Lots of reading happening in March, but not quite so much finishing. Some reading months go like that.
Image by Ylanite Koppens from Pixabay
Finished in March:
1. Mere Motherhood. Nonfiction by Cindy Rollins. As a longer form version of homeschool mom encouragement, it's a success. As a memoir, it's equivalent to "vaguebooking" and doesn't succeed. (Which is not to say that I blame the author. The very qualities that make Mrs. Rollins a good mother - loyalty, discretion, etc. - are antithetical to memoir.)
2. Renaissance: The Power of The Gospel However Dark the Times. Nonfiction by Os Guinness. Highly encouraging, great historical perspective, and therefore, highly recommended.
3. Long Journey Home. Nonfiction by Os Guinness. It's mere coincidence that I finished these back to back (I was working on other books at the same time). But, yes, I suppose I got on an Os Guinness kick in March. I recommend this one too.
4. The Battle for Bonhoeffer. Nonfiction by Stephen Haynes. SOme of the criticisms of the recent popular books about Bonhoeffer are well delivered and, I think, well intentioned. But the second part of this book devolves into the exact same crimes. Haynes' tone becomes injured and, yes, jealous, as the book goes on. And his co-option of "this is REALLY a Bonhoeffer moment, unlike all those other times people tried to use Bonhoeffer for their own means" goes quickly astray. Not really recommended (but again, yes, there are some problems with the Metaxas biography in particular).
5. How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England. Nonfiction by Ruth Goodman. Goodman writes with such delight about this time period. If you're interested in History, look up this author.
6. A Dangerous Collaboration. Fiction by Deanna Raybourn. Veronica Speedwell is not my favorite heroine, but I do enjoy Raybourn's style and panache. This is one of the better entries in the series I think (probably because it doesn't dwell on Ms. Speedwell's parentage. I find that particular plot line tedious in the extreme).
7. The Gospel Comes with a House Key. Nonfiction by Rosaria Butterfield. Deeply convicting, although my husband and I are still discussing what it might mean for our family.
In process but not finished:
1. Lies Women Believe by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth(I'm leading a study on this one at our church and online)
2. Knowing God by J.I. Packer. One of my slower, theological reads. I try to read a few pages every day.
3. The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions edited by Arthur Bennett. (I read and commonplace from this as part of my "quiet time" every day)
My current reading stack is all about Jane Austen. Her books, her time period, and herself. This is preparation for a class I'm planning to teach at our co-op this fall for 7-12th grade students.
In further bookish news, in March I gave away two big bins of homeschool books / fiction / picture books to people at our homeschool co-op. And I have another bin of books, movies, CDs, etc. to take to Half Price books. But if you were to look around at our shelves, you'd probably never know these were gone. That's what happens when you own thousands of books!
