spring & summer reading, part 1

I titled this post, spring & summer reading, but it really should be titled something like, what to read with a new baby. This year, what with spending all my time kissing the cheeks of my precious baby (and wiping other kinds of cheeks), my reading list has been somewhat lowbrow. I'm good with that. One of the more enjoyable tasks that I've set for myself is to read my way through the works of P. G. Wodehouse, and so far this year I've read Thank You, Jeeves; Something Fishy; Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit; The Adventures of Sally; Heavy Weather; Mr Mulliner Speaking; and Right Ho, Jeeves. Can't get enough Wodehouse!

You rock, Mr Wodehouse!

While spending more time awake with my babe in the middle of the night than asleep, my eldest gave me her favorite book to read, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. I was surprised and pleased at how much I enjoyed reading this book! The themes were more mature than I expected, but put in a way that wouldn't be scary or threatening to a kid. In fact, one would hope to be heroic with the help of your friends and family!

In The Motherhood and Jane Austen Book Club, I heard about Dear Mr Knightly by Katherine Reay. I don't usually go in for that sort of thing, being allergic to modernity, but thought I should try to step out of my box now and again, and I'm glad I did. It's composed of all letters, is modern with a nod to the classics, and isn't completely free of cliches or cheese, but is a very quick, fun read. (And it was fun to read with my daughter.) The book centers around Sam(antha) who spends most of her growing up years in a home that harkened back to the home for children that my parents worked in when I was young. Some of the struggles the heroine has to work through gave me a renewed respect for my mom, and the things in her past that she was able to overcome with God's help. It's clean and redemptive and you just might enjoy it. But the absolute best thing about reading this book was that it inspired me to reread The Count of Monte Cristo and Daddy Long Legs (and watch the movies).

Next up on the summer reading list, Notes From a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider of The Art of Simple, was just what I needed. Her encouragement to live intentionally, choose where my time goes, and to not make unconscious excuses for not doing what I want/ need to do, was a shot in the arm. You will now find me a little more often at the farmer's market and playing in the rain with my terrific kids...and blogging? I hope!

More to come!

Read part 2!
http://thebowerofbelle.blogspot.com/2014/08/spring-summer-reading-part-2.html

Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes

Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes

Initial thoughts on the book:
"This would probably be be a good book for my 10 year old daughter. . . although I would have to explain the moralism."
"This reminds me of that parenting book we read, Light Their Fire for God, because of all of the 'This is Carol's story...' and 'Once we knew a lady named Stacy...' and 'Roberta wasn't ready for Jesus, but then we...' but also because of the comforting and applicable scripture references; I like that part."
"This might be a good book for a new Christian."
"Stop being so proud, you need this too!"
"I know. But really!?!? I'm gettin' 'bla bla bla'."
"Pride!"

One thing I've noticed about myself is that the books I consider good books are ones that I want to underline and otherwise mark up, are quotable, and re-readable. This book was none of these. That's not to say that it's not a good book though. It certainly isn't a bad book, just as soggy oatmeal isn't a bad breakfast, but when you're waiting for your breakfast in bed at at a French hotel and this is what's brought to you - well, it's a let-down.

This is the type of book that I most abhor for a book club or discussion: There is nothing to really discuss, nothing for anyone to disagree with (myself excepted), but is precisely the type that is chosen over and over for just such a discussion. Written by a kindly grandmother for a mass audience in a modern church and chalked full of platitudes and moral principles that would make Ben Franklin proud, this book quotes all of the "right" people: Augustine, Packer, Lloyd-Jones, etc. I have no doubt that I would enjoy a conversation with Mrs Hughes and could learn a lot from this lady's sterling character, but her book (any book) cannot depend solely on that; it must stand on it's own. Mrs Hughes is a pastor's wife and naturally her book places a strong emphasis on the tithe, church attendance, and praying over the church prayer list. I find it oddly humorous that she chose 1 Corinthians 16:2 (On the first of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.) to argue for the collecting of the tithe - humored, but not surprised. The favorite few are always brought forward to argue for how we do it now. She also quotes Hebrews 10:25 (Do not forsake assembling together...) to prove, absolutely prove with out a doubt, that your rear is to be on a pew from 10-12am every Sunday morning while other verses, that may suggest otherwise, are never touched on.

I do appreciate her many scripture references and have written some down to revisit, but if that was what I wanted my time would be better employed with a concordance. Don't get me wrong: I question myself. I question myself even as I have these thoughts. But I also question them - the modern Reformed folk who can't get past square uno. At least Tim Keller's Prodigal God  makes you think! He almost had something there! (Might I recommend The Life of God in the Soul of Man by Henry Scougal?)

Books such as this, written for church women, just deflate me. Alice von Hildebrand pulls it off, Barbara Hughes does not. I'm sorry. I remember one Beth Moore study we did in Sunday school - all of the women were chatting about how encouraged they were. Me? It depressed me, and so does this book. It's soggy oatmeal when I long for a real French breakfast.

It all puts me in mind of Mr Woodhouse who loves his "small basin of thin gruel" and is all that he "with thorough self-approbation" can recommend. It's as if this group is scared. Of what I do not know, but just read the blog comments on such a blog (Reformed, esp. the ones for women) and it's obvious that unless someone comments "Great post!! Thank you!!! Just what I needed today!!!! I am in tears!!!!!" and has no original thought in their head they are frowned upon. (Not that this is done by the authors of the blog per se but is frequently done by others who claim this vestment.) We're, in effect, told (as Mrs Bates was told) "Let me propose you venturing on one of these eggs. An egg boiled very soft is not unwholesome. (Fill in here the name of the approved Reformed, Calvinistic thinker, writer, pastor of today) understands boiling an egg better than anybody. I would not recommend an egg boiled by anybody else - but you need not be afraid, they are very small, you see - one of our small eggs will not hurt you." I'm left feeling like Emma, who, "though delighted to see everyone looking so comfortable", "the quiet prosings of such women made her feel that every evening so spent was indeed one of the evenings she had fearfully anticipated".