My Book List 2018

This list contains the books I’ve read and listened to. I love holding real books in my hands, but sometimes, I don’t have time to sit and read. I enjoy listening to audiobooks while I get work done. This list will be updated throughout the year. I have a short review of each book as well.

Many of these books I love to listen to with my children. I work hard to instill a love of books and for learning in them. Books are the key to untold worlds. They can bring you to different lands and adventures and teach you a wealth of knowledge. I want my children to develop the skills of educating themselves through the written word now in the hopes that they’ll always have the desire for learning within them.

Books I’ve Read

The Bible
Food Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Our Edible World by Julia Rothman
The Big Book of Kombucha by Hannah Crum and Alex LaGory
100% Real: 100 Insanely Good Recipes for Clean Food Made Fresh
The Big Awesome Book of Hand & Chalk Lettering by Dina Rodriguez
City Farmhouse Style: Designs for a Modern Country Life by Kim Leggett
1000 Tangles, Patterns Doodled Designs produced by Walter Foster Publishing with Various Artists
Pencil Art Workshop by Matt Rota
Jesus-The Way, The Truth, The Life
Once There Were Castles | Lost Mansions and Estates of the Twin Cities by Larry Millet
Castles | A History of Fortified Structures Ancient, Medieval & Modern by Charles Stephenson
Minnesota’s Own | Preserving Our Grand Homes by Larry Millett
Hearst Castle | The Biography of a Country House by Victoria Kastner
150 Best Cottage & Cabin Ideas by Francesc Zamora Mola
Compact Cabins | Simple Living in 1000 Square Feet or Less by Gerald Rowan
How to Build Your Dream Cabin in the Woods | The Ultimate Guide to Building and Maintaining a Backcountry Getaway by J. Wayne Fears

Audible Books I’ve Listened To

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
The Transfer by Veronica Roth
Four The Initiate by Veronica Roth
Four The Son by Veronica Roth
Four the Traitor by Veronica Roth
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Legend by Marie Lu
Champion by Marie Lu
Prodigy by Marie Lu
The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers by Gary Chapman
The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris
A Mutiny in Time by James Dashner
Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs
The 5 Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell
Eat Dirt by Dr. Josh Axe
Master Herbalist published by Author’s Republic with Various Authors
The Selection by Kiera Cass
The Elite by Kiera Cass
The Guard by Kiera Cass
The One by Kiera Cass
The Queen: A Novella by Kiera Cass
The Heir by Kiera Cass
The Favorite by Kiera Cass
The Crown by Kiera Cass
The Siren by Kiera Cass
Servant of the Crown by Melissa McShane
The Cage by Megan Sheperd
The Hunt by Megan Sheperd
The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones

A lot of the books on the list below, I’ve read or listened to before, but I’d like to listen to again. Several of these I’m going to be listening to with my children. A bunch of these I’ve already started reading, but I take breaks and come back to, depending on what I’m in the mood for.

Books I Want To Read/Listen To

The Bible
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki
Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin
Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality by Professor Robert Sapolsky
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Dr. Andrew Weil’s Guide to Optimum Health by Dr. Andrew Weil
Understanding Genetics: DNA, Genes, and Their Real-World Application by Professor David Sadava
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Caroline: Little House Revisited by Sarah Miller
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery
Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery
Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery
Anne’s House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery
Anne of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery
Rainbow Valley by L. M. Montgomery
Emily Climbs by L. M. Montgomery
Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott
Classics of American Literature narrated by Professor Arnold Weinstein
The History of World Literature narrated by Professor Grant L. Voth
The Science of Natural Healing by Professor Mimi Guarneri
Medical School for Everyone: Pediatric Grand Rounds by Professor Roy Benaroch
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Understanding Japan: A Cultural History by Professor Mark J. Ravina
Beauty and the Beast narrated by Jenna Augen
Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
Messenger by Lois Lowry
Son by Lois Lowry
Emma by Jane Austin
The Princess Diaries By Meg Cabot
The Lost Queen by Frewin Jones
Deep Nutrition by Luke Shanahan, Catherine Shanahan MD

Have you read any of these books? Please tell me what’s on your book list this year!

I’ve decided to include a short, and by short, I mean tiny, review of the books that I’ve read.

