2014 Book Summary

Book Number	Book Title	Author	Date Read
31	Ultimate Prizes	Susan Howatch	12/21/14
30	A Christmas Carol	Charles Dickens	12/10/14
29	Bittersweet	Shauna Niequest	12/04/14
28	The Rosie Project	Simsion Graeme	11/16/14
27	Glamorous Powers	Susan Howatch	11/02/14
26	Glittering Images	Susan Howatch	10/23/14
25	Farewell to the East End	Jennifer Worth	10/14/14
24	September	Rosamunde Pilcher	10/12/14
23	Unnatural Death	Dorothy Sayers	8/28/14
22	Clouds of Witness	Dorothy Sayers	8/17/14
21	Rules of Civility by	Amor Towles	8/09/14
20	The Winter Sea	Susanna Kearsley	7/22/14
19	Whose Body?	Dorothy Sayers	7/07/14
18	Hopes and Fears	Bromleigh McCleneghan & Lee Hull Moses	11/17/14
17	A Pocket Full of Rye	Agatha Christie	6/28/14
16	Cards on the Table	Agatha Christie	6/25/14
15	The Storied Life of A.J. Fickery	Gabrielle Zevin	6/24/14
14	The Enchanted April	Elizabeth von Arnim	6/12/14
13	Chronicles of Avonlea	L.M. Montgomery	5/04/14
12	The Shell Seekers	Rosemund Pilcher	4/30/14
11	What Alice Forgot	Liane Moriarty	4/08/14
10	Emma	by Jane Austen	4/05/14
9	The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child	Robert Sears	4/03/14
8	Bread & Wine	Shauna Niequist	3/14/14
7	HypnoBirthing Experience	Ashley Scott	3/02/14
6	The Happiest Baby on the Block	Harvey Karp	3/01/14
5	The 5 Love Languages	Gary Chapman	2/25/14
4	Nicholas Nickleby	Charles Dickens	2/25/14
3	Bringing Up Bebe	Pamela Druckerman	1/18/14
2	Ina May's Guide to Childbirth	Ina May Gaskin	1/14/14
1	Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows	J.K. Rowling	1/12/14

Favorites

· Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequest

This was similar, though not quite as good, as The Spirit of Food. And while it is largely, as one would imagine, about food it was also much about being pregnant which I was while reading this book. A happy coincidence. I loved the stories and the fact that there were recipes.

· What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

Probably my favorite fiction book this year. It was hard to put down and the characters were so real; by that I mean complex. I loved viewing them through various lenses because just as you’d labeled someone a villain, or a hero, you learned something that changed your mind or made you think. This book made me think. Real life, and real people, are never all black and white, good or bad. This book reminds you of that.

· Glittering Images & Ultimate Prizes by Susan Howatch

After seeing this series repeatedly on a blog I checked the first title out of my library’s digital catalog and was hooked. I’ve read the first 3 books in the series and loved #1 and #3, #2 was fine but not quite as good. They are very descriptive stories, the character development is superb, and I love the setting in WWII (pre, during and post) England. It’s different because the setting is also the Church of England and the characters are mainly clergy. I feel that the author writes very much like I think, and the combination of rich characters, a story line you can’t wait to figure out, the time period and unique setting is supurb.

Did Not Like

· Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

This was a very strange book. It was one that I couldn’t put down because I really wanted to know how it ended. But not because I was enjoying it so much, because I was so irritated by it and was hoping that it would redeem itself. It didn’t. I found the characters flat, the story lines confusing and choppy. I wanted to love it; the setting in the big city and the time period. But I just really hated it.

· Bittersweet by Shauna Niequest

I just wrote my review of this. In summary I found it juvenile, scattered and un-relatable. I absolutely loved another book by her so I was quite disappointed here.

Thoughts

This wasn’t a big year of reading for me. I figured it wouldn’t be with a new baby. But I did meet and exceed the goal I set for myself reading this year. I did that by listening to more books than I ever have and by reading more digital books as well.

