2013 Reading: January - April Edition

At the end of each month I imagine I'm going to sit down and give you an update on what I've read, including some brief reviews of my favorite reads. Clearly my good intentions have not paid off. So, instead I'm giving you a quarterly round-up. 2013 is not proving to be a particularly lucrative year in the reading department (this may be in part because I've spent so much time by myself at home that reading for hours on end just hasn't enticed me in the way it does when I'm busy and around people most of the time). Regardless, I've read some great books. This year's reading has been very YA focused, mostly because of great recommendations from my friends Kim and Rebecca.

As I expected, I truly enjoyed the Emily series by L.M. Montgomery. About 15 years past due, this was my first foray into these books. They are rather delightful and I'd definitely recommend.

It's been too many weeks since I've read most of these to do any sort of justice with reviews; however, I still want to give you visual of some of the great books I discovered this year. I particularly enjoyed every book I read in February. :) I hope you find something in my list that intrigues you and perhaps you decide to pick up yourself. As always, I welcome book recommendations. In place of the reviews I hoped to write (perhaps I will in coming months), I'm going to add a few book cover pictures of some of my favorite reads this year. Hope you enjoy.


January
Non-fiction:
The Yoga Body Diet by Kristen Schultz Dollard
The Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi by Brian Leaf

Fiction:
A Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch

YA:
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Outpost by Ann Aguirre
Divergent by Veronica Roth

February
Non-fiction:
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Calahan

Fiction:
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister

YA:
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

March
Non-fiction:
Saturday Night Widows by Becky Aikman
Main Street Vegan by Victoria Moran
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
The Woman Who Wasn't There: the True Story of an Incredible Deception by Robin Gaby Fisher & Angelo J. Guglielmo Jr.
21-Day Kickstart Weight Loss by Dr. Neal Barnard

Fiction:
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

YA:
Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery

April
YA:
Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery
Emily's Quest by L.M. Montgomery
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
This Dark Endeavor: the Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel

Happy reading, my friends!!

On Being a Librarian's Wife

I never really imagined I'd be brainstorming crafts for kids and making thank-you yoda cookies, but apparently such is the life of a librarian's wife...

My Current Soundtrack

In my car: 

Deeper by JJ Heller
The Shepherd's Dog by Iron and Wine
Hopes and Fears by Keane




In the house:

Need You Now by Plumb
Painted Red by JJ Heller





What tunes are you loving right now? I'm always on the look out for new music.

Quilting

In the quietness that has defined my life since our move out west, I've found inspiration and enjoyment in hours of creativity through quilting. In the last 3 1/2 months I've made three quilts.

I don't really make the traditional, fancy-designed quilt squares, at least not yet. Instead, my quilts are typically just small squares I piece together in some sort of design. My Grandma J. quilts. The big quilt I just finished up was from her. She made all but one of the fancy quilt squares. She gave the completed quilt blocks to me to put together and finish up, if I wanted. This project took a massive amount of time. I completed the quilt top in December but I let it sit for awhile as I contemplated how in the world I was going to finish up something so big--slightly oversized queen quilt for our bed. In the end I decided to tie the quilt as it was too large to machine quilt. While I prefer the look of a machine quilted or hand quilted finish (I actually don't know how to hand quilt, yet), I am overall pleased with how the quilt turned out. It took me two weeks of fairly steady sewing while Jeremy was at work to finally finish this. (Pardon the slight mess of books and pillows.)

In January I made a small, square quilt for my new niece, Emmarie. I pieced the top from scraps in my sewing cupboard--purples and greens. My mom helped me finish this one up. I don't get to sew with company much, so that was quite enjoyable.

In February I made another small quilt for my new nephew, Everett. Again I pieced the top from scraps in my sewing cupboard--browns and blues; however, the top on this one was pieced entirely from discarded button-up shirts (fun frugality). I also experimented with adding the shapes and letters (Everett's initials), which was fun.

I've told my sister that I think just about anyone could do the type of quilting I do. Just cut squares and sew them together. It's not too difficult, though it does take some basic mathematical precision, focus, and a splash of creativity. Best of all, it's fun and the finished product is something you can use. I'm already imagining my next quilt, whenever and whatever it may be.

What I've Been Reading: 2012 Edition

Last year I only posted my reading through April.  I thought I'd just quickly chronicle here my reading for the remainder of 2012. I didn't set myself any reading goals for the year--instead just reading at whim. Though there were a few themes that emerged: lots of YA reading (thanks to recommendations from my friend Rebecca), several books about polygamy, and some interesting non-fiction reading. The  year's total only reached 70 books, much fewer than last 2011s total of over 100, but it is what it is. I read and that's what is important.

