The 2024 TUH Gift Guide for Book Lovers

Recently, I searched online for Ferrari-themed novelties for my middle son. I didn't expect to find many. Boy, was I unprepared for the number of ideas that began to pop up? Turns out, he's not the only one preoccupied with a certain Italian racing car company. I snagged a hat, a shirt, and a handful of stickers. Admittedly, I don't love Ferrari--a car is a car to me. Not better or worse than any other. But I love my son, and he loves Ferrari. So, I make it a point to invest in his passion in order to invest in him. Sometimes, I need a little help, though. I need to be pointed in a good direction. 

The 2023 TUH Gift Guide for Book Lovers

There are ten of us in total. We gather in my living room every fourth Monday of the month. Scootching our chairs close together, we open our books. Whether we loved it or hated it, we're always ready to talk about it. We've got big thoughts about the month's title and even bigger thoughts about books in general. We're a book club.

Before settling in for a great discussion, I almost always pass out a slice of this or a scoop of that--a sweet treat for the women to enjoy. They balance their plates precariously on their laps and hold a hot cup of something in their hands. In the last two years of playing hostess to this motley crew of women, I've slowly curated a collection of book-themed mugs.

Favorite Read Alouds From 2022

In years past, this annual read-aloud round-up consisted of the top books we enjoyed together from the previous twelve months. However, this year, I'm mixing things up. A large portion of our read-aloud time was spent enjoying the Chronicles of Narnia. Since it's difficult to rank books in a series, as they are best read in sequential order, I've decided to throw in some of the books that my kids have read individually.

The 2022 TUH Gift Guide for Book Lovers

Helpful PSA: I'm not a fan of shopping. As a general rule, I'd rather braid the hair of my neighbor's cat than enter a department store. There is one teensy exception to my self-diagnosed shopping allergy, however. I'm sure you can guess what it is.

Books.

I'd also add their bookish next of kin--readerly accessories--to my short list of items that can lure me into the mall. (Why? Because as a reader, I'm not just here for the books, I'm here for the entire literary lifestyle. It's an incurable disorder. I've come to terms with it. If we're to be friends, you should too.)

What We're Reading in May 2022

We're heading into our summer schedule. In the next few days, we'll set aside our formal academics and take a looser approach to learning. But while we'll ignore the math sheets and grammar pages, we'll still make time for reading. 

We'll keep our regular weekly visits to the library. We'll stay up late reading under covers. And we'll continue to enjoy a chapter or two from a read-aloud after lunch. 

How to Host a Book Club for Reader-ly Tweens & Teens

In the last few years, I've noticed a trend on Instagram. My feed has been flooded with wonderfully curated pictures of poetry tea times and book adventure clubs hosted by area libraries, homeschool co-ops, or even just individual families. These posts usually start with some kind of convincing preamble like, "Do you have a child who doesn't like reading? Wanna get them hooked? All you have to do is host a monthly book experience to encourage even the most reluctant of readers to keep turning pages."

Top Literature Guides for Homeschoolers

According to the Pew Research Center, the number of kids who are reading just for fun is at the lowest it's been since 1984. Kids aren't reading for the sheer enjoyment of reading anymore. 

I would argue that it's because we've trained them to hate books. In our proclivity to drill and kill with worksheets in order that we might have concrete written proof that they've not only read the material but that they fully understand it, we've turned pleasure reading into an assignment. It's no longer fun anymore.

The 10 Best Books I Read in 2021

Unprecedented. That seems to be the most overworked word in the American lexicon these days. It's been pulled into so many sentences that if it gets stretched any further it just might rip clean through.

But, in this case, unprecedented feels like the perfect label for the kind of reading year I had in 2021. 

In the past, I've been able to log about 40ish books by December's end. A solid number for a work at home, homeschooling mother of five, in my opinion. At the close of 2021, however, my book journal showed that I finished 87 titles, an unprecedented number for me, to be sure.

The 2021 TUH Gift Guide for Book Lovers

Warm flannel blanket, hot cup of cider, fuzzy socks, crackling fire--most readerly people aren't just here for the books, we're here for the entire literary lifestyle. 

When shopping for the library addict in your life or for yourself (No judgment. This is a safe space.), books are an easy YES. You can rarely go wrong buying the latest title from a favorite author, especially if it is clean and captivating! However, if you're looking for a little something extra to put under the tree for your bookworm, look no further.

A Christian Mom's Guide to Choosing Clean Books for Kids

Since they were very little, I’ve always allowed my kids to select picture books at the public library. Before checking them out, I quickly sift through the stack they’ve culled and weed out any books that may not be appropriate, briefly explaining why a book doesn’t make the cut. 

With novels, I take a slightly different approach.

