Literary Junkies [v. 5]

I'm still not great at remembering to link up once a month with my fellow literary junkies. (Even though they send a reminder every month. I still forget...pretty lame, I know!) I don't think it helps I'm currently bogged down in reading for parenting/birth. I mean, it's not all the time people are looking to read books about birth...for real! Anyway, on to this month's questions...

1. What are you currently reading? Tell us a bit about it!

Well, I can tell you I just finished a really good book about grace, which I will be reviewing and having a giveaway for this Thursday. I have to admit as excited as I was about receiving this book to review, I had no idea just how much it would blow my mind out of the water. I don't want to say much here, because I want to save it for my post later this week, but I really believe Tullian has such an honest persepective of Grace vs. Law and communicates well how we've swung the pendulum too far to one side. Definitely worth reading!

2. What are your five most recent book purchases?

Well, I don't think many of you are going to care about my five most recent book purchases. Actually, one of my recent purchases is also a pretty good book. Also, I went back to check on Amazon what my most recent purchases were...let's just say we don't buy books a lot, because I am getting ready to read up on unmedicated child birth several of my purchases are to do with that, and also because of my last point I haven't had any desire to travel to the library to look for books for me. Plenty out there I want to read and probably would rather be reading, but this isn't really a list many are going to just jump on reading :) Plus, I have plenty of books here at home which I've not read. I'll start my list with my oldest purchase, up to my most recent:

1. Start by Jon Acuff (You guys, I bought this book for my husband for his birthday. His birthday was in April, or if you want to look at it another way, it's coming up again in April. Yeah...we haven't been spending money on books :/)
2. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin (I must say I'm kind of looking forward to reading this one as everyone who has ever given birth unmedicated talks about this book. Curious to see what she has to say.)
3. Husband-Coached Childbirth: The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth (Fifth Edition) by Robert A. Bradley, M.D. (Also looking forward to this one as I hated Lamaze. Curious to see what he says. Plus, this is another highly recommended among those who have given birth unmedicated.)
4. The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know To Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth by William Sears, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N. (Maybe you think I'm crazy by now, but I'm also looking forward to this book as I love the way the Sears write. [I read their Attachment Parenting book after having Zoë and feeling at the end of my rope. Something in me didn't 100% understand and/or connect with Babywise. And the book was a god-send!])
5. Love Does by Bob Goff (Though, like most non-fiction religious texts, I don't agree with everything he says, I really loved the stories he shares and his heart behind everything. I think it is a great book worth reading.)

3. Have you ever named/nicknamed anything (person, pet or thing) after a character? Who and why?

We named our aloe plant Inigo. When it started growing a second plant I think we named the other one Fezzik (spelling?). Can you tell I married a man who loves The Princess Bride?

4. If you could live in one book, with all of its characters and in the town, which would it be?

Goodness...I have no idea. I love the places in Chronicles of Narnia, but they don't stay there forever. Then there is the stinking awesome world of Harry Potter. Who wouldn't want to live in a wizarding community? I also really love Karen Kingsbury's Baxter Family Drama and could see myself really enjoying being a part of the Baxter family or an integrated part of it. I think where I would want to be though would change on a consistent basis. Sometimes I like the more fairytale, not real life, aspect of stories and other times I really enjoy the more real-to-life stories, the ones which seem a bit more in reach.

5. Can you think of a book you read that taught you something concrete you've never forgotten? Tell us about it.

You guys, I know I have, but my mind is just not coming up with anything. I've stared at my bookshelf. I've stared at this computer screen. I've sat and just tried to conjure up one concept/lesson I've learned from the many books I've read. Nothing. If I can think of something later, and remember to update this post, then I will let you know. Let's face it, I'm pregnant. That just isn't going to happen, so sorry to have nothing for you, but I really can't think of anything right now. Part of it is likely what I learned was so concrete it's become integrated into my life, thus I don't remember I learned it from what I read.

