What’s on Your Nightstand?

It’s been a decent month for reading and an excellent month for reviewing. I can’t remember a time when I’ve reviewed such a large proportion of the books on my Nightstand post. I’m going to blame my new scheduling/to-do system, which starts to make me think I’m getting a hang on this stay-at-home-helpmate/housewife/mothering gig. (Knock on wood :-P)

Fiction read this month:

• The Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson
  Some kids from church recommended the author to me – and, while this book wasn’t spectacular, it was a clean fun adventure. Read my full review here.
• The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan
  Newly minted Ranger Will is off to his first assignment – but he quickly needs to switch gears (and clothes!) His new mission is to find out all he can about the alleged sorcerer in a northern fief – while disguised as a jongleur. This book drew me in quickly, as all of the Ranger’s Apprentice series have. Unfortunately, it ended on a cliff-hanger when my library wasn’t open for me to get the next book!
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
  An absolutely delightful little book, complete with the author’s original illustrations. This was Amy’s pick for the Reading to Know Classics Bookclub this month – I’m looking forward to discussing it in the upcoming week.
• 4 picture books author last name BROWN
• 5 board books by various authors

Nonfiction read this month:

Books about Pregnancy, Birth, and Childrearing:

• Vaginal Birth after Cesarean by Elizabeth Kaufmann
  Unhelpful. The author has a chip on her shoulder regarding her own VBAC, which she agreed to reluctantly and was not pleased with. But even beyond that, the circumstances against which the author rages no longer exist in our current medical system. Read my full review here.
• Bouncing Back after Your Pregnancy by Glade Curtis and Judith Schuler
  I wish I could recommend this, as it is the best laid out of all the post-pregnancy books I’ve read. Unfortunately, it’s filled with misinformation. Read my full review here.
• Sleep: The Brazelton Way by T. Berry Brazelton and Joshua D. Sparrow
  Gives a general idea of baby and child sleep patterns and specific advice for a variety of sleep issues. I wouldn’t recommend trying to follow Brazelton’s advice to a T, but it could be helpful as a collection of tips. You can read my full review here.
• Getting Your Child to Sleep…and Back to Sleep by Vicki Lansky
  Lots of potential tips, but be aware that the author has a definite “children need to cry to learn to self-soothe” bent. Also, the first chapter is an absolute modge podge (including advice to “set your TV for Sesame Street that a small child can turn on alone” as a solution to waking up early) deceptively titled “Newborn Sleep Patterns”.
• Didn’t I feed You Yesterday? by Laura Bennett
  Former “Project Runway” contestant writes about raising 6 children in New York City. She doesn’t give advice (and if she did, you wouldn’t want it – she’s admirable in not being a helicopter mom, not worth emulating because, well, she doesn’t make any effort to train her kids at all.) But it is a very funny book if you can get past the crudeness. Full review coming soon.

Books about Christmas:

• Christmas in Australia by World Book
  Because it’s starting to feel like Australian Christmas in Kansas :-)
• American Country Christmas by Mary Ellisor Emmerling
  Lots of pictures of country-style decorating accompanied by bits of old-fashioned poetry about Christmas. Fun to peruse, wouldn’t want to own.

Other nonfiction:

• Nesting: It’s a Chick Thing by Ame Mahler Beanland & Emily Miles Terry
  Homemaking anecdotes and ideas from a variety of women – with a particular emphasis on female friendships. I didn’t particularly like it, probably because I don’t have that kind of female friendships at present. Read my full review here.
• Horrible History: France by Terry Deary
  A collection of gruesome trivia from France’s history through the eighteenth century. I think a preteen boy would probably like this a fair bit, but I had some reservations about using it as part of a history curriculum. Read my full review here.

Abandoned:

• The Hole We’re In by Gabrielle Zevin
  I enjoyed The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, so I thought I’d pick up the other adult novel my library had by Zevin. But I abandoned it after 70 pages (per Nancy Pearl’s guidelines in Book Lust :-) and my own “Read Every Book in my local library” rules). Those 70 pages started with a man making a major decision for his family (with significant cost to his wife) without even talking with his wife. Then he kept secrets from his wife, who in turn keeps secrets from her husband. Surprisingly (NOT!), there’s an affair before page 70. The couple’s children add to the hidden drama – the high schooler is secretly dating a black kid, even though she knows her parents wouldn’t approve. The older daughter is planning her wedding despite secretly hating her fiancee. Oh, and did I mention that this family is made up of “conservative Christians”? Yeah, it was definitely worth quitting.
• Quick Food: Gourmet Recipes in Just 30 minutes by Jenny Fanshaw and Annette Forrest
  I flagged a dozen or so recipes (out of more than 300) but only ended up making one, which was so-so. The food was just a little too frou-frou for everyday eating (even if it’s quick to make.)