Homeschool Moms, Beware the YA Book Shelves {with a few exceptions}

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I picked up Tweet Cute from the library several weeks ago because I had seen it on so many Best Of lists this past year, including many from Christian book reviewers. It's a 21st-century literary reinvention of the popular 90s Rom-Com You've Got Mail. One such reviewer even used the word "chaste" to describe it on a list of must-read romantic comedies. (Although now, in hindsight, most of the other books she included on her list were definitely of the "open-door" variety--the kind that gives you a front-row seat into someone else's bedroom. So a book that doesn't have any explicit sex scenes would perhaps be "chaste" comparatively.)

15 Clean Chapter Book Series Young Boys Will Love

Not all fiction books are created equal. Granted, they all tell stories, but those stories are often written for different purposes and with varying degrees of vocabulary difficulty.

There are fiction books that teach, books that heal, books that nurture ideals and develop a worldview. There are even books that introduce a reader to a different time, a different place, or a different group of people.

Really good books do all of these.

A Christian Woman's Guide to Finding Clean & Captivating Fiction Books

To say that I'm an avid reader is a bit of an understatement. On any given day, I can have ten or so books stacked up on my nightstand awaiting my attention. My TBR list feels more substantial and overwhelming than the national debt. (That may or may not be a bit of an exaggeration. I'll let you decide.)

For years, I gravitated towards non-fiction. As a Christian woman who's compelled to honor the directives found in Philippians 4:8, I found fiction books to be tricky to navigate. They were either clean but not very captivating or captivating but not at all clean.

What We're Reading in April 2020

This quarantine has left me with plenty of extra time. It stands to reason that with a surplus of moments I should be able to plow through quite a bit of my TBR stack. But for whatever reason, I'm having a hard time concentrating. This in-between season of waiting has left me in a zombie-like state.

I don't have the energy to do many extras. I don't have the brain space to take in more information. I'm just sort of going through the motions.

What We're Reading in March 2020

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For the past few months during our Morning Time, our family has been slowly working our way through Billy Graham: America's Pastor. It was one of two missionary biographies I had set aside at the beginning of the year for our basket loop.

This past weekend after turning the final page, we celebrated both the conclusion of the story and the life of the man himself by hosting a movie night at our house. We invited some friends over for pie and ice cream and watched the newly released documentary Billy Graham: An Extraordinary Life. Both the book and the movie kindled quite a lot of conversation around our house.

The 10 Best Books I Read in 2019

Books change me. I'm never quite the same after reading good words. Words make me think. They challenge my set-in-stone beliefs. They show me how to live better in this temporary life and point me to ways I can help others live better too.

I'm never the same ME at the end of a good book. I'm always somehow altered, or at least I should be. Well-crafted words embolden me to stand firm in what I know to be true but also allow me to bend with grace when I need to.

What We're Reading in January 2020

Last week I started reading Gilead, a book that has been lauded as a must-read by all my favorite book people. I trudged along for over a hundred pages, finding every possible excuse not to read when I had the chance. Cleaning the windows, folding clothes, organizing my purse--all these tasks seemed to be more appealing than reading that book.

What We're Reading in November 2019

The bad news: I fell down my basement stairs.

Actually, using the word fell is painting it gracefully. Plummeted is probably a more accurate description of my landing. Crashed would work too.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I accidentally flung my entire 40-year-old body down a half flight of stairs and smashed into a cold slab of concrete.

And now all I can do is feebly hobble around like an elderly cat.

The good news: Sitting sedately on a heating pad leaves me plenty of time to read a good book. (What can I say...I'm a "glass is half-full" kind of gal.)

For the next few days, I'll be reclining comfortably with a book in hand. Here's what I (and my small people) will be reading this month.

What is a Living Book Anyway?

Charlotte Mason called them living or full of life. Some have referred to them as whole or complete, lacking in nothing. Still, others describe them with words like imaginative, original, or full of human touch.

No matter what moniker you give them, one thing is clear, a living book is anything but average. Living books are the best. Those aren't my words, mind you. (Although, I don't disagree.) They are Miss Mason's. She writes,

"For the children? They must grow up upon the best . . . There is never a time when they are unequal to worthy thoughts, well put; inspiring tales, well told." (Charlotte Mason, Parents and Children, p. 263)

What We're Reading in September 2019

I've kicked off the school year by rallying several hundred moms to join me in the Storied Mom Reading Challenge. Are you one of them? If not, why not?

There's still plenty of time to grab a Reading Guide before the month's end. It's your chance to reclaim the education you never had and to make reading a priority in your life. It's an opportunity to put your money where your mouth is, so to speak, by showing your kids that developing a robust reading life isn't just important for kids. It's important for moms too!*