time I turn around it seems I find another tongue working some form of destruction or another and it horrifies me! This is a topic that not only the unmarrieds should pay attention to, but the married also! Keeping tabs on our tongue and processing life with a.) trusted individuals who are b.) actually in a position to help the situation or offer solid Biblical advice is something to work on! Think of how much better off we'd all be if we started paying more attention to our words. But! More on this another day. (I have a whole post brewing on the topic.) Again, my point is that this book was not just fitting for an unmarried reader, but for a married one as well.

Whether you be unmarried or married, Wilson concludes very well:

You want to be able to look back . . . with no regrets. You don't want to be in a position of wishing you had been more joyful, more fruitful, more thankful, less stressed out, less worrisome, less dejected about your "unmarriedness." You want to move from victory to victory here and now and straight into the future. Then you'll able to look back with gratitude and see how God's hand was in all that happened to you. He ordained it all, and He has always had a good plan for your life. Determine to live like you believe it. Then you will have no regrets. (Chapter 19, No Regrets, page 120)

Amen!

Why Isn't a Pretty Girl Like You Married? : Part I

2012-05-23T06:00:00.002-07:00

Weird situation:

Why Isn't a Pretty Girl Like You Married?, by Nancy Wilson was published by Canon Press back in 2010. (Must have been late 2010.) I'd been wanting to read it ever since it was released (not because I'm single but mostly because I'm not) and I purchased a copy off of Amazon just within the last few weeks. I saw the notice, "One left in stock!" and ordered it (without worry or care) only to discover after the fact that that was literally the last copy. I checked with my contact at Canon Press and the book is currently out of print. If and when (?) it comes back, I will let you know post-haste. In the meantime, try to find a copy. I checked Christian Book Distributors and they do not have a copy either. Why Isn't a Pretty Girl Like You Married? must now be obtained through the black market apparently. (I jest. Sort of.) I have my copy and if I personally know you and you are in the local area, you can borrow it. (Hint to several of my local friends.) If you live far away and you want to borrow my copy (with intent to return) maybe we can set up a mailing system. I feel this book ought to be read. Digested. And perhaps even thoroughly enjoyed.

~~~~~~

Once I got down to typing up my thoughts on this particular title, my post got a little long. So I'm going to split this discussion up into two sections. The first part will post today (ta da!) and the second, tomorrow.

~~~~~

Although Nancy Wilson is addressing an audience of unmarried women, I did not feel as if this book is exclusively for that sect. Of course, it's a very practical reading tool should you be an unmarried female - but if you are the mother of one, or the friend of one, or generally know unmarried sorts, this is worth a read. It has the ability to advise, instruct and inform no matter what stage of life you are currently in. I was personally convicted by many of the things that Mrs. Wilson had to say and the rest I either nodded sagely at or laughed along with. Anyway . . . she says useful things.

For starters, I love that she points out right from the start that we should absolutely and under no circumstances refer to unmarried people as "single." We should not set them apart from the Body of Christ as a group and label them as being by their individual selves. Rather, we should recognize that they help make up the Body as a whole and are therefore equally valuable and necessary as those who are married and/or have families.

"Our individualistic culture wants to label unmarried people as singles, by in the covenant community of God, there are no singles. God calls us family: brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers in Christ. We are each to be wonderfully connected to the other as part of a church community, where each person is needed and attached to others in her own family as well as to the broader church family." (Introduction, page 9)

Married people do have a tendency to think in terms of sharing fellowship with other married people only. It's true that being around unmarried friends can grow awkward at times. I think it would be generally unrealistic to say that awkward situations do not arise when the unmarried participate in the family life with married couples. Then, it is equally unrealistic to say that the two stages of life cannot find common ground. Certainly some boundaries must exist between the two but I believe Wilson has made an incredible point here. Having been "single" for much longer than most of my friends did growing up, I experienced some period of time where I would attend church alone. And no one seemed to know what to do with me. I certainly was not invited over for lunches or dinners or asked to participate in many activities with my specific church family. That made the lonely road even more lonely at times and I realized then how important it is to invite unmarried people into friendships and family lives. Just because they aren't married does not mean that they aren't people. In fact, some of my unmarried friends now are some of the most intriguing, engaging and interesting friends that I have! (You know who you are, oh yes, you do!) We married people need to include unmarried people in our lives and vice versa. It may prove awkward at times, yes. But we are all part of the Body of Christ and we need to learn to behave like it and recognize that each sort has a contribution to make to the whole.

One reason I was glad to read this book is that I don't care to forget how awkward it can be to not be married. (It's like saying I don't want to forget what it feels like to be a kid, so that I can understand my own children.) There are fears and trials that an unmarried person faces that are unique and difficult in today's world. And we married people can say the stupidest and most hurtful things to people who waiting and longing to be in the position that we are in. We need a lot of grace to be able to speak in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord as we deal with one another. Wilson is specifically encouraging the unmarried woman to extend grace towards older/married people who make discouraging and offensive comments. I would say that we marrieds need to think about the words coming out of our mouths and try to avoid insensitive remarks.

Finally, don't let comments like, 'Why isn't a pretty girl like you married?" keep you from attending weddings or social gatherings. You need to participate in community life. You need all these people (even if they are insensitive), and they need you. Realize that each comment has come with God's permission and view it as part of your sanctification. Learn to be more gracious in your own conversation so that you are not asking nosey questions yourself. And if the Lord permits you the opportunity, graciously tell them that such questions make you uncomfortable. (Chapter 1, Why isn't a pretty girl like you married?, page 17

Did you catch that one sentence in there?

Realize that each comment has come with God's permission and view it as part of your sanctification.

Has anyone else out there realized that women make a very bad habit out of generally saying insensitive things to one another all the time and in all stages of life. (There are lists of insensitive remarks that women make about other women who are pregnant, for example!) Learning to cull our words down to the beneficial ones is important. Extending grace when the other speaker has failed to put their personal filter over their mouths is another thing to learn. We should probably learn this lesson though - and the sooner the better, for the sake of Christian fellowship!

May we commit our hearts and tongues to the Lord that we may glorify Him in all of our relationships, in each special season of life!

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:1-6

To be continued . . .

What's On My Nightstand - June

2012-05-21T21:00:00.003-07:00

The last time I participated in the What's on Your Nightstand meme - hosted by 5 Minutes for Books - was back in February. That was an accident! I completely forgot the last two months, until I felt like it was too late to jump in. But this time I have planned ahead - and just in time! Since we're approaching the onset of summer, and thus the conclusion of Katrina's Spring Reading Thing, I need to get in gear and focus on my Spring Reading Thing goals! I love participating in Nightstand because it re-orients me and gets me moving in the right reading direction.

Consulting my handy-dandy challenge post, here's what I need to be reading in June:

1. Emma . I am currently half-way through the story, so I'm doing good there.

2. Angels in the Architecture: A Protestant Vision for Middle Earth, by Doug Wilson and Doug Jones.

3. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain which I'm reading for the Reading to Know Book Club. I started that one today and I need to finish it quickly as this Friday I'll be posting our wrap-up post!

(June's book is A Girl of the Limberlost which I've never read and am looking forward to reading! Feel free to join in, if you like!)

4. The Second World War, Volume 2: Their Finest Hour, by Winston Churchill. This one now seems more daunting to me, seeing that I do not even have one solid month left to read it. However, a deadline is always a helpful thing and since I really DO want to read it - (and because I'm already well on the road to finishing up the others from my list) - I might plug through and get it done.

I have some review copies that are lingering about that I'm trying to wrap up (so that the second half of the year can be more about books on my own home bookshelves). Any "spare" reading time this coming month should be spent paying attention to the review copies. They include:

So, that's where I'm at reading-wise. Here is to a busy and full reading month! Now . . . ! I'm off to see what's on YOUR nightstand!

An American Childhood

2012-05-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

Many moons ago I moved in with a girl who I didn't know and who ended up becoming one of those awesome friends-for-life that you value a great deal. I remember her telling me many times that she really liked Annie Dillard's An American Childhood and she probably also told me that I should read it. I distinctly recall standing in various bookstores around the country, holding a copy in my hand, but never giving in and actually buying it. Then, this month, one of the girl's in my local book club picked it. Happiness! I was finally forced to read it and the reason I was most happy to do so was because of my former roommate. (I mean, I also liked the girl who picked the book also! ha!)

I embarked upon An American Childhood having no clue what it was about. The title says it all. The book is about Dillard's childhood, growing up in America. It is a collection of stories which she recalls from her younger days. The book really could have been written by any one of us, I suppose. Not knowing Dillard at all, I frequently wondered why I was supposed to care about the scrapes and mischief she got into as a girl. The general consensus amongst the book clubbers was that we weren't sure what the relevance was and why we were supposed to engage with this book. We all felt that we would be infinitely entertained by reading or hearing about stories of people that we personally know, but that reading a stranger's recollections about ordinary, familiar things wasn't as thrilling. (Actually, the most enjoyable part of the book club's discussion was swapping personal stories about our own childhood.)

