February Grid Upload + Booklore + Giveaway!

Dear Readers,

It’s our last week in February, and the Brighter Winter Reading Program is drawing to a close. If you complete 7 or more challenges in February, submit your grid to enter our grand prize drawing! Simply upload a photo of your completed grid by using the link below. You can scan the grid or take a photo on your phone to upload. The deadline for submitting your grid is March 3!

Booklore Responses

Here are some of the responses to our Booklore questions in the last two posts. We found out that many of you really love old books. We also enjoyed the variety of women’s roles represented in our comment section!

What Womanhood Role did you pick to read a book about this month?

“I'm reading The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Shaeffer, wife of theologian Francis Shaeffer. Despite the title, this book is not just for women or just about homemaking. Edith encourages her readers to practice their art in everyday life, whether that be drawing, music, decorating, writing, etc, as a way to enrich and bring beauty to the ordinary everyday. She sees practicing creative gifts as a natural response to being made in the image of a Creator, and that we should use our gifts, whether or not they are noticed by many people. Doing so can bring beauty and joy to our lives, homes, and those who are in close relationship with us.” -Renita

“I choose The Girl Who Drew Butterflies. It about a woman from the 17th century who showed that women can be entomologists as well as mothers.” -Theresa

“I wanted to read about a teacher, so I chose Miss Spitfire, a book about Annie Sullivan and her struggle to reach Helen Keller. I hadn't realized it was juvenile fiction, but I came away with a deeper appreciation for the power of discipline and consistency in a child's life. Annie's grit and determination was also inspiring.” -Jody

“I am a caregiver in a retirement home and slowly becoming more of caregiver to my parents as they age. I am reading the book Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. It is described as Medicine and What Matters in the End. So far I am enjoying the information and facts I am gleaning from this book.” -Judy

“I’m reading the book Made for People. Friendships have always been very dear to my heart. I believe it’s time we fight to reclaim friendships within our communities so as to combat loneliness in our technology driven world. This book has been convicting and helpful to me.” -Ruth

“I chose to read More Than Enough: How One Family Cultivated a More Abundant Life Through a Year of Practical Minimalism by Miranda Anderson for this category. It’s such a beautiful reminder post-holidays to remember that we can say no to buying all the things we’re told we “can’t live without,” that we can be intentionally grateful for what we do have (and find creative ways to use what we already have instead of buying more), and that we can model for our children what contentment looks like. I’m really enjoying both the book and the challenge to buy less this year.” -Monika

“I read Elisabeth Elliot's book Let Me Be a Woman. It has inspired me in my role of womanhood, which for me includes being a wife, mother, and grandmother. But beyond all that, my role as a Christian woman. One quote that stood out to me in that book was, ‘The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman.’ This seems to be the heartbeat of her writings throughout this book - constantly encouraging women in their role of life.” -MaryAnn

“The Traveling Companions”, 1862 by Birmingham Museums Trust

Do you read more old or newly-published books? If you read a book published before 1920, what differences did you notice then compared to today?

“I tend to read a balance of old and new books. I notice with the older books that the language and sentence structure tends to be a lot more elaborate. This can be a bit intimidating at first, but when you get used to it, there are some beautifully poetic lines and word pictures in older reads.” -Lynette

“For the past four years the majority of my reading focus has been on older classics. These ‘old books’ written in the literary tradition can simply be enjoyed as story, but there’s also deeper levels. A studious reader can discover a wealth of symbolic meaning, frequent literary references or allusions, as well as thoughtful commentary on the issues of the day. The more I read, the more I find myself making connections. Phrases and stories from the Bible, a few fairy tales, and legends that have been familiar from childhood are naturally appreciated as I come across them. My exposure to classical literature has been very limited, however a recent turn through Norse and Greek mythology has given me a chance at connecting hitherto obscured references. It’s exciting to sense the books “talking” to each other. That’s one of the reasons I love old books.” -Pamela

“I listened to He Fell In Love With His Wife. She was sickly from all the trauma in her life, and he bought and cooked her a big steak to make her stronger and told her to drink her milk. Not the current health advice! Really enjoyed the book and would recommend.” -Liz

“With our shortened attention spans and content driven culture it can take effort to engage with the descriptive passages and complex word craft of older books. But I am learning that tastes can be cultivated, and my reading life is becoming much richer because of it.” -Cathy

“I read a mixture of old and new. I'm a re-reader, so I stay ‘behind’, but I am trying to be more intentional about reading more frontlist titles.” -Summer

“I also love old books, I love how complex and deep they are compared to the books today. I feel like their slower pace brings you on more of a journey, where you get to know the main characters on a deeper level, like an old friend rather than a new acquaintance that you hang out with for a weekend. They also tend to portray themes of honour, unselfishness, and honesty that I love and are absent from much of todays literature.

But I also notice how prejudiced some of them can be. Sometimes a book can use words for people that we don't today because they are racist, but you get a feeling that the author respected those people and was simply using the term because that's what they used in those days. That is not what I am talking about. I'm talking about books in which the author did not respect the people he was referring to, but rather viewed them as inferior. Those are the books that I really hate. And I find that some of the best books otherwise can be the worst for this, because they have a ‘moral’ and ‘honourable’ main characters and they contrast them with "morally inferior" people of another race. Often, the main character isn't even the prejudiced one, it's the author and their description.” -Caiti

“I enjoy old books and often they have better morals than recently published books, especially with "alternative" lifestyles showing up in even children's books. But sadly, the book I chose for this challenge contained some racism. I suppose we need to read with discretion whether we read new or old books!” -Gina