The folks at 5 Minutes For Books host What’s On Your Nightstand? the last Tuesday of each month in which we can share about the books we have been reading and/or plan to read.
It’s the first Nightstand post of 2017! And I love that it is on the actual last day of the month.
Since last time I have completed:
A Patchwork Christmas Collection by Judith Miller, Nancy Moser, and Stephanie Grace Whitson, reviewed here. Christian fiction romances set in the Victorian era and based on second chances. Nice Christmas read.
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner has a double timeline, one on 1911 with a nurse on Ellis Island, and another in 2011 with a single mom, both timelines connected by a scarf, reviewed here. Very good.
The Golden Braid, a Christian fiction retelling loosely based on Rapunzel, reviewed here. Very good.
The Silent Songbird by Melanie Dickerson, a Christian fiction retelling loosely based on “The Little Mermaid,” reviewed here. Good.
The Magnolia Story by “Fixer-Upper” stars Chip and Joanna with Mark Dagostino, reviewed here. Enjoyed it quite a lot.
The Sea Glass Sisters by Lisa Wingate, reviewed here, is an novella prequel to The Prayer Box. A woman whose life is unraveling travels with her mother into a predicted hurricane to try to avert a family crisis. Excellent.
June Bug by Chris Fabry, reviewed here. Sort of based on Les Miserables, a man and his daughter travel the US in an RV, until one day she sees her photo on a missing children’s bulletin board. Very good.
The Story Girl by L. M. Montgomery for Carrie’s L. M. Montgomery Reading Challenge.I just finished it Saturday and hope to review it later this week.
I’m currently reading:
How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart
The Tidewater Sisters by Lisa Wingate
Two Roads Home by Deborah Raney
12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup
Spiritual Mothering: The Titus 2 Design for Women Mentoring Women by Susan Hunt. Our ladies at church are going through this over the next few weeks. I probably can’t attend the sessions, but wanted to read it.
Up Next: Not sure yet, but my next choices will be from these:
A Place of Quiet Rest by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Something from my reading plans for the year – I am leaning toward Middlemarch by George Elliot.
Either Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More by Karen Swallow Prior and Eric Metaxas or When Others Shuddered: Eight Women Who Refused to Give Up by Jamie Janosz
Traces of Guilt by Dee Henderson.
The Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay
These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder for the Laura Ingalls Wilder Reading Challenge.
Speaking of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Reading Challenge – it starts tomorrow, runs through February, and it is hosted right here! More information is here, and I’ll have a sign-up post tomorrow. I’d love to have you join us!
Stray Thoughts 
I think that “What’s on your night stand” is a very cool concept. The book that is literally on my nightstand right now is “When I Stop Talking You’ll Know I’m Dead” by Jerry Weintraub
So many interesting novels, Barbara! I was talking with Jenna the other day that we are so behind on reading Melanie Dickerson’s books. She and Melanie attend the same church now so she sees her often. I’m so proud that she is such a well-known author now and deservedly so! She has worked hard and is such a sweet Christian lady. I read Spiritual Mothering awhile back and while I don’t remember specifics about it (although I think I blogged about it quite a bit), I remember feeling refreshed and encouraged by it to stay more active in the lives of sisters.
I enjoyed Middlemarch. I read it for the first time last year. It moves a little slowly at times, as many of the older classics do, but it was worth it.
You read lots of “good” books recently — that’s always a good thing! (you know I reviewed what was a “dud” for me today; I love that your son loved it and think you should read it too, because I’d love to hear your thoughts!). I read Middlemarch in the past couple of years — quite an epic and it does move slowly at times, but I enjoyed it overall. One of those classics I’m glad I’ve read. I think I’m the only person on the planet who still has never seen the TV show that the Gaineses are on. I didn’t know they had a book out! I’ve heard really good things about Susan Meissner too.
You have completed some very good books…makes me want to go right to the library. I love to read and I’ve gotten a lot of really good books as a result of your lists! Thank you, Barbara, for hosting the Laura Ingalls Wilder challenge. I’ll be by tomorrow to sign up! 🙂 I’m looking forward to it.
You’ve had so many positive reviews of novels this last month that I’m chafing at how rarely I get (make?) time for fiction. I have to remind myself that these good novels will still be around someday when I have larger chunks of uninterrupted time – and that this season of life is just that, a season.
I have both How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth and Spiritual Mothering on my bookshelf and haven’t read either. I’ll look forward to hearing your thoughts when you get to them – maybe your reviews will let me know whether I should make reading them a priority or not 🙂
I’ve got such a heavy month of reading for my personal Church History studies that I wasn’t sure if I could commit to reading anything “big” for the LIW Challenge – but I checked out one of the “My First Little House” books to read to Tirzah Mae and found it to be a relatively faithful adaptation with illustrations in Garth Williams’s style, and that the length is just about right to keep Tirzah Mae’s interest. And since reading to her isn’t optional, why not be participating in a challenge while we’re at it?
The Magnolia book and 12 Years a slave are both on my list- These make a nice balance actually! Read heavy first, and light after, or the other way around do you think? And another on the 5-min linkup shared Middlemarch via audio book…which is a to-do for me to sweeten my commute! Wonderful list and share~
Eat Pray Love…such an amzing one..On my list; Against all odd’s-Danielle steel,
Ooooh! I thought Nightstand was the fourth Tuesday of the month. I posted mine last week and wondered what happened. Ha!
You read a lot! Good for you!
My daughter has read some of Melanie Dickerson’s books and enjoyed them. I’m going to have to check out A Fall of Marigolds.