Reviewed from last month’s nightstand:
I don’t usually go backwards – but I had several books that I read last month but hadn’t reviewed or written up notes on as of the last Nightstand post

• Christy by Catherine Marshall
• Cut, Stapled, and Mended by Roanna Rosewood
• Pioneer Girl by Laura Ingalls Wilder

At the beginning of the year, I set up some forward-dated library holds for the books on the Reading to Know Classics book club list. Come the middle of the month, a little after the request comes active, I get a notice that such-and-such a book is on hold for me now. This month, I hadn’t received a notice as of Sunday and started to get worried that I wouldn’t get my book in time. I began to contemplate actually going to Carrie’s blog and figuring out which book I needed to get so I could get it by another route – and then I remembered. Next month is July – which means WE’RE GOING TO NARNIA! (And also means I have no need to go to the library to get a copy – I have at least two copies of the series here at home.) If you haven’t already made plans for July (and even if you have), may I suggest that you visit Narnia as well?

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

It’s been another very long month, made up of very short periods of sleep (Although – Tirzah Mae slept a 6 hour stretch last night, at least double as long as she’s slept since Easter. Praise God!) So this is another skeleton post.

Fiction read this month:

• The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer
  A little hard to get into at first, but I ended up liking this Regency romance quite well.
• The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
  Read (for the third time) with my real-life bookclub.
• Christy by Catherine Marshall
  Read with the Reading to Know Classics Bookclub.
• 3 board books by Sandra Boynton

Nonfiction read this month:

Books about health:

• Lose that Baby Fat! by La Reine Chabut
  A month-by-month selection of exercises for the post-pregnancy year. The exercises are generally good if you already have the equipment (or were already intending to get it). You have to be proactive about setting up your own schedule and making sure you don’t lose gains you’ve made during previous months working on different body parts. See my full review for more information.
• Drop Dead Healthy by A.J. Jacobs
  The author of The Year of Living Biblically and The Know-It All embarks on another giant project – this time, to be the healthiest man alive. Jacobs makes a ginormous list of possibly healthy practices and works his way through them in an entertaining couple of years. As a project memoir (which is what it is), this is fun – as health journalism, this is pretty poor. Since I enjoy project memoirs, I enjoyed this – but since I generally have a hard time with health journalism that tries, I had an even harder time with Jacobs’ lack of even trying to learn whether the health practices he was partaking in were actually legit.

Other nonfiction:

• The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen
  Interesting to compare and contrast with the 70s-style “back to the land” tomes I read as a teen.
• And Baby Makes Three by John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman
  Developing the skills to preserve your marriage as your couple becomes a family. The bulk of the book is on managing conflict well – and it has lots of good recommendations (even couple activities to help you practice good communication and effective argument). Even as I agreed with the value of the things the authors mentioned, I didn’t learn a lot – Daniel and I have been blessed with good communication in our marriage and we naturally (or perhaps I should say more accurately, by the grace of God) do many of the things that make for constructive conflict (instead of marriage-breaking conflict.) The addition of Tirzah Mae has certainly affected our marriage and made time and energy more precious – but it hasn’t brought up all sorts of conflict that drives us apart. Even while I didn’t personally find this useful, I do think it has lots of wisdom for those couples who struggle with constructive conflict (and since most every couple I’ve talked to has mentioned how strange it is that Daniel and I still haven’t fought, I’m guessing we’re in the minority here.) ***Also, please be aware: just because Daniel and I don’t fight and have constructive conflict when we do disagree, this does NOT mean that we’re perfect – by no means. Our struggles are just different than many couples’, not necessarily less than others.***
• 97 Things to Do Before You Finish High School by Stephen Jenkins
  If it weren’t for the few items encouraging kids to dabble in the occult, this would be a decent list for any high schooler. Like many books targeted at high schoolers, though, this suffers from an overwhelming supply of already-dated cultural references (a lot changes in 8 years if you’re talking social media sites, cool music, and fashion trends.)
• Create an Oasis with Greywater by Art Ludwig
  The definitive book on greywater systems – read my notes here.
• Cut, Stapled, and Mended by Roanna Rosewood
  A birth memoir about VBAC. An interesting story, a few good points. A lot of raunch and pagan spirituality. I won’t be recommending it.
• Prairie Girl by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  I absolutely devoured this.
• A Builder’s Guide to Wells and Septic Systems by R. Dodge Woodson
  Understandably focused on builders, this book gives a basic overview of systems and how to reduce costs while ensuring quality work. Disappointing lack of information about advanced septic systems such as the one we’ll be installing.

Now that the mobile home is empty and Tirzah Mae is (maybe) starting to sleep again, I have high hopes for reviewing many of these in greater depth. For now, I’d encourage you to check out the review I hadn’t posted as of my last nightstand: Stephanie Fast’s She is Mine. It was a tremendously compelling read – and I think you should read it.

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

Tirzah Mae’s routine (and mine by extension) is still recovering from our weeklong trip to Lincoln last month, which has meant that I’ve got a fair bit of reading and pretty much nothing else done this month.

