June Reading Update

During June, I had hoped to read 3 fiction books and 1 non-fiction book. I didn't quite make my goal, but I was close.

I read:

~Under the Northern Lights by Tracie Peterson

This is book number two from her Alaskan Quest series. Peterson engages readers in this book with the suspense of Helaina Beechman's and Leah Kincaid's kidnapping by Jayce's brother. I did not want to put this book down. I loved the suspense in this book. Jacob also begins to help Helaina change her views of Christ and her purpose of life in this book. Peterson continues to unfold the romance blooming between Jacob and Helaina leaving you an "unfinished" ending so you must read the last book in the sequel.  

I rate this book 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

~Whispers of Winter by Tracie Peterson
    

This is book number three from her Alaskan Quest series. Peterson concludes the series by highlighting the struggles of Jayce Kincaid and Jacob Barringer surviving in the Artic Ocean. Helaina Beechman returns to Last Chance Creek to find Jacob gone wondering if she will ever be able to express her love to him. Leah struggles daily with the separation from Jayce. She begans to doubt God's hand and guidance to bring her husband home safely to her and the twins.

I love to read Peterson's books. Since I just found her at the end of last year, I have several more to read from her.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.  


~Potty Training: The Potty Book Expert Guide To Hassle Free Results in 3 Days by Andrea Dillon

This was a free Kindle book. I ordered because I thought it might give me a little different insight to getting Owen potty trained quickly. Honestly, I wouldn't purchase this book if there was any fee associated with it. At the age of 12 months, Dillon suggested using pull-ups so your child will begin to associate pulling the pull-up up and down with underwear. I can't remember her other suggestions, but let me tell you, I did not gain one new suggestion or technique to try. The book was only about 5 chapters long, and a very short read in less than an hour.

I rate this book 1/2 star out of 5.

*Some notes about my to-read books: I decided not to read Three souls. I quickly grabbed it from the library noticing it was written by a Chinese author, and thought the cover looked interesting. After reading the description, I decided it wasn't for me at this time. I may revisit it later if I so choose.

My to-read July books: Dawn's Prelude by Tracie Peterson, Hands Free Mama by Rachel Stafford, and Adoption is a Family Affair by Patricia Johnston

2014 Reading List
1. Rivers of Gold (February)
2. Shadowed by Grace: A Story of the Monuments Men (February)
3. One Farm Woman (March)
4. Inspiration to Pay Off Debt (March)
5. Canteen Dreams (April)
6. Sandhill Dreams (April)
7. Captive Dreams (April)
8. Lies That Make You Pay & Truths That Set You Free: A Mother's Guide to the Simple and Frugal Life (May)
9. Vintage: A Novel (May)
10. Summer of the Midnight Sun (Alaskan Quest #1) (May)
11. Under the Northern Lights (Alaskan Quest #2) (June)
12. Whispers of Winter (Alaskan Quest #3) (June)
13. Potty Training: The Potty Book Expert Guide (June)

May Reading Update

During May, I completed three books.

~The first book was a free Kindle book Lies That Make You Pay & Truths That Set You Free: A Mother's Guide to the Simple and Frugal Life by Rachel Norman.

Norman has some good points in her book, such as "We should start cultivating an attitude that doesn't let other people's business dictate our own."

"Simplicity is not getting rid of things you use, but getting rid of the things you don't." I completely agree with this statement. I've been packing up boxes and boxes of things we don't use. Clothes that are stained, puzzles with missing pieces, pieces of fabric, sewing notions and stuffed animals are just a few of the items that we don't use in our household.

A few more statements from Norman's writing that caught my eye:
"One of the biggest struggles living on less and the process of becoming frugal is to tame our wants."
"It's about knowing what's important, working toward our goals, and being willing to toss aside the things that slow us down."

I rate this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

~The second book I read this month was Vintage: A Novel by Susan Gloss. Vintage is Gloss' first novel "centered around a Midwestern vintage clothing shop and and a group of women who eventually transform the store and each others' lives."

"At Hourglass Vintage in Madison, Wisconsin, every item in the boutique has a story to tell . . . and so do the women who are drawn there."

I was so intrigued with this book that about a quarter of the way through I had to look up the author to see what else she wrote so that I could get it on my to-read list. I was a little let down that Vintage was Gloss' first novel, because I was looking forward to reading more books from her.

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

~The third book I read this month was Summer of the Midnight Sun (Alaskan Quest #1) by Tracie Peterson. The Alaskan Quest series is the sequel to the Yukon Quest Series that I completed in February.  "Leah and her brother, Jacob, are happily living in the Alaskan Territory. Confronted by an old flame, Leah realizes her feelings never went away and she is whisked away on an unforgettable journey."

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

*On my to-read shelf: Under the Northern Lights by Tracie Peterson, Whispers of Winter by Tracie Peterson, three souls by Janie Chang, and Hands Free Mama by Rachel Stafford.

