I read a lot this past month.
A lot.
I didn’t list all the books below.
I think I’m trying to fit in All The Reading before our homeschool year begins, knowing that I’ll have far less time available for it once we get school under way.
Anchored: Finding Hope in the Unexpected
This book was a gift to me from Crystal Paine. (By the way, her Make Over Your Mornings Course is on sale today for $10.) When I emailed her after seeing her speak in Atlanta, she thought I would enjoy it – and I did. (If you’re new here, my 7th child was a 28 weeker. The posts about him and our journey are tagged “preemie”.) It’s the story of a mom who gave birth unexpectedly to a 25-weeker micropreemie, her first child. I identified with every struggle Kayla went through, and all the feelings she had.
(Thanks so much Crystal!)
Are You Fully Charged?: The 3 Keys to Energizing Your Work and Life
Tom Rath, author of another excellent book called Eat Move Sleep, has done it again: written a book that takes simple truths and helps you make application of them to better your life. One of the best takeaways I got from this book is that attaching meaning to your daily tasks can give you more energy and happiness. This is not easy for me as a mom since many of the things that take up my time don’t feel particularly meaningful in the grand scheme of things. I often remark that much of what I do isn’t really noticed unless I don’t do it. Still thinking about how to apply the lessons of this book.
Readers of this book sing its praises all over the internet. After a particularly bad season with my hair in which I fantasized about cutting it all off, pixie-style, I got this book. My hair really is looking better since applying the basic principles. The author sells her own line of products called DevaCurl. Incidentally when Josiah was in the NICU there was a nurse whose curly hair I admired, and when I asked her what products she used, it was these.
Staying Focused In A Hyper World
I bought this book by relationship expert John Gray (of Mars Venus fame) in order to help one of my children who is struggling in this area, but ended up learning a lot that could help me and other members of my family. Many aspects of modern life are killing our brains slowly. Anyone who has migraines, depression, attention or OCD issues, anxiety or just simple forgetfulness that causes problems in their life needs to read this book.
I read this book rather on a whim after hearing an interview with the author, Dan Harris, on Gretchen Rubin’s podcast. After he experienced an on-air panic attack (Harris is a TV journalist), Dan began a journey to learn how to quiet the “monkey mind” that had held him hostage his whole life. It was a meditation practice that did the trick. I have been trying to work on quiet mindfulness myself, and I’ve had similar results. It’s not about clearing the mind or attempting to levitate, it’s more about simply noticing (and sitting with) our discomforting thoughts without judgment, just letting them pass by without them controlling our behavior.
Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar–Your Brain’s Silent Killers
Another “brain” book this month. This book is quite provocative, claiming that Alzheimer’s is caused by eating too many carbohydrates. I’m already on the low-to-moderate carb bandwagon, but as I’ve explained before, I can’t go more than 3 days on a low-carb diet without experiencing profound fatigue that immediately abates with the re-introduction of bread, fruit or chocolate (on further research, I’ve come to understand this is because of the interplay of insulin, carbs and the thyroid gland). This book has some really great comments, including some from physicians, on its Amazon page that tear holes into the author’s theories. As with all diets, I think the bottom line is: eat what makes you feel the best.
This book, one of Agatha Christie’s most well-known, shook me up so badly at the end I had trouble sleeping! A great, quick read for those who enjoy a good mystery.
Finally, I read this book in preparation for my oldest child’s history curriculum this year, which includes this book. Loved it. I had no appreciation for history as a high school student, but now find the subject fascinating.
Read any great books lately?
Many of my curly-haired friends love the Curly Girl book.