Fiction read this month:

• Longbourn by Jo Baker
  A tale of the domestic help at Longbourn, home of the Bennets (of Pride and Prejudice fame). I would have loved to have recommended this book, with it’s intriguing premise and generally engaging story (after the first few chapters). Unfortunately, the lewd language, sexual immorality, and otherwise inappropriate content sprinkled throughout makes me unable to recommend it.
• 1984 by George Orwell
  A fascinating dystopia read with the Reading to Know Classics Bookclub and reviewed here.
• 6 picture books author last name BROWN
• 1 board book by Sandra Boynton

Nonfiction read this month:

Books about building a home:

• The Complete Guide to Building Your Home for Less by Michael Conroy
• What not to Build by Sandra Edelman, Judy Gaman, and Robby Reid
• Old-House Dictionary by Steven J. Phillips
• 3 House Plan Books

Other nonfiction:

• Annable’s Treasury of Literary Teasers by H.D. Annable
  A volume full of question-and-answer-style literary trivia. I love that the answers to questions were on the very next page (questions on page 1, answers on page 2 so you flipped just one page to get the answers). I hated that I felt like an absolute literary dunce trying to answer the questions.
• I was a Really Good Mom before I had Kids by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile
  A good book about loving motherhood as much as you love your children. I reviewed it in greater detail earlier this month.
• She is Mine by Stephanie Fast
  A gripping autobiography of the child of a Korean woman and an American serviceman, abandoned early in life and forced to fend for herself. I definitely recommend it (and will be reviewing it more fully soon.)
• The Layman’s Bible Commentary: Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi by James H. Gailey, Jr.
  Having had one good experience with The Layman’s Bible Commentary, I keep checking out volume after volume to use in conjunction with my personal Bible reading. Unfortunately, this volume goes on the list with others as one in which the author undermines the inspiration of Scripture by presuming all sorts of cobbled together edits of Scripture to produce the finished work, despite the clear reading of the text indicating that, well, these are the words of a specific prophet. Disappointing.
• Merry Christmas, America! by Bruce Littlefield
  Photos of extravagent Christmas light displays across America – along with stories from the people who create the displays (mostly private homeowners.) A lot of the displays are too gaudy for my taste, but they’re always interesting, as are the stories behind them.
• Kansas Impressions by Steve Mulligan and Michael Snell
  As a lifelong resident of the Great Plains, I’ve always despised those who dismiss Nebraska or Kansas with a “nothing to see here, move along.” We may not have mountains or oceans, but the plains have their own gentle beauty (perhaps this is one of the reasons why I love Laura Ingalls Wilder’s lovely stories of pioneering in the plains?) Kansas Impressions is a book packed full of beautiful Kansas scenes. If you’ve been inclined to disparage your own state (if you’re a Kansan) or to roll your eyes and not even bother to look for a stop as you drive through Kansas, you should take a look at this book – and see Kansas through new eyes.
• The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers by Jack Newman and Teresa Pitman
  Newman is one of the foremost experts in breastfeeding medicine – and I love the way he lets his voice come out in this informative and practical book. It won’t be for everyone, but I did write up some comments on one passage here (regarding whether breastfeeding should be considered the norm or the ideal “best”.)
• Quick, Cheap Comfort Food by Victoria Shearer
  Over-reliance on convenience items (especially seasoning packets) meant there were only a half dozen or so recipes I found interesting. I tried a couple, which weren’t bad. Skippable.
• The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
  Read with last month’s Reading to Know Classics Bookclub, it took me forever to get my review up.

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

Reading through my list here in preparation for publishing, I see that I read quite a bit more this month than I had realized. Yay!

Fiction read this month:

• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
  I read Heather’s pick for last month’s Reading to Know Classics Bookclub and wrote some reflections on what “the heart of darkness” refers to.
• The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer
  I continue to enjoy Heyer’s books – they’re one of my favorite escape-novels. In this one, I rather fell in love with the ideal Miss Trent (and wrote about it, of course!)
• The Battle for Skandia by John Flanagan
  I continue to very much enjoy the Ranger’s Apprentice series. This one goes to new heights of excitement when Will and company are called upon to assist the Skandians (Scandinavians) in fighting off the Temujai (the Mongol horde).
• The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
  I read this with my in real life book club and look forward to discussing it this Thursday. This is a readers novel, full of references to other works – although I didn’t notice the parallels with George Eliot’s Silas Marneruntil my husband, who is reading it on my recommendation, pointed it out. Read my full review here.
• Tom Thumb: Grimms’ Tales retold by Eric Carle
  Very nice retellings of four of Grimms’ Tales, accompanied by Carle’s characteristic illustrations. I borrowed this from the library, but I’d like to own a copy.
• The Barefoot Book of Mother and Son Tales retold by Josephine Evetts-Secker
  An interesting collection of folk tales from around the world. I was a bit disappointed with how the author retells the Grimm Brothers’ “Hans in Luck” (mainly, leaving out the very last few lines about how the boy recounted his great luck to his mother) and I didn’t at all like how the story of Moses was told (as a tall-tale with extrabiblical and anti-biblical details.) But most of the ten stories were entertaining.
• 5 picture books author last name BROKAMP to BROWN
• 4 board books by Sandra Boynton
  I like her. I like her a lot.

