May Reads

May was such a fun super busy month for our family that I am surprised I was able to read as much as I did.  Audiobooks are wonderful!  😉

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  Eli and I began this classic children’s audio book on our way home from our road trip to Chattanooga earlier this month.  I’m pretty sure it was also my favorite book that I read this month.  🙂  I was surprised at how much Elijah enjoyed listening to it.  As soon as we would get into the car he would ask for me to turn it on.  Now every time I see a robin in my own garden I can’t help but think of little Mary in her secret garden with the robin.  (We plan on reading a chapter book children’s book every month.  Any suggestions for June?)

The Financially Confident Woman by Mary Hunt.   This was an excellent financial book written especially for women.  It is filled with practical ideas and hope for those who find themselves far from where they would like to be financially.  I found myself sharing so many excerpts with Brandon that he finally asked if there was a financially confident man book.  😉  (I wouldn’t be surprised if Brandon pulls it off my bookshelf and secretly reads it this month.)

The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis.  I have a confession: I have read every single book Beverly Lewis has ever written.  🙂  It started when I was in highschool and now whenever we are preparing for a road trip I always grab a couple of her books to take along. Usually her books involve an Amish girl but The Fiddler portrayed an “English” girl who meets an Amish boy.  I’m not sure why but I didn’t care as much for The Fiddler as I usually do for Lewis’ other books.  Probably because I really enjoy the Amish girl’s perspective throughout the book.  (I did receive a review copy of The Fiddler in exchange for this review.  All opinions are my own.)

How to Encourage Your Husband by Nancy Campbell. This slim book is packed with words of wisdom for wives.  It was so good I wanted to rush through to the end of the book but tried to pace myself so that I could implement some of the material as I was reading.  🙂  I was blown away at how great this book was.  I am so thankful for it and look forward to reviewing it often.  What a blessing especially to young wives like me!

Hold It: How to Sew Bags, Totes, Duffels, Pouches and More by Nancy Restuccia. Although the photos are dated this book is packed full of neat sewing ideas.  In the past year I have made a number of different bags so this book was perfect.  A lot of the projects in the book would make great gifts.  The projects in the book range from beginner to fairly advanced.  I am planning on sewing the shoe travel bags, the hosiery roll up, and one of the totes from this book in the next few months.

Simplicity Home Decorating Book.  I was really looking for a book with more curtain ideas than this one contained.  It is a large book but really did not contain what I was looking for.  I enjoyed browsing through the pages one evening but do not have any plans on making anything from the book (not one I plan on adding to my library.)

Canning for a new generation by Liana Krissoff: This book was a complete let down as I fully expected to devour this book and make lots of the recipes.  I almost purchased the book since it had such nice reviews on amazon.  How thankful I am that I did not!  All of the canning recipes in the book call for extremely bizarre or expensive ingredients.  I look at canning as a way of saving money but the author looks at it more as a creative expression or hobby.  Really?  Throughout the book the author just doesn’t seem like she really knows what she is talking about despite the plethora of recipes.  I will just be sticking with my trusty Ball Blue Book and sending this one back to the library.

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