Books I'm Reading...

For our wedding anniversary/my 26th birthday, Dave bought me a Kindle this year... this little gadget has been BRILLIANT for those long hours on the sofa when you're nursing your little one (and has also proved an excellent tool for keeping me awake for the 4.30am feed, which I'm glad to say has now finally disappeared!) Since getting the Kindle, I have been working my way through a tonne of books, and in case you're after a good read, thought I'd share some of them with you...!

1. The Help: Kathryn Stockett (Putnam Publications)
I can honestly say this is possibly the joint best work of fiction I have ever read (the other contender is the Harper Lee Classic "To Kill a Mockingbird"). The Help is the story of a group of women in 1960s Mississippi who overcome the race barrier and learn to respect and support each other, against all the odds. I absolutely zoomed through this book and was devastated when it was over. It made me question what prejudices and assumptions are present in our society and I admired Skeeter for her bravery and brilliance, wondering whether I would have been prepared to do likewise...

Cannot recommend this one highly enough - seriously good read! (Also desperate to go see it in the movies, as its just been released, but how does the mother of a two month old do that?!)


2. Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen (Penguin Classics)
I LOVE this classic, and am now reading it for the third time. I just love Lizzy - she is so fresh and real and NORMAL and thats what I love about this book - Jane Austen's characters are almost tangible! Mr Darcy's haughtiness, Miss Bingley's snootiness, Jane's goodness and Lydia's stupidity are just so lifelike and I'm whizzing through this one too (this has been my middle of the night feed favourite and has got me through some tough early-bird sessions!)

For anyone who hasn't read this, it is a MUST (and afterwards you need to watch the 1995 BBC adaptation - pure brilliance!)


3. Creative Counterpart: Linda Dillow (Thomas Nelson Publishers)
 I try to read at least one book a year on the family (be that marriage/motherhood or a bit of both!) and have read some brilliant books over the years (Doug Wilson's "Reforming Marriage", Carolyn Mahaney's "Feminine Appeal" and Josh Harris' "Boy Meets Girl") and this one is definitely up there at the top! I love Dillow's style of writing, so readable, and I've been really challenged to reassess my priorities and be purposeful in transforming those priorities on paper into priorities in my day to day life.

Really good book for any wife or mother.


4. Generous Justice: Tim Keller (Dutton Publishers)
This book was recommended to me not only by my husband's words, but by a seriously noticeable difference in his thinking and life after reading it. He had to read it as part of the lads reading group he is part of at church. When a book has changed your husband that much, you'd be stupid not to read it, right?! I've only just started this one, but its all about God's heart for justice, for helping the poor and vulnerable and reaching out in our neighbourhoods. A real challenge and I can't wait to read the rest!


Well, there's some food for thought... I'm currently scouring Amazon's Kindle store for their latest selection of free books! I'll keep you posted!

Happy reading!

Claire x