I found out that this year it wasn’t about a specific book; it was about the act of reading, reading anything. Reading is something that I don’t just love, I need to read. Reading sooths me, it helps me cope. It’s something good and familiar. I’ve always read for comfort particularly amidst great upheaval. And if bringing home your first child isn’t a great upheaval I don’t know what is. Reading kept me sane, helped me laugh, let me cry and made me feel like I was still me this year.

a selection of daily emails

That little cold I came home with at the beginning of the month turned into a big cold. Pair that with a baby girl who hasn’t been sleeping as well lately and I just wasn’t as productive as I thought I was going to be the past 2 weeks.

But slowly, I’m getting caught up. I feel much better and instead of crying over the lack of sleep we’re (trying to) laughing. Because what else can you do really?

Here are a few snapshots and some emails from this month to help document the start of our 2015.

Monday, January 5th

8 o’clock in the morning…

     Hello once again from the frozen tundra. It is still dark, but I see the sun just starting to peek out for the day. It's a balmy -15, make that -32 with wind chill.

We ended up having a fine trip back, just encountered high winds right at the end of our drive. However I am not ready for a road trip any time soon!

We spent the weekend being busy; Unpacked the car, then unpacked the bags. Did laundry and had to shop to restock the kitchen. Lots more odds and ends that needed done after not being home for 2 months. So it's Monday and back to the grind and we're starting the week rather tired but much more settled.

One wonderful thing about sorting through 2 months of mail was the huge stack of Christmas cards! So many pictures of people and lots of nice, newsy letters too. I didn’t get as far as a Christmas newsletter this year, but I’m hoping to next year.

We purchased a new bed in December so we also had to move around our old bed and assemble the new one yesterday. I slept badly on the new bed. Maybe just the change, or perhaps I was just too hot. We have had our heat cranked up to keep Catherine's room decently warm. I think a heater is going in her room today to fix that issue. Anyway, all that to say our guest bed is now a nice sleep number. Come on up and enjoy the weather ;-)

Jared and I have been fighting a cold. He however remains the sickest. He might try to get a doctor appointment today. I'm calling to schedule a long overdue visit with the chiropractor this week.
I've still got lots on my to-do list. Catch up on the blog, menu plans, clean some things, unpack the last suitcase, finish the laundry... But aside from some phone calls and that laundry nothing else may happen today.

I didn't watch Downton Abbey last night. It's recorded (oh how I missed our DVR!) and I will probably watch it tonight.

I wish you were here to have a cup of hot tea and watch the sunrise with C and I. It’s quiet and lonely after all the company back home.

PS  A lot has changed since we've been gone. C is now eating and feeding herself. And our new crawler is chasing the cats. We even had to lower her crib the first night back.

Organizing toys  now that we’re back home  

Tuesday, January 6th

     C is 8 months old today!

Another frigid and windy morning here.

I started watching Downton Abbey last evening, but C had trouble settling so I'm not done. But I am a huge fan of what I've seen thus far. It looks to be the best season in some time. I think I'll finish it today with tea and cookies if C naps.

I say if she naps because I don't want to jinx the good streak we've been having of two good naps a day. I feel somewhat human again.

J had a busy day back at work yesterday. There were a lot of meetings about how they're attempting to reorganize the squadron. J isn't happy about some of it. He has more meetings today. No flying yet though, he's been gone for so long he has to get spun back up, and I'm good with that.

I also had a busy day despite claiming it would be otherwise. However my cold is worse, so today I really am planning on doing very little and resting. J is on the mend however.

Alice is vacuuming and I've got hot tea to drink!

Prepping hearty hamburger soup over the weekend

Friday, January 9th

     We indeed had our promised blizzard yesterday and they closed school and the base at lunch. J got to be at home all afternoon and C and I rescheduled the chiropractor to next week. I’m feeling pretty rotten so it’s probably for the best that we stayed at home. J is feeling much better and did not require a trip to the doctor, I am hoping I follow suit and turn the corner of this wretched cold shortly.

