Alaska: The Last Frontier (we've only seen season 1)
Alaskan Bush People (We've only seen seasons 1 and 2)
Heartland (We've watched seasons 1-9 o far)
History's Greatest Mysteries (we've only watched season 1)
Little House on the Prairie (later seasons get SUPER dramatic so we've only watched the first few so far)
Touched by an Angel (we've only watched season one)
This post is more of a list for myself to keep track with, but it's also a fun place for you to refer back to if you're in the mood for a new series. These will all be contemporary Christian fiction (and probably family themed) unless otherwise noted.
IN PROGRESS: Christiansen Family // Fog Harbor // Legacy of Faith // McKenzie Family Romance
COMPLETED: The Alliance // Baxter Family // Carolina Heirlooms // Cody Gunner // The Heritage of Lancaster County // Intervention // Lost Love // Moonlighters // Rock Harbor
TBR: 9/11 // Alaskan Cyber Hunters // Angels Walking // The Crimson Legacy // Deep Haven // Forever Faithful // If I Run // Left Behind // The Josey series // The Lost Castle // Marta's Legacy // Newpointe 911 // Promises of God // The Red Gloves // Thatcher Sisters // Timeless Love
I tried to be really intentional about my first month of postpartum healing this time around and I feel like I did a good job! I napped or rested in bed reading during a lot of baby's naps plus I employed the same trick with this baby that I used to use during nighttime (early morning) feedings- read on the Kindle so I don't engage/stimulate baby during sleep hours yet don't fall asleep! But I didn't do much audio book listening since I wasn't doing the workouts, driving, or chores that normally make sense as audio book time.
First, grown-up reads...
📖 Bible study: Proverbs! Still focused on a very slow bible study- quality, not quantity.
📖 All That Really Matters (Christian, fiction)... I am really fascinated by the overall idea of influencers (it's such a strange byproduct of an internet-heavy world, isn't it?) and really enjoyed this novel about a popular makeup influencer and her time mentoring young adults who have aged out of the foster care system. I'm not at all interested in book 2 but I am really loving Nicole Deese lately so I'll be reading it anyway!
📖 Bitter and Sweet (Christian, fiction)... Yet another book exploring family dynamics and character development. I am forever drawn to deep, rich stories like these. This one is set in South Carolina and focuses on a toxic adult sister relationship + some ties to their great grandmother's past.
📖 Boost Your Breast Milk (secular, nonfiction. Parenting? Health?)... Good, short and to the point, helpful!
📖 The Brain's Way of Healing (secular, nonfiction, health)... I didn't read the whole super long book, just parts that matched up with a loved one's condition. So fascinating!
📖 Formula of Deception (Christian, fiction, suspense)... I was really into this Alaska suspense book but there was a point right near the end that kinda pulled me out of the story. I will try more Carrie Stuart Parks in the future.
📖 Habits of the Household (Christian, nonfiction)... I adored this book! But I do think you won't get much out of it if you aren't actively parenting young children.
📖 Meet Me in the Margins (Christian [but not really], fiction)... I read this because Janssen said it was a good clean read for teens + I'm a sucker for a good book about books/writing. I am not a sucker for romance but they're growing on me IF they're done right. I loved this one!
📖 A Time to Stand (Christian, fiction)... I was so curious to see how this one would go- a black lawyer who feels called to defend the white police officer who shot an unarmed black teenager. I have liked the other Robert Whitlow books I've read and I liked this one, too.
📖 Plus the designated chapters of my ongoing baby reads this year, What to Expect: The First Year // The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding // The Wonder Weeks
And for my kids' shelves...
📖 All of Creation (Christian, upper middle grade, nonfiction)... I've always thought it so strange that an environmental sustainability focus is so often seen as almost anti-Christian. The environment was hand-created by God, we live here, it's the thief who came to destroy, and besides, God is pretty clear in Genesis that we're supposed to take care of our world. This book did a good job of laying out practical things we can do to protect specific plants/creatures/habitats in a very Biblical, faith-focused way. #Christianhippie 🤷🏼
📖 The Blind Girl's Song (Christian, middle grade, fictionalized biography)... This was a well-done, engaging biography about the author of many famous hymns. I enjoyed this one and think a lot of music-minded kids will enjoy it, too.
📖 Can You Survive: an Alien Invasion (secular, middle grade, fiction, choose-your-own-adventure)... Something that interested my son... Fluff of course, overall fine. Like most of these kinds of books, some adventure paths were better than others.
📖 DNA by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... Short and informative with fun tidbits thrown in.