That said, the girl who led the discussion pointed out that Dillard does have a unique writing style which makes her worth the read. The leader this month had read Dillard's other books and said she preferred the others to this title. Her recommendation was to read Dillard's The Writing Life if you are new to this author. I'm considering doing so because I really did enjoy Dillard's style; I just didn't know why I was to care so for her particular childhood. Another thing to note about Dillard is that she won a Pulitzer Prize for her book, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.

As mentioned, An American Childhood is a collection of stories from Dillard's younger days. She recalls various phobias, strange personality quirks of her parents, her own imaginations, etc. Despite the fact that I wasn't sure how to connect to her tales, I still find quite a few of them laugh-out-loud funny. Take this one for example:

Dillard described the irrational fear of nuns that she had when she was very young - perhaps five years old or so. Her mother decided it was time for her to get over her particular fear and so she walked her over to a group of nuns and asked them, "Would you just please say hello to my daughter here? If you could just let her see your faces."

"I saw the white, conical billboards they had as mock-up heads; I couldn't avoid seeing them, those white boards like pillories with circles cut out and some bunched human flesh pressed like raw pie crust into the holes. Like mushrooms and engines, they didn't have hands. There was only that disconnected saucerful of whitened human flesh at their tops. The rest, concealed by chassis of soft cloth over hard cloth, was cylinders, drive shafts, clean wiring, and wheels.
"Why hello," some of the top parts said distinctly. They teetered towards me. I was delivered to my enemies, and had no place to hide; I could only wail for my young life so unpityingly snuffed."

Dillard also talks a lot about her love for reading, which of course, any other reader can identify with:

"I had been driving into nonfiction against my wishes. I wanted to read fiction, but I had learned to be cautious about it.
"When you open a book," the sentimental library posters said, "anything can happen." This was so. A book of fiction was a bomb. It was a land mind you wanted to go off. You wanted it to blow your whole day. Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of books were duds. They had been rusting out of everyone's way for so long that they no longer worked. There was no way to distinguish the duds from the live mines except to throw yourself at them headlong, one by one."

Dillard definitely had a clever way of wielding her pen. As the leader of our group discussion pointed out, it's not that she lived an extraordinary life. She was ordinary, like all of us. Yet, she saw the world in a very beautiful way and had a knack at describing life in an extraordinary manner.

All in all, I have to say that I enjoyed this book. I didn't love it; I was frequently bored by it. But for the friends who feel the connection, I would likely not pick this one up. I'm glad to have taken a pleasant-ish stroll outside my comfort zone this month. It was worth the journey just for the personal stories of others in the group.

"Me Time"

2012-05-18T06:00:00.003-07:00

Last week I took a cue from my ol' pal C.S. Lewis who said, "It is a good rule after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between."

I decided to re-read Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches, by Rachel Jankovic, after having finished Beyond Bathtime (linked to my review).

Loving the Little Years is a quick and easy read and I highly recommend it. (I've reviewed it before HERE.) I've also purchased several copies to give away to various friends. I have also been informed that more than one friend has turned around and bought several more copies for mothers that they know. Truly, this is a great book! My opinion on that score remains unchanged.

During this particular re-read, I was struck by the chapter on "Me time." I've heard it and I know you have too -- we mothers "deserve" time alone. Neither Jankovic nor myself would argue against that point. Raising children is a hard, tough (and somewhat draining) job to have. For example, if you're sick, there is no calling into work to take time off! You must work through the pain or discomfort! There is always something that needs doing and always someone who wants your attention. Sometimes you might feel like you just want to escape and take a personal vacation day. And, quite honestly and frankly, sometimes you might need to. Getting away and recharging is important. However, taking time to be alone is something that I think a wise wife and mother will consider carefully. Please note that I'm preaching to myself here because I needed to re-read this chapter.

I'm an introvert. I like to be alone. In fact, I recharge best in peace and quiet. Lots of talking, lots of people and lots of noise for prolonged periods of time leaves me feeling anything but energized. I like getting together with friends, but I prefer to get together with them only periodically as it keeps conversations fresh and exciting. (I also like to make sure I have a few hours of uninterrupted time with them when I do meet for fellowship so that we can really take time to share with and encourage one another. Then I like to go away again and process for awhile.) My children do not seem to share this same desire for a patterned relationship with great quiet spaces. (Nor should they!) They like to be with me, sitting on me, talking to me, grabbing my hand and walking alongside me, requesting piggie back rides and wanting to tell me long stories about the intricacies of Angry Birds and Legos. Some days I feel like the Grinch, grabbing my head and complaining about all the "noise, noise, noise!!!" It overwhelms me and I need to get away, have some space, and just be quiet for a little bit. Then I return to them recharged and at peace again. Thankfully I have a husband who understands this and supports me by giving me opportunity and ability to "escape" for my "me time" on a regular basis.

Recharging is good and I'm all for it. But what I'm NOT in favor of is the message that we mothers/wives/women deserve the "me time" or have a right to it. We need to be careful not to stray into territory that will cause us to fuss and fume if we do not have our time alone, which will then cause resentment to build up between ourselves and our spouses and/or children. I particularly have to be careful about how I view nap time (or quiet time) in our household. Every afternoon from 2-4 p.m. my three children either take naps or have their own quiet periods. Sometimes, for whatever reason, that doesn't happened and I lose my own quiet time in the process. This tends to put a strain on me as I feel that I "need" my time alone. (And in a sense, remember I already admitted that I do! But while I recognize that quiet brings me rest, I need not to not feel resentment when I do not receive my just afternoon reward! Ahem.) This is something I have to work on.

In Loving the Little Years, Jankovic says:

. . . [T]he Christian view of self is very different, and you need to make sure that it is the one you have. We are like the characters in a story. our essential self is not back in the intro, waiting to be discovered. Who you are is where you are. When you are married, your essential self is married. As the story grows, so does your character. your children change you into a different person. If you suddenly panic because it all happened so fast and now you don't recognize yourself, when you need is not time alone. What you need is your people. Look out - look at the people who made you what you are - your husband and your children. Study them. They are you. If you want to know yourself, concentrate on them.
Those women who try to find themselves by stripping away the "others" will find that they are a very broken thing. This will lead them to resent the people who they think made them that way. She may say, "I used to be so energetic, but all these people take, take, take from me and now I have no time to just be me!" And the world gathers around and comforts her and says she needs some time to follow her dreams.
But the Christian woman needs to see, "I used to be so boring! Now my character has some depth, some people to love, some hardships to bear. Now I have some material to work with!" A Christian woman's view is always forward and never back. (Chapter 12, Me Time, pages 61-62)

She concludes with this statement:

If you want some quality "me time," make a date with your husband. Do something special with your children. These people are you. Your identity is supposed to be intertwined - that is the way God wrote the story, and it is the way He intends us to read it. (Chapter 12, Me Time, page 62)

That's a doozy of a truth for me to remember. They are me. I am their mother. I am Jonathan's wife. That is who I am and this is the time we have together. Contrary to how it may feel at times, our time together is very fleeting. A brief moment in time is all that I have with my children. A brief life with Jonathan. Time continues to pick up speed and my babies are no longer babies.

I want to remember this. But I don't want to just want to remember this truth - I want to live it in light of the resurrection, knowing that every day I live as if Jesus died and rose again for my sins and has called me to live a life that reflects the truth of Him to others. My children will learn to love God by the way I live my life with them. I am not saying that their faith is dependent on me, for it is not. But their view of God will be influenced by the way I live, the things I say, and what I represent of Him to them. Representing that they are interfering with my own plans and selfish desires for "me time" does not reflect how God views them and says nothing of the plans He has for each one of their amazing lives. My time is not my own. Christ paid a great price so that I would be His and now my job is to glorify Him and represent Him as accurately as possible to those who help make me who I am - a wife and a mother - no matter how much noise they might manage to make in any given moment.

Here's the main point I need to remember:

It is important to seek the wisdom of God in discerning what I personally need to do to build our home. Sometimes that means not planning a night out, or using "quiet time" entirely for my own individual pursuits. This answer will look different for each mother and each family (I do realize this) and it will also look different in the various seasons of life. For me, right now, it's knowing that sometimes I need to give up quiet for the sake of the family and for the sake of the gospel.

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. Proverbs 14:1

As a side note - I honestly don't even want to hit "publish" on this post for fear that my darling daughter, who is teething, will not sleep this afternoon and I'll be instantly tested to see if I believe anything that I have typed. This is the danger of blogging, you know. I'm tried by my own declarations of what is true! Therefore there is the ever present need to pray for and encourage one another as we persevere!

Bumblebee Boy :: Read Aloud Thursday

2012-05-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Time for another Read Aloud Thursday hosted by Amy at Hope is the Word.

(To link up to Read Aloud Thursdays, click over to Hope is the Word.)

Earlier in the week we went to the bookstore and we stumbled across two particularly exciting books. We have not read anything else since.