We didn’t actually get much snow, but the wind was so intense that what we had was blowing and you couldn’t see a thing.

C had a much better night after several rough ones last night. We all needed that.

We were supposed to have another couple over for pizza tonight, but J gave him a heads up that I've been sick and wasn't sure I'd be company ready today only to find out that their 3 year old started running a fever the night before. So no company tonight. Just pizza.

J has to fly Sunday night. I hate these random shifts until the middle of the night. Oh well.

No news otherwise. I'm hoping to be healthy by next week and for Catherine to stay healthy!

Monday, January 12th

     We had a good weekend. We got the house cleaned, and hopefully are rid of those cold germs. I did the grocery shopping. Friday we made homemade pizza for the first time in quite awhile. I got some reading in, and J did some computer gaming. C slept better for a few nights.

Don't ask about last night. Yawn.

It's cold here, shocking I know.

I am going to put a pork loin in the crock-pot for pulled BBQ tonight. I probably won't watch much of the game but we're hoping C sleeps so J can watch and then not be up half the night with a baby :-)
 
I'm shocked about the Indianapolis v. Denver game; poor Peyton. I only watched until halftime and then I watched the Golden Globes red carpet (which was disappointing) and had solo baby duty while J was at work.

Starting my first book of 2015. The Fellowship of the Ring

Tuesday, January 13th

     I stayed up for Ohio State's first 3 touchdowns and then slept fitfully until 11 when I checked and saw that we had won! Then I was up with little girl not long after. (But only once, hallelujah.)

J was sooooo excited last night! He was silently jumping and dancing around our bedroom fist-pumping. He's still in bed. He is flying tonight so he's at home during the day.

However I was unaware of the fact that we were having another child, potentially to be named Ezekiel... Momma, (I can't believe it) stayed up for the whole game and was texting J, one with the suggestion that should we ever have a male child he should be named after Ohio State’s running back!

Not much else to report. But a happy and historic day here for certain!

Wednesday, January 14th

     All J did yesterday was read sports articles, watch ESPN interviews and order national championship t-shirts. We are still in celebration mode and probably will be for awhile.

He flew last night and is still in bed. He's supposed to be taking today off as compensation for flying Sunday, but he said he has too much to do. He may take half a day. If so I need to go to town and run errands without C. It’s never easy trying to make the trek to town and run errands with her, but in these sub-zero temperatures it’s even harder.

C slept ok last night. This fragmented sleep is really getting to me though. I fell asleep with her in the chair while she nursed last night. When I woke up she was asleep so I put her to bed. But she was up extra early this morning. Yawn!

We are experiencing a heat wave. It is 10 degrees and it even feels like 10 degrees! That's positive degrees. The high today is 30. I may have to open some windows.  There was a whole news story about how our high temps for the next week are all positive. Oh North Dakota…

Catching up on book reviews

I've got a 2014 reading summary in the works...

In the meantime I need to catch up on books from November onward!

 This book was a recommendation on a blog I frequent and happened to be on sale for the Kindle a few months ago. As much as I love real, paper books it's a lot easier to read digitally (aka while nursing C). 

"...this hilarious, feel-good novel is narrated by an oddly charming and socially challenged genetics professor on an unusual quest: to find out if he is capable of true love. Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner."

This is a short book, an easy read, it moves along quickly. It's also quite funny. It tells a good story, keeps the reader interested in what happens next. I suppose the downfalls are that it is predictable and a little lacking in character development. But neither of these things bothered me or detract from the story. I'd recommend it and gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Bonus, if you're a fan of The Big Bang Theory (show, not scientific theory) this will remind you a bit of that. 

This book was a Christmas gift from my Momma 2013. I started reading it over the summer and have slowly worked my way through it. 

