Annual Book Review

At the end of every year, I transfer information from my old planner to my new one; addresses, quotes I found and loved, important lists I make etc. This year I made sure I saved the page where I wrote down my contractions with Lindy when I started timing them among other "keepsakes." It's always a fun little tradition, but also sad that an entire year is over. It's more of a journal than my actual journal, and when I glance through all the pages and see what was on my To-Do list back in February and such, I just can't believe how fast it goes. I breeze through a year's history in a matter of minutes. How does that saying go? The days are long but the years are short? If that's not "the saying" it should be. It's completely true.
Blah, Blah, Blah....Are you ready for more words? Among my important lists is the list of books I read that year. In case you're looking for a good read, here are some possible suggestions:

1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: Betty Smith
Man, I just loved this book. It's all about a young girl growing up in the early 1920's...ish, I think, in Brooklyn. ( I forget details so fast.) She and her family are incredibly poor and all it is, is a collection of the day to day things she experience based on these two contingencies. (Brooklyn and Poor) Some of her experiences were rather negative, most I'd say. But it still seemed hopeful to me. I really enjoyed the way Betty Smith wrote. Which reminds me...I need to read more of her.

2.My Story: Elizabeth Smart
I don't know what compelled me to read this, but man, I was freaked out the entire time. Hers is truly an incredible story. I don't like the way she writes...but the story itself was...awful. I read it so quickly because I knew the end was happy, and I just wanted the nightmare to be over. It was inspiring to read about the miracles she experienced amid being kidnapped, raped, near starvation and other kinds of abuse. I usually check on the kids before bed, but this book made me a little more freaked out. Maybe that's good?

3. Heaven is Here: Stephanie Nielson
You might recognize her name because she is a popular "Mormon Mommy Blogger" and has been referenced by Elder Holland in General Conference. I have read her blog for years, so it only seemed natural to read her book. I really liked it. Also another very inspiring story about overcoming adversity and another witness that miracles still happen, and happen often! In case you need a quick recap: She was in an airplane crash and over 80% of her body was burned. She and her husband (who also received many burns) survived and they had to adjust to living and taking care of their 4 (now 5) children. I kind of admire her.

4.A Thomas Jefferson Education: Oliver Demile
One of those homeschool books, cause we are a homeschool family. He talks about the type of education men like Thomas Jefferson had and how we can try to recreate that. This style of homeschooling really resonates with me. I feel like I already need to re-read it. It places a lot of emphasis on reading the classics and teaching core values.

5. The Well-Trained Mind: Susan Bauer and Jessie Wise
This book was a game changer. At this point, I knew we were supposed to homeschool, but I didn't know how. I came across this book and there was my game plan, all laid out. Ta-Da! This mother-daughter team outlines what a classical education at home should look like from birth through high school. Not only do they outline what subjects should be covered and how much, but they recommend tons of different curriculum to fit your style. I immediately bought a copy and how it holds a permanent place (meaning I don't even shelve it) next to my scripture and Babywise. :)

6.BabyWise: Ezzo and Bucknam
Speaking of Babywise....I re-read this every time a kid comes around. It's always a good refresher and helps me get pumped up for less sleep, scheduling etc. It's amazing how much you forget in between kids! I kept thinking, I've done this twice, I should just know it all. Ha! I reference this book frequently to remind myself of feeding, changing and sleeping schedules through the first year.

7.The Well-Educated Mind: Susan Bauer and Jessie Wise
A type of companion to The Well-Trained Mind. The premise of the book is that because most of us didn't receive a classical education in the public school system, we don't necessarily know how to teach it. So this book teaches you how to get one! What types of books to read, how to read them etc. I bought this one also because it was full of so many good lists and ideas. I have yet to follow through though...Maybe I'll add some of the recommended books to my list for 2015!

8. Little Britches: Ralph Moody
This is also a re-read. It's such a fantastic book. It's all about a family who leaves city life and moves out to...Colorado? (Like I said, details are not my strong point) and they become ranchers/farmers. It's quite an adjustment for the family especially because they are extremely poor. It's narrated by the oldest son Ralph, who at the time is about 10. It's full of life lessons and raising good kids with high moral standards. The best part of the book (for me) is when Ralph lies about being old enough to handle the team of horses to pull some railroad ties. He fails miserably and is lucky he and the horses didn't die. When his dad finds out about it he gives him a lecture about his character house and how when we lie etc, we break apart our character house. It gives a visual to a really abstract concept that has really resonated with my kids.

9. Glimpses: Marjorie Pay Hinckley
This was a pleasant, quick read all about the Prophet's wife and her life and their life together. I really enjoyed reading it!

10.Standing for Something: Gordon B. Hinckley
In this book he outlines virtues that have largely been forgotten from the world today and how if we reapplied them, we could heal a lot of things. As always, though he spoke of tough situations, he added a heavy dose of optimism which made for a great read. What a wise man!

