What's On My Nightstand July/August

It's that time again! The ladies at 5 Minutes for Books are hosting their monthly meme, What's On Your Nightstand, which gives readers an excellent opportunity to review their prior month of reading and plan for the coming month. I always find this exercise a little helpful as it helps to keep me on track with what I need to be focusing on, book-wise.

Reviewing last month's goals:

1. In conjunction with the Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge the kids and I re-read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (reviewed here). We've also been reading this children's biography about C.S. Lewis which we've just about completed.

2. I hoped to finish Paper: Paging Through History but, alas, I haven't touched it. That book will roll forward into next month.

3. I finished Missional Motherhood. Review forthcoming.

4. I completed reading Seventeen, by Booth Tarkington. I've written up my review for that but am holding it back until my in-town book club has a chance to meet and discuss. Our meeting was delayed in July due to travels. But I'm all set to go!

Those titles were my official goals for the reading month of July. Of course, I strayed from the plan and read a few titles which were not on my list, including:

• A Million Little Bricks, by Sarah Herman
• The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle, by Janet Fox
• The Goblin's Puzzle, by Andrew S. Chilton
• Outlaws of Time: The Legend of Sam Miracle, by N.D. Wilson

Up next for the month of August?

1. I really need to finish Paper: Paging Through History, by Mark Kulansky. That's on my list!

2. I checked out Paper Wishes, by Lois Sepahban from the library and ought to finish it before it's due to be returned.

3. Last week I received an ARC of The Bicycle Spy, by Yona Zeldis McDonough in the mail and that looks to have great potential. I'm looking forward to the read.

4. I'm halfway through Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard which I am really enjoying but for one exception which I'll explain when I review it. It's a lot of fun though and I'm having a great time with the book.

5. The kids are begging to re-read Prince Caspian and so I suppose that's next on our joint reading list.

After that? Well, I'll just read whatever I feel like picking up. ;)

Now it's off to see what's on YOUR nightstand for the coming month!

Happy Summer to you!

What's On My Nightstand - June/July

I think it's time to jump back into the game with this Nightstand business. I've been absent when it comes to participating in these meme for the past few months as we were concluding the adoption of, and adjusting to, Bookworm5. It's been a hectic few months around here and the reading has been most sporadic -- but it has still happened! I just haven't written about it. I have to say it's nice to feel life settling down just a wee bit, enough to make a few reading notes and plans again.

I'll keep my reading goals simple for the next month.

1. Chiefly, I'm reading through some Narnia books with my kids for the Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge which is hosted here at Reading to Know every July. This will be the SEVENTH year for this challenge and regardless of who else participates, I am always grateful for the excuse it offers me and mine to travel back into one of my all-time favorite worlds.


We've begun reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to kick things off. We read this title last year but I offered to read whichever title the kids chose and this was the one that they picked! (Who am I to argue? Besides, they are all good!)

2. Secondly, I'm in the middle of reading Paper: Paging Through History. Doing a bit of research. The book may sound dry but it isn't . . . thankfully.

3. I am also halfway through the book Missional Motherhood, by Gloria Furman. My opinion on this read hasn't been firmed up, but I can tell you that I purchased two additional copies to give to certain friends of mine that I thought would really connect with it. That's something of a vote of confidence at any rate! I like it thus far.

4. I will be reading Seventeen, by Booth Tarkington both for pleasure and fun and also because it's my in-town book club's read for the month of July. It sounds terrific! I'm looking forward to it.

I don't think I should commit to much more than that. I'm grateful to be halfway through a couple of titles as it seems reasonable that I'll complete something by the end of next month! :)

As always, appreciate the nudge from the gals at 5 Minutes for Books to think through my reading plans and make some decisions. Looking forward to seeing what's on everyone else's nightstands for this coming month as well.

What's On My Nightstand (March/April)

Still trucking along in my reading over here. Slow but steady!

This past month we went on a two week trip to South Korea which was really amazing and allowed for some concentrated reading time. (That's a long plane ride!) Now we're back and "settling in" to life again - which has not been without a few stresses - and I'm looking ahead and this next month's reading plan. At the start of this year I figured that assuming I could read three books a month was probably doable, alongside one read-aloud with the kids. So far that's working, so I'll try for that again during the month of April.