"...Hopes and Fears is neither a "how-to" book nor a mere meditation. Rather, the authors seek to find the beautiful and the spiritual in the sometimes mundane activities that parents have performed since the beginning of history, while at the same time allowing beautiful and spiritual insights of the past to inform and shape the activities of modern parenting. Thus, the words of a hymn can trigger an idea about how to deal with bedtime, and an exercise in baby-naming can lead to a better understanding of a passage in Isaiah. The intertwining of the spiritual and familial in this book constantly surprises and delights: a quote from Paul Tillich can stand next to one from Tina Fey or What to Expect When You’re Expecting."

At first I was frustrated by this book. It's not the easiest thing to read in a chronically sleep deprived, overly hormonal, new parent state. But I really enjoyed it at the same time; I liked the real life parenting stories, as well as the deeper theology woven throughout. It was just that I sometimes had to read the same paragraph 7 times to fully comprehend it. 

It is definitely a book to savor and linger over, to read just a chapter at a time and to highlight and make notes in. I think I'd like to re-visit this in the future. 4 out of 5 stars. 

 I bought this Kindle edition at a major discount and after reading Bread and Wine by the same author I was excited to read this. Unfortunately it fell flat for me and I debated between a 2 or 3 star rating, ultimately opting for 3 stars. But I wouldn't rush to read this if you've got an extensive list and it is not on my re-read list. 

"...author Shauna Niequist shifts her gaze to the challenges and blessings of change in Bittersweet. Drawing from her own experiences in a recent season of pain and chaos, she explores the bits of wisdom and growth we earn the hard way, through change, loss, and transition, and offers her own reflections on what brought her hope along the way."

There are really good nuggets buried in this book. You will recognize pieces of what would become her book Bread and Wine and those were the best parts. Maybe because I'm not in the right season to hear it or need it, or maybe because the author has a personality quite different from mine; things just didn't resonate with me. I found myself disagreeing, or rolling my eyes (metaphorically) quite often. It felt disjointed and scattered and a bit repetitive. Sometimes I found it immature; some of her big struggles seemed petty, or maybe they just didn't translate well to a reader unfamiliar with the details of the author's personal life. Meh. 

 This is something I read every December. This year I read a big chunk of it while sitting in the car listening to Christmas music and drinking a chai tea latte while my baby girl took a miraculous 2 hour nap in her car seat. I can't recommend this highly enough! And an aside; this is a very short book thus making it the perfect read for the crazy busy holiday season. And finally after years my Mom and sister both read it this Christmas. 5 stars for certain. 

 This was my last book of 2014 and it was a good one. I loved the first book in this series, but the second book was just alright. This book was 5 stars and I couldn't put it down. 

"The third in Susan Howatch's Church of England novels, ULTIMATE PRIZES begins in 1942 with the world at war, as narrator and archdeacon Nevill Aysgarth finds himself falling into a hopeless obsession over Dido Tallent, beautiful celebrity, and finds himself pursuing her through a swamp of guilt and the destruction of his valued moral compass...."

Again the main character is someone who played a smaller role in an earlier book (#2) and you get to revisit various characters from both of the previous novels in the series. The writing, character development and the need to keep reading to find out the next piece of the story are all so wonderfully done, again! I'm so happy I found this author and series in 2014.  

8 months

 Weight: 15 lbs. according to our home scale

Length: still around 24 inches

Head Circumference:

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Light, still thinking blonde

Firsts: She’s starting to try and climb and pull up on everything. She can usually sit herself up on the floor and she even sits on her knees now.

Other fun stuff: She celebrated her first Christmas (in Ohio) and New Years (in Michigan)! She started napping again. Hallelujah. Aunt Abbie worked some magic and with her paci and in the rock and play she takes two good naps a day. She’s eating food somewhat like a bottomless pit. We started with dinner, then added lunch. She went from needing to be spoon fed her purees, to feeding herself straight from the pouch. She also eats finger foods. Among her favorites are green beans. She also took her 5th flight, from Atlanta to Ohio. And she made the big road trip back home to ND from Ohio, visiting 4 new states! 

Sunday, December 7th  Trying to sleep in… You see how well that went!