Nonfiction read this month:

Books about Parenting:

• Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
  Our library (Wichita’s Central library) has an abismal collection of audiobooks, and Jim Gaffigan’s Dad is Fat was one of the three that caught my eye before we left to visit our family in Lincoln. It was the one of the three that Daniel was interested in, so we listened to it on our way up (and down). In general, I enjoy Gaffigan’s humor and enjoyed listening to this book, although I’d heard many of the anecdotes already from watching him on YouTube. Gaffigan is widely considered to be “family-friendly” (something he makes fun of), but this book did include a few expletives.
• The Wonder Weeks by Hetty van de Rigt and Frans Plooij
  Discusses how infants and toddlers go through predictable patterns of fussiness associated with leaps in mental development – and how parents can assist their children through these leaps. I found this massively helpful – it kept me focused on development instead of frustration when Tirzah Mae went through her first three “wonder weeks” (at 5, 8, and 12 weeks corrected for prematurity – so 13, 16, and 20 for her.)
• Retro Baby by Anne Zachary
  Written by an occupational therapist, this book is all about gear-free ways to play with your infant – along with literally hundreds of reminders to only put a child to sleep on her back in a crib, to give her plenty of supervised tummy time, and to avoid putting baby in a container (swing, bouncy seat, or carrier) for more than a half an hour a day. I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if I’d have started reading it now (when I can actually do some of the activities with Tirzah Mae) versus three months ago (when only the aforementioned warnings were really pertinent due to her stage of development.) Very nice activity ideas, pertinent warnings – but probably unrealistic (For example – sometimes I place Tirzah Mae on her tummy unsupervised while I fold laundry. If she falls asleep in her swing, I’m not going to wake her up to move her to the bassinet. And if making dinner takes longer than 30 minutes? She’s going to spend more than 30 minutes in her bouncy seat. Also, yep, we’ve done the cosleeping thing.)

Books about Houses:

• Tips and Traps When Building Your Home by Robert Irwin
  Helpful look at the process of building your own home – along with tips for getting things done right and warnings to avoid doing things wrong :-)
• 500 Bungalows by Douglas Keister
  It almost feels wrong to list this among the books I’ve read – because, apart from the introduction, it contains only photographs and locations. The entire book consists of photographs of bungalows from around the country. Quite a few were from my hometown, Lincoln Nebraska – and I found it interesting that I tended to like those houses more than the ones from, say, California (the southern houses generally have flatter roofs, since they don’t need to deal with heavy snow loads – and I’m just not a fan.)

Other nonfiction:

• Christmas in Canada and
  Christmas in France by World Book
  Who says you can only read about Christmas in December?
• The VBAC Companion by Diane Korte
  I am reading all I can, hoping to have a successful VBAC the next time around. This was a good resources – and one I’d definitely recommend to others, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations (mostly because I already have a very supportive OB and midwife and don’t really need help finding ones.) Read my full review here.

Currently reading:

• I was a Really Good Mom before I had Kids by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Noble
  A little different than what I expected – but overall a pretty good book along the lines of getting rid of mommy guilt and having reasonable expectations in mothering. I recommended it to my sister-in-law (who’s much more in the throughs of mothering than I, with a three year old, a two year old and one on the way!).
• Sleep: The Brazelton Way by T. Berry Brazelton and Joshua D. Sparrow
  Because Tirzah Mae is 5 months old (3 once corrected) and it’s time to start being intentional about sleep.
• Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessic Thompson
  Reading and discussing with my sister-in-law. At the end of the first section, I think some of the examples are on the sermonizing side – but I agree completely with the need to fall upon God’s grace in parenting, not on our wonderful parenting techniques. If there’s one thing I’ve learned so far, it’s that it’s only by God’s grace that our children will ever be “good” (or that we’ll ever be “good parents”.)
• Vaginal Birth After Cesarean: The Smart Woman’s Guide to VBAC by Elizabeth Kaufmann
  One chapter in, it’s already obvious this author has a chip on her shoulder and is NOT pro-VBAC.
• The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers by Jack Newman and Teresa Pitman
  Newman is one of the foremost experts in breastfeeding medicine – and I love the way he lets his voice come out in this informative and practical book. It won’t be for everyone, but I did write up some comments on one passage here (regarding whether breastfeeding should be considered the norm or the ideal “best”.)
• The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
  Reading for this month’s Reading to Know book club – I agree with Barbara’s liking AND Carrie’s disliking. (Oh my!) Will write more when finished.

