by Alaina | Nov 12, 2022 | Book Nook
I can see it happening already. Halloween is over and Christmas has sprung in all its glory over every department of every store. And I always feel bad. Because in America we have a holiday called, Thanksgiving, which we always rush past as we swap our skeletons for Santa Clauses.
Growing up, our church would always pause our Sunday school for a week or two and we would revisit the story of the Pilgrims. Mind you, the Pilgrims were not the ones who abused the Native Americans living here. There’s very little ill will you can parse out from the story of the original Pilgrims. We have every reason in the world to retell this story of bravery and friendship that is the Thanksgiving story.
In short; these people came over to America to have the ability to worship God as they saw fit. However, the voyage was rough and many of them landed here in ill health—just before winter. The winter was very harsh and about 45 of the 102 Pilgrims died. Come spring, they were in need of help. There was a Native American named Squanto who had been kidnapped as a young man and taken to Europe where he was set free by a Monk and then trained to speak the language. Eventually, Squanto was able to buy passage back to America only to find the devastating fact that his entire village had been wiped out by illness in his absence. Then along came these English-speaking Pilgrims. Squanto demonstrates a huge amount of forgiveness and acts as an interpreter for these people who we refer to as the Pilgrims. The Native Americans teach the Pilgrims farming skills and the Pilgrims are able to stay and weather the winter. The harvest is bountiful and together they celebrate and offer thanks to God—not just for the food, I am sure, but also for the friendship that has been forged between these two very different people groups. This is a story that bears repeating through all the generations. This is a miraculous story of the best of human nature.
Here are some of the books and shows that I always enjoy this time of year to get me into the Thanksgiving mood and to make sure that I remember this season.
The Legend of Squanto by Focus on the Family Radio Theater
This is a dramatized version acted out by excellent actors of the story of Squanto. If you barely remember learning the story of Squanto in school I highly suggest that you either purchase this on CD (or download) or look up Focus on the Family’s daily radio broadcast where they usually play this story the days immediately preceding Thanksgiving.
Pocahontas Podcast by The History Chicks
The History Chicks host a podcast that is all about women throughout history. These two women will research a woman and put out an episode approximately once a month. They have an engaging style and are fun to listen to as they share the telling of the featured woman’s life. Check out episode 212 to hear Pocahontas’s story.
http://thehistorychicks.com/episode-99-pocahontas/
The Landing of the Pilgrims by James Daugherty
This is a short chapter book, perfect for a young reader, but is also a good refresher for adults too! The book tells us what drove the Pilgrims to move to Holland, and from there to make the voyage on the Mayflower, and what it looked like setting up a colony from scratch. While this book is much more factual than narrative it still has an engaging tone that keeps you engaged.
A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla
I remember reading this book as a young reader (second or third grade) and absolutely loving it! This is the story of three children who, after the death of their father, are traveling across the ocean to start a new life in The New World. This is definitely a children’s book but that doesn’t mean you won’t get something out of it too! This is an excellent piece of historical fiction to introduce your children to the founding of the New World.
Why Thanksgiving by Steve Deace
This is for young children and is a faith-based book about why the Pilgrims decided to move to Holland and then to America—so they could worship God the way they wanted to! The colorful illustrations in this book will grab your child’s attention!
Disclosure
Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!
Other Posts You May Enjoy:
History Mysteries to Curl Up With This Fall
The Power of Forgiveness
Thanksgiving Decor and Centerpiece Ideas
by Alaina | Oct 20, 2022 | Book Nook
You know I love my historical fiction, but I enjoy nonfiction too! Below are several non fiction books that I have been reading (and enjoying!) lately!
I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet by Shauna Niequist
Part autobiography, part subtle life lessons she has learned along the way, Shuana’s warm and engaging prose sheds light on what it looks like to be in your 40s and uproot from the town that you’ve lived in your whole life to move across the country to New York City. There are so many new things that she and her family had to learn and adjust to life as new New Yorkers and she found herself saying, “I guess I haven’t learned that yet,” about numerous things in their new city. These lessons carry over into many instances in her life where she thought she knew something only to realize that no, she hasn’t learned it all yet!
The Home Edit by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin
I love a good organizing book! Almost nothing gets me as excited as a book on organizing- except for perhaps a brand new scheduler! While I know it’s not the case I think subconsciously I believe that having an organized home will give me hours of breathing room in my days- not completely true but having an organized home in which it is easy to find things certainly saves time! This book takes a look at a lot of celebrities’ home organizing projects, and therefore has a somewhat unattainable feel, ( my home would be perfectly organized too if I had custom shelving built into every room of my home!) I enjoyed the beautiful pictures as well as hearing of the author’s organizing style. A few of my key takeaways were: if you are going to invest in beautiful storage options make sure they are all cohesive otherwise while organized, your space will not look as pulled together as it actually is. And 2; I love their rainbow method of organizing and someday I am going to do this with all of my books!