Literary Junkies [v. 2]

*Disclaimer: I was not paid in any form or fashion to advertise anything I did in this post. Everything is truly my 100% bonified opinion with no incentives for giving it.*

I'm sure the adage of my blog is making circles around one word: time.

I'm always finding myself saying, "It sure has flown!" or "I can't believe we're already here (whatever here may mean at that moment)." And right now is just another one of those moments.

Last month I found a link-up entitle "literary junkies". And I knew I would be linking up as long as they hold it. Even though I rarely get to read as much as I would like to these days, I still love to read as much as I possibly can.

I also set a goal that I would complete SSMT 2013. This is huge for me because I've always had a burning desire to memorize more scripture, partially got onto myself way too much about how little I have done this in my adult years versus my childhood (AWANA = an awesome program for children to learn about Christ and memorize scripture), and always found myself defeated when I would try probably because I beat myself up too much. (Yes, I just admitted how much I struggle with continually punishing myself for my mistatkes rather than learning from them and also learning to forgive myself for them. An ever present way Christ is changing me and working in my life to become more like Him. I can confidently say I am not where I was with this a year ago and He continually helps me daily. So thankful for His unfailing love and never ending grace to see me through!)

And that both are here again for me, well, I told you whatever adage I could adopt is making laps around Time.

So, without further ado, my Literary Junkies post for January 2013. (I decided to do two seperate posts, because I would like to post the scripture by itself. And then if I have any thoughts on it, well then I won't have one ridiculously long post :]) If you would like to join in, please feel free to do so! I'm sure Lesley and Taylor would love if you did.

1. Which book could you read over and over? Why?
My answer may seem very cliché and/or very much "the right Christian answer" to some, but honestly, the first book that popped into my head and the one I couldn't get away from was this: the Bible. I can even bonify that with a good story: My freshman year of college I lived in an all freshman door. (You know, a bunch of very mature people. hehe) I had stayed up late studying for a huge test and as such, ended up going to be at some 2 or 3 am. I don't think it was long after that I woke up to what I thought was my alarm. However, that was not the case. Some genius had decided it would be funny to pull the fire alarm. And by golly, how I confused that with my alarm clock on testifies to how stinkin' tired I was. That thing was BLARING loud! I'm pretty sure it was right outside my door. Anyway, when I finally came to enough to know I had to leave my room, I began to walk out with everyone else. Just before I made it through my door way, I ran back in because I realized I was leaving my bible and I was not about to let it burn should there be an actual fire. True story. Anyway, I know that wasn't completely pertinent to the question. Just felt I should share so you know I'm not using this as a cop out. I truly love...well, sometimes it makes me angry but God always has a way of bringing back full circle to where I love scripture. I don't always set a goal to read through it in it's entirety every year, but I have before and know I will again. I'm always learning something new, being changed for the better, healed in the moments I think I can't go anymore, refreshed with whispers that He makes me feel are for my heart alone even though I know He's used them to speak to many. To me, it is my love letter from the Lover of my soul and that is a very vague encompassing of why I could read it time and time again. 2. If you could be any character from any book you've read, who would you be?
Oh geez. (I guess mom has rubbed off on me so much, Linds, that I think it even when I'm typing...oh boy!) Well... For now, the one character who keeps popping into my head is Lucy Pevensie. I would want to be her because of her child-like trust and wonder. I also can highly relate to her in the way she doubts herself when she has seen something or knows Aslan has shown her something. I miss both of those in myself and continually ask God to restore both to me, especially knowing that is how He wants me to relate to him. He repeatedly spoke of how we should be like little children or how the Kingdom is theirs. That is how I want to follow Him, the way Lucy followed Aslan. 3. Do you ever put a book down because you can't get into it? Or do you stick it out to the bitter end? Any examples?
Ooi. I think generally I stick it out until the bitter end, but I have put down a book or two that either I just absolutely didn't like, for whatever reason, or couldn't get myself to drag through the beginning to see if it picked up. The one example I can think of is Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerich. I know a lot of people who absolutely love that book, but to me it was him trying to talk about what a woman has to do to make the marriage better. And I read through at least half way. To me he kept talking about respect and how love and respect go hand in hand but I never could get myself to see if he talked about both. Maybe I need to give it another go, except my problem here is this: we got rid of the book. And I just asked Ben who we gave it to. His response, "The trash." Apparently, I highly disliked that book. HA! I would have thought I could say I never throw a book in the trash. But apparently, I'm wrong. I'm dying laughing thinking I would have ever thrown away bound paper that someone else might have found very useful. OMG! That just is so not like me! And yet, here we are...I did that. Bahahahaha *ok...I'll stop that now. hehe. sorry* Ahem... 4. Show us your book shelves! Do you have one designated spot in your house for all your books? Do you scatter them around?