The first is The Amazing Adventures of Bumblebee Boy which is a spin-off from the Ladybug Girl series. (We picked up a few of those titles as well, but I dislike the original book because it shows siblings fighting without a good resolution.) At any rate, Bumblebee Boy is to be highly enjoyed. Bumblebee Boy is having a hard time wanting to include his younger brother in play. "Bumblebee Boy flies alone" is an oft repeated phrase as he goes about trying to slay fire dragons and saber-toothed lions all by his lonesome. However, he "knows is isn't supposed to be mean" so he tries to find polite suggestions to direct his younger brother away from his own personal adventures. In the end though, he realizes that fighting bank robbers and aliens is much more fun with a friend and side-kick. As this follows on the tails of our spending a day learning to be a team, I particularly like the message of the book. My boys, on the other hand, love the fighting, the action, and the loud shouts of, "BA BA BAAH BUUUUM!" that accompany almost every single page.

It's very fun. Bookworm1 sits staring at the pages when we are not in the process of reading it because the illustrations by David Soman are quite engaging.

Speaking of illustrations, I knew that would one one of the reasons why my boys would enjoy King Jack and the Dragon.

Written by Peter Bently and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, this book tells us the story of three young boys who built a fort in the yard and spend their day fighting dragons and other creatures. They have grandiose dreams of living in their fort but their bravery (or lack thereof) gets the better of them as day draws to a close and it's time to go in for beds and baths. This is a very cute tale. Despite the fact that there are monsters in this book (a fact which might have the ability to frighten my oldest in particular), the illustrations by Oxenbury make it easy to engage with and enjoy the story. Her drawings are soft and friendly and her monsters not scary at all. Rather, they are just curious looking creatures. Again, Bookworm1 spends a great deal of time with this book spread out before him, examining the pictures.

Both of these books have proved to be a huge hit for one reason or another. Mostly because they are exciting and offer a thrill not found in most other picture books which we read. Therefore they are the only two books we have been reading all of this week!

That is all.

Happy Thursday to you!

What We're Watching : Part I

2012-05-16T06:00:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I think it's fun to hear about what other people are watching because just like the books you read, the shows you watch say something about who you are. I don't know how much I like admitting that right before My Great Confession as to what we are engaging with but I'll admit to it all the same. For better or for worse, I'll be sharing what some of our top picks are at the moment. All of these titles will be linked to the Wikipedia page in case you have an interest in learning more about them.

#1 - Once Upon a Time

We started watching this when we were in temp housing and didn't have a whole lot to do. Now we watch it, regardless of whether or not we have anything else to do. This show was created by the same people who made the television show LOST. (We've never seen LOST and have no intention of being drug into that drama.) We will, however, thoroughly enjoy Once Upon a Time.

The basic story plot which this show revolves around is the story of Snow White. "Snow", as she is called on the show, is in a war not of her choosing with the Evil Queen. The Queen has sent all fairy tale characters "to a world without magic" - our own world in this present moment - where happily ever afters are sure not to happen.

There was an enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know.

Or think we know.

One day they found themselves trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen.

Our World.

This is how it happened...

I can't really tell you much about the show without giving away a whole host of spoilers, which I really ought not do. If you think you might want to watch this show, start at the very beginning and watch all episodes in order. (The pilot is available on hulu.)

We love Once Upon a Time because of its remarkable story telling. Every episode is exciting, raising questions about who is who and what and where and why. Every episode also answers questions so you aren't left completely hanging until the end of the season. The story telling is so tight and perfect (in our opinion) that we can't think of how they would drag this show out between two or three seasons max. (I really hope they keep it short and sweet.)

Conservative note: the only caution I have to offer is that in the first few episodes the main character, Emma, needs some help with her wardrobe. Her shirt is very see-through which is ridiculous. There is also one "scene" within the first few episodes. After that, the producers seemed to have worked it out of their system. Emma's wardrobe ceases to be disturbing and now we're just in for the story. (I wouldn't mind if the blue fairy weren't so revealing at times though. Thankfully most of the time she's fairy sized but I dislike the close-ups.)

Favorite character? I'm kinda thinking Rumpelstiltskin.

I took this totally pointless quiz to find out which Once Upon a Time character I was. My result was Jiminy Cricket. "You always end up doing the right thing because of your conscience and you are honest." ;)

Love the story telling, love the familiarity and fresh new look at old characters and the various truths sprinkled throughout. (I'm not interested in making a mountain out of a molehill when it comes to this show's morals. The truth is - they haven't got any. However, so far there is a clear distinction between good and evil and it allows one to cheer on the good guys and root out the bad ones!)

Emma: How is a book supposed to help?
Mary: What do you think stories are for? These stories are classics. There's a reason we all know them. They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense.

Here's the trailer:

Note: Jonathan and I have chosen not to have cable in the house because we don't want to have the ability to turn on the tv whenever we're feeling listless or bored. We "watch tv" on our computer - mostly using Hulu to see recent episodes. Usually we watch the episode the day after it airs so if you are in the habit of watching Once Upon a Time and have the ability to see it aired live - do NOT try to talk to me about the episode until a day or two have passed. ;) (I have to exert extreme patience with this show!)

Seven

2012-05-15T06:00:00.001-07:00

Seven, in Biblical terms, represents the number of completion. As of today, Jonathan and I have been married for seven years. (To some this is a high number, to others it is low.) We dearly hope it's not the last year because it just keeps gettin' better. ;) This past year, in particular, has just been a really fun ride though not without it's moments of hardship.

Last year I told you the story of our relationship through a series of songs. This year, taking a cue from a friend of mine who recently did something like this, I'll tell you seven things that I really love about Jonathan.

1. He loves God. With all of his heart. When we've hit a rough spot or find ourselves "with a situation on our hands" that needs dealing with us, he always seeks guidance in scripture, through prayer, and godly counsel.

2. He corrects me when I need to be corrected. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this. I'm a pretty strong willed individual and have been told I'm intimidating. (I don't see it.) When you have a personality like mine, you really need (and really value) people who aren't afraid to get in your face and make you listen to them. He is iron - willing to sharpen iron even when it doesn't seem like much fun. He calls me on the carpet and challenges me. (Which is why I had to marry him, you know.)

3. He is a reader. (Don't roll your eyes.) Non-readers are nice people. I cannot deny this. ;) However, I couldn't have married one because I think that there is great value in spending time in stories and books that instruct and inspire. You grow in wisdom and maturity when you read - if you seriously apply yourself. I love it that he reads.

4. He has a very strong work ethic.

5. He's a family man. The other day Bookworm1 informed me in a forlorn manner that Daddy loved ME better than anyone else - even the bookworms. I smiled and said, "Well, you got that right!" He loves me very much and our kids know it. Through that they can know he loves them also.

6. The word "project" doesn't scare him. (Well . . .) He likes doing, creating and trying new things all of the time. We get into more messes with our "projects" (although we're getting better about discerning what a good project may or may not be for our family) but we rather enjoy the adventures. It always feels like something new is happening around here. I like that very much!

7. He is extraordinarily self-disciplined. He is hard to sidetrack when he has a goal in mind. He is focused and determined to make things work.

And best yet? He is mine! :) I love him for all of these things and more.

Happy Anniversary to the most fantastic husband and best friend that I could have ever dreamed up! I'm quite blessed to be your wife. I love you, Jonathan!

The House at Tyneford, by Natasha Solomons

2012-05-14T06:00:00.003-07:00

There seems to be a "sneaky" little trend going on these days in the modern novel. I have this irksome feeling that publishers and writers are catching on that we readers aren't all that into strings of foul language and sex scenes and so they are toning things down a bit. However, it would also seem that they can't help but put in something along these lines for fear we'd be bored otherwise. The problem is that they don't start including bad words or love scenes until the second half of the book (or until the last 3/4) so that you feel compelled to read on, despite your misgivings. Such is the case with The House at Tyneford - a story which I very much liked, by the way.

The House at Tyneford appeals to me on so many levels. For one, it is set in England during World War II. Secondly, the first half of the book focuses rather heavily on the dichotomy between Mr. Rivers, the gentleman who owns Tyneford, and his staff. If you like Downton Abbey, this book is going to draw you in from the get-go! There is a growing romance, which is predictable but curious and also low-key (up until the last 3/4 of the book, that is). All of these aspects of the story come together and create one very memorable tale.

In this book we meet nineteen-year-old Elise Landau, who comes from a wealthy Jewish family in Vienna. Her parents obtain a visa for her to leave the country and flee to England where she obtains work at Tyneford as a parlor maid. Going from a well-to-do lady of leisure in Vienna to the life of an English parlor maid is a very hard transition, as you might imagine. Nevertheless, she tries her best, although she has the feeling that she doesn't really belong anywhere. She isn't a servant and therefore finds it difficult to associate much with the other employees at Tyneford. She also isn't the person of standing that she once was, and so she isn't at liberty to dine with the family or enjoy a long walk whenever she pleases. She has many challenges, not to mention dealing with the growing affections of the young master of Tyneford.

