In Common is my weekly Commonplace roundup – notable quotes from the previous week, and current reading list.

I spent the final week of April trying to wrap up a few titles and make room in my stack for May reads. This past week I finished Experiencing God, Honey for a Child’s Heart, and 10 Habits of Happy Moms. I also read Henry and the Chalk Dragon to my children.

Experiencing God has been quite impactful – I’ve been working through it slowly since January and I strongly recommend it to Christians. No matter how far along your Christian walk you may be, you will be challenged in your relationship with God and come out with a deeper understanding of what it really means to experience God in your personal life, and as part of the larger Christian body.

“You can’t stay where you are and go with God at the same time.” Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God

I feel like I am late to the game, having only just now read Honey for a Child’s Heart, though I have been homeschooling since 2011, and have four children at home. This book is so full of goodness – and I am so thankful that our family leans so heavily on good literature, not just for homeschooling but for character building and family entertainment. This is a resource I will return to again and again as my children grow.

“Children’s books cannot be written for or down to children. Children reject books that do not treat them as equal.” Gladys Hunt, Honey for a Child’s Heart

The 10 Habits for Happy Moms is a great resource for moms who struggle to consider their own needs because they are constantly meeting the needs of others. Meg Meeker does a great job reminding women that self care is so important, and she addresses ten habits to cultivate to improve happiness.

“We all choose what thoughts will fill the spaces in our minds, if you will, at the beginning of the day. It is a simple mathematical truth that if we spend more time pondering what we don’t have, we will have far less time to feel grateful for what we do have.” Meg Meeker, The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers

I’ll mention Henry and the Chalk Dragon even though it is a family read, and not just in my personal stack. This is a must read for families. We had so much fun reading this book aloud. It is laugh out loud funny and so sweet!

“Don’t insult anything that has just shimmied down the drain.” Jennifer Trafton, Henry and the Chalk Dragon

I started a new book in April that I’ll work on over the spring and summer. The Well-Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. Part ‘How to Read a Book’ and part great books reading list, I am enjoying this so far.

I am reading A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe this month with several others. I’ve only just started so I’ll share more as I get into it.

Current Reads:

• Educating the Whole-hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson
• The Life-giving Home by Sally Clarkson (one chapter a month)
• In Defense of Sanity: The Best Essays of G.K. Chesterton (one essay a week)
• The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe
• The Well-educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer
• Experiencing God by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King
• Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt
• The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers by Meg Meeker
• A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe by Michael Schneider
• Waking Gods by Syvain Neuvel
• Survival Mom by Lisa Bedford
• Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide by Rosemary Gladstar
• Women Living Well by Courtney Joseph