6 months of Reading. . .Plus 6 More. . .Plus 2 More

I wanted to update my reading list so I searched through my posts to find where the last update left off. I thought it would be around December 2013, but no. The last time I posted about reading was in May 2013. I'm really on top of this aren't I?

For those that don't know I have tried to keep a goal I set, back in January of 2012, to read a book every month. Keeping up with this goal is an accomplishment worth celebrating which is why I like to post about what I read here. Sadly I've let that goal slip. I've also let posting about it slip. So we'll try and piece together what we can.

July 2013-December 2013

Started The Majesty of God's Law By: W. Cleon Skousen

I really enjoy Skousen's books. His writing makes for a nice read and I feel there is so much truth in what he says. I always come our of reading one of his books feeling more intelligent and more enlightened. This book is a big read, and I made several attempts to keep my goal, but I faltered. I am still yet to finish this book. And I really didn't get that far into it either. But I will be attempting to finish it here soon.

I also started A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier By: Joseph Plumb Martin

I really am sad about the fact that I started this book so long ago. I guess those months were full of school work. In fact I have no doubt that they were. I'm pretty sure this was the time I was doing my Zoology class, which is pretty much just an anatomy class-- I really don't know what the difference is.

I also read The Luxe By: Anna Godbersen

This book was OK. I got irritated with the characters-- I really didn't care for any of them. But it kept my interest, was fun to read and I got through it in a week. It's not something you HAVE to read, but it's pretty fun.

January 2014-March 2014

This was full of school work as well. I may have tried to read a little from A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier along the way. But I didn't get much personal reading done, that's for sure.

March 2014-June 2014

This was the month I began Midwifery School. I really had to push to get a lot of reading done in a very small amount of time.

For Midwifery School I read:

• Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn (4th Edition): The Complete Guide By: Penny Simkin, April Bolding, Ann Keppler and Janelle Durham
• A very thorough and complete guide about. . .well. . .everything it says in the title. 
• Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care 
• This book was very eye opening. Some parts I didn't feel I fully shared the writers emotions, but even so I felt I learned a lot.
• The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers By Jack Newman and Teresa Pitman
• This book is chuck full of great info on breastfeeding. There were some parts I could have done without, but it was well researched and would be a great reference for the breastfeeding mom. 
• Ina May's Guide to Childbirth By: Ina May
• I really enjoyed this book. I think it is a great book that will give you support in whatever form of childbirth you choose to have. 
• HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method By Marie F. Mongan and Lorne R. Campbell 
• I really enjoyed this book too. The great thing about studying Midwifery and natural childbirth is that you learn things that will help you with your life as well. This is one of those things. 
• Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife By: Peggy Vincent
• I really liked this book. I felt like me and Peggy had so many similarities. In a lot of ways she felt so out of place as a midwife, and sometimes I feel that way too. Yet she was amazing and, hopefully, I can be that way someday too. This book would be enjoyable even if you're not studying Midwifery. 
• The Midwife By: Jennifer Worth
• This book was truly impressive. It was so amazingly raw and honest. It was so good and so heartbreaking. I would sob and sob through a chapter, and then I would sob some more as I realized everything in this book was a true, real life experience. I want to highly recommend it, but I also don't want to be responsible for the heart wrenching experience you may have while reading it. Just know this book comes with a warning. It is also a good read even if Midwifery is not your subject of study.
• I also skimmed through some herbal books, and some Midwifery textbooks. And I started some other books about Midwifery, but didn't make it too far.

July 2014-August 2014

My life got very crazy around here. It took me a while to get settled back into things. When I finally got comfortable with the idea that I could spend the time on personal reading, without feeling guilty about neglecting schoolwork, I managed to make some progress. This means I finally finished A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier. 

This book took some patience to get through, older books tend to be like that. But I was so glad I read it. It was truly heartbreaking to read a first hand account about all that those soldiers went through. And then to read about how they were treated after the war was so heartbreaking too. Hearing his story showed me how much someone can endure and how important one man's life can be. His life was spared on so many occasions. I felt like he was truly blessed. It also made me realize what a miracle it was that we won that war. The army had so little support, and it seemed so unorganized and crazy at times. Not to mention how little those soldiers had as far as clothing, food, shelter, etc. It's simply amazing, and I am so appreciative of all that they suffered. I really recommend this book. 

I was so excited to have finished this book! It inspired me to get back on track with my reading once again. Yay! 

I also read Charlie's Monument by: Blaine M. Yorgason

Someone gave my mom this book when she lost her baby. She told me even though it didn't directly relate to her situation she found it to be very touching and comforting. It's a very quick read. It took me about a day. It was very simple, but it was very touching. There were so many parts of the book that inspired me. And the author's story about writing it is simply amazing. I would recommend reading this book. It won't take long and it is a very touching story. 

So that catches up my reading lists. I am now setting new goals, and creating a schedule that will hopefully give me time each day for school reading and personal reading. My hope is to read books every two weeks now. Of course, there will be books that I'll need more time to get through, but I'm hoping to keep that goal for the most part. Wish me luck! And happy reading to you all! :)