According to the Author's Note at the back of the book, this story is based on real-life situations. Natasha Solomons' grant aunt, Gabi Landau, escaped Europe to work as a "mother's help" for an English family. She says, "Many refugees, particularly young girls from affluent, bourgeois households, escaped this way on a "domestic service visa" - swapping cossetted and comfortable lives for the harsh existence of English servants." Also of interest is the setting for this particular story. Tyneford is based on the village of Tyneham which was commandeered by the War Office during World War II. All villagers were evacuated from the town by order of the government, so that it could be used as a training ground for soldiers and for use in other war efforts. The villagers were promised that their village would be returned to them at the conclusion of the war but the government's promise was reneged and the villagers permanently displaced. Here is an interesting article on Tyneham that I enjoyed reading.

Regretfully, the later half of the story does have language (although it is limited in its scope) and one sex scene. It is discrete, but golly you know what's happening! There are also insinuations made and descriptions given periodically towards the end, when the romantic aspect of the story is in full swing. I find this regrettable, because it will certainly keep the more conservative reader at bay. It would have kept me at bay had I know of it before I started reading. However, by the time it came into play, I felt I just had to know the ending of the story so I skimmed past the few scenes which exist. (They aren't completely raunchy but nor are they necessary.) I truly wish authors and publishers would leave things like this out of books all together and just let us engage with the story without the sensual details! If not for these needless issues, I would be able to whole heartedly recommend the story - for it is indeed fascinating. As it is though, I can only tell you about the story and caution you as to some of the contents.

On the whole, I really liked The House at Tyneford though. So . . . there you go!

Penguin Books sent me a copy of this book in exchange for offering my honest opinion. And now you have it! You are welcome.

3-D Explorer Safari Animals: A journey through the African wilderness

2012-05-11T06:00:00.001-07:00

We had to check out a copy of 3-D Explorer: Safari Animals after having enjoyed the other books in the series. Three years ago this summer I reviewed the 3-D Explorer books over at 5 Minutes for Books. As I explained then, we "l-o-v-e-d" these books and that remains true. The Oceans book, in particular, has received a lot of affectionate attention around these parts over the past few years. (He still pulls it out to look at.)

When I saw that 3-D Explorer: Safari Animals had become available, I knew we'd have to take a peek. As suspected, Bookworm1 enjoyed it. (Although, in truth, it still isn't as exciting as the Oceans title.) He liked this new title for much the same reasons though - the 3-D pop-ups which brings life on the African wilderness to life.

The book is divided up by page spread into different topics. The Table of Contents is as follows:

Going on Safari
Safari Habitats
Fight to Survive
Mountains
Forest Life
Grasslands
Savanna
Wetlands
World of Water
Water Hole
Desserts and Drought
On the Ground
Towers and Burrows

Open up the page to the Grasslands and giraffes pop up on the page, eating leaves out of trees, while warthogs and ostriches graze below.

Just like the other books in this series, this new title is a delight to look at. The information contained in this book is given in easy-to-read paragraphs. Each 3-D page spread provides a sentence of information about each individual animal which you see. It's not an encyclopedia of knowledge, but rather a novelty book with fun facts to expand the young reader's understanding of different habitats. It is a fun diversion.

Thanks to Silver Dolphin Press for providing us a copy to browse through. We surely do appreciate it!

Read Aloud Thursday :: Notes & Reflections

2012-05-10T06:00:00.006-07:00

Time for another Read Aloud Thursday hosted by Amy at Hope is the Word.

(To link up to Read Aloud Thursdays, click over to Hope is the Word.)

Brief notes, more for my own sake than anyone else's:

Bookworm1 and I continue to read chapter books so long as I promise an incentive for each chapter book we read. He likes books, he just claims not to like long ones. However, he's usually more game to "read another!" chapter than I am. I also frequently catch him browsing through whichever chapter book we are in the middle of, looking at the pictures. I can't decide whether or not it is cheating to have him get an idea of what's coming or if I should let him continue to look as it seems to be keeping him interested.

He loves playing Legos while I'm reading to him. Frequently I wonder if he's actually listening to the words coming out of my mouth. However, every so often he'll ask me, "What does that word mean?" or he'll laugh over the dialogue. He's listening. He's just multi-tasking. Since I am NOT an audio learner, this is different for me. It seems that we are currently both enjoying the process of reading books together.

We recently finished the following books:

We read the fourth book in the Lighthouse Family series, The Eagle and enjoyed it. These are beginning chapter books and therefore have incredibly short chapters (and few at that!) The first book I thought was very cute. The second seemed to run along similar lines as the first (sea animal in trouble, the Lighthouse family saves the day, etc.) and by the third I confess to being a little bored. I can't NOT finish a series though and Bookworm1 really, really likes ocean animals. So we persevered. In this particular title, sibling mice Whistler and Lila make friends with a bald eagle and invite him home to tea. My adult brain kept waiting for the moment when the eagle ate the mice but this is a very sensible and sensitive children's story. Nothing scary ever truly happens. We must look for our excitement elsewhere.

Because I am willing to be faithful to the end of the Lighthouse Family adventures, we concluded our escapades with them by reading The Octopus. This is the pinnacle of the series and the one we were most looking forward to, seeing that the octopus has been a favorite creature around here for some time now. In this story a baby octopus named Cleo gets stuck in a tide pool. Whistler and Lila keep him company while waiting for the tide come back in. They make friends with Cleo and are delightedly amazed that he can do such things as change colors. Cleo returns to the sea with the tide but comes back to visit the entire Lighthouse Family, bringing with him his parents. (This would never happen.) But then again, in the real world, an octopus wouldn't tap a mouse on its shoulder and introduce itself. (I confess it, even though I know these stories are sweet ones, I still kept waiting for the octopus to grab the small mouse and CHOMP it with its beak. Not gonna happen in this series. It is safe, safe, safe!) We are now officially done with this series and I am personally glad of it, although it was cute while it lasted.

After reading those soothing stories of the sea, I wondered how Bookworm1 might do with something slightly more exciting. So, I pulled out some spicier selections and he chose The Flint Heart. (I've linked that to my review.) I read this for myself just last fall and when I read it I mentioned that I had a nagging suspicion that it had underlying messages that I wasn't sure about. As I also mentioned, it's an engaging story and a darker fairy tale. There is blood and war and glory all wrapped up in this. Bookworm1 really liked the story from that perspective. I asked him for his opinion after we were done reading and he said he "liked it very much." His mother, on the other hand, was not that thrilled.

I was particularly bothered by the message which is contained and shared in the book about people's "point of view." Everyone has a point of view and all points of view are important. (I disagree.) One of the characters in the book is given an examination and he is asked the question, "Do you think the moon is more important, or the sun?" The character replies that the moon is more important. His answer is declared to be wrong by the examiner, but then the king says, "Well, from his point of view, the moon is more important so his answer is correct!" The point is made over and over again throughout the book that everyone's opinions matter, even if their decisions or conclusions are not based on fact but on feeling. (If you feel you do not agree with me, let me make this even more practical. We might occasionally need to make a decision to go to the grocery store to buy food for our family. Our 1 year old might think that we should not leave the house. According to her point of view, we should stay home and play. But there are practical necessities and information and insight we have that she does not that makes our opinion more important. Also, we have the knowledge of truth on our side that informs us that if we do not eat, we will die. Our "opinion" ranks. We go to the store.)

In fact, I so distinctly did not appreciate the pervasiveness of this message and the importance that the authors placed on the idea that everyone can be right all at the same time (even if their answers are distinctly different), thus eliminating the idea that anything can be proven true, that I have decided to take this book off of our bookshelves. I'd really rather not read it again. There are better books out there. We'll spend time with them.

After that book I really pushed for something funny to read and offered some new options. Bookworm1 selected Hank the Cowdog. This is going very well. I'll share more about that later.

The Classic Zucchini Cookbook

2012-05-09T06:00:00.001-07:00

At some point this summer, you know you are going to need The Classic Zucchini Cookbook because at some point this summer, you are going to have a whole lot of zucchini to deal with. Maybe.

Funny story about zucchini . . .

Despite the fact that other people everywhere manage to grow and produce massive quantities of zucchini, we've never had the pleasure. I say pleasure because that's truly what it is. We like zucchini in a variety of forms and eat a lot of it when it's in season (i.e., when it is cheaper). One year some friends of ours gave us a gigantic zucchini plant in a pot that was healthy and thriving. "You won't need to do anything to it!" they said with a smile. "It will just produce. Watch and see." We watched. We saw the thing die a miserable death. It never grew a single zucchini. This year we decided to take extra precautions and plant four zucchini plants in various parts of the yard to find a suitable spot. Four zucchini plants in one yard might strike fear into the heart of your average gardener. But we are not average. So far, only one plant shows signs of having a will to live.

In anticipation of the wild crop of zucchini that we are going to have this year, I had to take a peek at Story Publishing's Classic Zucchini Cookbook. It boasts 225 recipes involving this beloved (or at least humored) green vegetable. I haven't actually made any of the recipes yet, but I wanted to review it and let you know in advance that I plan to make the following recipes with my bumper bumper crop!

