Books, Mostly ~ July 2015

Book sharing posts are some of my favourite ones by other bloggers to read, and also to write myself; just love books!!

The line-up for this month is pretty eclectic and a few are repeat reads, or listens, yet I'm enjoying it.
Winter is a good time for me to fresh and encourage myself with homeschooling 'talks' so I'll include those too.

Evidence Not Seen ~ Darlene Rose

I've been wanting to read this book about Darlene's testimony during WWII.  There is an audible option , but I felt in the frame of mind to read this one :)  I'm just about to start it.

Come Back, Ginger ~ Dorothy Butler (NZ Picture Book. OOP)
**This review is my own; and yes, others are welcome to use it  - so long as you include a link back to this post in your type up. 
Based on a incident which happen in Russell (or Kororareka), the far North of NZ,  in 1845.
The township of Russell was expecting an attack from the Maori and in the upheaval to get everyone evicted and onto the America warships heading for Auckland, Ginger, the Flowerday family's beloved cat, goes missing.
Young Catherine Flowerday, the central figure in the story, is distraught!  Fortunately, in the last minutes of hustle n bustle, Ginger turns up and makes it onto the longboat with a dead bird clasped firmly in his jaws.   The boats ship mate, also a taxidermist, helps to 'rescue' the bird from Ginger and creates a beautiful gift; a glass fronted box with the Putopu inside it. (Now extinct, the Putopu is a member of the rail family.)
The original case was donated to the Captain Cook Museum at Russell by Catherine's great-niece, Mrs. Elsie Wilkinson.

Lyn Kriegler has created some beautiful, historically accurate, illustrations to go with this story.  I really enjoy her artwork; she's illustrated others of Dorothy Butler's books, and the partnership seems to work very well!

Do Hard Things ~ Alex & Brett Harris (Repeat read.  Reading this aloud to Daisy)

This is one of my favourite books to recommend for parents with (teens) youth, to read with their children.  We find it to be an excellent book to discuss with youth - and, it has lots of scope for 'us' to be challenged as adults too.

Child of Divorce, Child of God ~ Kristine Steakley

 I wondered from the outset whether this was going to a drag-myself-through-it read.  Definitely NOT!  Kristine Steakley is a very gifted word smith; she had the ability to pull me in and kept me wanting to read on.  Okay.... I devoured it.  My copy now bears pink highlighting and personal footnotes.
  The content matter is one I care very deeply about - so many loved friends and family members are children of divorce.  The reading is not a fluffy good feelings read, the topics covered are gritty and honest, and personal; however, it is a hope filled, Christ centred, book for those that are looking for hope, help, and healing after divorce 'broke-up' their family.
I'm so thankful I added it to my shopping cart.

Laying Down the Rails: A Charlotte Mason Habits Handbook ~ Shafer (repeat read)
Force of Habit is one of my favourite Charlotte Mason 'lessons to mother' .  That lesson has helped me so much in my effort to create smooth and easy days in our home.
I've sipped read this book on and off over the years, and after listening to the audio, below, I decided I'd knuckle down and read the whole thing right through.

Audios
Laying Down the Rails ~ Sonya Shafer (download)
A good quick  introduction/overview of the book above.  If you don't have time to read the book, perhaps make time to listen to the audio.  Food for thought.  Be prepared, you may come away challenged :-)

When More is Less: A Call to Simplicity ~ Sonya Shafer (download)  
It's always interesting to hear a minimalists view point on less and simpler :-)
Again, some food for thought in here.
One of my go-to-favourites on simplifying our lives is Lorrie Flem's,  Just Say No!  audio

What is History? How & Why Should I Teach It? ~ Susan W. Bauer (download)
Susan's lecture was a real pause for reflection listen for me!
I came away with a better understanding of how - & why!! - I want to continue to teach history the way that we are, along with extra insight into the approaches that Susan Bauer writes history from (at various levels).