📖 Flight of the Eagles (Christian, middle grade, fantasy)... I was curious to see if this 90s story would be too old and outdated for my oldest but it wasn't! He definitely plans to continue the series.
📖 Heroes: Incredible True Stories of Courageous Animals (secular, nonfiction)... These are all stories about animals helping during wars. Some stories end sadly but it's a good read for kids who can handle that.
📖 Kate and the Spies (Christian, middle grade, historical fiction)... This Revolutionary war novel is the third Sisters in Time book I've read and it's going to be a definite hit with one of my kids.
📖 Lena in the Spotlight series- Hello Stars // Daydreams and Movie Screens // Shining Night (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... I liked this Faithgirlz series about a young lady becoming a movie star overnight. Lots of good faith content in these.
📖 The Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson (Christian, middle grade, historical fiction)... Really liked this one and know my kids will love it so already planning to use it as our next read-aloud!
📖 The Mythmakers (secular, YA, nonfiction, graphic novel)... This is a great look at the lives + relationship of JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis which I'll definitely hand to my kids as high schoolers. I also loved this author's Bonhoeffer graphic novel in a similar style.
📖 Nicholas Quick and the Man from the Chaos Dimension (secular, middle grade, fiction, fantasy)... Fantasy is never my favorite but this one was fun and then was a hit with my oldest.
📖 Who Were the Navajo Code Talkers? (Secular, middle grade, nonfiction, history)... I don't love every book in this series but I did really enjoy this one!
📖 Winning the War in Your Mind for Teens (Christian, YA, nonfiction)... Wow, what a powerful read period but especially for supporting teens through those hard angsty times.
Picture books we enjoyed this month: The Book Bus // Buzzing With Questions // Captain Cat // I Will Rejoice // I've Loved You Since Forever // The King Without a Shadow // Pa, Me, and the Sidewalk Pantry // The Prince and the Porker // Race to Kindness // Take Heart My Child // What's Inside a Flower // The Wonderful Things You Will Be // You Are My Happy
March new releases I'm excited about: One Wrong Step // Welcome to the Honey B&B // When the Sky Burned
Cute, cozy bookish reading lamp
22 Christian fiction books from last spring
Old blog posts you may be interested in this month- books for World Down Syndrome Day // a round-up of middle grade books for middle grade March ... Christian fantasy // great reads for animal lovers // historical fiction // middle grade books by location
Meet Julie, new-to-me Booktuber perfect for Middle Grade March
This Christian-published romantic comedy has gotten so much love!
Fun Reddit discussion on the apps people use to read on their phones (I've never read on my phone and don't know any of these people or their other content, there's my disclaimer 😉)
Why a book in their hands is better than one on a screen
Cute- literary location puzzle
"5 books that made the Bible finally make sense for me"
When teens don't love reading and writing
Dolls from children's books- Little House on the Prairie // Madeline // Princess Parables (Christian) // Wellie Wishers
12 tips for reading more classics and actually understanding them
All the Caldecott winners since 1938
Did you know they're remaking the Little House on the Prairie show?!
Loved this nerdy Christian reading vlog
Bookish footie pajamas I bought for my baby 😍
How to verse map in your bible studies
Robin Lee Hatcher is one of my favorite authors and I enjoyed her thoughts on writing in the age of AI.
Cooked... Oat pancakes, overnight oats, and lasagna soup, for the next few days' breakfasts and lunches!
Drank... So much water! I'm noticing my normal water intake just doesn't feel like enough while nursing a hungry baby so I'm prioritizing that more.
Found... Guitar tabs for Blackbird so one of my kids will play it for me. (Scandalous but I prefer Sarah McLachlan's version over The Beatles').
Listened to a classical music CD my hubby likes to play for our babies.
Prepped... Our science lessons for the next two weeks because my maternity homeschool break is almost over, back to school next week! (We're using this curriculum for the younger kids and the older kids will be expanding upon the same topics so I have to find library books, podcasts, videos, etc for the older kids' lessons)
Read... The Wonder Weeks // Mostly What God Does // All That Really Matters // Breakthrough
Signed my baby up... For the Dolly Parton Imagination Library!
Walked outside on this uncharacteristically sunny February day... Felt so grateful that I can handle a little summer sun and a lot of winter sun these days 🌞
Watched... Parenthood with my husband. They make a lot of worldly choices in this show so it's not one I recommend watching with kids around but I really love books and shows about family relationships and we enjoy the discussions that come from watching it together.
Wore... This shirt, this sweater, this pair of maternity/postpartum pants, this babywearing wrap.
