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.