2013 April Bookmarks

*Bookmarks is an online book club hosted at Creative2xmom. Here we discuss the books we've read in the past month as well as the suggested reading. Our suggested reading for

These are the books I read this month:

Home is Where the Learning is by Valerie Steimle-- In actuality, this book is a compilation of several homeschool moms comprising years and years of experience.  Some of the chapter headings include: Living the Homsechool Lifestyle Over a Lifetime, Progressive Mastery Education, Avoiding Burnout, and Homeschooling the Hard to Teach.  Each section is written in a very easy to read, one on one nature.  I found I had a take away from many of the chapters and want to go back and reread several of them.  On the other hand, the editing was very poor on this one.  There's lots of typos and the chapters don't flow well.

The Bridesmaid by Beverly Lewis-- Beverly Lewis is the queen when it comes to Amish literature.  She has such a knack for creating deep and loveable characters.  And the Bridesmaid follows right along with this wonderful tradition of writing she's created.  Always a bridesmaid and never a bride, Joanna is determined to live life on her own terms.  And finds herself in a secret romance with Eben.  When she finally decides to share him with her family, her sister's jealousy threatens to tear her away from both her love and her Amish community.  Through twists and turns, secrets and betrayals, will Eben and Joanna come together?  You can be assured that Lewis won't disappoint on this one.

Our suggested reading for April was Living Frugal: How to Save Money and Not Feel Like You're Broke by Jamie Walker-- I picked this one up for free awhile back on Amazon and was interested to see if there were any new ideas I needed to adapt to our lifestyle.  Chapter headings include such things as Uses for Vinegar, Saving on Pet Supplies and How to Get Stuff for Free.  The book is pretty well laid out and can be read in easily digested chunks.  Many of the ideas we've seen before, but it's nice to have them in a tiny convenient format to remind us.  And there was also a good chunk of ideas I haven't thought of before, like watching for hidden costs on your phone bill, checking the fuse box in the car for electrical issues, and using hydrogen peroxide to remove stains from clothing.  All in all, this little ebook does deliver some good money saving ideas.  But is it worth the $6 price tag?  Not to me.  I'd watch for a sale or freebie on this one.

So what are your bookmarks this month?

Tell us in the comments about the books you're chewing on. Or link up a review from your own blog. Let's share the books we're finding, good and bad. And give us your thoughts on Living Frugal: How to Save Money and Not Feel Like You're Broke.

Don't forget to come back May 24th as we discuss Girl Meets God by Jennifer Weiner and any other books you're reading.  Can't wait to see you then!