Enjoy!

May
Molly Fox's Birthday by Dierdre Martin
Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson
Quiet: the Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery

June
The Haunting of Granite Falls by Eva Ibbotson
The Heirloom Life Gardener by  Jere and Emilee Gettle
Below Stairs by Margaret Powell
A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson
The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
The Reluctant Heiress by Eva Ibbotson

July
Love Times Three by Joe, Alina, Vicki, & Valerie Darger
The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
Becoming Sister Wives by Kody Brown & wives
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
Gold by Chris Cleave

August
Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson
7: an Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker
French Kids Eat Everything by Karen LeBillon
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh Demoss
Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin

September
Does This Church Make Me Look Fat? by Rhoda Janzen
The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman

October
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K.Rowling
The Woman Who Died A Lot by Jasper Fforde
The Way to Write for Children by Joan Aiken
The Midwife by Jennifer Worth

November
The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
Natural Relief for Anxiety by Edmund Bourne
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
Housekeeping Vs. the Dirt by Nick Hornby
A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson

December
Louisa and the Missing Heiress by Anna Maclean
Adrenal Fatigue by James Wilson
Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow

The Year of the Olive

I mentioned in my previous post that I don't have particular expectations for 2013. However, I do have a goal for the year and I've written about it on my cooking blog. Go on over and take a look!

2012--Year in Review

If there is anyone still out there that thinks about reading my blog, then you are well aware that 2012 was far from a stellar blogging year--less than 15 posts is pretty miserable, actually.

2012 was, in fact, one of the hardest years I've experienced yet.

It went something like this..
.
January my beloved Grandma C. passed away quite unexpectedly (even though she was nearly 92, it was still unexpected).
March I interviewed for a new full-time position at my workplace.
April I started my new job in the children's department at the library and loved it--my favorite job to date, I loved just about everything about it, including the explosion of brain creativity I experienced as I planned crafts and programs.
May my beloved Grandpa C. passed away, after 4 very long months of missing Grandma (just shy of his 92nd birthday as well).
June Jeremy interviewed for a new job in the city we'd hoped to return to--the place we both still consider home, near most of our family--but he wasn't selected.
July we took a camping vacation up into Traverse City, MI. Three days before our departure date, Jeremy got a call requesting a phone interview the following week--smack dab in the middle of our anticipated, restful vacation. Phone interview = successful. Restful vacation = unsuccessful.
Somewhere along in here my Grandma J. fell and fractured her neck.
August Jeremy flew out for an in-person interview with the same library system. I attended my last yoga class with my favorite instructor of 2 years--though at the time I didn't know it was my last class.
September I was involved in a hit and run accident with a semi--thankfully I was unharmed and my car, while scraped and dented, was fully functional after a new set of tires. And they eventually tracked down the driver, who'd gone to Canada, and his insurance covered everything
Jeremy was offered a job. We put in our 2-weeks notice with our current jobs.
We flew out to find an apartment over our months-ago-planned and anticipated restful 4th anniversary vacation. Apartment hunting = successful. Restful anniversary vacation = unsuccessful.
Another car accident, this one minor and involving Jeremy.
Within 3 weeks we'd packed up and were moving a 1000 miles across country.
October-December has been filled with settling in to a whole new state, new job, new apartment, church-hunting, and all that moving entails. I celebrated a birthday. We celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas here. We still haven't found a church, or really any social outlets. Additionally, somewhere along the way my dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

In the midst of this monumental year, I've read numerous books (which perhaps I'll be inspired to finish cataloging here as I left off about 1/3 of the way through the year), though the count is way down from last year. I've cooked numerous meals, though only a handful of dishes were featured on the cooking blog I share with my sister--that's fizzled, momentarily at least, as well. And I found out there would be an addition of a new niece and a new nephew in 2013.

2012 has sort of kicked my butt in many ways. However, I've seen God at work too and I know that's because I've needed to throw myself at His feet asking for guidance so very many times. He has been close. Earlier in the year I read Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and right now I'm just about to finish up Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. Both books have been convicting and encouraging reads to focus my heart and mind on Christ Jesus because He is my all in all.

As 2011 turned into 2012 I remember thinking/hoping that 2012 would be a better year. It didn't turn out remotely how I expected. So, I'm taking away any pre-conceived expectations for 2013 because I have no idea what this year will bring. What I do know is that God will be here as my source of peace and strength and hope.