before i post my "spring reading thing" challenge on Wednesday (it's SPRING! in less than 48 hours!) i thought i'd quickly rehash the books from my "fall into reading" challange, also hosted by callapidder days.

Simply Christian by N.T. Wright. very good book, but a difficult read for me as he's extremely academic in his writing (probably similar to his preaching and teaching). i tend to be drawn to beautifully-crafted sentences and his are very pragmatic and to-the-point. which isn't bad, it just makes it harder for me to get the point. i guess i need "poetry" in a lot of my non-fiction as well as my fiction! i owed the Carnegie Library a bunch of money for keeping it out well past my due-date.

Father Melancholy's Daughter by Gail Godwin. i'd read this book before, and if i were to re-write that book meme i did a couple of weeks ago, i'd change my all-time favorite book to this one. this is poetry. and tragedy. and a love story. and full of grace and God and...man, did this book make me cry. also recommended is its sequel, Evensong. i didn't get around to reading it this past fall, but it's always so close to my bedstand that i pick it up from time to time and just skim a few chapters. i'll pick it up again, i know it. for the record, i haven't been able to get into much of Godwin's other works. these two are her best.

The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. i loved this book...and i didn't get to read nearly the amount of it that i wanted to (it was also a library-loan). it's thick and dense, but such a fun read. i love reading books that make me excited to homeschool instead of fear it. i'm currently drooling over her earlier book The Well-Educated Mind.

Simple Hospitality by Jane Jarrell. i never read it because our libraries didn't have copies and i didn't feel like purchasing it yet. and Katrina (Callapidder Days) recommended buying a used copy as she wasn't as impressed with it as she had hoped to be since it didn't focus on the simplicity of being hospitible. which is something that's important to me as well (although I do like to spoil my guests!).

Recovered Body by Scott Cairns. again, i didn't read it because our libraries didn't have it, and i didn't purchase it. if you ever come across a copy of any of his poetry books, read them. now THAT'S some poetry. :)

another book i read along with Simply Christian was Kathleen Norris' The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy, and "Women's Work" which also was out a bit too long from the library...i should have just purchased these books! it's a small book - more like an essay, and i ate it up like...marshmallow Peeps! i never thought of laundry, grocery lists, diaper changes, meal preparation, and cleaning (especially cleaning!) as Holy. but she makes a great case for it. the work of the manager or keeper of your household works on hallowed ground making clean what is dirty and filling minds, souls and bellies of her/his loved ones with knowledge, love, and food. isn't that what God does for us daily?

i'm excited about my spring list - i even pre-purchased a few used copies of some of my books. the list is longer, but i'm ready for it! i know we have a busy spring ahead of us, but i'm up for the challenge! and i encourage you to get in on it!

spring-clean your mind with a few good books!