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

We visited our parents over this past weekend – and while traveling is always exhausting, this particular visit seemed even more so (likely because Tirzah Mae seems to have gotten day and night confused again – or, more accurately, has decided to apply her daytime habit of eating every 1-2 hours to nighttime as well.) We spent yesterday breastfeeding (she literally spent no more than a 15 minute segment away from the breast until Daniel arrived home from work) – and thus NOT writing a Nightstand post. Ah, c’est la vie.

Fiction read this month:

• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  A terribly gripping fantastical steam-powered novel. It drew me in and kept me through Tirzah Mae’s first round of lots-of-shots. Title is linked to my review.
• Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  Growing up, this was probably one of my favorite books in the series – probably because of the ever-present food. I’ve been reading with Barbara’s Laura Ingalls Wilder Reading Challenge and cooking Farmer Boy inspired meals. Yum! I also wrote some reflections from the chapter on springtime
• 11 picture books author last name BRETT-BROMLEY

Nonfiction read this month:

• The American Bar Association Guide to Wills and Estates
  When Tirzah Mae arrived early, we suddenly realized all sorts of things we hadn’t gotten in order before she was born – stuff like, what happens to her if we were to have some sort of unfortunate accident? I checked a couple dozen books on estate planning out of the library, but The American Bar Association Guide to Wills and Estates was the one that I ended up reading cover to cover (with the exception of a few clearly nonapplicable chapters.) This book does a great job of guiding the reader through wills, trusts, and other forms of inheritance – including planning for any number of “what ifs”. I definitely recommend this as a resource for those who are beginning the process of writing or updating their will.
• Urban Farming an “At*Issue” book
  Supposed to be multiple perspectives on this fascinating topic – turned out to be an extended infomercial for urban farming. Title is linked to my review.
• The Mechanical Baby by Daniel Beekman
  A history of childrearing practices from the middle ages through the 1970s (when the book was written. Fascinating.
• The Post-Pregnancy Handbook by Sylvia Brown and Mary Dowd Struck
  Theoretically, a great idea for a book. Very poor execution makes me unable to recommend it. Title is linked to my review.
• Budget Dinners by Good Housekeeping
  This book announces that it “includes delicious meals under $10” – I’m not sure how well it succeeds at keeping costs below $10, since I didn’t really count up the cost and I generally am a relatively frugal cook anyway. But it delivered on deliciousness. I flagged over a dozen of the 100 recipes as ones to try and tried at least a half dozen. Of the recipes we tried, there were a couple we didn’t prefer (as much because I misestimated Daniel’s preferences as anything), but most were very good and worth adding to our repertoire. This is an excellent book with full color photos and easy-to-prepare meals. I recommend it.

On the docket for next month:

• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
  Because it’s still not too late to read it for the February Reading to Know Classics Bookclub.
• The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
  For the March Reading to Know Classics Bookclub.
• The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
  for my in-real-life bookclub

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

One of the nice things about breastfeeding is that it enforces sit down times throughout the day. It generally leaves with just one free hand – which means breastfeeding time is reading time (but not usually blogging time.) It’s nice that, even though I feel dreadfully behind around the house, I still get my reading in :-)

• The Icebound Land by John Flanagan
  Book 3 in the Ranger’s Apprentice Series – I’m continuing to really enjoy these, although I wonder if they’re going to start getting weightier. I noticed one “damn” in this one and drug addiction plays a significant role in the plot – I’m hoping I haven’t led Davene astray in encouraging her son Josiah to read this series.
• On a Whim by Robin Jones Gunn
  The second “Katie Weldon” book. She’s now officially dating Rick Doyle – and is working at acting normal around his roommate Eli. This is what I’ve come to expect from Gunn – a relatively realistic view of college life at a Christian college with strong Christian iron-sharpens-iron friendships.
• Deceived by Irene Hannon
  A woman hires a private investigator to track down the boy she saw at a mall who looks like (and talks like) her dead son. Christian romantic crime-drama a la Dee Henderson. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
  I always love returning to Avonlea – and Carrie’s L.M. Montgomery reading challenge gives me a chance to do so each year!
• 17 children’s picture books author BOU to BRIDWELL

Books about houses:

• Sears, Roebuck Home Builder’s Catalog: The Complete Illustrated 1910 Edition
  An old-style dreambook.
• House Styles at a Glance by Maurie Van Buren
  What are the primary characteristics of a Queen Anne style house? How about a Tudor or a craftsman bungalow? House Styles at a Glance can help you out, with illustrations for each type of house that point out key characteristics. This was a fascinating book.

