by Sarah
Remind me not to buy a project house, again. My reading (and writing, clearly) has taken a hit. On the upside, I've learned how to replace hardwired light fixtures, paint a stairwell, replace the chain on a chainsaw, remove a toilet, evict a bat colony, and eat a kumquat.
Books in General
- I Remember
- by Karroll Wright Morphew
- A memoir by a distant cousin of growing up in rural Arkansas. Some families are into music, others are into athletics. Mine is into stories. So it’s no surprise that the memoir was lots of fun to read, was just like listening to my grandfather spin tales.
- Women in the Classical World
- by Elaine Fantham, Helene Peet Foley, Natalie Boymel Kampen, Sarah B. Pomeroy, and H. Alan Shapiro
- An actual history book (not a Bill O’Reiley history book) with actual source citations, focusing on women in both the Greek and Roman worlds, pointing out how things changed over the centuries covered. Not for the faint of heart, but also straightforward and well organized.
- The Bands of Mourning, Book Three of the Wax and Wayne Series
- by Brandon Sanderson
- A great conclusion to a riveting fantasy series. One of his more approachable series, if you’re just looking to get your toes wet.
- The Truth about Sacajawea
- by Kenneth Thomasma
- A small book and really easy to follow. Provides some historical context, but the main focus is all mentions of Sacajawea from the Lewis and Clark journals. Approved by the Lemhi Shoshoni peoples, of which tribe Sacajawea was born and raised in.
- The Confessions of Young Nero
- by Margaret George
- Tries to paint a sympathetic portrait of the Emperor Nero. I generally like Margaret George’s novels, but this one is not my favorite.
- Garden Sass, A Catalogue of Arkansas Folkways
- by Nancy McDonough
- Like the memoir above, another hand-me-down from my grandfather’s library. I found it to be a very engaging folk history that treats its subjects with respect and affection.
- Come, My Beloved
- by Pearl S Buck
- I’m not generally a fan of Buck, but ended up really enjoying this one. Follows several generations of missionaries to India and the conflict that arises between the generations as each one becomes slowly more assimilated.
- She Deserves Better, Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Sex, Self and Speaking Up
- by Sheila Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky
- Everyone say it with me now – “Evidence based! Evidence based!” Lindenbach is a psychology graduate and Sawatsky is a trained biostatistician, so they know their data.
- A follow-up to their book “The Great Sex Rescue,” looks at how various teachings from evangelical churches effect teen girls into their adulthood. If you grew up in evangelical culture or are currently in evangelical culture, especially a complementarian church, I highly recommend. Particularly if you are a woman or have daughters. I found myself thinking that it explains so many stupid decisions I made in my teen and young adult years. Written by women who are still faithful followers of Jesus.
- Disclaimer – One of my stories is included in the book, anonymously.
- Dessa Rose
- by Sherley Anne Williams
- An interesting, fictitious account of an enslaved woman in the ante-bellum Southern USA and the white, slave-owning woman who helped her escape.
- Orthodoxy
- by G. K. Chesterton
- Am embarrassed to admit that, for being such a small book, it took me four attempts over the course of six years before I finally finished it. This one was way over my head. The only chapter I felt like I actually understood, paradoxically, was the one titled “The Paradoxes of Christianity.”
- Rising Troublemaker, A Fear-fighter Manual for Teens
- by Luvvie Ajayi Jones
- Loved it. So encouraging! A book aimed at teens, the same book that Ajayi Jones says she wishes she’d had herself as a teenager. It encourages teens to be true to one’s self and to use their talents to better their community. For those who’ve read her other two books, there will be familiar themes. I bookmarked a number of pages, including one with the following quote:
- “Courage is a habit. There isn’t a truth-teller gene or personality trait. It is a choice that people make day in and day out to show up, to be uncomfortable, and to use their word with integrity. You can start making that choice now and the next time you are presented with the option. And then do it again. And do it again. VOILA! You too are a truth-teller. It’s a commitment to yourself, to those around you, and to the world that you will be the person who uses their words to make the spaces they’re in better.”
- Evangelical Thought Leader, The Liturgy of Radically Engaging the Culture of Paradigm Shifts
- by Matthew Pierce
- Absolutely hilarious and pointed satire written by a former homeschooler, addressing important questions of the faith such as “Can single people be Christians?” and “Why are women’s bosoms so sinful?” among others.
- Fidget to Focus, Outwit Your Boredom: Sensory Strategies for Living with ADD
- by Roland Rotz, Ph.D. and Sarah D. Wright, M.S., A.C.T.
- A really interesting little book in very approachable language. The authors approach ADD using more of a diversity than a disability paradigm.
- The book is chock full of strategies for harnessing one’s fidgets in order to better focus and meet sensory needs in really creative and innovative methods. My favorite was probably the support group member who shared their strategy for getting up in the morning instead of constantly hitting the snooze button: drinking two glasses of water right before bed the night before. I think this would be helpful for both individuals with ADD (or even ASD) and caregivers.
- An Unquiet Mind, A Memoir of Moods and Madness
- by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison
- The memoir of a clinical psychologist regarding her personal experience with manic-depressive / bipolar disorder. A fascinating read, since Dr. Jamison approaches the story from both a doctor’s and a patient’s perspective at the same time, examining both the shame and the exhilaration that come with the disorder.
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
- by Maya Angelou
- Memoir of her childhood, raised primarily by her grandmother in rural Jim Crow South. An absolutely exquisite story. I’ve read the book before and had intended to only read the first few pages, but found myself continuing all the way to the end.
- Waiting for the Barbarians
- by J. M. Coetzee
- This was was just plain weird. Set in apartheid South Africa, the account of a colonial magistrate who stands up to fellow colonizers against their mistreatment of the indigenous population. While the magistrate may have considered the indigenous peoples as actual humans instead of animals, his treatment of an indigenous woman he rescues and then sleeps with is both distasteful and a good example of treating someone as an object.
- Lore Olympus
- by Rachel Smythe
- A webtoon turned graphic novel about ancient Greek mythology with absolutely beautiful illustrations. Centers around the tale of Hades (god of the underworld) and his wife-to-be Persephone, but with the unique perspective of making Hades a sympathetic character. A basic familiarity with Greek mythology would probably be helpful, but I don’t know that it would be absolutely necessary to following the story.
- The Ghatti’s Tale, Book One of Finders-Seekers
- by Gayle Greeno
- A very engaging fantasy novel that is reminiscent of Mercedes Lackey’s early books. Follows the story of a woman and her companion ghatti, a telepathic cat-like being, as they seek the truth behind her lover’s untimely death.
Total for Quarters One and Two – 18
Total for Quarters Three and Four – TBD