Tuesday, December 9th  Playing in her PJ’s And later after waking up from a nap on Mumma

Wednesday, December 10th  Her (early) Christmas present. She was les than thrilled.

Thursday, December 11th  Just playing around and counting down (1 week) until going to Ohio for Christmas

Friday, December 12th  Her favorite Christmas movie of 2014 was White Christmas hands down. She didn’t even care if the TV was on for every other Christmas movie I watched.  And a few more pictures from that day, because apparently I was in a picture taking mood. (I must have gotten sleep)

Saturday, December 13th  Christmas PJs!

 

Sunday, December 14th  The only way she would nap was on top of us. So Daddy took his turn and I got to go out and shop!

Monday, December 15th  SOS was finally winding down! C playing in our bed that morning and with her books later that day. She loves books.

 

Wednesday, December 17th  SOS graduation day! The pictures are horrible (camera in the back of the auditorium while holding a squirming baby.) I also must document the monumental blow out that happened en rout to graduation that morning. We had to sacrifice the diaper cover of her cute pink dress and live with the stench of a pooped on car seat all the way to Atlanta later that day. It was epic. Baby poop dripping out of her diaper in the parking lot while Daddy was in his dress uniform epic. Moral of the story, do not give your baby an entire jar of prunes the night before an important event.


Thursday, December 18th  C and I flew back to Ohio from Atlanta while Daddy got to drive the remaining 10 hours. But for $99 we both agreed it was worth a non-stop flight for C and a non-stop, kid free drive for Daddy! I was thrilled to see my niece and couldn’t believe how big she’d gotten. The girls loved seeing each other again. C was so excited she just couldn’t stop talking and trying to love on her cousin!


Friday, December 19th  We spent the day with J’s parents


Saturday, December 20th  Aunty and Grammy feeding C lunch
We also spent most of that weekend with Dad and his parents, but I have one whole picture of that with Great Grandpa.

Sunday morning December 21st  Grammy came over before church and we played and watched White Christmas some more
Later we went over to Grammy’s to help decorate her Christmas tree!
And that evening we hung out with the Dad’s family and opened Christmas presents with them!
 
Monday, December 22nd  Reading with Aunt Abbie and wearing the Christmas hat Grandpa made her! SO adorable.


Thursday, December 25th  C’s first Christmas. I’m a terrible picture taker. I didn’t get a picture of us all dressed up for Christmas Eve service. I didn’t take any really good ones of us on Christmas day either! But here is one of the girls playing together on Christmas morning.

Friday, December 26th  Christmas with J’s family C loved all the dogs around while we were in Ohio!


Sunday, December 28th  Reading with Grammy and the girls in their Santa hats by the Christmas tree


Monday, December 29th  Hanging out with Uncle Luke


Tuesday, December 30th  Last day in Ohio and we met up with one of my oldest friends her her kiddo


January 1, 2015  Happy New Year! We celebrated in Michigan with my Dad on our way back to ND. We watched the Rose Parade and football and ate a delicious dinner of homemade paella with Mumm champagne. And we got to enjoy a real live Christmas tree complete with big, old fashioned colored lights. It was a great trip.


Friday, January 2nd  We cut our time with my Dad a day short to avoid a winter storm and drove all the way to Minneapolis that night. C was such a trooper in the car. But she more than made up for it that night… A shot passing through Chicago.


Saturday, January 3rd  We drove the rest of the way home and missed another winter storm. C drove through 4 more new states on this 2 day road trip!


She also decided that she would eat her baby food straight from the pouch, no spoon required that day! Such a dear, serious little face. 

Sunday, January 4th  We were home a day early which happened to be a blessing because J was able to help me unpack 2 months worth of traveling and we had an unexpected day to settle back in all together at home. I hadn’t realized how much I missed having our own things and space and how hard the last 2 months really were until we were back again.
C was also a huge fan of being back! So much changed while she was gone; chasing the cats is her new favorite thing.


Tuesday, January 6th  C is 8 months old?! She’s growing so fast.