Books about preemies:

• The Preemie Primer by Jennifer Gunter
  An OB-GYN and mother of premature triplets, one of whom died shortly after birth, Jennifer Gunter describes the complications associated with prematurity comprehensively, taking a system by system approach (lungs, heart, brain, etc.) She also shares her own heartbreaking story of difficulties. This is a good overall review of both the hospital and post-hospital experience of having a preemie, slanted towards ongoing complications (since the author’s children experienced ongoing difficulties past age 3, when most preemies are considered to have caught up to their peers with no further “correction” needed.) I found certain parts of this book difficult as the author is clearly not pro-life and discusses selective reduction (aka abortion of one or more babies in a multiple pregnancy) and avoiding heroic measures from that standpoint (for the record, I have some definite opinions about avoiding heroic measures when there is nothing to be gained by doing so – but I come at it from a decidedly pro-life stance.)
• The Preemie Parents’ Companion by Susan L. Madden
  Written by the mother of a preemie, this book gives a good overview of the hospitalization period, but it’s strongest point is describing what’s normal for a preemie once he comes home. Parents are often told to treat their child like a normal newborn once they leave the hospital (after being educated to correct for gestational age) – but preemies aren’t exactly normal newborns. Madden carefully describes the unique characteristics of preemies during the first couple years of life while they’re still “catching up” to their peers.

Other books:

• Lookimg for Anne of Green Gables by Irene Gammel
  An exploration of the autobiographical and literary influences that led to Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne. Part biography, part comparative literature, this was a well-researched but still relatively speculative book. I enjoyed most of it, although Gammel’s fascination with human sexuality and speculation regarding Maud and her compatriots sexuality was less than pleasurable. I read this as part of Carrie’s L.M. Montgomery reading challenge.
• The Food Police by Jayson Lusk
  Lusk, an agricultural economist, makes a case for keeping the government out of food – contrary to the wishes of the modern “food police”. Lusk discusses the economics of organic foods, agribusiness, fat taxes, and the “local food” movement. I greatly enjoyed this book – and while I have some differences with Lusk regarding what is desirable in terms of human behavior, I agree with him regarding what is desirable in terms of food policy. My biggest disappointment with this book is that, instead of taking the measured tone of a scholar, Lusk takes the more strident tone of a pundit, thus likely reducing the appeal of his message to the nonconverts.

On the docket for next month:

• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
  For the Reading to Know Classics Bookclub.
• Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  For Barbara’s Laura Ingalls Wilder Reading Challenge.
• Books about babies
• Books about building a home
• Children’s picture books author BRI – ?

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

Last month, I sat in a hospital room typing up my Nightstand post, trying to hold off my baby’s delivery as long as possible. This month, I eagerly await news that I can return to a postpartum hospital room, room in with my daughter and BRING HER HOME.

It’s been an eventful month, full of traveling back and forth from home to hospital and pumping endless gallons of breastmilk (nope, not exaggerating, you should see my deep freeze). It has not been a particularly reading-rich month, since I’ve been rather busy with Tirzah Mae. But, there are still books on my Nightstand – can a fish live without water?

This month, I read:

• The Essential C-Section Guide by Maureen Connolly and Dana Sullivan
  Since about 30% of American births take place via c-section, the authors attempt to fill a gap in prenatal education, teaching women what to expect before and after a c-section. Reading this, I was a) frustrated that the c-section rate is as high as it is (much of it due to repeat c-sections without other indications) and b) thankful that I didn’t have a c-section – except that, oh wait, I did. The authors seem to go out of their way to try to present a c-section as a normal and appropriate birthing experience (though they stop just short of encouraging the completely elective c-sections that are normative in some South American countries). Meanwhile, the typical side effects/after effects of a c-section that the authors describe are so truly horrific that this reader is convinced (if she wasn’t already) that VBAC is the way to go (I was blessed to NOT experience anything particularly awful after my section – but why risk those side effects if you can avoid them entirely?) I really want to review this book more fully, but don’t know if I will, since, well – I am recovering from my c-section and taking care of my preemie, which doesn’t exactly leave a lot of room for other things.
• 1628 Country Shortcuts from 1628 Country People by editors of Country and Country Woman magazines
  “Who knew” type tips from before Pinterest.
• Christmas in Williamsburg by Taylor Biggs Lewis, Jr. and Joanne B. Young
  Lots of pictures of Colonial Williamsburg dressed up for Christmas. A fun review from our trip.
• Preemies by Dana Wechsler Linden, Emma Trenti Paroli, and Mia Wechsler Doron M.D.
  A great comprehensive look at the questions and concerns parents have while their preemies are in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Read my full review.
• Christmas Customs around the World by Herbert H. Wernecke
  Many of the customs described in this little book, published in 1959, are depicted elsewhere with equal or greater artistry – the real strength of this particular volume compared to others is the missionary vignettes shared throughout. While I can’t find the passage that gave me the impression, it seems that the author was involved with some Presbyterian missions agency, and he shares a variety of missionary’s depictions of how their community (often a mission school or orphanage) celebrates Christmas in Africa or Asia.