Navy Bean and Squash Soup
Pesto Linguine with Summer Squash
Double Squash Cornbread Supper
Zesto Pizza
Zucchini pancakes (why not?)
Italian Relish
Summer Squash Saute with Bacon and Tomatoes
Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Zucchini-Cheddar Biscuits

Depending on the crop, I'm also incredibly intrigued by the idea of "Zapple Pie with a Streusel Topping." (Lots of spices and chopped nuts are in order. How could you go wrong?) There is also a recipe for Zucchini Bars which is described as follows: "Think blondies made with lots of good stuff, like raisins and coconut, instead of chocolate chips. There's a healthy dose of fiber in these good-for-you bar cookies." Make of that what you will, I think it sounds interesting.

One thing that I appreciate about this recipe book is that the recipes do not call for outlandish or unique ingredients. Most of the recipes in this book contain half a dozen or so ingredients which are quite common and/or easy to obtain. The majority of the recipes also have great appeal to me, personally (being fond of zucchini and all!) and do not look remotely complicated. Also, it should be noted that all 225 recipes do not focus exclusively on zucchini. The book is subtitled, "225 Recipes for All Kinds of Squash." While most of the recipes can be used with zucchini, some are strictly designed for use with pumpkins or butternut squash. The majority, however, do work with zucchini.

So all I have left to say is this:

GROW, Zucchini Plants!!! GROW!

(We're going to plant one more in a pot and see if that fares better than the ones we put into the ground.)

May it be so.

Thank you, Storey Publishing, for shooting a copy of this useful book my direction!

Escape from Camp 14, by Blaine Harden

2012-05-08T06:00:00.004-07:00

Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West is not really a book that you read for fun. It isn't pretty and it isn't entertaining. It is, however, informative and impacting. It is the story of Shin Dong-Hyuk who escaped from a labor camp in North Korea. The amazing thing about his tale is that he is the only known person to have escaped from a North Korean labor camp, survived, and told anyone else about it.

Viking Press (Penguin) offered me a chance to read this book and I jumped at it, being that my son is adopted from South Korea and I'm interested in the geography and politics between North and South Korea. I thought this would be a very powerful and engaging story and it was that. What I didn't count on was how quickly I would want to be done reading the book. It isn't a story that I could necessarily stomach lingering in for long. It is cruel, it is harsh and it is brutal.

What is compelling about this story (well, there are several things . . . ) is that North Korea denies the existence of labor camps. They also deny the outside world access to their country in an attempt to uphold the decrepit conditions within their sad borders. They conveniently forget about things called "satellites" which have seen the camps and reported them to the outside world. (It is always amazing to me when a person or a country keeps repeating a lie and others feel that they cannot do anything about the subject being lied about because they must honor what is being told them. It's like we've lost the ability to fearlessly call a lie what it is so that it can be dealt with effectively. Instead of confronting the lie with the truth, we allow it to continue into something sick and mutated. By failing to speak and act on the truth we allow bad behaviors to continue. When this happens, lives are inevitably damaged at the very least, or destroyed at the very worst.) In the case of Shin Dong-Hyuk, I would say that his life has been damaged by the North Korean government; by all of the lies that they have told to foreign governments as well as to their own people.

Escape from Camp 14 tells how North Korea selects families like Dong-Hyuk's and declare them traitors to the country for any variety of reasons. In the case of Dong-Hyuk's family, a relation of his had tried to escape from North Korea and was caught. That relative was declared a traitor and it condemned him to death. The rest of his family - up to three generations - were then to be imprisoned as traitors. In order to pay for the sin of being a traitor, you must work hard in a labor camp, for life. Dong-Hyuk was born into Camp 14 and never experienced freedom of any sort. He worked constantly, was fed little and was encouraged to spy on his family and "friends" and report anything suspicious to the guards. Think: Nazi Concentration camp from birth to death. That pretty much describes the life of a North Korean born and raised in a labor camp. Dong-Hyuk was perpetually hungry, always afraid of a beating, and never understood the love of a mother or father. It is a most depressing story. But it is true and that is what is so astounding about it.

All throughout the book I was depressed thinking about the fact that although Dong-Hyuk managed to escape -(which is a dramatic story in and of itself) - he would never be able to live a normal life. He wasn't raised to learn to tell the truth. Honor was a foreign concept. Forgiveness didn't make sense to him because he was always made to beg forgiveness from the guards for a variety of bogus infractions. He was not loved and he did not love. Eventually he immigrated to America and I was curious to see how Blaine Harden would end Dong-Hyuk's story, for the purposes of this book. He does, in fact, describe a broken man who can't keep a job and frequently feels like he's being singled out and accused of being bad by people who are trying to help him recover from his past as best he can. It's a horrible situation that seems without hope. (There but for the grace of God . . .)

I very much appreciated Blaine Harden's manner in presenting Shin Dong-Hyuk's story. He explains early and often that you cannot verify facts out of North Korea. While he has heard Shin's story and has been able to compare it to that of others who have escaped North Korea, he cannot say whether or not the story is completely factual. (It is to be believed as far as anyone can discern, based on information which has made its way out of that country.) Harden's voice does not get in the way of Dong-Hyuk's and he is not trying to persuade his reader to act, think or believe in any particular way. I have to say that I was quite impressed by the piece of journalism which is Escape from Camp 14. It is interesting, compelling, intriguing and heart breaking, all while being straight forward and easy to comprehend. He doesn't try to impress you and he doesn't even try to make you like Shin. He's just reporting on a story and giving you all the facts that he has. I liked this very much.

All in all, despite the harsh content within these pages, I have to highly recommend it. North Korea is an astounding country. Should it's borders ever be opened, I can safely say that the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing that is going to make North Koreans truly free. There is so much garbage and baggage involved in daily life that it will take a true Savior to relieve them of their great burdens and give them rest.

Thank you, Viking Press, for asking if I'd like to read a copy. I'm very grateful. (And yes, that is my true and honest opinion!)

Beyond Bath Time - Giveaway x3!

2012-05-07T20:37:00.003-07:00

Early today I published a review of Beyond Bath Time, by Erin Davis. Mrs. Davis left a comment on that post offering to give away a few copies of her book to some of my readers. Do you think you would be interested in reading a copy? (You can just go ahead and nod 'yes'.)

Mrs. Davis generously offered up THREE copies of her new book. If you would like to win, simply leave a comment on this post, including a valid e-mail address. (It would also be nice if you read the review before blindingly entering the contest.) This contest is open to U.S. Residents only and will be open through Monday, May 14th.

I will select a winner from the comments left on THIS post next Monday evening.

Thank you, Erin Davis, for your generosity and desire to affirm and encourage other mothers!

