Completed Book List: April 2013

One of my goals in 2013 is to read 24 books.
So far this year, I am way ahead of the game.  You may be wondering what I’ve been reading, and this is the list of all the books I’ve completed the first part of this year.

Hannah Coulter by Berry Wendell

Hannah Coulter is a novel about an older woman (Hannah Coulter) who tells her story from growing up during the Great Depression, meeting her husband who was shipped off to war shortly after they were married, and her experiences raising a family on the homestead.  This book made me think about our homesteading roots here in the United States and all that our ancestors lived through in the early 1900’s.  A great read!

 

The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm

May Amelia is a young teen growing up in the state of Washington with her seven brothers.  A tomboy at heart, trouble always seems to find her.   The book tells about the tales of this Finnish girl growing up on a homestead in the early 1900’s in an area with a majority of boys.  When a business deal goes awry, her father and family blame her. This isn’t a “must read” but the book kept me entertained.

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

I am not sure why I decided to read this book: maybe my curiosity got the best of me.  This book was extremely disturbing to know what Jaycee Dugard went through as an abducted 11-year old and her 18 years of life in captivity.  The best part of the book is how she has chosen to live her life now that she is out of captivity and her passion to lead and to give her two daughters the best life possible even after all they have been through. 

It’s All Too Much by Peter Walsh

I love this book! A must read to anyone who is attempting to get rid of the clutter in their lives once and for all.

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

The sole reason I checked this book out from the library is because an author stated it was one of her favorite books.  I was curious to see what the book was about based on her recommendation.  This book is a book written by Henry David Thoreau in the mid-1800’s about his life of building and maintaining a homestead and living a life of solitude and simplicity at Walden Pond.  This book, though I found it difficult to read in the beginning, turned out to be a decent book.  There were long stretches of the book that I had a hard time relating to or even cared to read.  I wouldn’t say it’s my “favorite,” but Thoreau mentioned many things that are worth contemplating when it comes to living a simple life and several things that he stated still apply today, over 150 years later.   

 

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!  Live the life you've imagined.  As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler."  ~Henry David Thoreau 

"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone." ~Henry David Thoreau

  

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

I don’t really know how to describe this book.  It is a refreshing book of real-life conversations and reflections of experiences the author, Donald Miller, has had with people throughout his life as well as his reflection on how he noticed God’s work in each particular situation.  It is a very down-to-earth book that creates a lot of thought-provoking material on God’s hand in our lives. 

 

Oogy by Larry Levin

Talk about a story that pulls at the heart strings!  This book is about a pit bull (later learned that the breed is actually a Dogo) named Oogy.  Oogy was rescued from being a bait dog in a dog-fighting raid.  The story tells a tale of Oogy’s life as a mutilated puppy, how one veterinary and technician refused to give up on this seemingly happy and unaffected dog and the family who took him in and gave him the love he should have received from the very beginning.  This is a wonderful story about the relationship between a man and his best friend. 

To read more about Oogy (without reading the book), you can go here:

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall

Same Kind of Different as Me is a book above loving one another no matter where you’ve come from and what you’ve been through.  This book is about Denver Moore, a plantation worker and runaway and his relationship with Ron Hall and his wife, a prosperous art dealer and gallery owner.  How in the world did these two men meet and become friends?  It would be way too easy to give away all the details, but I will tell you that this book is definitely worth reading.  This book is an inspiration for me as to the type of person I strive to be and the faith I need to get there.

Nowhere But Up by Pattie Mallette

I could really relate with this book by Pattie Mallette.  This book is Pattie’s story about what she went through as a child, the trouble she got into as a young adult and ending up pregnant as a teen with her son Justin (Bieber).  This is an uplifting and inspiring story of true faith and resilience.

The Fair Tax Book by Neal Boortz

I try not to get into politics, but this book definitely makes me think that the way we pay taxes in America could be different (and better).  The FairTax is about implementing a tax on consumption instead of tax on income.  This book is a quick and interesting read in my opinion.

Beachcombers by Nancy Thayer

After reading so many non-fiction books, it was nice getting swept away with a book that is fiction.  This book is about three sisters who lost their mother at varying stages in their life and all coming back home after years away from their small little island town.  This book was the perfect book to read before getting ready to leave on a tropical vacation to Aruba. 

We Took to the Woods by Louise Dickinson Rich

This book is written by Louise about her time in the woods without electricity or running water in the early 40’s.  As a homesteader at heart, I enjoyed reading the stories she tells about people coming to visit, how they attained their food and all of the little intricacies that took place while living alone with her family in a location deep in the desolate woods.  Their small town was made up of 9 people within a 25 mile radius. This is an extremely interesting story of living in the woods.


So, there you have it.
I just finished up We Took to the Woods this weed, and I'm looking forward to reading some fiction for a little while.

What are you reading right now?