The Birth House

I put this book on hold after it was recommended by my favorite 'mommy blog' Clover Lane and I loved it. Set in a small town in Nova Scotia during WWI, it follows a girl named Dora Rare as she transitions from childhood to womanhood and becomes a midwife along the way. The societal issues and point of view was fascinating- realizing how far we have come but how similar we are in some ways. Loved it.

Cleopatra's Daughter

Just finished this awesome historical novel by Michelle Moran about the children of Marc Antony and Cleopatra, twins Selene and Alexander who lose their parents young and are taken back to Rome to be raised at court. The glimpse into their world- the politics, gender roles, religions, and fashion was fascinating. Will read more of her books again soon I hope!

The Martha Rules by Martha Stewart

 I'm the wrong person to ask about this book since I happen to love Martha Stewart but I really enjoyed it. I only got to read half of it before it had to go back to the library but the resounding question I have now is, "What is my passion?" If I'm supposed to find that thing that's me, that will be part of my life's work, how do I transition that into a business? I think about the "things" I am most excited about and most of them are baked goods or home decor. I feel like I'm far from an actual business opportunity or experience but I appreciate Martha's push to ask myself, "What is my passion, what is worth fighting for?" I'm inclined to say it's selling pretty cupcakes or something but in actuality, it's probably more of a cause or a value than a business venture- impacting the world through well thought out, passionate, careful plans and plain old hard work.

See the Martha Rules here, starting at only $0.01!

The Power Based Life by Mike Flynt

I received a free copy of The Power Based Life by Mike Flynt from BookSneeze a while ago and never got to reading it (Christmas time, getting over Christmas time, hand surgery, everyone with the flu and bronchitis, you know the drill). I finally got around to it and can't wait to share this book. Written with an encouraging and inspiring voice, the author shares personal experiences, scriptures, and various stories that will uplift and inspire. Every time I set the book down I felt encouraged to take charge of my life- to control what I can, to have a better attitude about what I can't, and to realize my will and drive extends much further than I previously thought. I'm going to try to convince my (non-reading) brother to give this a try- I think he would love the sports analogies (and the encouragement!)

The Time Traveler's Wife

Long, long ago I heard about this book becoming a movie and that it was great. I checked it out from the library, read a few pages, and couldn't get into it, so I returned it. Later it finally became a movie (with the beautiful Rachel McAdams instead of Jennifer Aniston like I'd heard at first, is that even remotely true?) I put the movie in my Netflix queue ages ago, when it was in the theaters. We finally had it on the computer and I hadn't watched it for months. Ben kept threatening to delete it. One night I was up late working on my knock off Pottery Barn Kids Felt Telluride Advent Calendar and, having exhausted slutty medical drama's from my dvr (love you, Grey's), I watched this. It was great, so I decided to read it. As fate would have it, I found a copy at Saver's for two bucks a few days later so I took it home. I knew the ending (mostly) from the movie but couldn't wait to see how the book would be different.

I have to say, this book engrossed me more than any I've read in a long while. I was dying to find out what would happen next, see how the relationship would progress, how their lives would change. I loved it. I read it as quickly as I could (without overly neglecting my kids or my house) and wanted to tell everyone about it except, I was worried to recommend it. The language leaves something to be desired and there is a lot of sex in the book. I would give the book an R rating even though the movie was only PG-13! I don't think the book was really graphic or inappropriate, or even excessive, but I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending it at Church book club for sure! Call me a hypocrite, though, because I'm definitely reading this again, and that doesn't happen too often! I loved the characters, laughed and cried with them, and only wished she would have left out some of those bad words, because this book was wonderful!