Princesses in Disguise

Kayla – Being A Girl Who Leads by Shannon Kubiak Primicerio ~I liked the general idea of this book, even though some parts were not exactly my cup of tea.  Shannon emphasized the importance of standing alone as girls and using the power we have in the marketing world for good.  I was personally encouraged not to settle for what the world has to offer, but stand up for truth and purity.  Following tendencies come naturally to all of us, but our example Jesus led in a meek and humble way, not tolerating low standards.

Being A Girl Who Loves by Shannon Kubiak Primicerio ~ Learning to love like Jesus loves was my goal at the beginning of this book.  Sadly, genuine, Christlike love is one of those qualities I as a sinner was not born with.  Shannon shared many practical ways girls can learn to love others, especially those who are unlovable.  Her personal stories of things she has done to show love to others and ways others have shown love for her were especially impressive on my heart.  First Corinthians 13 is one passage the Lord has been using in my life lately to show me just how vital love is to the Christian life, and Shannon brought up some neat insights from it that I hadn’t seen before.

Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty ~ This summer, as I was anticipating the start of my freshman year as an English major, I decided it would be a good idea to read a few books on how to write effectively.  Plus, this one just looked like it would be a fun read.  I got it on CD from the library and listened to it while cleaning my room or working on other random projects.  I found the “quick and dirty tips” to be both entertaining and thought-provoking and certainly learned a lot about the writing world. 

Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark ~ This was another writing book I enjoyed reading this month.  It was similar to Grammar Girl’s book in format.  Each tip had it’s own short chapter and was explained in an easily-understood way.  There were also many examples of literature passages showing real life application.  I was especially delighted to see Mr. Clark use the end of a Nancy Drew chapter to explain how cliff-hangers worked.  :) 

A Chance To Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot ~ Another kind of book I was craving this summer were missionary biographies.  Since I had never read anything about Amy Carmichael, I thought this one would be a good idea.  And it certainly was.  The stories of how God worked in the lives of Amy and the Indian orphans were incredible.  Amy’s resolve to keep prayer the core of her day really encouraged me to do the same.  Her high standards, amazingly close relationship with Christ, and humility (as described by Mrs. Elliot) caused me not to uphold her as a saintly standard, but to look to Christ to work those things in my life.  I was also deeply motivated to give my whole being to whatever task God calls me to, whether that be mothering orphans in India or washing dishes at home.

Stephanie – Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy ~ This book really challenged and exhorted me to have a more intimate relationship with the Lord.  Leslie shares her testimony of how she had to “throw out the trash” in order to cleanse her “inner sanctuary” and make that happen.  I would recommend this book to older readers.  See also Kayla’s review of it here.

The Clue of the Tapping Heels by Carolyn Keene ~ We loved reading aloud the 16th Nancy Drew book at our tea parties this month. In it, Nancy solves the mystery of stolen cats and a strange tapping sound in an actress’s house. 

Allison – I didn’t finish any books this month other than Nancy Drew.

image credit

Kayla – Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far by Amy Grant ~ This book was given to me as a graduation gift.  While I’d never been a fan of Amy Grant or even listened to her music, I was interested to read her testimony.  Her book was filled with nuggets of things the Lord has taught her over the years, and overall, I enjoyed reading it.

Extracting the Precious From Galatians by Donna Partow ~ This was a short devotional book going through the book of Galatians verse by verse.  I was very excited to find it around the same time I began reading Galatians in my daily Bible reading.  The more challenging passages had me puzzled, so I was eager to delve deeper into their meaning with the help of Mrs. Partow’s book.  While the Lord used the study questions in the book to bring me to a better understanding of the Scriptures, I didn’t completely agree with all of the doctrine presented in it.

Paul Harvey’s The Rest of the Story by Paul Aurandt ~ Mom recommended this book to me recently as she remembered enjoying it when she was younger.  It is a collection of short, interesting “Rest of the Stories” behind famous people, foods, places, holidays, etc.  While reading them, I found my eyes jumping to the bottom of the page to find the big clincher. 

 Multiple Blessings by Kate and Jon Gosselin ~ In case you haven’t heard of them, the Gosselins are a Christian family who have twins and sextuplets, totaling eight children.  Their testimony of how the Lord brought them through the rough “early days” when the sextuplets were newborns was inspiring to me.  It reinforced to me the truth that God gives us more than we can handle in our own strength so that we are forced to lean on Him.