Ultra Learning by Scott H. Young
In this book Young explains his method of ultra learning, a term he coined, to describe the process of throwing yourself into one project exhaustively. To be an Ultra Learner you choose one area of study and you learn about it exclusively and ceaselessly until you have it mastered. While I’m not sure this is a practical approach for everyone in every stage of life, who wishes to learn something new, I can appreciate how going all in on one subject exclusively can lead to connections and associations that otherwise might take much longer to create. I believe this book is definitely worth the read; there is bound to be a principle or 2 that you can then take and apply to your life to improve your learning skills!
How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren
I finally understand how people who have very, very, full lives can say that they have physically read a large number of books a week! In How to Read a Book , Adler and Van Doren show us how to approach reading a book for knowledge varies from one we are reading just for pleasure.the Authors show various outlines for how to read the important sections of a book so that we are getting the maximum out of a book with the minimal amount of time. I think this book would be well worth the time of anyone who is heading to college or is about to begin a project that will require hours upon hours of research.
Know Yourself, Know Your Money by Rachel Cruze
If you are familiar with Dave Ramsey and his baby step principles a lot of this book will be review… However, if you apply discretionary reading principles (perhaps the ones you learned in How to Read a Book) you will be well rewarded as to the psychological insight Cruze offers in this book as to why we spend money the way we do. We all grow up and absorb certain attitudes around money. Some of these attitudes are good, some are bad, some create good habits (saving money) for bad motives (scarcity mindset). No matter who you are or what your financial situation is, I think this is a great read to understand more about what shapes our relationship with one of the parts of our lives. Like it or not, money is a fundamental part of all of our lives, so spending a little time to ensure that we have a healthy relationship with it I believe is time well spent!
Disclosure
Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!
Other Posts You May Enjoy:
Books to Slow Down with This Season
4 Books to Read to Build Better Habits
How to Save Money on Groceries
by Alaina | Sep 22, 2022 | Book Nook
This time of year I always get into the mood for a cozy fall read. What exactly qualifies as a cozy fall read? To me a cozy read varies from season to season but in early fall I typically just want to read something good, with a strong sense of place. One of those books where the story consumes you and the characters come alive. I heard someone describe it once as an Agatha Christie type of book—only without the murder! Here are several books that fit this description that are perfect for curling up in your favorite chair with a blanket as the nights turn cooler!
Disclosure
Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!
The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan
This one pulled me right in with its bright away array of quirky characters! This story takes place in England during World War II and alternates points of view from several of the women who make up the Chilbury Ladies Choir. Kitty is 13, a very grown up 13 she wants to be sure we know, who brings a bright naiveté to the story. There is Mrs. Tillsbury, a widowed nurse whose son is currently overseas fighting. She is lonely though she doesn’t want anyone to know it. We meet Edwina who is hatching a scheme she is sure is going to make her a wealthy woman—but only if she doesn’t get caught! And there is Venetia who has her eye on a very eligible bachelor who is new to town; however, in getting involved with him she may also be getting in way over her head! Through the eyes of all these women we see how a town banded together during the difficult times of World War II and bought a bright spot into the war-torn gloom.
The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
I talked about this one in my post Books I Have Been Enjoying this Fall. What do a farmer, an American actress, a young widow, and a doctor all have in common? Why their love of Jane Austen of course! This is the charming fictional story of a real society founded in England shortly after World War II to preserve Jane Austen’s home and heritage. I read this book shortly after it came out in 2020 and it is one of those rare books that has a strong sense of self that I find my mind still wandering back to the English countryside depicted within its pages.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
This is a perfectly delightful and enjoyable read which also takes place in England at the of World War II. Both The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society spotlight what England was like in the wake of World War II, especially in a part of England that had been occupied by the Nazis in World War II. The title “Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” is thusly named because there was still no sugar to make real pie immediately following World War 11. Pies were scraped together with whatever ingredients were readily available at the time! This is the story of a young journalist who is trying to rebuild her life after World War II. She comes to Guernsey and starts to find her place again as she is slowly able to connect with the inhabitants of Guernsey over their mutual love of books.
Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy
Most likely you have at least heard of Anne of Green Gables—this is a sort of prequel, if you will, about the Marilla we know from Anne of Green Gables in her formative years and the events that transpired to make her the Marilla we know and love. I have to be honest, this probably is not the most compelling book on its own merits; however, for those of you who are Anne of Green Gables lovers and just want more, I urge you to pick this book up and be embraced back into the character you know and love from Anne of Green Gables. If you are not familiar with the story of Anne of Green Gables, I think you may actually end up enjoying the plot of this book even more and that it may just inspire you to read the actual Anne of Green Gables!
by Alaina | Aug 25, 2022 | Book Nook
We all love learning more about ourselves—yes, you know you do! But it can also be so overwhelming! There are so many books on the topic, ranging from the highly technical no-fun-to-read type, to the ones that are so general all you get is confused. There’s also the issue that reading a bunch of books just to learn more about yourself can feel selfish. What good does it do to know more about ourselves? Does learning about ourselves really help us interact with others better? Those topics and many more are discussed in the following books:
Disclosure
Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!
Reading People
by Anne Bogel
I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book but I really enjoyed it! I was afraid it would be a little too basic. I’m fairly familiar with a lot of the personality frameworks and I was afraid this would not quite reach deep enough for me. However, this book turned out to be an enjoyable overview/refresher of the different personality frameworks, as well as several I’m not very familiar with. I also learned that I might be a “highly sensitive person,” which is something new that I didn’t think I quite fit the bill of, but after reading more about it, I think I am a highly sensitive person—and boy that explains a lot!
If you are just starting to learn about the different personalities, this book is a great jumping off point and from there you can decide which framework you are most interested in learning more about!
The Four Tendencies
by Gretchen Rubin
The Four Tendencies is the only framework that I’m aware of (not that I am an expert by any means) that Anne Bogel did not mention in Reading People. While The Four Tendencies isn’t as recognized as the other frameworks, I think it is highly valuable as it is pretty easy to recognize the different types which makes it easier to learn how to interact with each type. This is a great book and should be mandatory reading for every office, as I think it would help solve a lot of conflicts—or at least show why these conflicts keep happening! I wrote a more in-depth post about The Four Tendencies; read that post here.
The Road Back to You
by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
This book talks in depth about the Enneagram. The Enneagram is a personality framework that is a little more in-depth and complicated than some of the others; it sheds much valuable insight into why we act the way we do, and what we are looking for with these actions. It talks about what each of the numbers that represent the personality types look like (there are nine main types) and what each of these types looks like when they function out of a healthy place vs an unhealthy place. This book will help you to identify which type you are and help you realize what you need to do to become emotionally healthier in that place.
The Five Love Languages
by Gary Chapman
What makes you feel loved might not make someone else feel loved and if you don’t understand how to make someone close to you feel loved, then they may doubt that you do in fact love them. In this book Gary Chapman details the five different ways that people perceive love. Everyone is a combination of languages but you will have a primary love language, as Chapman calls it. If you are not familiar with The Five Love Languages, I would get your hands on this as soon as possible—your relationships are bound to improve as a result.
by Alaina | Aug 11, 2022 | Book Nook
I can’t believe it but unfortunately summer is almost gone! The summer is winding down, school will be starting for the kids soon, and it can make us feel like summer is over but—I’m fighting this feeling! According to the calendar, we still have well over a month until fall (September 21st) and hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will still have time to sit outside and enjoy our books late into the evening.
If you are like me and still hoping to squeeze in some more summer reading, check out these titles to see if any pique your interest!
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
Inspired by a true story, The Book of Lost Names is the true story of Eva Abrams, a Jewish Holocaust survivor. As a graduate student in 1942 Eva is forced to flee Paris for a small town in the Free Zone of France. While there, Eva is offered to use her artistic abilities to help forge papers to help smuggle Jewish children out of France and into neutral Switzerland. Eva soon discovers that erasing names comes with a price—she and Remi (her handsome partner in the endeavor) devise a way to help preserve the heritage of these children. Now, years later, the book of code names has resurfaced and it is up to Eva alone to tell the story hidden within its pages.
Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor
Beautiful Little Fools is a twist off of the Great Gatsby. Told after Gatsby’s death, this is the backstory, told by alternating views of the women we know from The Great Gatsby, as to why Jay Gatsby was found dead … and why there was a diamond studded bobby pin found in the bushes near the pool where Gatsby was found dead. Frank Charles is the detective investigating this case even though the case has officially been closed? Something about it just doesn’t sit well with him and he senses one of the women is lying to him. But which woman is the liar and what is she trying to hide?
Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton
I have been a huge fan of Ms. Cleeton’s other books (check out my post on her books Next Year in Havana and When We Left Cuba here) and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one! This story continues to tell the story of the Perez family, who we met in Next Year in Havana and When We Left Cuba, told this time from the perspective of the eldest daughter, Isabel. Isabel has always been the reliable and responsible one of the family. She is now married to a wealthy American and is living in Palm Springs, Florida when she becomes troubled by the seeming disappearance of her wild and impulsive sister, Beatriz. Iasbel decides to take off to Spain where Beatriz is currently living to find her sister. However, while there, she happens upon a mysterious photograph of her, her mother, and a man she has never seen before which was taken in Spain. When Isabel confronts her mother about it, her mother insists that they’ve never been to Spain leaving Isabel with yet another mystery to try to unravel.
Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan
This story tells of the sinking of the ship, the Pulaski, known as the Titanic of the South. In 1838, the Pulaski was advertised as a safe way to travel in style with only one night out at sea. What a fateful night it was—culminating in the boiler of the ship exploding and approximately 130 of the 190 passengers dying! This story alternates between telling the story of Augusta Longstreet and Lily Forsyth, who were passengers on the ship and Everly, a modern day history professor, who has been asked to curate a new museum exhibit of this event. Everly is eager to delve into the research to discover the truth of what happened that night, however in doing so, she will have to face her own ghosts in a past that she would rather forget.
I hope these titles will help you relax and drink in the last bit of summer that is left! As always, if you haven’t yet, be sure to subscribe to our email list so you never miss a post and if you have enjoyed this post, please share.
Other Posts You May Enjoy:
End of Summer Historical Fiction Round 2021
Author Spotlight – Susan Meissner
Author Spotlight: Books by Ann Rinaldi
by Alaina | Apr 21, 2022 | Book Nook, Grace Notes
We think of creativity as something that we either have or we don’t. We think of children with crayons and potters at their wheels—but why do we reduce it and simplify it like this? Why do we act like creativity only affects one area of our life and if we aren’t in a field that we consider to be creative, why do we think we don’t need creativity?
We are the only creatures on the planet gifted with creativity. There is something special about that! As Artificial Intelligence gets more and more sophisticated, the demand for mundane jobs to handle simple tasks will start to disappear. We are coming into a time when cultivating our creativity will be more important than ever. It will be what sets us apart.
Even more than that however, utilizing and cultivating our creativity is a large way we achieve pure enjoyment in this life. I know people who think they don’t have a creative bone in their body, and some who even think they don’t need creativity! We use creativity way more than we think we do. We use it to problem solve and we use it to make things that don’t traditionally fall into the “creative” basket. We use it to derive contentment and joy in our lives.
I think the problem might be how we think about creativity. We need to stop thinking about it as if it can be compartmentalized and shut off from the other areas of our lives. Instead, we need to think of creativity as a way of enhancing the other areas of our lives. We need to expand what we think of as art and start to enjoy creating, dreaming and playing for its own sake and for the joy it bring us—not solely for the outcome these things produce in the physical sense. Below are several books I have loved when it comes to cultivating creativity.
A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman
In A Million Little Ways Ms. Freeman says we need to see our lives through a more artistic lens. We need to stop the inner critic inside our minds and enjoy the fact that all of us, from engineers to janitors, were put on this earth to create in some way, shape, or form. We need to stop thinking that we couldn’t do … fill in the blank.
The Creative Habit by Thyla Thrawp
The Creative Habit by Ms.Thrawp reminded me of Steven King’s On Writing in that she does not believe in a creative block just as Mr. King does not believe in writer’s block. In this book, Ms. Thrawp offers a variety of ways to get yourself unstuck and to inspire your creativity and ways to get your creativity flowing. She shares many examples from her life when she was stuck, on a deadline, and had to get unstuck very quickly!
Called to Create by Jordan Raynor
In Called to Create Mr. Raynor gives biblical context as to why we should follow the urges of our heart and go create. Mr. Raynor also gives examples of how feeling called to create, as an entrepreneur or otherwise, is just as God-honoring as being called to be a pastor or a missionary. He shares how small companies started by solo entrepreneurs have made a big impact in the world. If you are feeling the urge to create a company or business, on whatever scale, don’t dismiss it! God may have a job specifically in mind for you!
If you decide to pick up any of these books, I hope you will feel inspired! Remember creating and creativity isn’t just about the outcome—it is about the enjoyment we derive from the process!
Other Posts You May Enjoy:
Taking Time to Feel the Seasons
History Mysteries to Curl Up With This Fall
5 Historical Fiction Reads to Kick off Your Summer
Make it Sing
