What's On Your Nightstand - March & April

Again I'm having to do two months together. Last month went right by and I forgot. So my list is longer. The next six week are going to be a big push around here to get school work finished. That shouldn't affect my reading but one never knows what will happen around here!

For May:

From March's Nightstand I read:

• Out to Canaan by Jan Karon - Always enjoy my visits to Mitford!
• For Woman Who Are Called By Women Who Have Answered by Kim Haney - As a pastor's wife I added this as "professional" read.
• Know and Tell: The Art of Narration by Karen Glass - I love using the Charlotte Mason education in our homeschool and was excited to read this book. We have used narration in our homeschool for years and this was an excellent read to help us do it better.
• Lion by Saroo Brierley - Last summer I saw the film Lion when I was with friends and while I found the film intriguing, but it was missing something. I decided to check out the book and see if it filled in the gap. I did enjoy it more than the film and it is a story that will stick with me for awhile.

I also read:

• A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet: Southern Stories of Faith, Family, and Fifteen Pounds of Bacon by Sophie Hudson - I have mentioned I'm a fan of The Big Boo Cast and this book is written by the other co-host Sophie Hudson. I enjoyed it but I don't think it is a must read.
• A Murder of Quality by John LeCarre - I found out that my local book club that I sporadically attend was going to read The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and someone mentioned it was a series. Well, I love series so I started at the beginning! A Murder of Quality is book two of the series which I enjoyed. This was more of a mystery than an espionage story though.

In April I read:

• Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery - Just taking another round through the Anne books.
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - This was a literature selection I read aloud to my older kids though my 9 year old insisted on listening in. Of course, you can't go wrong with Austen.
• The Spy Who Came In From the Cold by John LeCarre - I read this for book club. This book is a different beast than the first two in the series. I'll just put it this way--I felt I needed therapy when I finished the book. Intense and not what I was expecting (or wanted)!
• True Grit by Charles Portis - I read this along with the Close Reads Podcast. I had watched the John Wayne film years ago but didn't hardly remember it. I enjoyed Portis' writing style, but again the ending was more intense and the ending was bittersweet.
• Church of the Small Things:A Million Little Pieces That Make Up Life by Melanie Shankle - If you've been following my nightstand posts you will notice I've been on Melanie Shankle kick. This is her latest. A nice book to relax to.
• A Path Through Suffering:Discovering the Relationship Between God's Mercy and Our Pain by Elisabeth Eliott - A good read about suffering with some important truths. The good thing was I figured out I wasn't suffering that bad.

I listened to:

• For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macauley - If you know anything about Charlotte Mason then you will know this is the go-to book to introduce people to a CM education. Honestly, this has never been my favorite read and I'm currently reading it with a CM book club. I found that the audio was available to download from the library so I pushed through it to help me through my slow reading. 
• Aunt's Aren't Gentlemen by P.G. Wodehouse - Yes, I just listened to this in February but we had an errand day up in Portland and my kids wanted to listen to it. We made it through over half the book so on another trip up to Portland I finished it. I think right now this is my favorite Jeeves book.
• Call for the Dead by John LeCarre - Book one in the Smiley Series. I really enjoyed this book.
• Overcoming Dyslexia:A New and Complete Science-Based Reading Program for Reading Problems at Any Level by Sally Shaywitz (April listen) - My youngest seems to be dyslexic and I'm trying to figure out what to do. This book was always coming up in my research so I borrowed the audio through Overdrive and powered through it. Honestly, I was quite disappointed in it. There wasn't much of a solution and very much for parents who children go to government schools. I felt very frustrated with this read.