Last month's goals were to read:

• The Search for the Delicious, by Natalie Babbitt with my kids. (The title is linked to my review.) We read it and loved it. I can only continue to highly recommend the read to you and yours!
• Vittoria Cottage, by D.E. Stevenson. I read it on the plane and loved it so much that I also read the second and third books in the series. Reviews forthcoming!
• The Looking Glass Wars, by Frank Beddor. Read and reviewed it and then moved onto books two and three, completing the trilogy. (Linked to my reviews.)

• Death on the Nile, by Agatha Christie. That didn't happen, so I'll bump it to the next month.

As it turns out, I exceeded my quota for books last month. That gives me a warm and happy feeling inside. It was great fun to read through not one but two entire series in "one sitting" as well. That doesn't usually happen!

This month's goals will be:

• Death on the Nile, by Agatha Christie (bumped from last month).

• The Pursuit of Holiness OR True Community by Jerry Bridges. I can't decide which.

I read a lot of Bridges' books in my teens and held onto my copies. I haven't read them in a decade or so and have been feeling a tug of late. I'm between these two titles at the moment.

• Lastly, for myself, I should be getting to a title I accepted for review. I haven't accepted anything for review lately but The Importance of Being Little caught my eye. I should give it a go. (I mean, like, I really need to get to it!)

As for a read-aloud with the kids, Jonathan started reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to them while we were in S. Korea. We got far enough along into it that I think we should finish it up. We've taken a week's break from anything but play so it's time to dive back into the books!

These titles are what's on my nightstand. What's on yours?

What's On My Nightstand - October

The last Nightstand post I put up happened before our trip to England. I wasn't sure what the schedule would look like or what I might manage to read. I've felt completely scattered in my reading since coming home and I'm hoping to get a bit back on schedule as this reading year is, amazingly, coming to a close.

Here's what I know I need to get to before the end of October:

First and foremost I will be reading The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle along with the book club readers. My friend Sky picked this one out for us this month and I'm looking forward to it.

Bonus: it's my month to pick a book for my local bookclub. I picked this same title. Two birds. One stone.

Late last year I started reading Atlas Shrugged and got about halfway through before setting it aside. It's a fascinating book, completely riviting and I remember exactly where I'm at in the book and everything that has happened. I keep meaning to get back to it and finish it and I'd really like to do that before the end of the year. As it's almost the end of the year, I'd better get to it!

After that, anything else I read will be for pure fun and fancy. Could be any of these -- all of which are scattered around the house just waiting for me.



Are you feeling the pressure of the end of the reading year yet? Anyone?

Looking forward to finding out your reading plans through the end of the year. Even if you aren't officially participating in Nightstand, let me know what you have on the docket. I'm curious!

What's On My Nightstand - August

Another month down, fewer more to go before the end of the year. Ah, pathetic sadness! And yet - also exciting. Time is just whizzing along! Time for another Nightstand post to help sort through and keep the reading goals I have for myself.

Last month I mentioned that I was reading through the Anne series by Montgomery again, surrounding an anniversary getaway to Prince Edward Island. I meant to review Anne of the Island in July but I forgot! Oops! I have several blog posts coming up about the trip and Anne in general. I'll still throw an Anne of the Island review post out there at some point this coming month.

The month of July was fairly consumed with The Chronicles of Narnia in conjunction with the annual Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge. I've been enjoying Narnia with my kids. I was hoping to make it to Voyage of the Dawn Treader this month but I don't know that we're going to make it. The jury is still out on that one. But it doesn't look good.


I did manage to finish reading The Accidental Feminist by Courtney Reissig. You can read my thoughts here: Part I, Part II.

Now, moving along to August reads . . .

The kids and I are currently in the middle of reading The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. We're all loving it and will share our thoughts upon completion.

I am currently reading The Black Star of Kingston which is the prequel to The Green Ember (which you must read if you have not). The latter title is linked to my review of the same.