What He Must Be…If He Wants to Marry My Daughter by Voddie Baucham ~ Okay, I know by the looks of the title, this seems like a strange book for an 18-year-old female to be reading, but Mr. Baucham actually recommended that daughters read it as well as their fathers.  It was excellent!  I loved the way Mr. Baucham clearly described the characteristics of a godly man found in Scripture.  I was encouraged to keep my standards high and also help my brothers develop the same characteristics.

The Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion by Carolyn Keene ~ This was a Hills Girls Tea/Coffee Party read aloud.    We love the Nancy Drew series, especially the cliff-hanger chapter endings!  This mystery was a delightful read as usual.  Why wouldn’t it be with that spunky, stylish, titan blonde sleuth?

Stephanie – I also read Multiple Blessings and The Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion.

Allison – I too enjoyed reading the Nancy Drew mystery with my sisters this month.

image credit

Kayla: The Seamstress by Sara Tuvel Bernstein ~ I chose this book on an outing to the bookstore with our great uncle after being naturally drawn to the history section.  I’m not sure why, but I’ve always loved reading the stories of those who survived the Holocaust.  The suffering people experienced humbles me and reminds me to be grateful for all God has blessed me with, including things I so often take for granted and consider “basics” like a roof over my head, a comfortable bed to sleep on at night, and a loving family.  This book was no exception.  I literally couldn’t put it down, and Stephanie even commented once or twice about my being glued to this book because it is so uncharacteristic of me.  ~smile~  However, I do recommend that younger girls be sure to ask permission of their parents before reading this book (as always).

The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White ~ I was sent this small book as part of the homework for my Verity English class, but it hardly felt like study material.  ~smile~  I found the writing tips to be very insightful and helpful in improving my writing.  The humorous presentation makes this book a fun read, in my opinion.

The Duggars: 20 and Counting by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar ~ I’m sure most if not all of you are familiar with the Duggar family and their eighteen children.  I was excited to find this book at the library and sped through it very quickly.  I loved reading Mr. and Mrs. Duggar’s testimony of how the Lord brought them together and later led them to have so many children.  Reading Mrs. Duggar’s practical tips on managing the home and training young children encouraged me greatly in serving my family and loving my siblings.  This was a very refreshing book (with lots of fun family pictures, too)!

Life’s Little Instruction Book, Vol. II by H. Jackson Brown Jr. ~ While I don’t agree with the title of this book (The Bible is the only “life instruction book” I’ll follow!), it was a fun, laughter-inducing read.  I read the one-line tips aloud in the girls’ room, and we all enjoyed the absurdity of some of the tips like:  “Never tell a man he is losing his hair.  He already knows.”  Some were thought-provoking, however, such as: “Smile when you pick up the phone.  The caller will hear it in your voice.”  I’ve started applying this one, and it actually makes a difference in how I feel!

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley ~ I never really liked the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast.  I’m not exactly sure what turned me off… maybe it was the part about the nice, pretty girl falling in love with an ugly, angry monster?  I don’t know.  But when I heard about this book, I decided to give it a try, hoping that since it was retelling the story, I might sort of enjoy it.  Well, enjoy it I did!  Robin McKinley did a beautiful job with the descriptions in this book, and I loved her twist on the main character, Beauty.  Also a plus: the beast in this story is much nicer.  ~smile~

Stephanie:

Mrs. Lirriper by Charles Dickens ~ I loved this creative book of short stories! They all centered around a boarding house run by the titular lady and are told by several different authors, including Dickens.

 Christmas with Grandma Elsie ~ I really enjoyed the thirteenth book in this series as it followed the escapades of Lulu Raymond.

(I also read “Beauty” and enjoyed it as well! )

Allison: I read both Beauty and Christmas with Grandma Elsie and enjoyed them both.

Kayla: Let Me Be A Woman by Elisabeth Elliot – A wonderful collection of short chapters Mrs. Elliot wrote sharing advice for her daughter who was engaged to be married.  I enjoyed reading the motherly wisdom on being a Godly woman.  Since much of the advice was on being a good wife, I concluded that I will have to read this book again in the future (closer to my actually becoming a wife in order to refresh myself on its encouragements.  But, overall, it was an uplifting book and I was able to glean several insights from it on topics such as growing closer to the Lord and serving Him selflessly.

Social Graces: Manners, Conversation, and Charm for Today by Ann Platz and Susan Wales – This is a very short book about rules of etiquitte and Southern hospitality.  While I enjoyed reading it, I was not impressed to actually follow all of the guidelines put forth by the authors.  Maybe it’s because I come from a large family who tries to be as efficient and practical as possible, but I just don’t see the value in paying attention to every single tiny detail of life.  I believe the only two parts of the book I actually took to heart were the parts on conversing and writing letters properly.