Beyond Bath Time, by Erin Davis

2012-05-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

WARNING: LONG POST. I even edited it! This one prompted a great deal of thought though and so I've got to go with what is written.

~~~~~

Two pages into Beyond Bath Time: Embracing Motherhood as a Sacred Role and I was pretty confident that I was going to be purchasing a copy for everyone I knew. By the end of the book I wasn't as fond, but I think generally speaking, my opinion of it is still good. In today's society, when motherhood is looked down upon and is, in fact, discouraged - this book is quite a valuable tool and resource.

I realize that this post is going to be "speaking to the choir" more or less, since most of my regular readers here are stay at home moms like myself. You know the joys of being a mom, and you also know there are innumerable ~~challenges~~ blessings involved. You'd walk through fire to do what you do because you understand that being able to stay home and raise children is a privilege. You also know that society does not agree that you are using your time very well and you feel as if you are swimming against the tide trying to convince people that children are a blessing from the Lord. You know that you can't actually afford to stock your pantry with bon bons and that no matter what it looks like to other people, it is of grave importance that you still make time to read. (Ahem.) You also likely do not own a tv or keep regular appointments with it. (Whatever shows you do watch, you tend to enjoy post-children's bedtime.) I hear you. I get it. I know what your arguments are before you make them and you know mine.

If you would like validation for your sacrifice, then Beyond Bath Time will provide it. In this book, author Erin Davis addresses the lies that society has fed us about why the role of motherhood is one that can and should be avoided if at all possible. If you are of the mindset that motherhood is unimportant or that you cannot justify the idea of staying home and "merely" raising children with your life, then you might consider reading this. It may challenge your opinion on the importance of motherhood, for Erin Davis desires to develop within the hearts of women (in particular) a love for the role that they have been called by God to fill. If you are one of the first stay-at-home moms in your family, then you also might be incredibly encouraged by this book as it will most definitely affirm your decision and foster the desire to mother.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I believe that motherhood is a high calling and staying at home provides great value (and health) to the family structure. I believe women were created and designed to be life givers and nurturers and serve both the family and society well by embracing their design instead of rejecting it. I therefore very much appreciated Davis's message and agreed with it whole heartedly. I would most definitely hand this book over to anyone looking for a "shot in the arm" to encourage them to consider family first over a career. (Before my personal real life friends who do not agree start hooting and hollering in the comment section about my position - hang tight. I know your arguments, see your personalities and have some sympathies for what I know you are going to say. Feel free to share your opinions and rants below in the comment section anyway. I think, generally speaking, my position is reasonable. Specifically though I know a few of you have situations and personalities which create argument of the good sort so rant away if you'd like!)

I believe that Erin Davis has a lot of good things to share. During the first seven years of her marriage, she didn't want to be a mother. When she finally became pregnant, she cried as she told her husband about it. Becoming a mother and embracing that role was not something that came easy to Davis. She freaked out and then learned to cope - and thrive! She is not a perfect mother and readily admits that mothering is hard work. She maintains though that it is beautiful work as done before the Lord. She offers encouragement to moms who are weary in well-doing.

"Motherhood may include many trials, but that doesn't mean you aren't blessed. We think being blessed means we feel happy, our life is easy, and everything is smooth sailing. But we are actually blessed when we are doing kingdom work and when our circumstances make us more like Jesus and press us into a closer relationship with Him." (Chapter 7, Blessing or Burden?, page 96)

She reminds us that no matter how hard the day or the season of motherhood, the Lord is right there with us, offering us the strength we need to make it through! She quotes Colossians 1:10-12 and then says this:

"No matter how many challenges we face, we can be strengthened by God's power. We do not have to do it all in our own strength. And how do these verses urge us to respond to this problem? With patience, joy, and thanksgiving." (Chapter 7, Blessing or Burden?, page 93)

She encourages mothers not to just look at what is "right now" - but to look at the big picture of what they are doing when they decide to become mothers and focus their life's attention on training up children.

" . . . [Y]ou are not just building a family; you are building your part of the kingdom. Doing so has the power to strike fear in the hearts of the enemies of God and put His power and glory on full display." (Chapter 5, The Lesson Eve Teaches About Legacy, page 72)

Don't I know it! Any Christian mother who decides that she is going to stay home and raise her children (and then maybe even home school them!) is well aware that she is surrounded by people who do not like what she is doing. Such a mother is surrounded on all sides (by believers and unbelievers alike) who question her sacrifice, challenge her beliefs, mock and deride her and fail to offer her support in raising up not only little members of the Body of Christ, but future members of society! (And you should hope and pray that those future members of society are well-trained and productive or else you are going to have a heap o' problems to deal with once they are set loose!) But this: no matter how big and scary the naysayers make themselves, the Christian home maker/SAHM/home schooler has the assurance that God is with her and will help her leap over countless roadblocks and stand victorious (and blessed) in the end! (See Psalm 18:29 for encouragement.) Encouragement is precisely what Davis wishes to offer to the reader and she does so. Therefore I like the book.

All throughout the first half of the book I was in a state of love with it. Then I read the concluding chapters and became less enamored. I do think that's in part due to the fact that my personality is distinctly different than Davis'. First, I must tell you that I am a big proponent of a mother/family having a support system. I think being around like-minded people and having friends who can come alongside you and motivate you in a scripturally accurate way is incredibly important and valuable. Thus far, Davis and I agree. She focuses heavily on the idea of a spiritual "sisterhood" that got a little too flippant and ridiculous sounding to my personal taste.

It is here where I make my confession: I dislike the term play date and am virtually guaranteed to decline going on one if ever asked. I can't stand the term because it sounds like some sort of arrangement where the mothers get together to gossip while the children wallop each other in the fore or background. Personally I dislike suggesting that the only reason I'm going to get together with another mom is so that our kids can have some playtime. If I'm going to get together to really fellowship with another woman, I'm inclined to have a "ladies night out" rather than a "play date" because then I can focus on having a genuine and uninterrupted conversation with my friend. If my children are present, I am almost completely focused on training them how to behave. There isn't much time to relax. (Also, if I'm in a "play date" situation and I see someone else's kid needing some instruction I have a hard time relaxing.) "Play dates" are not for me. Davis rather encourages them. She also makes a point of talking about the benefits of Twitter (hey, you can even Twitter info about this book!) and Facebook (hey, you like the book's page!) and the like. It was a little too sales pitch-y and not very genuine in offering scriptural guidelines for pursuing Biblical fellowship with other females. We definitely differ on the ways and means which we seek out encouragement but we both agree that such encouragement is needed. I'm just not on the More Power to the Sisterhood Bandwagon that I feel she is on.

This is probably about as much of my own personal thoughts as you can handle at the moment and I should draw this to a close. I thought this book was really interesting though. I devoured it quickly and am generally approving of it, with the stated exceptions.

Thanks, Moody Publishers, for shooting a copy of this one my way. Excellent food for thought and a great testimony to a society that regrets life and dismisses life givers. Appreciate it!

Creativty Fun Books

2012-05-04T06:00:00.001-07:00

A little more fun involving gardening . . . (it's a top topic around these parts right about now!)

Creativity Fun: Garden is a brightly colored doodle book which focuses on the theme of gardening. (Yes. I am pointing out the obvious. Sometimes that's what I do best.) This recently released activity book encourages imaginative drawing, decorating, doodling and writing. It is part doodle book and part sticker book, as it has over 200 stickers to use inside.

The user of Creativity Fun: Garden is encouraged to make garden bugs out of colorful splotches, to draw leaves on trees, to complete rainbows and to beautify butterflies. It's a great little activity book with thick and sturdy pages which can handle crayons or markers. There are some pages with patterns and figures to cut out, but the majority of book merely requires crayons. Inside you'll find 72 pages worth of coloring activities, making this a great book for a road trip or a quiet afternoon on the back patio. It's cute and bright and, I think, quite entertaining. It's a nice little way to cause children to pay attention to the great outdoors, even during a time when they might be trapped inside a bit.

There are a few other books in the Creativity Fun series, should this particular title not be of extreme interest to your young artist. Other titles include: Creativity Fun: Kitchen and Creativity Fun: Princess.

We were sent a copy of the Garden and Princess books above by Silver Dolphin books, in exchange for sharing our honest opinion. Our honest opinion is: cute and fun books to have on hand when you need a distracting and quiet activity available to occupy children for a bit! Thanks, Silver Dolphin, for shooting these our way.

Reading to Know Book Club :: May

2012-05-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

This month Amy from Hope is the Word is hosting the Reading to Know Book Club. She selected The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain for this month's read. If you've never read this one before, now's a great time to get that taken care of! We hope you'll join in.

You have until Friday, May 25th to read and post your thoughts on this classic.

Family Vocation, by Gene Edward Veith Jr. and Mary J. Moerbe

2012-05-02T06:00:00.004-07:00

It's taken me a little while to get to Family Vocation: God's Calling in Marriage, Parenting, and Childhood, by Gene Edward Veith and his daughter, Mary J. Moerbe, because Jonathan beat me to the book. I patiently waited for my turn and gathered from him that he mostly liked it (but couldn't be persuaded to write the review this time!) I delved in and so you're going to have to settle for my thoughts.

Now, almost right away I feel I have to tell you that neither Jonathan nor myself were overwhelmed by Family Vocation. There were individual chapters which appealed to us individually, but by and large it wasn't our favorite book on marriage and family life. There were things to be gleaned from it, certainly, and we're glad to see a book that is strongly in support of the marriage covenant being placed on store book shelves. There are perfectly horrible options out there for people wanting to learn how to practically apply scriptures to their marriage and home life and this is not one of them. Family Vocation is to be recommended before several other titles that I can think of off the top of my head. (*cough*Eldredge*hack*cough*Parrott*cough*cough*theDriscolls*COUGH*cough*hack!) This book is solid, hard hitting and well-advised. The only reason I'm not waving flags and banners is because there are other books on family that I like more.

Interestingly, Veith and Moerbe introduce the book by explaining that they are Lutheran and therefore the reader can deduce certain beliefs and theology as being applied to what they have to share. They also (rightly) state that they are essentially viewing marriage through the lens of the Gospel and be you Lutheran, Baptist or non-denominational, you'll find plenty which you can agree with within these pages. I believe that to be true, although you might come across one or two theological disagreements as you read along. The authors have at least given you fair warning and so you shouldn't allow yourself to become too sidetracked by some of those theological disagreements. (I say that, having become hung up for a minute or two by one point of doctrine that I rather disagreed with. I had to force myself to move on and stop thinking about it as it was somewhat irrelevant to the main message.)