2014 Reading List
1. Rivers of Gold (February)
2. Shadowed by Grace: A Story of the Monuments Men (February)
3. One Farm Woman (March)
4. Inspiration to Pay Off Debt (March)
5. Canteen Dreams (April)
6. Sandhill Dreams (April)
7. Captive Dreams (April)
8. Lies That Make You Pay & Truths That Set You Free: A Mother's Guide to the Simple and Frugal Life (May)
9. Vintage: A Novel (May)
10. Summer of the Midnight Sun (Alaskan Quest #1) (May)

April Reading Update

I managed to read 3 books during the month of April.

I read these 3 short reads by Cara Putman. If you're a speedy reader, you can probably get them finished in a day or two. If you have to read in bits and pieces, like me, then it will take more time.

I loved reading this trilogy. All three books are based in America during World War II. Putman's books introduced me to the war on the homefront in America. I did not realize there were German prison camps in the U.S., much less Nebraska.  Putman was able to hold my attention with her characters and story plot.

Five out of 5 stars for me for all 3 books.

 

 

2014 Reading List
1. Rivers of Gold (February)
2. Shadowed by Grace: A Story of the Monuments Men (February)
3. One Farm Woman (March)
4. Inspiration to Pay Off Debt (March)
5. Canteen Dreams (April)
6. Sandhill Dreams (April)
7. Captive Dreams (April)

March Reading Update

This month I completed two books.

~The first book I read was One Farm Woman: My Life Shared with Sheep, Pigs, Chickens, Goats, and a Fine Fiddle. Jenna is the author, and also blogs at Cold Antler Farm. I loved reading her story, and her struggles.

My favorite words from Jenna: "And I strongly believe that loving this lifestyle-whether it's a goat in your Seattle backyard or 40 acres in the Virginia backwoods-is the only way to be successful. And by successful, I mean living a life that makes you happy, surrounds you with good meals, and builds community and a sense of place. If you are truly in love with the idea of producing your own food and caring for your own livestock, then it will happen because it simply must." 

It is Joe and I's dream to own a piece of land raising chickens, turkeys, bees, dairy goats, cattle, and a couple of pigs. Jenna's words come straight out of our heart. "You won't be content until then; you'll give up what you have to give up. You'll take the leaps and risks that you need to take, and you'll sweat and work until you can't see straight or feel your hands through the calluses."

"You'll do it because it sustains you. You'll do it because the lack of it will eat you up."

Although Jenna doesn't bring anything profound to the table of this book, there is something about her straightforward simplicity that drew me in.

Four out of five stars from me.

~The second book I read this month was a free Kindle book I had purchased several months ago. Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free by Cherie Lowe. This book is a daily book of encouragement to pay off your debt. Joe and I are not battling a huge financial debt and that includes our mortgage, but I still love to read different financial books to get a different perspective from others, to see if I'm missing some new tips, etc.  Some authors, like Lowe, don't consider a mortgage a financial debt. I do; to me any debt owed, whether it's a mortgage, student loan, or whatever, is a just that-a debt. Lowe necessarily didn't provide new strategies to pay off debt, but it was more of an inspiration or motivational word of encouragement to getting out of debt no matter where you are in your journey. The book was a very easy, straightforward read.

Three out of five stars from me.

~One of my on-the-shelf books to read-Ditch the Joneses, Discover Your Family: How to Thrive on Less Than Two Incomes, has been read. I picked it up to find my last reading spot, and realized that I did finish that book.  I would recommend that book to new parents, or families considering eliminating two incomes and not for someone already living on one income.

2014 Reading List
1. Rivers of Gold (February)
2. Shadowed by Grace: A Story of the Monuments Men (February)
3. One Farm Woman (March)
4. Inspiration to Pay Off Debt (March)

February Books

Despite my large, overflowing to-do list, I managed to read two books this month.  Technically, I finished two books.  I had started Rivers of Gold by Tracie Peterson in December.

Rivers of Gold is the third book in Tracie's Yukon Quest series. I had read the first two books from the series last year in October and November, and wanted to finish reading the series. I love how the author writes about the harshness of the frontier life in the Yukon.  I could not imagine living life back then. 

Shadowed by Grace: A Story of Monuments Men by Cara Putman: This book was chosen as our book club selection for February's discussion.  Cara is one of our member's sister-in-laws. How neat is that?!! I loved this book. The story was inspired by the Monuments Men of World War II. In a desperate attempt to save her mother, Rachael,  a photojournalist, travels to Italy to capture images on the front line. Now, I have to read Monuments Men before the movie comes out.

New books on my shelf for March:

One-Farm Woman: My Life Shared with Sheep, Pigs, Chickens, Goats, and a Fine Fiddle: This is a book I grabbed from the library that looked interesting.

Chickens in the Road: An Adventure in Ordinary Splendor : Another book I picked up at the library that I would like to start and finish this month.

Ditch the Joneses, Discover Your Family: How to Thrive on Less than Two Incomes!: I've had this book started for awhile but haven't finished it. I should be able to finish this in a couple of days or less.

The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices: I've also started this book. I'm about a quarter of the way through. I'd like to finish reading this one this month also.

*It's not uncommon for me to have 3-4 books going at the same time. 

2014 Reading List

1. Rivers of Gold (February)
2. Shadowed by Grace: A Story of the Monuments Men (February)


*disclaimer: The links to the books are amazon affiliate links. Thanks!