In My Father’s House: A Vision for Daughters, selected and edited by Tamara and Naomi Joy Valine – This is one of the best, most encouraging, and motivating books I have read in a long time!  It is a compilation of articles from publications in young ladies’ magazines and books from the 1800’s.  The wisdom and practical advice for Godly young womanhood was refreshing to say the least!  The chapters (or articles) cover topics such as cooking, orderliness, Godliness, and education.  Whenever I read a portion of this book, I always felt inspired to get up and get to work serving my God and my household.  Although I’ve always been content with being female and never wished I was a boy, I’ve never been this excited about being a girl! 

Stephanie:  I didn’t finish any books this month.

Allison: An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott – I really enjoyed this book. Its about a young girl named Polly who goes to visit her wealthy cousins. Polly’s cousins are embarrassed by her “old-fashioned” ways, but by the end of the first part of the book, they each learn a valuable lesson from Polly. I liked the last page the best.

Red Rock Mysteries books 1-4 by Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry- This series is about Ashley and Bryce, 13 year old twins who solve mysteries together. The mysteries are really exciting! I love this series.

Kayla:

Christmas with Grandma Elsie (#14) by Martha Finley – Another delightful book in the Elsie series by Ms. Martha Finley.  I always enjoy these books because of the strong family relationships and the kindness they show toward one another.  The high standards of the Dinsmore, Travilla, and Raymond families never cease to challenge me.

God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew – A friend from church let us borrow this book, and I was captivated by it!  The testimonies of a missionary to the countries behind the Iron Curtain throroughly encouraged me in my walk with the Lord.  Hearing about all the amazing things the Lord did in answer to prayer increased my faith and compelled me to bring everything, no matter how big or small, before my God (that very same God) in prayer.

Stephanie:

Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma by Diana Birchall — This is a sequel to Pride and Prejudice that gives us a peek into the life of the now middle-aged Darcys.  I thought it was okay.  The author’s style is very similar to Austen’s.

Under the Lilacs by Louisa May Alcott — This is more of a children’s book, but I liked it.    It follows the escapades of two little sisters and their friend, a runaway from the circus. 

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott — I loved reading of the adventures of the March girls!  I was amused by how the four sisters’ personalities are so different from one anothers’. 

God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew — I, too, really enjoyed reading this book!  I loved how the power of God was shown through every chapter and the missionary gave glory to Him for everything.

Allison:

Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma by Diana Birchall  – I, too, read this book. It was alright. I’ll probably look for other sequels by other authors.

Kathleens  Unforgettable Winter, Kathleens Abiding Hope, and Kathleens Enduring Faith (books 2, 3, and 4) by Tracy Leininger Craven – These are the last three books in the Kathleen McKenzie series. Kathleen and her family move to her grandparents farm to save money during the Depression. I really enjoyed this series.

Kayla –  Merchant Maiden by Crystal Paine – This was a nice little booklet with lots of business ideas for young ladies who want to earn some money from home.  Even though I don’t feel led to start my own business (yet, at least), I enjoyed reading all the creative ideas and testimonies.  If you’re trying to think of some way you can earn a little extra cash while still fulfilling your duties at home, I would suggest you read this book!

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – This book was on my “to read” list for quite some time and I was really excited to finally have the opportunity to read it.  I now understand why it’s such a favorite!  I absolutely loved the sweet story of the four March sisters.  At times, I couldn’t put it down.  Now I really want to see the movie, but must wait until Stephanie reads the book so it isn’t spoiled for her. 

Do Hard Things by Alex & Brett Harris – Wow!  This read was simply amazing.  I was challenged, convicted, and inspired so many times throughout reading Do Hard Things.  Every time I read a chapter, I felt like getting up and doing something productive for God.  I was encouraged to be a rebel with a I Timothy 4:12 cause.  “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”  The standards for young people in the world today are extremely low compared to God’s expectations of us.  For this reason, we must band together and live out I Timothy 4:12, being an example to the world and fellow believers.  If you’re a young person and you haven’t read this book, you simply must get your hands on it soon.

Stephanie –

Emotional Purity by Heather Paulsen – I really recommend this book!  See Kayla’s review of it here.

Kathleen’s Shaken Dreams by Tracy Craven – This is about an eleven-year-old girl at the start of the Great Depression.  I really enjoyed it!

The Pot of Basil by John Keats – I checked out a book of assorted poems by Keats from the library just to read this one, because it was referenced to in a book I loved, Rose in Bloom by Alcott.  It turned out to be an unfortunate love story, and I didn’t like it.  Keats is very odd…  I don’t think his poems are the type for me.  lol

Allison - I didn’t finish any books in January.

