To Be Read List

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Lately I've been swapping a lot of books via PaperbackSwap.Com. It's a wonderful way for me to get books I am interested in without having to break the bank.

The way it works is simple:

• List all the books you have to swap. For me, this often includes books I find at garage sales or library book sales. You earn a credit or two for listing your first books, so do this right away!
• When someone requests a book on your listing, print the wrapper and mail it out with the appropriate postage. All that has been calculated for you! You earn a credit this way.
• Add lots of books to your wish list, so when someone lists them, you can "buy" them with the credits you've earned. Wa-la! Books start showing up in your mailbox!

I've even used this to land hard to find books for Christmas gifts. :) So lately, a lot of books from my wish list have been popping up, and I've been saving up credits... so my to-read list is loaded! Perfect for a COLD winter day like today. It was 12 degrees when I did chores this morning. This afternoon I'm going to curl up with one of these books and a cup of coffee.

Here's a bit of what I'm reading, or waiting to read:

Carrots Love Tomatoes, By Riotte

This book has been on my list for a while. I finally got it from a swap and can't wait to get started. I've been experimenting with companion planting for about two years, and I'm a firm believer now! Here's a link to a few posts I have about my companion planting:
Spring Garden 2011
Spring Garden 2012

Jane Pepper's Garden, by Pepper  

This book was a great read, and I re-read it regularly. I love how she breaks down gardening chores by month, so I can focus just where needed and not get overwhelmed by our acreage. I keep it handy and pull it out month after month.

Other Gardening/Farm Books I have read or am reading:

• Chickens, by Sue Weaver

• The Homesteading Handbook, by Gehring

• The Profitable Hobby Farm, by Aubrey

Scrapbooking Your Faith, by Walsh

This was given to me by my sister, Michelle. Thanks Michelle! I read the entire book on a recent flight and really enjoyed it. I loved the scrapbook layouts, including product lists in the back of the book. But what I loved most was her encouragement to let our Faith permeate our art, so that some day our children will not wonder what we believed. I am so excited to take that challenge... and to get my scrapbooks going again!

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, by Gaskin

This book has been on my list to read for quite some time. It was on my reading list for my Doula training, and although I read enough of the required books to certify through Dona, I didn't get this one. I finally got a copy of my own, and I'm enjoying every page. It re-enforces what I knew about birth from my own growing up experience, that God created our bodies to be able to do birth. That is one major point of the book, that we as a culture don't have experience with normal birth! Great read, I highly recommend... to every woman. Of course The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth is also another must read, if you're expecting. 

7 Tools for Cultivating Your Child's Potential, by Tyler

This is one I had seen in an advertisement in a magazine, and I added to my wish list right away. I was right to, as I'm almost done with it and finding myself finishing each chapter with a mental list of the friends who will enjoy reading this book next. I plan to pass this one around. I feel like Zan Tyler gets why I homeschool almost as much as Sally Clarkson does (The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity) I love how this book points back to God at every corner. He made our children to have GREAT potential!

The House that Cleans Itself, by Clark

This book has been a fun read, and I really do plan on implementing her tips, which are practical ways of making it so "Cleaning Day" is a day of the past and keeping things tidy is a simple daily routine that you don't even think about. Really good read, and one I plan on sharing with a a friend. I love how she encourages us to pray over our home, and our plans for our home. That God is in the center, really makes this a great book.

Two other books that just came in the mail:

• One Thousand Gifts, by Voskamp (Eeeeek! I'm so excited to read this one!)

• Help! I'm Married to a Homeschooling Mom, by Wilson (I plan on giving this one to... well, someone ;) hehehe!)

(All thumbnail images are the property of Amazon.com, and affiliate links have been included in this post.)