The Bible: Honestly, I haven’t read the entire thing yet, but I’ve listened to several entire books within it. Since there are 66 books in the bible, I thought it might be easier to add simply, “The Bible” rather than each specific book. I love the Bible, it’s my guide to life. I could read it every day and never get sick of it. It’s full of wisdom, poetry, history, adventure, romance, drama, and so much more.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo: This book changed the way I think of the objects within my home. I’ve been using her methods to minimize my personal belongings by keeping only what I love. If you’re a packrat, or a hoarder, then I really recommend this book.
Food Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Our Edible World by Julia Rothman: This book is kind of something you’d want to leave on a coffee table. Every page is full of fun illustrations and descriptions of food and it’s history.
100% Real: 100 Insanely Good Recipes for Clean Food Made Fresh: To be honest, I looked at every page and drooled over many of the recipes. Then I didn’t make a single one. I love cookbooks, but usually, I look online for recipes. I’ll probably continue to check out every inspiring cookbook that crosses my path though.
The Big Awesome Book of Hand & Chalk Lettering by Dina Rodriguez: This book was a lot of fun! Both Cupcake and I practiced a lot of the variations in lettering. I might check this one out again in the future if I want to work on another chalkboard.
City Farmhouse Style: Designs for a Modern Country Life by Kim Leggett: This book was full of beautiful, inspiring images of home decor. I love browsing these types of books for remodeling our humble abode.
1000 Tangles, Patterns Doodled Designs produced by Walter Foster Publishing with Various Artists: This book was pretty cool. It’s full of different ways to doodle. I would have loved this one when I was in high school. I really enjoyed looking through it, but I came to realize that I’m past doodling on paper. I don’t have hours of boredom stuck in classrooms anymore. My kids all enjoyed looking through the designs though, hopefully, it will inspire them for their future doodling.
Pencil Art Workshop by Matt Rota: I used to love sketching. This book was full of inspiring pencil art and directions. I didn’t attempt to sketch anything, but It brought me fondly back in time. Maybe I’ll get back to it one day when I have a little more time on my hands.
The Transfer by Veronica Roth: I had read the divergent series back when it first came out. I enjoyed the movies, even though they varied from the books in a few big ways. I happened to come across these companion books, from Four’s perspective. I love when a good book series relates the story from another side.
Four The Initiate by Veronica Roth: ” “
Four The Son by Veronica Roth: ” “
Four the Traitor by Veronica Roth: ” “
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman: I feel like this book should be a requirement for every high school student. Gary Chapman made a lot of puzzle pieces about love click into place. It helped me realize whats important to me to feel loved and also help me realize how I can better love others. This kind of information is useful for every type of relationship, not just the romantic kinds. I immediately took the love quiz and found out my love language and then talked to my family about what theirs were. I’ll definitely read this book again and again over the years to refresh my memory.
Legend by Marie Lu
Champion by Marie Lu
Prodigy by Marie Lu: This is the second time I’ve read this series. Actually, the first time I read it, this time I listened to it. If you like futuristic adventure stories, this is a great series to add to your list.
150 Best Cottage & Cabin Ideas by Francesc Zamora Mola: I loved all of the images in this book. I’ve been looking into small houses and although these are cabins, I think this is a good small home book too. Most of these had huge windows, tall ceilings, open floor plans, and beautiful views. Much of the interior styles were not to my taste, however. I would look into this book again if I were building a home.
Compact Cabins | Simple Living in 1000 Square Feet or Less by Gerald Rowan: This book is pretty awesome. It contains 62 floor plans, black/green & white images of the completed cabin, off the grid options, green design, and from start to finish plans that help lay out exactly how to build. It goes over everything you’ve thought about and everything you didn’t even think of. I’m thinking of purchasing this book to keep at home so I can plan my future home. One thing to keep in mind is that the title is accurate, these are tiny cabins. It mentions that you can add on in the future if need be.
How to Build Your Dream Cabin in the Woods | The Ultimate Guide to Building and Maintaining a Backcountry Getaway by J. Wayne Fears: I actually did not finish this book. It is quite detailed and my time at the library was out before I could finish. I’d like to check it out again or purchase because it contains A LOT of info about having and caring for a small home/cabin.

August 29, 2017August 29, 2017

Hastings Rivertown Days 2017

Hastings Rivertown Days 2017
Every year we go to Hastings Rivertown Days. One of our favorite things to do as a family is to go to The Dime Carnival. The kids play games to their heart’s content and win tickets to pick out fun prizes.

Every year, it always seems as though it’s on one of the hottest days of summer. Since the carnival is in a parking lot, the heat is reflected up off the asphalt, making it feel even warmer. This year was no exception. Not about to let a little heat ruin our day, we enjoyed the carnival and hid out inside the prize area to cool off when needed.

Princess has always loved picking ducks in the duck pond. Mr. Awesome loves the jumpy house. Cupcake loves all the games. Cat is starting to get to an age where the carnival is too young for her. She loves helping the younger kids play the most.

After cooling off at home, we went to the library to drop off some books and pick up some more. As soon as I walked into the library, my eyes started itching. Cat said “Oh look Mom! A beautiful dog!” I turned to see a huge white dog near us walking across the library. It must have been a therapy dog. Unfortunately, because of my allergies, I left the building while the kids had fun picking out books with Dad. Outside I enjoyed photographing the library’s beautiful garden.

