Books read in March

Thank you for your overwhelming nice comments!  I hope people realize I do have to mention we are on a tight budget once in awhile for new people.. just to make sense of what I am writing.

For instance, when I write a Deepening the Pantry post, I like to mention why I can't keep a deep pantry at this time but then write about what I do stock up on when I can (butter and TP make a strange combination, don't they???).  ;)

I'm a little late with the March reading list but here goeth...  all book titles provide a link to Amazon for further information if you click on them.

Extraordinary Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family by Condoleezza Rice

What a wonderful book!  I have been fascinated by Dr. Rice for years now and this book answers so many questions.  It begins with her writing about her grandparents and ends with her father's passing away during the Florida recount.  In between it truly is the story of her parents and how they influenced her to accomplish so much.

You do come to realize in this book how much she did long for marriage and children.

This book will especially encourage homeschool parents and all others who care deeply about education.  It is also a very good read!  I can't wait until she writes the next part of her story.  Highly recommended!

Similar book I love... Gifted Hands by Ben Carson and any of his later books.  Also, the made for TV movie Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story is very good.

While Dr. Rice's family were highly educated to begin with, Dr. Carson's mother was illiterate (although learning to read and gaining a degree later in life) but still able to encourage her boys to great things... one being one of the world's leading pediatric surgeons and the other an excellent engineer.  Both Dr. Carson and Dr. Rice grew up during the events of the civil rights movement.... Rice in the deep South and Carson in inner-city Detroit.

I Saw the Angel in the Marble by Chris & Ellyn Davis

This is one of the books I used Amazon credit to purchase, it has been on my Wish List for ages.  It will soon be sent to Stephanie to enjoy.

So many of us who homeschooled when The Elijah Company was sending out their catalog looked forward to it just for their wonderful articles about homeschooling and raising children.  This book contains many of those articles.  Since the articles were from various catalogs, each chapter is self contained making it easy to pick up and read a little at a time.

Chapter titles include: Searching For the Ancient Paths, Determining Your Child's Real Needs, Choosing Teaching Materials, Knowledge of the Holy, Creating a Learning Environment, Homeschooling Is Not About Education, Homeschool Burnout... just to name a few.  I have read that they have another book coming out soon containing more articles.

This book is excellent but you will find some articles just a little dated as there are many more resources available then there were when these were written (believe it or not... there were no blogs!).  :)

However, it is still valuable and inspiring reading... especially for homeschool parents needing encouragement... which happens by the beginning of Spring each year.

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed By a Relentless God by Francis Chan

This book has a great message, that God is "crazy in love" with you.  Pastor Chan also asks Christians if they truly love Christ and if not... why?  In the midst of much encouragement there is also a request for serious soul searching and a challenge to make Christ central in your life.  A small book with a big challenge.

Dawn's Light by Terri Blackstock

I had read books one and two in this series but when hubby brought this title home from a library book sale, I went ahead and read it... even though it is book four (and the final title in the series).  I haven't even seen book three anywhere, one of the only things I don't like about series!

This series is absolutely fascinating.  In the first book, the entire world loses electricity and society is suddenly taken back to the 19th century when no technology is available.  The story centers around one upper middle class family and how the skills needed to survive in the 21st century were suddenly worthless when there were no grocery stores, no transportation, no appliances, etc.

It was interesting seeing how the family learns to garden and provide the basics of life's necessities, the way the neighborhood and the community reacts, and most of all... how it change their relationship to God and each other.  I'm sure most libraries have Terri Blackstock's books... maybe they will even have all four in the series.  Very good and thought provoking.

Living a Beautiful Life by Alexandra Stoddard

I pulled this off the shelf to reread for the six hundredth time (more or less).   This is one of my favorite books by Stoddard and it is so full of wonderful ideas for living a life filled with beauty in all areas.

While Alexandra obviously is more affluent than most of us, she inspires us and gives so many ideas for decorating beautifully on a budget.  She reminds us it really is so much about our attitude and the art of creating beautiful rituals in those little things we do everyday... like brushing our teeth and washing dishes!

My reading right now... Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy .  Will review it next time.  :)