Nightstand (October 2014)

Hospitalized bedrest for severe pre-eclampsia has understandably disrupted my usual routines – and the monthly Nightstand is no different. It’s not that I’m not reading plenty while on bedrest – that is, in fact, just about all I’m doing regularly – but logging what I’ve read and taking pictures of my piles has decreased significantly in priority.

Currently Reading:

• The Bible: ESV
  There is no consolation in times of trouble like the continued reminder of the faithfulness of God throughout the ages – and no better way to be reminded than through His own record of His doings.
• Great Hymn of the Faith
  For me, hymns are one of the best ways to remind my mind of truth even as it (my mind) wants to go crazy with speculations. I had Daniel bring the hymnal to the hospital room and I’ve been working my way through it two or three hymns at a time, singing each one I know – and delighting in the truth from Hymn 1 “O Worship the KIng” (“In thee do we trust, nor find thee to fail / Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the End / Our maker, defender, redeemer, and friend”) to Hymn 87 “Joy to the World” (“He rules the world with truth and grace / and makes the nations prove / the glories of his righteousness / and wonders of His love”).
• How I know God Answers Prayer by Rosalind GoForth
  Reading along with the Reading to Know bookclub – I’m not sure whether I’ll get it finished and a post written about it, but it has been another encouraging reminder of the faithfulness of God, and one that helped me to focus on God during the couple of weeks leading up to our hospitalization, when I started to realize something was going wrong and started to panic with worst-case scenarios.
• Preemies by by Dana Wechsler Linda, Emma Trenti Paroli, and Mia Wehsler Doron
  I picked this up from the library right after our visit to the midwife gave me serious indication that we would likely NOT be having the normal, natural, term home birth I expected. So far, this has been a nice intro to what we might expect from a NICU stay.
• Keeping Bees and Making Honey by Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum
  Since we just bought a piece of land outside of town, I’m inspired to dream big about all sorts of homesteading possibilities previously less feasible because of our location in the center of town.

This month, I read:

• The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan
  I enjoyed this second title in “The Ranger’s Apprentice” as much as the first. It continues to be an entertaining and clean YA fantasy series – and one that I don’t hesitate to recommend.
• The Foundling by Georgette Heyer
  Heyer never ceases to amuse – and this particular title is one of her stronger ones. The young Duke has been molleycoddled and managed from birth by his guardian and a set of loyal staff. He’d love to be his own man, but is quite too compassionate to his loving jailors to defy their imprisonment. But when his young cousin gets into female troubles, the duke sees a perfect opportunity to “slip the noose” and settle the affair. While his faithful family and servants search for him frantically – and wild rumours fly about London, the duke manages to acquire two young wards, a false identity, a kidnapping, and more than a couple scrapes with the law.
• Parenting, Inc. by Pamela Paul
  A look at how the parenting industry preys on parent’s desire to be perfect (and to raise perfect children) to sell them all sorts of unnecessary items and services. I have the book beside my bed waiting for me to review it fully, but I’m not sure whether I’ll get around to getting that done. For now, I can say that I devoured this book in a short period of time and very much appreciated the author’s perspective.
• Painless Childbirth by Giuditta Tornetta
  The author, having experienced a painless childbirth, attempts to walk the reader through the months of pregnancy to allow her a painless childbirth as well. But I’m willing to have some pain in childbirth to avoid the pain of having to walk through Tornetta’s tortured “spiritual” journey, her exploration of the chakras, her practice of hypnosis, and her pseudo-psychology. I read three chapters, skimmed the rest, and praise God that I don’t have to summon the strength for childbearing from within myself – instead I can rest and rejoice in the eternal, all-powerful God of the Universe who gives strength for childbirth, whether painful or pain-free.
• Under the Tree by Susan Waggoner
  A nostalgic full-color look at children’s toys from the 1930s to the 1970s. While I didn’t personally receive many of these (although some have stood the test of time and were still being given in my childhood), I remember these toys and games fondly from trips to grandparents’ houses and time spent playing across the street at our pastor’s house (with the toys his older children left behind!)
• The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenberg
  A fun baby naming book that gives charts of popularity over the past century.
• Christmas in Ireland
  Christmas in Switzerland
  Christmas in Today’s Germany by World Book
  I do so love Christmas – and learning how different countries “do” Christmas is always enjoyable.

Don’t forget to drop by 5 Minutes 4 Books to see what others are reading this month!