Kayla:

Violet’s Hidden Doubts, Based on the Characters by Martha Finley –  This is the first book in the Violet series put out by Life of Faith.  It’s a modernized version of the stories in Martha Finley’s Elsie Dinsmore series.  If you’ve read any of the original Elsie books like I have, you may not enjoy this book as much.  I found it to be a bit watered down from the original stories and not as deep.  Personally, I like the old-fashioned writing style of Ms. Finley.    The only reason I read this book was to review it for the media library I help out at at the church we used to attend.  It’s a book I’d recommend if you’ve not read the Elsie books before.

Put Your House on a Diet by Ed Morrow, Sheree Byofsky, and Rita Rosenkranz – If you can’t tell, I’m pretty much a clean-freak and/or obsessive organizer.    That’s why the title of this book appealed to me.  For the most part, I liked what the authors had to say on the subject, but other parts seemed monotonous to me.  Since organizing comes naturally to me, I have an “instinct” or already set way things should be and look in my mind.  Therefore, the ideas and helpful hints on organizing in this book were kind of worthless to me.    But, for those who don’t have a natural inclination in this area, I’m sure this book would be helpful as it is very thorough and the concepts are well-explained.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale — After poring over SAT prep books for most of November, I craved a more “mindless” read, and this was a good one for me to de-stress with.  Even though it’s more of a children’s book, I liked it and thought it was a real page-turner.  For more on the story line, see Stephanie’s review.

Stephanie:

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale — This was a really interesting fictional book about a girl a girl named Miri.  She and the rest of her girl friends are taken from their mountain village to a “Princess Academy.”  Here they to go through a year of study before being presented to the prince of their country.  The prince is to then choose a wife from among the girls.  But in the ending there’s a twist.  I really liked this book, which surprised me because I’m not generally into fantasy books.  I thought it was a neat concept, and the author’s writing is great.

Pollyanna Grows Up by Eleanor Porter — This is the sequel to “Pollyanna,” the story of a little orphan girl who looks for the silver lining in every cloud.  The sequel is, of course, about her growing up, and I think I liked this one better than the first, but they’re both great books.

Allison:

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson – Sixteen year old Hattie is an orphan who has been passed from relative to relative. She dreams of having a place to call her own, and she thinks that dream just might come true when she receives a letter from a friend of her uncle, who had passed on a few months before. Hattie’s uncle has given all of his possessions to her including his small claim. The land will officially become hers if she can “prove it up” before November. I love historical fiction and I really enjoyed this book. 

The Rabbi’s Girls by Johanna Hurwitz – This book is about young Jewish girl named Carrie. Because her father is a Rabbi, her family has had to move from city to city, wherever the Jewish people need them (like Hattie, though it wasn’t because her father was a Rabbi see above). Carrie finds it hard to make friends, since her family only stays in a city for about a year or two before they have to move again. I didn’t like this book as much as Hattie Big Sky. It was more…childish, I suppose, though it was still a nice book.

October was a pretty good reading month for us.  Here are our takes on the books we finished…

Kayla: 

Ester Ried (Isabella Alden) – Like Stephanie mentioned in her review, this is an amazing book!  I loved it from start to finish.  Although I didn’t cry like she did, I did enjoy it immensely.  Several parts gave me that shivery feeling you get when something devastating, truthful, or ironic is said.  I was convicted as well as encouraged by Ester’s testimony.  I came away feeling motivated to be a better sister and better Christian witness to this lost world.  The author, Isabella Alden, was such an inspiration to me in the way that she wrote this story, boldly proclaiming the truth in God’s Word.  I have never read a book like this… it is simply a treasure.

Daughters of Destiny (Noelle Wheeler) – We girls finally finished reading this book aloud.  It took us quite awhile as many times we didn’t want to read before bed but talk!    However, when we were in the mood for reading, the stories in this book encouraged us, inspired us, and humored us.  It was a very educational book in which we learned about many different heroines of the faith including Martha Finley, Fanny Crosby, and Katharina von Bora.  I highly recommend it.

Authentic Beauty (Leslie Ludy) – This was another great read, but is not recommended for younger readers, due to subject matter.  Leslie gives her testimony of going through her teenage years in public school and falling into wrong friendships and a sinful lifestyle, and then coming back to fall in love with her true Prince.  She exhorts girls to give their whole heart to their Prince and devote their entire being to Him first and foremost.  She also stresses the importance of cleaning out your heart and “inner sanctuary” so that you can experience a pure, unhindered, intimate relationship with God.  The only thing I disliked about this book was the little bit of somewhat graphic content.  I understand the need to be forthright and honest with girls, but the language and subject matter was not what I am used to (coming from a homeschooling, pretty sheltered family).  This is why it’s recommended for older young ladies.  Other than that, I enjoyed it and was challenged!  Leslie Ludy’s site and blog, www.setapartgirl.com, is a great resource as well.