On the docket for next month:

• Books about preemies/childcare
  ‘Cause we have a daughter who needs to be cared for
• Books about estate planning
  ‘Cause we have a daughter who needs to be cared for
• Books about postpartum body stuff
  ‘Cause there are special rules for recovering from a c-section and I didn’t study up in advance because I didn’t expect to need it.
• Books about building houses
  ‘Cause we’ll need to be thinking about the process of putting a house on our land.
• Books about gardening/homesteading
  ‘Cause I’m dreaming of what else we can put on our land.

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

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!

It was another good month for reading for me – still lots of baby stuff, but some other stuff sprinkled in (which feels quite nice!)

This month, I read:

• BabyFacts by Andrew Adesman
  A collection of myths and old wives’ tales about the baby years – and the truth to correct the misconceptions. This was a fun and informative book. (Which means that I didn’t have any major quibbles with the nutrition section, so I’m assuming the author actually knows what he’s talking about!)
• The New Natural Pregnancy by Janet Balaskas
  Absolutely laughable introduction to alternative therapies during pregnancy. I especially loved the warning to not take the highest dilution homeopathic remedies without a prescription from a homeopath. You never know what kind of harm a very small dose of water can cause (because statistically speaking, a 10M potency homeopathic remedy is not going to contain even one molecule of the “active” ingredient.)
• On Becoming Birthwise by Anne Marie Ezzo and a whole spate of others
  I have difficulty conceptualizing a less helpful book for the expectant woman. This title presumes to help a woman understand God’s design for birth – but instead jumps from topic to topic with the barest of introductions to the birth process itself and how to cope with that process. The authors introduce the reader to various prenatal tests and procedures, but barely discuss risks and benefits of each. They introduce the reader to techniques for managing pain in childbirth, but don’t give enough information for the woman to successfully implement any of them. And they give some truly terrible breastfeeding advice. (Be prepared for breastfeeding rants after the baby comes and I start reviewing titles like Ezzo’s On Becoming Babywise.)
• Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan
  An absolutely delightful YA fantasy coming-of-age story. It’s clean, it’s engaging, and it’s well…see my full review for more.
• Grace-based Parenting by Tim Kimmel
  I enjoyed reading and discussing this with my sister-in-law. It had some very good points regarding how parents can parent well – but it generally failed to show grace to imperfect parents, instead assuming that parents must be perfect reflections of God’s grace in order for their children to turn out well. See my full review.
• Your Amazing Newborn by Marshall Klaus
  A look at some of the wonderful skills infants are born with or develop shortly after birth. Briefly discusses the six infant states, but not in a very helpful way, in my opinion. Someday I’ll have to discuss infant states on my blog – maybe once I can accompany the states with photo or video of Little Garcia in each of the states.
• The Official Lamaze Guide by Judith Lothian and Charlotte DeVries
  A wonderful overview of labor and delivery, with an evidence-based look at interventions and options in childbirth as well as best-practices for natural childbirth. Gone are the days when Lamaze means patterned breathing (thank goodness!) This book is strong from an academic standpoint (although still plenty readable for the layperson), not quite as strong on teaching alternate (non-interventionist) strategies for labor and delivery. For example, it discusses the evidence-based benefits of movement during labor and of positions that let gravity work with you – but doesn’t describe good labor movements or positions in much detail. Likewise, it goes through a list of normal comfort/relaxation strategies, but doesn’t have exercises to walk you through guided relaxation or labor massage. Still, a strong reference work for women considering natural childbirth.
• The Budget-Savvy Diva’s Guide to Slashing your Grocery Budget by 50% or more by Sara Lundberg
  Good practical tips for decreasing your grocery budget. I’m an experienced penny-pincher and frugal-grocery shopper and read this as a refresher for when we won’t have my income as cushion. I didn’t learn much, but her advice incorporates all of my favorite tips for keeping a grocery budget under control. For the just-learning-to-be-thrifty, this is a terrific resource.
• Origins: How the nine months before birth shape the rest of our lives by Annie Murphy Paul
  A fascinating layperson’s look at the science of prenatal origins. If you’re interested in science and health and enjoy a journalistic/semi-memoirish style, you’ll enjoy this book. Take a look at my full review for more information.
• Christmas in Spain
  Christmas in Ireland by World Book
  More Christmas obsession coming out.