These are the children's books we have. Quite a good start for having none just a little over 10 months ago. And yes, they get pulled down every. single. day. BUT I love that Zoë loves to look at them. And that she loves for me to read with her. (Yes, she's brought me books off the shelf before.)

This bookshelf is to your right when you walk into Ben's and my room.

And this beauty is straight in front of you when you walk into our room.Visible as in this photo from our bed. And I love seeing them. :)

So for the most part, all our books are in one place. Zoë's are definitely all in one place.

I say for the most part because we have a scarce few out in our living room on one of the couch end tables. Aside from that, our books reside on these shelves. However, once we start having the ability to invest in book again, I'm not sure what we'll do as both book shelves are packed full. No room to budge!

Well, that wraps up this link-up. It ended up being a bit more personal than I thought it would be, but I don't mind one bit. Just goes to show how something so simple can shine a light into the deeper places.

Oh...

And I must share with you, because I'm oober excited: my older sis (the blogger I linked earlier in this post) designs blog pages and is working on mine :) She showed me what's she's got so far and I cannot wait for you guys to see it! It's gonna look so good! Eeeeek!

Just wanted to let you in on my joy of anticipation!

Finished...Maybe I'll Read it Again

WOAH!

That's about what my mind thinks whenever I begin processing the book I just completed: A Love that Multiplies by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar.

I couldn't get enough of it as I read page after page after page. And now that I'm done, I kind of want to pick it back up again. (I think I need to pray for a thirst and hunger to read the Bible like that. What is it about other books that attract most of us so much more?)

The Duggars have worked so hard to be, what seems, such a close knit family. Even though I don't agree 100% with everything they do because of some differences, I have a lot of respect for the way they strive to live, discpline their children, and the fact they are debt free. (That is serious! Especially in this day and age.)

I find I could use some of their child-rearing techniques with my dog. (Maybe I'm crazy, but I sure do feel like he pushes me to my limits and makes me boil over easier than I would like to admit.) Even today he tested me by ringing the bells (our signal he has to go potty) what seemed to be EVERY 5 MINUTES because he wanted to be outside in the 97 degree weather. No thank you! I will not have it, but he just sat their and smiled at me like, "See mom, this could be really fun if you just pant and enjoy the rays. See?"

And their grocery bill: what is it they purchase and how to they keep it stocked just right so that they don't go overbudget? Not that I go over budget, but there are times I wonder if we're going to make it within the limits. Maybe we need to go on a rice and beans diet :) Something cheap, because meat definitely isn't. Although I must pat myself on the back for the occasional sales I will hit and get a $11 bottom round roast for a little under $6. And produce? Not the cheapest. I always get the cheaper items but that still doesn't seem to cut it back so great at times.

I'm trying to get into couponing. It takes a lot of energy though. Energy I can't seem to find after a 40+ hour work week. I come home so pooped all I can think is, "Food in mouth. Feed dog. Take dog out. Clean mouth. Go to bed." My older sis has shown me a great resource for this, Passion for Savings. If you sign up for the updates she can keep you up on coupons that are coming out, sales, and maximizing all your info to get the best prices on everything. And yet, I still find myself struggling to get there. I do well if I can find a coupon or two that I can use on the items I have to get.

My brain is all over the place...started with talking about a book and ended with couponing. I think I'm going to go relax...