We stopped at Walmart for a few necessities and I got a contact case and solution so I could take out my contacts ASAP. My eyes were burning so much I could barely see. After I removed them, in the middle of the aisle at Walmart, I felt such relief. Although I was now blind. I had to hold Nate’s hand through the rest of our Walmart trip.

My vision is -8.50 for contacts. I’m not legally blind with my contacts (legally blind is a legal term used to sort out those who can apply for medical benefits. Anyone who can not see with corrective lenses after a certain point is considered legally blind. I am very thankful that corrective lenses work for me. I will never be able to have perfect vision even with them, but it’s still a blessing I am thankful for.). Without them, I am blind. I can’t see definition, I can only see basic blurry shapes. I can see colors, dark and light.

As you can tell from the image above, I can not see very well. We stopped to get the kids ice cream at our local dairy co op, then checked out the craft fair at the LeDuc mansion across the street. Since I couldn’t see, Nate took my hand and led me around. He described what was around us and what was in each booth we passed.

I heard a familiar voice call out to me. My friend’s Katie and Dusty from our Kingdom Hall were there! I got a chance to check out an amazing card booth with them. The cards opened up into intricate pop-up scenes all made of colorful paper. One was a ship, another a camera, others were scenes of various places around the world.

Although I am blind from a distance, I can see up close. I mean extremely up close. Whatever I’m looking at must be a couple of inches from my eye. What I do see from that close is detailed almost microscopically. I can see the tiny details that the normal eye can’t see.

With the cards, I could see the fiber of the paper, the tiny cuts and details. It was like stepping into a new world where fantasy and reality collide. I intended to go back and purchase some cards after I got my contacts in, but sadly that was the last day. Perhaps I’ll get the chance to see them again next year.

We purchased some sheets from a vendor and then went home to enjoy pizza and family night. Thankfully I was able to put in a fresh set of contacts to see. After that, we walked down to the river to enjoy the Hastings Rivertown Days fireworks. It was a busy and fun day.

Check out the video of our day!

August 12, 2017July 3, 2018

52 Project, Week 15: Hobby

Choosing one hobby for this project was no easy task! I have many, many hobbies and interests. I love learning, I love being busy and creative. Ultimately, at the base of that, has always been reading

I love to read. I have always loved reading. I can remember my Father teaching me to read my first books, The Fox and the Box and Green Eggs and Ham. As a child, I was teased for being the girl who always had a book in her hand. I could read 7 books in a day at one point. My elementary school librarian told me that I read too much and I needed to get out there and live a little. There was more to life than books! I still laugh remembering the shock I felt. If a librarian tells me that I read too much, it might be a wakeup call.

There is no limit to the type of book I like to enjoy. I love learning about many different topics, so the non-fiction section is where I spend most of my time in the library. I do love fiction, but I usually listen to those as audiobooks while I work. With 4 small children, sitting down to enjoy a great novel can be difficult.

When it comes to learning new subjects, I love to have my children join me. I took an anatomy course online earlier this year and I really loved it, but going through the textbook and pouring over the pages was such a thrill for me. I read and reread so many sections, took notes and I probably drove my family crazy with my exclamations. Everyone got a chance to learn along with me as I described the wonders of cell structure, the fascination of a neuron, The complexity of all of our systems, working together in harmony. It’s beautiful and awe-inspiring. I felt closer to God, marveling in how he created us with such intricacy and detail.

Right now I’m listening to a book on neuroscience, a book on pediatrics rounds, a book on integrative holistic medicine, a book on genetics and DNA, a sci-fi novel (I read this series when it first came out. Now I’m listening to it again while I work), Anne of Green Gables when the kids are around, and the bible and bible study guides. I’m reading a couple different books about camping(Minnesota Vacation Days and Camping Activity Books for Families), a book about tiny houses, The Water-Saving Garden, Dakota County in the Twentieth Century, and also, again, the bible.

Personally, I love the feel of a real book in my hands. I love to look at them and feel their weight in my hands. I enjoy feeling the surface of the cover, smooth on newer books and soft and bumpy on older ones. I love turning pages. If there are diagrams and images to enjoy, or words to mull over, I can pause and take it in. I love hugging a book to my heart, or a stack cradled in my arms.

Overall, whether a real book or an audiobook, there is always great excitement in something new. A new book is a whole adventure contained in one small package. The thoughts and works of the author, which maybe took months or even years to gather and put together for our benefit is such a gift. A book is a doorway to another place, a guide to a new curiosity, a page away from changing the rest of your life.

For this project, I photographed my daughter Cat, holding an old copy of Shakespeare. Since my children share my love of reading, I thought it was appropriate to use one of them for my hobby project.

Cat chose to photograph her piano for her hobby project.

What is one of your hobbies? What do you love about it? Do you love to read? What books are you reading right now?

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