In Progress:

Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Cline
The next parenting book I’m reading with my sister-in-law. I see lots of value in the authors’ suggestions – and also feel that some of it isn’t as applicable to little-littles as the authors suggest.
• The Complete Organic Pregnancy by Dierdre Dolan
  Because I’m reading every book in my library, not because I’m into organic.
• The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan
  The second book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series – I enjoyed the first well enough that I’m going back for more.
• Creeds of the Church by John Leith
  An introduction to creeds from Biblical times to those written in response to the rise of national socialism in Germany in the 20th century. I’m really looking forward to digging in to this.
• The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
  Almost done with my pick for this month’s Reading to Know Bookclub – we’ll be wrapping up discussion at the end of the month (but it’s a quick enough read that you can still jump in if you want to!)
• Gentle Baby Care by Elizabeth Pantley
  An A-to-Z guide to the baby care questions of the first year (and beyond.) Not surprisingly, given the title, this book is written from an attachment parenting perspective.
• Parenting, Inc. by Pamela Paul
  A look at the products parents are increasingly being sold on. Primarily a sociological-type book, not a prescriptive one.
• 1628 Country Shortcuts from 1628 Country People by Roy Reiman
  “Who Knew”s from the Pre-pinterest era.
• Bestfeeding: Getting Breastfeeding Right for You by Mary Renfrew
  So far, it’s accurate information but poorly copy-edited. The frequent photos throughout are quite helpful.
• The Baby Book by the Drs and Mrs. Sears
  Given to me at a baby shower. I’m not committed to the Attachment Parenting paradigm, but there are certainly some interesting and insightful things in here.
• How to Have a Baby and Still Live in the Real World by Jane Symons
  So far, a very amusing alternative to What to Expect When You’re Expecting. I especially love the vintage illustrations with snarky speech bubbles.
• The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenberg
  We’ve already picked names, but it’s interesting to see what names were fashionable when and what makes for currently fashionable names (we’re trying to avoid fashionable, BTW.)

On the docket for next month:

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

This month’s nightstand is pretty disorganized because… I’m not sure exactly why. But does it really matter? Suffice to say that you’re getting photos of the books I currently have out of the library, but they’re not in any specific order. I’ve started some, browsed others, and haven’t looked at still others. I might read some of them before next month. I might not.

This month, I read:

• The Wonder Years by Tanya Remer Altmann (editor)
  The American Academy of Pediatrics guide to your baby, toddler, and preschooler’s development. Overall, a fascinating book and one I greatly appreciate since I get a lot of moms asking me “is this normal?” (Of course, I only reassure if I know for sure that it is normal – and encourage them to talk to their child’s doctor if they have concerns.) On the other hand, this book could have been copy-edited much better – there were several distracting incidents of subject/verb disagreement that rather drove me nuts. Also, the section on ADHD was laughable. The author declares that there is no objective way to diagnose ADHD but then declares that “it is a biological disorder.” Really? That’s very confidence inspiring. (Not that I don’t think there isn’t any such thing as ADHD, but without some sort of objective criterion and biological mechanism, I find it hard to announce that it is biological. I suppose in some ways, it might be similar to depression, which many state is a biological disorder based on the knowledge that certain drugs can help it – but at least there’s an objective criterion my doctor uses to determine whether I’m experiencing major depression or not before he prescribes my drugs.)
• Behold Williamsburg by Samuel Chamberlain
  Photos and commentary on Colonial Williamsburg from the 1940s. I can’t wait to go and see how things have changed and stayed the same!
• He Who Saw Everything: The Epic of Gilgamesh retold by Anita Feagles
  A children’s version of the tale, published in 1966, this retelling features occasional friezes and occasional folded paper illustrations in the Sumerians style. It’s interesting how the author chooses to tell the particularly lascivious parts of the story story. Makes me wonder how I would retell the story if I ever decide to act on the idea I had to retell some myths (and have my talented sister-in-law illustrate them.)
• Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer
  Another delightful Heyer title – this one with some Gothic overtones. I enjoyed the story of an independent but destitute niece gone off to live with her benevolent but secretive aunt only to discover that something is definitely amiss in the ancient household.
• The Insider’s Guide to Williamsburg and Virginia’s Historic Triangle
  Getting excited for this trip!
• Don’t Throw that Out! A Pennywise Parent’s Guide to Creative Uses for Over 200 Household Items by Vicky Lansky
  As if I needed any encouragement to not discard something potentially reusable. Honestly, there were maybe a handful of decent reuses for stuff that would otherwise be trash – most were “turn on the vacuum to get baby to sleep” kinda stuff. Meh.
• What to Expect when You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff
  Interminably long, generally dry, biased toward medicated birth. There are better general introductions to pregnancy, even if this is the most popular.
• Parenting Magazine’s Baby Must-Haves
  Another groan-inducing volume for inducing parents to buy way too much for their new baby.

Working on:

• The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoeyevsky
  Reading along with the Reading to Know Classics Book Club – and definitely not going to finish anytime this month.
• Grace-Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel
  Almost done reading this and discussing it with my sister-in-law. Lots of thought-provoking material.
• 1628 Country Shortcuts from 1628 Country People by Roy Reiman
  Because I like that sort of thing.

On the docket for next month:

• The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
  I’m hosting September’s Reading to Know classics book club selection – and I’m delighted that we’ll be reading George MacDonald’s The Princess and the Goblin. After so much pregnancy reading (and while I’m working my way through the rest of Brother’s Karamazov), it’ll be nice to relax with a meaningful children’s fantasy. I hope many more of you join me this month at Reading to Know!

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