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We are going PINK- we are adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. We'll be sharing our journey to adopt our daughter!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Books, books, books

You know you are reading too many books when your husband says, "Did you get another book today?" and your answer is, "Well, yes, yes I did!"

I have been reading a lot of books lately. Our mini-vacation allowed me to read for several hours a day!
I have finished reading:


I'm currently reading:


Don't worry, I know the alphabet. Igor and I are going through the Pre-K workbook together.
The AWAA book club is reading- Real Parents Real Children so I thought I would read it. I'm not enjoying the book. I think it's a hard book to read because it's written in a clinical and sterile way.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What books would you recommend once I finish up my current list?

11 comments:

tisha said...

Candy,
I've just started reading I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla and so far I like it. I'm kind of embarassed to say I haven't read There's No Me Without You yet, but I want to read it soon.

What did you think of the In Their Own Voices book? I've thought about reading it, but haven't yet.
Tisha :)

Carpenters said...

I really liked "There is No Me Without You" and "I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla". The insight offered in both of these books was invaluable. I am currently reading "Real Parents, Real Children" with the AWAA book club as well. I agree with your assessment; it has been difficult to get through. I am also reading and enjoying "Before You Were Mine". Other adoption books I would recommend are "Adoption Lifebook" and "Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew". "The Whole Life Adoption Book" was required reading and if you haven't already read it, you can definitely skip it. Neither Gabe nor I liked it. Another book on my list to read is "Toddler Adoption: The Weaver's Craft".

With Love,
Penelope

Renee' said...

Real Parents, Real Children was the first adoption book I read and I have to agree it was a struggle. I ended up skipping parts. I did learn from it though.

There is no me- was a good book and gave a lot of good information yet in a personal story form. I enjoyed reading it.

I am reading I'm chocolate, You're Vanilla now. It's okay, I really like her perspective but I find she is repeating herself a lot and using more than enough examples to get her point across, but to be fair, I am only on page 27!

I plan to read In their own voices soon.

Rob and Candy said...

Hi Tisha, I like in your own voices because the authors interviewed bi-racial or black adults who were adopted as infants/toddlers by white parents. It's a really candid look at their feelings about growing up with white parents and in some cases white communities.
Some of the interviews are hard to read because a couple of them did not know "who they were" racially when they graduated high school.
I like the book because it gives me a perspective from the children's eyes.

Rob and Candy said...

Hi Penelope, you made me laugh. It's very rare that I don't finish a book but The Whole Life Adoption Book is one I didn't finish!

I will check the library for "Before You Were Mine" and "Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew". Thanks for the recommendation!

I read the Adoption Lifebook before we adopted Igor.
We also read Toddler Adoption: The Weaver's Craft when we accepted Igor's referral. We/Igor experienced many things written in this book. Another YG member didn't like the book but I found it very helpful and very true to our situation.
xxoo
candy

Jori said...

So happy you are back - and with 1 less tooth! :) I am reading Red Letter (living a faith that bleeds) and Fields of the Fatherless (discover the joy of compassionate living)both by Tom Davis. He talks of the AIDS crisis and alot of Africa orphans. I am liking both of them so far. There is no me and chocolate/vanilla were both good reads for me . I so did not like real parents/real children that I quit it; I hardly ever quit a book. I have our library looking for "It is not ok with me" and "Left to tell"(Rwanda) for next on my list and I am sure I will read "Before you were mine" as well. I will look into "Twenty things adopted kids wish their adoptive parents knew" and I am sure the list goes on.
I also wanted to let you know about a book I am working through with some friends: "Created to be His Help Meet. Discover how God can make your marriage glorious" Some good, some great and some I don't want to do/know about. It makes me really take a look.
Blessings, Jori

Melodie Monberg said...

I loved "There is No Me Without You." In fact, we just had a book club on it. I found it hard to read "I'm Chocolate, you're Vanilla." Lately I've been searching and listening to music. I'm finding the nights are too late and I fall asleep before I get past page one!

Keep up the reviews....We're heading to FL in June and will need some good reads then!

Karen said...

Hey Candy!

Looks like I might be able to skip the Real Parents book, it's not getting great reviews.

I really liked Before You Were Mine (a lifebook book) and Treasuring God in Your Traditions.

I'm currently reading Healthy Child, Healthy World and LOVE IT. It's about making your home more eco-friendly and safter but is written in a very "you can do this" (not a scary) tone.

*karen

E said...

Candy,

I've read "I'm Chocolate You're Vanilla" & "There's is No Me Without You" and I liked both books. Although some people adore "There is No Me Without You" I actually found it so depressing at one point that I had to put it down for a couple of months before I could finish it. I guess I just couldn't handle it.

I just ordered a couple of books recommended on the renovare website. (I ordered them used though - cheaper). I'm a big abebooks.com fan. Even with paying shipping, they're still usually at least a few dollars cheaper than at amazon. Often my savings are even bigger. A lot of the books I read aren't at our local library, so I end up buying them. I'm a book addict.

So...next on the docket for me are "Habits of a Child's Heart: Raising Your Kids with the Spiritual Disciplines" and "Real Kids, Real Faith: Practices for Nurturing Childrens' Spiritual Lives" - I'm very excited about these two books. I'm also reading some fiction here & there and other stuff. I'm always reading several books at once. I think I need to start reading one book at a time. Or at least one non fiction, one fiction.

:) Erica

tisha said...

Thanks Candy! In their own voices, sounds like a good one. I'll have to give it a try. :)
Tisha

Rob and Candy said...

Karen- I will check out Healthy Child, Healthy World. We are pretty green - we compost, we recently set up our rain barrels, etc. This book sound right up my alley...
thanks
candy