Stephanie:

The Winter of Red Snow (Kristiana Gregory) -

This is the diary of a fictional girl who was ten-years-old at the time of the Revolutionary War. Abigail and her family live in Valley Forge, where the Army camped during the winter of 177-78. I enjoyed Abigail’s perspective on things. I love reading historical fiction, especially diaries like this one.

Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) -

Many of you have read this book, or at least have seen the movie. We first viewed the movie last spring, and loved it. I enjoyed the book as well, although I think it would have been better if I had read it before watching the movie.

Allison:

Kathleen’s Shaken Dreams (Tracy Leininger Craven)-

For my birthday, I received all four books in the Kathleen McKenzie series from A Life Of Faith. The series is about an eleven year old girl growing up in the 1930s, dealing with the hardships of the depression. I had been a bit prejudiced against them, since A Life Of Faith has revised the original Elsie Dinsmore books, changing some of the names Martha Finley had originally given the characters, and I don’t think I’ll ever read ALOF’s version. But I really enjoyed the first book in the Kathleen series, and I’ve already started the second book.

(image from art.com)

We’ve decided to start sharing a list of the books we have finished reading in the past month.  Here’s the first list, for September:

K:  This month I finished three books.  I feel like I read a lot more, but I’m still working on several.  You can look for those next month.   

The first book I finished this month was Emotional Purity by Heather Paulsen.  I can’t recommend this highly enough!  Heather talks about the importance of not only physical purity before marriage, but also emotional and spiritual purity.  She gives Biblical, practical guidelines for treating your friends of the opposite gender.  It really caused me to think about my own life and change my mindset when it comes to having Godly, edifying friendships that don’t cause us to give away my heart and emotions prematurely.  This book is for both guys and girls, so I would encourage you to read it and then have your brothers do the same!  If I were a guy, I would definitely appreciate the advice Heather gives in this book about treating girls in a way which helps them to guard their hearts.

The second book I finished this month was Secrets of the Vine by Bruce Wilkinson.  I had to read this for a school project when we were learning about pruning - physical trees and our spiritual lives!  It really encouraged me to evaluate my own life and ask God what needed to be pruned from my heart.  I learned from this book that God really does want our lives to be overflowing with fruitfulness for Him, but we are the ones holding ourselves back.  The author goes through the text in John 15 step by step sharing how God wants us to respond to His pruning and how abiding in Him will bring the most fruit.  All in all, a very thought-provoking book and a good, quick read!

The third book I finished in September was His Princess: Love Letters from Your King by Sheri Rose Shepherd.  A girlfriend from church lent us this book, and I really enjoyed reading a little bit of it each day with my devotions.  It has many notes to you and I as God’s princesses, exhorting us in different areas such as waiting on Him, loving others, keeping the tongue, and guarding the heart.  I loved how Ms. Shepherd compiled and arranged several different passages of scripture to convey the Lord’s thoughts and feelings toward us as His daughters.  It seemed that each day, the letter I read spoke to me concerning something that I was dealing with or feelings I was struggling with.

S: Wow, I too thought I had read much more this month, but apparently I only completed two books.  Here they are…

Ester Ried: Asleep and Awake by Isabella Alden - I loved this book!  You can read my review of it here and see what my friend Serenity’s says about it here.

The Art of Speed Reading People: How to Size People Up and Speak Their Language by Paul and Barbara Tieger – This is a book I found fascinating!  It’s all about how to figure out people’s personalities (based on Myers-Briggs types).  I learned so much about myself from this book, and now that I’ve finished it, I’m ready to try the skills out on others and connect with them better.  I have already started “Speed Reading” – a couple of my friends and siblings confirmed their Myers-Briggs personalities to me, and I had guessed right!  (In case you’re fascinated by personalities too, and are wondering… K is an ESTJ, I am an ENFP, and A is an INFJ. )

A: This month I’ve been reading The Chronicles of Narnia series. Some friends had taken me to see the movie Prince Caspian back in May (though I hadn’t seen the first one) and I really enjoyed it. I started reading the series in early September and I’ve just finished #4, The Silver Chair (I’m reading the books in the order C.S. Lewis wrote them). They are really good books, if you like fantasy. I like how C.S. Lewis wrote them like he is telling the story to children.

(image from tempe.gov/library)