The basic idea of Family Vocation is that every person within the traditional family (one man, one woman marriage) has a calling (or, "vocation") within the nuclear family. Each individual has a role that only they can fulfill and must fulfill to the glory of God. Veith and Moerbe argue that in order for all roles to be satisfied and fulfilled, we must define family as God did (one man + one woman, with children.) In this designed system, God shines through and provides a solid and Biblical example of the gospel message. Instead of assuming that work outside the home is the most valuable, the authors wish to redirect the reader's attention to the relationships which are growing and cared for within the family unit.

"Today's Christians often fall into a similar syndrome as the medieval monastics. They assume that "church work" is holier and more spiritually significant than spending time with their families or attending to their other vocations. Congregations often have so many things going on that we could spend every night of the week doing church activities. It is easy to become so busy with "spiritual" activities - Bible studies, witnessing, meetings, projects - that we neglect our marriages and our children. But the work of our vocations is also a "spiritual activity" that God specifically calls us to." (Chapter 2, Vocation in the Nourishing Estate, page 29)

I really like them for pointing this out as it seems that just because the church may (or may not) have come up with a good Bible study or program, mothers like myself are expected to participate. "Drop your kids off in child care! Attend the Bible study!" are cries I hear all of the time and I am forced to resist. I really believe that my children are my priority in this season of life and while any number of Bible studies might be brilliant and engaging for me, my place is at home - making sure my children are properly cared for. I'm called to be home, ministering to the needs of my little people. That doesn't make me available for every mothers-day-out program or women's Bible study that comes down the pike. It just doesn't.

The authors discuss the role of the man as husband and as father and the role of wife and mother. They also discuss the role of children and the importance of growing up inside the security of a traditional family. It was an interesting for me to read, personally. I sometimes felt like I was in complete agreement with the authors and sometimes not. I agree with them in saying that the traditional family is important and that each individual within the family is called to fulfill and support the others in particular ways. Sometimes Veith and Moerbe were a bit more liberal than me in their viewpoints (a fact which a good number of people will appreciate, no doubt!) Most of the time, however, I found myself breezing through the things they shared. Again, it's not that I think this book does not have anything to offer. I speculate that the more liberal-minded Christian might be challenged by the way that the authors approach the subject of male and female roles and that of children. I believe myself to be even more conservative than the authors here and so I didn't find the book quite so challenging or impacting. If I knew that someone was struggling to define what family is or what each member is called to do, I would suggest this book. (I'd also suggest some additional titles to accompany this one.) Family Vocation is certainly counter-culture in that they require their reader to look at the idea of marriage and family through the lens of scripture instead of basing their decisions on feelings and fancies. For this I applaud them.

I have a rather ho-hum personal opinion of this particular title, but I do see it's usefulness. It just didn't grab me and make me love it like other books have done in the past. You can take that for whatever that's worth . . . ! (I do have one very strong opinion of this title. I can't stand the lime green book cover. When sunlight hits the book, it reflects a hideous green color on anything near it. Superficial complaint, no? Yes? Well, whatever. I found that distasteful.)

Thank you, Crossway Books, for shooting a copy of this title my way in exchange for my honest opinion.

Play These Games, by Heather Swain

2012-05-01T06:00:00.003-07:00

Play These Games: 101 Delightful Diversions Using Everyday Items is one of those practical idea type of books. Heather Swain uses basic household items (such as balloons, buttons, beans and even books!) to create fun diversions for little ones. If you aren't very creative when it comes to thinking up ideas for games your kids can play (with you, by themselves or with others) than this might be a useful book for you to browse through. I also rather think this is the type of book that a preschool through grade school teacher might like to have on hand to work game playing into their classroom.

In Play These Games, Swain begins by talking about the important role that games play in the lives of children. She argues that games teach socialization skills, and also contribute to brain development. She provides a basic list of materials that she uses in this book - most of which are household items. For every item she lists (e.g., a button or hoola hoop) she gives you about five or six game suggestions. The explanations and instructions for the games are extremely easy to understand and are frequently accompanied by black-and-white drawings to help illustrate her directions.

Whether or not you would enjoy this book is entirely dependent on how creative a person you are. Personally, I'm not all that creative in the game department. (My husband is the game player in our family and our kids tend to follow suit.) A few of the games Swain describes in this book are ones that my husband has "made up" with our kids, albeit with different names for the activity than she provides. Still, there were a few ideas in this book that I thought were rather clever and would prove to be laughing good fun - like the family photo memory game. (We are so going to have to make our own memory game using family pictures! I think our kids would think that a riot!)

Play These Games is a practical guide, encouraging you to look around your house for objects to entertain your children with. In a day and age when the idea of entertainment generally centers around buying lots of toys to clutter your house, it's refreshing to see books coming out which encourage you to make use of things that you already have. Such a book builds contentment and really plays (har, har) to the idea that a family who knows how to have fun together has everything that they really need already. That's a message I can get behind.

If this book sounds like something that you or someone you know might be able to make a lot of use out of, I'm happy to inform you that Penguin Books has offered to give one copy of Play These Games to one of my readers here at Reading to Know.

To win? Simply leave a comment below (including a valid e-mail address!) This contest will be open through Monday, May 7th and is open to U.S. Residents only.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER, as selected by Random.org, IS #5- MIKAILA! Congrats!

Many thanks to Penguin Books who kindly sent a copy of this book my direction, and who generously offered an additional copy to one of my readers!

The Watchman and other poems, by Lucy Maud Montgomery

2012-04-30T06:00:00.007-07:00

I only have this last day in National Poetry Month to confess I've spent anytime reading any poetry at all! (Not normally my thing.) But Lucy Maud Montgomery is my thing and while I have read some of her poetry, I apparently had not read all. Realizing I needed to rectify this situation immediately, I purchased (yes, I said purchased) a copy of The Watchman and Other Poems. (This particular edition is published by Dodo Press. Sophomoric moment. I can't stop snickering.) Montgomery's other book of poetry (which I also own and have read) is poetically titled The Poetry Of Lucy Maud Montgomery. For awhile there I didn't recognize that there were additional poems of hers that I had not read hence my just now diving into The Watchman. (The Poetry is a compilation of sorts, giving you an overview of her poetry, but it is not all inclusive. The most notable thing about The Poetry collection is that I purchased it at the "Site of the Lucy Maud Montgomery's Cavendish Home" and it is stamped as such.)

The Dodo Press book (snicker) does not offer any explanation about this particular collection of poems and so I had to go elsewhere for information. This book of verses was originally published in 1916. This places it between the publication of Anne of the Island and Anne's House of Dreams. Consulting The Poetry Of Lucy Maud Montgomery and the notes by Kevin McCabe, The Watchman and Other Poems was received poorly by the 1916 audience and met with dismal sales. This is only somewhat surprising when you consider how well-loved she was as an author of novels, but it becomes clear (even to the likes of me) when you start reading her poetry. It is, as McCabe points out, much like her writing in that it is emotionally charged and full of wonder about nature and seasons of life. Only everything she says rhymes in this case, which makes her expressions somewhat painful. Consider this (which I find to be eye rolling and over the top in the romance department):

The Bridal

Last night a pale young Moon was wed
Unto the amorous, eager Sea;
Her maiden veil of mist she wore
His kingly purple venture, he.
With her a bridal train of stars
Walked sisterly through shadows dim,
And, master minstrel of the world,
The great Wind sang the marriage hymn.
Thus came she down the silent sky
Unto the Sea her faith to plight,
And the grave priest who wedded them
Was ancient, sombre-mantled Night.

Reading that makes me almost wish to deny the goodness that is romance. It's just a bit too fluffy for my liking.

McCabe critiques her thus:

She was not a disciplined student of the art of verse and her composition habits remained haphazard throughout her career. She would, for example, write the rough draft of a poem first, and then go back over it adding rhymes. The result is that her rhyming is sometimes a pyrrhic victory over sense and syntax. The poem "An Autumn Shower" illustrates this in lines which describe the wind as coming

To croon in minstrel grasses; where it stirs
The goldenrod its kingly vesture wears.

No adjustment of punctuation can turn this into English.

(Introduction to The Poetry of Lucy Maud Montgomery, Kevin McCabe)

I really, really like Lucy Maud Montgomery. And, grant it, I'm not bent towards the enjoyment of poetry. However, reading her poems cause even my eyes glaze over (when they are not rolling about in my head) and I think to myself that I'd really rather read her prose instead. (This was the problem with her contemporary audience as well. They wanted the same thing, much to her chagrin.)

Seriously though . . . ! Read this line from "The Call of the Winds":

Friend I am of each growing thing
From the gray sod into sunshine breaking;

Already I'm thinking, "This woman must have never had a case of poison oak in her entire life!"

See? I just can't connect - even though I love the woods! I love the trees! I love the less-than-15-miles-an-hour-please winds which ripple the leaves and lighten the mood. I like moss and ferns and lichen (now that I know what lichen is.) I love our family hikes and rambles into our green and wooded landscape. Therefore if I have to like her poems, I tend towards the ones where she describes the woods. In the whole collection of poems, the following had to be my favorite. (I'll included it with pictures from our first hike of the year, which we were able to go on last weekend.)

The Forest Path

OH, the charm of idle dreaming
Where the dappled shadows dance,
All the leafy aisles are teeming
With the lure of old romance!

Down into the forest dipping,
Deep and deeper as we go,
One might fancy dryads slipping
Where the white-stemmed birches grow.
Lurking gnome and freakish fairy
In the fern may peep and hide . . .
Sure their whispers low and airy
Ring us in on every side!

Saw you where the pines are rocking
Nymph's white shoulder as she ran?
Lo, that music faint and mocking,
Is it not a pipe of Pan?
Hear you that elusive laughter
Of the hidden waterfall?
Nay, a satyr speeding after
Ivy-crowned bacchanal.
Far and farther as we wander
Sweeter shall our roaming be,
Come, for dim and winsome yonder
Lies the path to Arcady!

Like it or hate it - it is what it is.

I've had my fill of poetry for a bit, but not of the great outdoors! Least you wonder, I still have not had my fill of Montgomery. I just know that I like her stories as plain as she can make them.

P.G. Wodehouse :: Reading to Know Bookclub

2012-04-27T06:00:00.002-07:00

Tim (yes, a name!) at Diary of an Autodidac is leading this month's book club selection. He encouraged us to read a P.G. Wodehouse title of our choosing and had these concluding remarks to make:

