The August 2014 Book Review

Here's my (amended) reading list, reviewed for the month:

Bible
The Book of Romans
- We've almost finished chapter nine and will continue this next month (and the one after)
The Book of Proverbs
- We've read up to the end of chapter five thus far

Breastfeeding/Attachment Parenting
Breastfeeding Matters (La Leche League Members Magazine)
- Finished up and thoroughly enjoyed and I then got two new mags at this month's meeting - yay!
Beyond the Sling (HB, Mayim Bialik)
- I've begun chapter two and will continue through this for the next few months a little at a time

Christian Autobiography
Something Other Than God (HB, Jennifer Fulwiler)
- Haven't read as far through this as I thought by now but definitely enjoying the short and succinct retelling of her journey. I'm almost through with chapter fifteen and will continue through this over the next month or two.

Dystopian
Sycamore: Near Future Dystopia (e-book, Craig A. Falconer)
- Excellent, followed the same theme as "Funscreen" (the free e-book to entice you to buy this one) but worked it out beautifully in how it would snowball through society. Amazing writing and a scary possible future. May even make me rethink my love of my iPhone/iPad...well maybe... I look forward to more from this author.

Homeschooling
Homeschooling Day By Day: A Thriving Guide for Mothers (e-book, Kirsty Howard - Editor)
- More encourgaement albeit short, Which I'll continue with over the next few months.
Looking Backward: My Twenty-Five Years as a Homeschooling Mother (e-book, Joyce Swann)
- I've read a lot more than I planned of this title but it's drawn me in so I couldn't help it. Although I wouldn't agree with her whole outlook (quite formal) it has obviously worked well for her and her family and clearly she was very together as a homeschooling mother and very organised. A very interesting read indeed but I doubt it's a style of homeschooling I could fully espouse but I hope to learn much from this book despite that.
50 Veteran Homeschoolers Share... Things We Wished We'd Known (PB, Edited by Bill & Diana Waring)
- I haven't even cracked this one in August (but I don't think Hubs has either) so next month I'll need to as I think it'll be travelling with my Hubby on his business trip ;)

Modern Christian Novel
Here We Come: Aggie's Inheritance Series (Book 3/3, e-book, Chautona Havig)
- A beautiful picture of courtship and the church family coming together to assist a family unit with a very nice side storyline about homeschooling. The last chapter floored me with its beauty and love and its picture of marriage in all its solemnity and romance and oh I cried a lot. A lovely, lovely read!
Get Cozy, Josey! (PB, Susan May Warren)
- Took me a while to get into this one but it really grew on me and I finished it early as I wanted to see what happened. Not your typical rom-com as the main characters had been married four/five years, a good lesson in submission but also a great case for communicating with your spouse.

Modern Secular Novel
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (PB, Paul Torday)
- Very different style of book, with chapters of interviews, emails, letters, diary entries. Wonderfully organised and thought out, especially with reference to the modern joys of outsourcing and call centres, bureaucracy, civil servants and politics. A fabulous idea for a plot too. Political satire, comedy, romance (of a sort) and now I look forward to watching the movie. Also I liked the side-plot about a faith-based society versus a very atheistic western one with faith and belief winning out.

Quaint Christian Fiction
Becky Sue Cooper's Photo Album
- A short and sweet read which was easily a one sitting read. Not as moralistic or deep as I'd expected and was somewhat lacking but sweet nonetheless.

Read-Alouds
In the High Valley (5/5, free e-book, Susan Coolidge) and
Nine Little Goslings (free e-book, Susan Coolidge
- James and I finished our adventures with Katy and co. and it was sad to "leave" them though a fitting ending. We then waded back into the previously begun Nine Little Goslings - a collection of short stories of differing interests and skill. One story so intrigued my son he cried when it ended. Another ended with the death of a child and left this Mama in tears. Another shocked me with its of-the-day racism (including seeming to glory in the Southern Confederacy and its plantations and "glorious" history of slave labour). The sadness of an adoption which cut a child off from her loving family and which also came about because of the pity (corresponded about) over a previously-wealthy white child living in abject poverty which is portrayed as so much worse than the abject poverty of EVERYONE ELSE beside her who never knew wealth, who happen to be black so why would anyone worry for them anyway-this story reduced me to tears many times and required serious editing and censorship. I know the attitudes written of are of the time but this was a children's story and it taints my opinion of the author no end. The final story mixed a fairytale format with the reality of a father hitting a recessionary period and the struggles of the family - delightful - and a much brighter note to end upon. September will bring us a fresh read of fairytales from around the world which I look forward to.

Self-improvement
100 LB Loser (purchased e-book, Jessica Heights)
- I've enjoyed the laid back down-to-earth nature of this book - that is until the author explained how she GOT UP AT 4.30AM to exercise before her kids awoke after six. NO!!! Just wrong!!!! I will continue to read it though :)

Travel
The Valley of Heaven and Hell: Cycling in the Shadow of Marie Antoinette (free at the time e-book, Susie Kelly)
- Continuing through this travelogue is fascinating. This is the first on my list to finish in September though as I've been reading it for a while now ;)

Whodunnit
Dead Running (free e-book, Cami Checketts)
- A not entirely well-written book, the characters are a little one-dimensional and seriously the main one is a bit of a ditz but still an enjoyable read, especially for free. The theme of running was less-than-appealing (poor grammar but I digress) but interesting to experience through Cassidy's eyes. The whodunnit storyline was at times far-fetched and Cassidy seemed to take too much of it in her stride as if this was all normal. Despite all this as soon as I finished I bought the (very short) sequel and will read it in September.

I'll post September's reading list tomorrow, especially as I'm a little late posting this, owing in part to my need to finish up reading a couple of the books ;)