Lately I would say that I've been enjoying my reads a bit more. I hit a reading slump after reading Harry Potter last year that I only now feel that I'm fully recovering from. It probably doesn't help that I'm reading Book1 aloud to Bookworm2 (who is pleased as punch that I'm reading it to him) and so I'm enjoying a little Harry Fix. Hopefully it won't set me back. It took a long time to crawl out of the slump and read just for the fun of it again! I hope this feeling lasts....forever.

Here are a few of the books floating around our house which are currently awaiting my attention. I may read all or none of them. (Heh.) I'm trying to read as the mood strikes so as to keep this reading boat afloat as long as possible! Know the feeling?




I guess we'll see!

Now, off to find out what is on YOUR nightstand. Many thanks to the nice ladies at 5 Minutes for Books who so faithfully keep this meme going!

What's On My Nightstand- July

Hello hello! Nightstand time again. We're just rushing right along through 2015 here, aren't we?

Well, last month I knew we had some travels coming up and I wasn't going to be able to get very much reading in. I mentioned that I wanted to re-read the Anne of Green Gables books and that was due in great part to the fact that we had plans to visit Prince Edward Island as a delayed 10th anniversary celebration. Visit the Island we did! (You can see where we stayed for part of our trip if you like.) Before leaving I managed to read Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea. As our plane was landing in Charlottetown I finished the last two pages of Anne of the Island (which I'll review shortly). It was a perfect, thrilling trip. We loved it. And I was personally glad to have visited with Anne again before going.

Last month I committed to reading Hutterite Diaries and did so. The title is linked to my review.

Likewise, I also committed to reading The Accidental Feminist for review purposes. (And then too, quite frankly, simply because I am extremely curious about it.) I took this book along with us on our vacation and made it about half way through. I hope to finish it by the end of this week and have a review up the next.

So what's up for next month? Well....

In July I'll be hosting the SIXTH annual Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge.


I'll be hosting this in conjunction with our classic book club so that at least my kids and I can focus pretty much exclusively on Narnia. We, of course, hope that many of you will choose to join in and pick up a Narnia book (or two?) this next month. You can find out more about that by clicking on the button above. I'll have a post to kick us off on Wednesday, July 1st.

As you regular readers/friends around here know, I'm basically dabbling in my favorite books during the month of July. I'd like to finish the Anne series and read Narnia. The combination makes me happy and I anticipate the fun.

Now off to find out what's on YOUR nightstand....

What's On My Nightstand - June

Ok! I'm "in" with a Nightstand post this month! I remembered! *fist pump* I keep forgetting until I decide that it's really too late to jump in and participate but this month I (sort of) have my act together.

The last time I participated was in February and I had a few goals in mind then:

• I did manage to read Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey. (Linked to review)
• I also read The Green Ember (and I strongly believe that everyone else ought to do the same).
• I began the book Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behavior and am a little over halfway through with it. (It's rather long. I tend to read it in fits and spurts. But I do plan to finish it.)

I feel like I've been reading a bit too much non-fiction of late and am rather eager to dive into some fun fiction. I also really feel like I've been lacking re-reads in my diet of late. I like hearing new stories, of course, but I also miss visiting with some of my old friends and I'd like to catch up with them and soon!

Instead of creating a reading plan to follow for this coming month, I'll create a reading wish list. It is roughly the same thing and it would include the following:

The complete Anne of Green Gables series. Yes, all of them. In a row.

And that would probably fill up my entire reading month in a nice and tidy way. I just really miss Anne and would love a visit!!

I did, however, accept three books for review which I will be getting to and which will distract me from Anne:

1. The first is Hutterite Diaries: Wisdom from My Prairie Community. I'm just too curious.

2. The second is Melanie Dobson's newest title, Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor. I've read two other titles by Dobson and enjoyed them both so when I was offered a chance at this one, I leapt on it. We shall see!

(Other Dobson titles reviewed HERE and HERE.)

3. The third is likely to raise eyebrows and that is: The Accidental Feminist: Restoring Our Delight in God's Good Design. I just have to.

The above three titles will be read and we'll just see how much Anne I can squeeze in. The urge grows stronger to fellowship with her every day.

Many thanks to the nice ladies at 5 Minutes for Books for hosting What's On Your Nightstand each and every month. Visit 5 Minutes for Books to link up your own nightstand posts and also to see what others are planning to read.