From My Book Pile – Homeschool Mom Encouragement Edition

I find that books are both a necessity and a luxury. I can’t live without them, but they also aren’t a top priority when it comes to budgeting. I decided to splurge and use some gift money and a rebate to purchase a few books that have been on my wish list for some time. I realized during these challenging times that I, too, needed encouragement. I spend so much time encouraging and helping others, but sometimes fail to allow myself to simply be encouraged.

I thought I would share what I’m reading under the umbrella of homeschool mom encouragement books. So this next installment in the From My Book Pile Series includes four books I purchased to that end and two books I received to review that fit right in. I’ll go right down the pile from top to bottom and give a little summary of each.

Mother’s Hour

The pink book on top without a title on the spine is Mother’s Hour by Sharon White who blogs at The Legacy of Home. I don’t know how to describe it other than to say that there is something about her writing and the topics that she writes about that touch me in a way that almost nothing else online does.

I think it’s the combination of the simplicity of her faith, the simplicity of her life, and the fact that I’m an old soul. I don’t know how else to describe it. The first time I found her blog a few summers ago I got lost in it and it was like coming home to something.

I’ve wanted to order one of her books for a long time. I chose Mother’s Hour because it seemed the most likely to meet me where I am in need right now. The book is made up of short chapters with little stories and vignettes from throughout her life.

Mother Culture

Mother Culture by Karen Andreola has been on my to buy list. The cover is a bit deceptive so I would encourage you to look past the cover if it doesn’t appeal to you. The inside is gorgeously designed with antique illustrations so the book inside is a visual feast to go along with the encouraging content.

If you aren’t familiar with Karen Andreola, she was instrumental in bringing Charlotte Mason’s teachings to homeschooling in the United States. We’ve never been Charlotte Mason homeschoolers, but I know that I have intuitively incorporated many of her philosophies in my own parenting and homeschooling.

This book isn’t about Charlotte Mason homeschooling, but about encouraging women on the mothering path. I’ve written myself about so many of the topics in the book, but I also need to be encouraged in a fresh way so I’m looking forward to reading this book. The parts I’ve already sampled here and there have been lovely.

Staying at Home God’s Way

Staying at Home God’s Way was sent to me by the author, Peggy Poe. Peggy’s desire is to help moms find a way to stay home with their children. This is such a timely topic in our culture right now while we are in the midst of great upheaval in terms of work, parenting, schooling, finances, etc.

Peggy shares stories and examples from her own life through a series of devotionals, ideas, and practical application action steps. These spiritual and financial tips are written in a brief way, but each tip has the potential to make a significant difference over time and when combined with the rest of the tips in the book. She clearly has a desire to help women find a way to stay home with their children and make the most of their faith, money, talents, and resources. This book would be a good starting point for someone who is overwhelmed and needs a concise, actionable, and encouraging guide to get started.

Curious Unschoolers & Radical Unschool Love

I’ve already written a post about Curious Unschoolers and Radical Unschool Love by Australian blogger and podcaster Sue Elvis (Stories of an Unschooling Family). I had asked my library to order them which they did. However, when I started reading Curious Unschoolers I found myself continually frustrated because I wanted to mark sections in the book and I couldn’t write in a library book! I stopped reading it and set them aside.

Now I have my own copy of not only Curious Unschoolers but also Radical Unschool Love and I can write in them as much as a I please! LOL!

We’re not unschoolers, but relaxed homeschoolers. However, we are about as close to unschoolers as you can get without crossing that final line. Even though we technically use different homeschooling methods, I agree with so much of what Sue writes about parenting, learning, and family. I knew I wanted to be able to have these books to read both for my own encouragement and to refer to in future posts.

The Jesus of the Gospels

I received a copy of The Jesus of the Gospels to review next month. I am just starting to look through it, but I thought I would mention it now as well.

So that’s what’s in my book pile right now. What are you reading in these early summer days?