~~~~~

Wodehouse’s humor depends on its absurdity. A nobleman excessively devoted to a pig is funny enough. But what about if the pig was to be stolen to protect it from another crazy nobleman who likes to throw eggs at the gardener? Or perhaps we should have people pretending to be other people. Maybe there should be a scene with a pig in the bathroom and an accidental discharge of a gun. How about all of the above?

Or perhaps another idea: what if people believed golf was the most important thing in life, and actually acted that way? How about a story wherein a golfer keeps talking while his girlfriend tries to tee off? How should she handle it? Maybe she should hit him with her niblick. And then, his friend should agree with her approach.

Wodehouse is the master of taking things to a painful extreme in the pursuit of humor. In the process, like all great humorists, he reveals human nature. I enjoyed reading Uncle Fred in the Springtime (linked to review) for this month’s book club selection. I hope that the rest of you have as well, and that you will add Wodehouse to your own libraries.

~~~~~

So, who picked up a Wodehouse title this past month? I hope you chose to. If you did and have written up a post talking about your Wodehouse experience, please leave a link down in the comment section.

If you are planning to read along with the book club in May, it's time to pick up a copy of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain. Amy at Hope is the Word will be hosting the discussion.

Gardening with Children

2012-04-25T06:00:00.001-07:00

I really know little to nothing about gardening but I have great unquenchable spirit when it comes to the subject. When I'm learning a new skill, I do like to read books about it, but I'm more of a learn-by-doing type of person. I need hands-on activities and that means killing plants as I learn to garden. (This is sort of frustrating to me but it is the way I learn.)

Naturally, as I approach the idea of gardening I approach it with the idea of it being some kind of wonderful family activity in which everyone will be excited about weeding (or something.) Gryphon House had some interesting books related to gardening and the great outdoors that I thought I'd check out for my wee ones this gardening season.

It is my great hope that my children will love gardening. I don't know why I hope this. When my dad attempted a garden when I was growing up, I don't recall loving it. I recall boredom. But maybe my children will surprise me and surpass my expectations? As I said, I took a peek at The Budding Gardener for starters.

This is a book filled with ideas for hands-on activities to bring children into the wonderful world of gardening.

"No matter where or how you begin, gardening cultivates observation, patience, and responsibility, and offers rewards beyond measure."

(I don't know many children who become wildly excited over a tomato plant's yield but then you never know! Ours might be the ones!)

In this book you'll find ideas for experiments along the lines of planting beans in a cup and watching them sprout on your window sill, to more interesting ideas such as building a butterfly garden. (Amy started one the other day that I thought was kinda cool.) Basically the idea of this book is to find ways to make the idea of gardening sound like the most fun ever. It gives you ideas and motivation to draw children into the process of growing and maintaining a garden for the beauty and edification not only themselves, but the entire family. (The plain facts are, if you act excited about something, your children will believe that it is exciting. At least for awhile.)

I actually started flipping through The Budding Gardener last fall (this review is long delayed) and it got me to start thinking about how I could engage my children in this Family Project. For starters, I asked Bookworm1 what kinds of food he thought would be fun to grow. (There is an idea in this book for how you can create a "Pizza Garden" that I thought was quite brilliant!) He told me that he thought we should grow watermelons (in bright sunny Oregon!) and sunflowers. I'm not feeling too sure about the watermelons, but we bought some sunflower seeds which I'm hoping will produce for him. He also selected snap peas and we've been growing those (successfully!) on our deck in Earth Boxes.

We also went out to weed and de-rock a portion of the yard the other day. I hauled out a large piece of cardboard for me to sit on (clean and tidy so as to easily spot any bugs which might decide to crawl towards me AND also to help prevent accidental slug touchings.) I invited Bookworm1 to join me on his own piece of cardboard and then paid him $0.10 for each box he filled with rocks and hauled away to another portion of the yard. He was an enthusiastic de-rocker at that point. Bookworm2 even got in on the action! (Because, hey!, $0.10!)

We are all budding gardeners and this particular book helped me to see that this was possible.

Learn Every Day About Seasons, by Kathy Charner is the second book I took a look at. Seasons, as you serial gardeners are quite aware, effect gardens tremendously. Being aware of the time of year and the weather is quite important and it's something that Bookworm1 has only recently started to take note of. He's asked me when we're going to pick blueberries, etc., and so we've talked about the season. (We also read a lot of seasonally appropriate picture books to walk us through the year.)

In Learn Every Day About Seasons Charner provides us with ideas for seasonally appropriate crafts, activities, songs and finger poems. There are book suggestions to go along with the activities and lists of materials needed in order to work on any particular craft. If you are just getting into the basics of the four seasons with your little one, this book might be one to check out! How are we practically applying information about seasons? Well, we've started our own gardening calendar so that we can take note of what we planted where and when and so that next year we'll remember when rhubarb is supposed to start making its appearance.

I really appreciate Gryphon House for sending these two books my direction. They have been great prompts for me to get my gardening game on, but to include my children in the process. (I'm sure they are thankful also. They just might not know it yet!)

Summer Lightning, by P.G. Wodehouse

2012-04-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

I started laughing in the Preface of Summer Lightning. Wodehouse writes:

"A certain critic - for such men, I regret to say, do exist - made the nasty remark about my latest novel that it contained 'all the old Wodehouse characters under different names'. He has probably by now been eaten by bears, like the children who made mock of the prophet Elisha: but if he still survives he will not be able to make a similar charge against Summer Lightning. With my superior intelligence, I have outgeneralled the man this time by putting in all the old Wodehouse characters under the same names. Pretty silly it will make him feel, I rather fancy."

In this particular novel, Wodehouse takes his readers back to Blandings Castle to visit with various old friends. (I am pretty certain that this is the first time I've visited Blandings Castle myself. However, I cannot be too sure because, to be honest, I have a hard time remembering sometimes which Wodehouse books I've read and which I haven't.) I rather side with the critic mentioned above in part by saying that Wodehouse recycles characters and traits and just renames them. When people ask me for my suggestion of a good Wodehouse title to start with, I simply feel forced to say: "Choose any! They are all good!" And that they are. (I'm never bored, no matter the title.) Although Wodehouse's humor is "trademark" in that it runs the same throughout all of his books, I have to think that a reader well-versed in Wodehouse can likely distinguish between his characters very well. I'm versed in Wodehouse, but I wouldn't say I'm well-versed.

Getting back to Summer Lightning though - the story revolves around a lot of romances, a memoir that family members do not want to see published, and a stolen prize pig. Not having very much to add to a scholastic discussion about Wodehouse, I'm not going to write up a "review" which tells you more about this particular story or it's place in the Wodehouse line-up. For me, reading Wodehouse is all about the dialogue between the characters and Wodehouse's humorous explanations for it. I think this is hysterical:

'Hugo?'
'Millicent?'
'Is that you?'
'Yes. Is that you?'
'Yes.'
Anything in the nature of misunderstanding was cleared away. It was both of them.
(Chapter 15, Over the Telephone)

Then again, it's not just the dialogue which I love but the way that Wodehouse sets up scenarios and then seems to mock them as he goes about his story telling business.

"A man who has been ling under a bed for a matter of some thirty minutes and, while there, has been compelled to listen to the sort of dialogue which accompanies a lovers' reconciliation seldom appears at his best or feels his brightest. There was fluff in Baxter's hair, dust on his clothes, and on Baxter's face a scowl of concentrated hatred of all humanity." (Chapter 18, Painful Scene in a Bedroom)

That just cracks me up, that's what!

Wodehouse is a must read because one really needs to relax and laugh with a good book from time to time. We can't be all about historical tomes and Hard Times with Dickens and fluffy diaries of wimpy nothingness. We must learn to lighten up and snicker a bit without feeling like the literature that has made us laugh is mind numbing filler. Wodehouse may seem a lighthearted affair, but it's serious hilarity and I think it important to distinguish him as an author worth reading.

If you're reading along with the Reading to Know online book club this month, take note of the fact that we'll be posting our wrap-up post this Friday, April 27th. I hope you've taken some time to get to know Wodehouse if you were previously unfamiliar with him!