11. 1984: George Orwell
This was a great read, although it took me a while to get into. It's the quintessential distopian novel all about a ruined society run by "big brother" who is always watching. I hope our society never makes it to that point, but it was scary to find so many similarities between the two. The only part I would change is how much they wrote about sex. Totally wasn't expecting that.

12.20 and Counting: The Duggar Family
When Lindy was brand new and I was up at night all the time, I marathoned all of the Duggar show on Netflix in like...a month. I totally got into it. My friend lent me this book of theirs to read and I ate it up. Yes they are a little weird and I never want 19 kids, but they are a wholesome family and I totally respect their values.

13. Complete Family Nutrition
I can't remember who wrote this. I think I checked it out from the library. Nothing earth shattering here, but a good reminder about how we should be eating and taking care of our bodies. Books like this are always a good reminder for me and help me get back on the band-wagon when I fall off.

14.The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child
Again, didn't write down the author and don't want to track it down. This book was down to earth and insightful about things that will/might happen during your first homeschooling year. I appreciated the honesty and would recommend it if you are thinking about homeschooling

15. Calm Mama, Happy Baby
No author again, but it doesn't really matter in this case. I checked this book out at the library on a whim, but only made it half through. It had some good suggestions, but ultimately it was too "hippie" for me and I just couldn't stomach it.

16. Austenland: Shannon Hale
What a fun quick read! It's nice to have a book like this every once in a while. Basically, a girl who is obsessed with Jane Austen and her novels gets to travel to a vacation destination in England where there is an entire company dedicated to recreating settings like Pride and Prejudice, complete with hired men to "court" you. It was a really fun read.

17. Home Grown Kids: Raymond and Dorothy Moore
This books dates itself a little, but still had lots of good info about homeschooling. Not my favorite, but definitely wasn't a waste of time. :)

18. Midnight in Austenland: Shannon Hale
A kind of sequel to "Austenland" Same idea, but this time there it takes on a murder mystery theme. Super fun again.

19.The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook: Raymond and Dorothy Moore
Same authors as before. I had these 2 books and one more all by the same authors given to me to read. The first two were just fine, but a little dry and hard to get through, both with a heavy dose of religion. The 3rd book was considerably shorter, but I couldn't even get through the first chapter. WAY to religious.

20. Fat Families, Thin Families
Man, I'm slackin with the authors! I bought this dirt cheap from a library book sale and really enjoyed it. Another health book to keep me on the right track. She had some really good tips for involving your entire family in making healthy choices and preparing food together. This biggest thing she emphasized was that some foods are Yes foods, others are No Foods, and most foods are Maybe So foods. Yes foods include vegetables and most fruits. No foods are basically anything processed that are saved for rare and special occasions. Maybe so foods are where most of the grain, protein and dairy foods fall, so they are kept in moderation.


21. Ella Minnow Pea: Mark Dunn
I can't remember at what point in the year that I read this because I didn't write it in my planner, but at some point I read this cute book. The idea behind the plot is that there is an island off the coast of America where they live very differently. When it was founded, Mr. Nollop was the first person to use all 26 letters in the alphabet in one sentence, below a certain number of letters (can't remember). So they hail him as almost a God and erect a statue of him in the town square along with his sentence in tiles. "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." The people on this island don't use computers or phones or anything like that. They are very old fashioned and well-read and write very well. All correspondence is done in letters etc. One day, one of the tiles that spells out the famous sentence, falls to the ground. The council takes it as a message from the grave of Nollop that they aren't supposed to use that letter anymore and so it is outlawed and is severely punishable. Anyway, they get to the point where there are hardly any letters left on the sign so the book continues to get more interesting because the book is written as a series of letters between the characters, so their prose gets shorter and shorter. Cute book, fun read.


22. What About Immunizations? Exposing the Vaccine Philosophy. : Cynthia Cournoyer
Again, can't remember at what point I read this. I was given this book and told it was a good argument between the two philosophies of pro and con vaccines, which I was excited about because I didn't really know where I stood on the whole issue. Well this book was VERY, vehemently against vaccines and it had all the evidence to back me up. Needless to say, as I was reading this and after I finished I was a nervous wreck about vaccines. Should I detox Miles and Gwen since they're both fully vaccinated? Should I not vaccinate Lindy? Have I damaged my children? Ahh! After a month or so, I finally came to a good compromise in my mind. I fully vaccinated Miles and Gwen not because I was so in favor of it, but just because that's what you do, right? After reading this book I realized there are some vaccinations and some vaccine timing that seems pointless to me. So after debating between either killing my children because I don't vaccinate, or killing my child because I do vaccinate, I feel like I've reached a good balance. As with most things, as long as I'm listening to the spirit and doing what I feel is best for my child, I shouldn't worry.


There you have it. A fairly well-read year. I think I need to read more classics in 2015. If there are any fantastic books you'd like to recommend, please do so!