Off The Bookshelf

And we move into August.

I have read a few books this year, this summer. I wish I'd read more, but my quiet time is so limited. Still, priorities, right? Here are a few things I've read in the recent past:

Roots and Sky

by Christie Purifoy

I read this a while back, in the late winter when it was published. I did really like this book. It's subtitle is "A Journey Home in Four Seasons" which appealed to me because 1. I like the idea of 'home' and 2. I love the 4 seasons. The writer has a poetic way of writing. The book follows the first year of her family's living in their historic brick home in Pennsylvania. It is full of pretty quotes, spiritual lessons, seasonal nostalgia, motherhood, and little stories along the way. I especially liked her writing about the gardens they plant. Bonus: follow her on Instagram (@christiepurifoy) for beautiful photos.

Favorite quotes:

"What is God doing in my life? In the mornings, I wake to find that He has traced the world in silver. Every blade of grass. Each pumpkin on the porch. In the afternoons, I find Him washing these fields with the mellow sunlight of autumn. He has gilded every rail in the fence and the sheet metal roof on the old red barn. He has transformed familiar trees into something otherworldly. They are torches. They are bonfires. They are flames dancing on the edge of my vision." p. 48

"Love doesn't tick boxes on the to-do list in order to live its real life in vacation somewhere else. Love pours itself out, right where it is. Love does things right, does them well, takes care. Of course, I am speaking of fences as well as children and neighbors. I am speaking of laundry, and I am speaking about all of life." p. 170

Far Appalachia

by Noah Adams

When I get the mountain itch (all the time- my heart will always be there), I listen to bluegrass music and maybe reach for A Walk In The Woods (Bryson) or this book, Far Appalachia. A Walk In The Woods and Far Appalachia are both memoirs of a journey through the beautiful eastern mountains, but quite different. Adams travels up the New River through North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. He bikes, he hikes, and he rafts. I like this book for all it's parts: we meet the characters he meets, we learn about the natural life he encounters in the forests and river, we are taught history lessons as he learns the stories of the people of these gorges and woods. Reading this book gives me a chance to travel without leaving my home. I wish I could travel by leaving my home, but right now, I cannot. And so, I am grateful for the little escape I do get in this narrative.

Favorite quotes:

"There was a cinnamon-woodsy scent coming from a mown field. I passed raspberry bushes and untended apple trees. The sky cleared from hilltop to hilltop. I could see golden and red lights coming up ahead by the side of the trail, lights amid the grass. It was the sun shining through the ears of three cottontail rabbits. They turned to watch me ride up before moving off into the woods." p. 81

"Tell me of something better than coffee in the morning on the river when the sun's coming over the ridge and there's a drift of white fog across the water." -p. 127

Stepping Heavenward

by Elizabeth Prentiss

This is one of my all-time favorite books. I've read it at least 6 or 7 times and written down so many quotes to remember. Written by Prentiss in 1869, this is the fictional journal of a Christian woman as she grows in godliness. The book begins when Katy is 16 and continues through most of the rest of her life. We see her begin as immature, selfish and unassured in her salvation and are witness to her growth, mistakes, wisdom, and life events. I just love this book, and highly recommend it to any Christian woman. I'm reading it again this summer as I co-lead a book club.

Favorite quotes:

"Life is too precious to spend in a treadmill. Having been pardoned by your God and Savior, the next thing you have to do is to show your gratitude for his infinite favor by consecrating your self entirely to Him, body, soul, and spirit. This is the least you can do. He has bought you with a price, and you are no longer your own." p. 87

"You will be astonished to find how much suffering and sickness there is in the world and how delightful it is to sympathize with and try to relieve it." p.69

"Suppose then, you content yourself for the present with doing in a quiet, faithful, persistent way all the little, homely tasks that return with each returning day, each one as unto God, and perhaps by and by you will thus have gained strength for a more heroic life." p 67

Triggers: Exchanging Parents' Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Reponses

by Wendy Speake and Amber Lia

I first heard of this book on the Surviving Sarah podcast, episode 10 (SO worth the listen!!). By the end of the day, I'd ordered Triggers and God was moving my heart toward repentance. This book deserves, and will soon get, it's own post on this little blog. If you struggle with anger toward your children, if their behavior or other factors trigger reactionary bursts of frustration, please read this book. You are not alone. It's not too late to pray for and work towards change. The book is geared toward moms, but I've been reading it with Behn, too. So, so good. 

Favorite quotes: The whole book. Just read the whole book.

More soon....