Writing up my nightstand post today almost feels redundant after having just posted my Fall into Reading list last week, but being a creature of habit, I cannot resist. Besides, this post will help me establish what I plan to read in the more immediate future as opposed to the many books I hope to read this fall.

If you are new to the What’s On Your Nightstand? meme hosted monthly by 5 Minutes for Books, it is very easy to join in – just write up a blog post about what books you are either currently reading, read recently or plan to read soon – or all of the above! Feel free to include pictures of your actual nightstand for added fun!

When we last nightstanded together I was reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. I was not able to finish it in time for my book club discussion but I did manage to finally finish reading it on September 19th. Part of my challenge was in the fact that I spent a lot of this month reading a couple books at a time, trying to catch up on my review reading since we made the decision recently to shut down the review blog, it was important to me to finish my current review products which was mostly books.

Anyway, here is a brief review of the books I’ve read this month:

1. The Hour That Matters Most by Les Parrott, Stephanie Allen, Tina Kuna – Finished September 2, 2011– I really enjoyed this book and got a lot more out of it than I’d originally thought I would. The premise of this book is why eating meals together as a family, especially dinner, is so important to each individual in your family as well as your family unit on a whole. What I got out of this book was a lot of terrific information on improving your conversations with your kids and spouse as well as improving your relationship. How to make your home the safe haven that your children can come home to and speak honestly in. This was one of those books that had me constantly quoting passages to my husband and trying ideas out with the kids as I read it. I definitely recommend it to anyone struggling to eat together as a family or even just looking for tips on how to improve that hour you are already eating together. – full review –
2. The Entitlement Trap by Richard and Linda Eyre – finished September 18, 2011 – While I found some aspects of this book interesting and useful, I do feel like they could have gotten their point across in a faster, less repetitive way. This is a book with good ideas, especially for parents of school-aged children, to help your kids become less entitled and to take ownership of their things, their lives, etc. but the actual process of reading the book did become a bit tedious. – full review –
3. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese – finished September 19, 2011 – I really enjoyed this story. Although there is a LOT of medical jargon, it still manages to be a fascinating tale. I loved the many layers of this story and how everything seems to connect at the end. I loved the comparison of Ethiopia to America through both medicine and life and how many stories and thoughts and ideas are presented in one book. Really good.
4. Finding Aster by Dina McQueen – finished September 25, 2011 – I enjoyed this book which describes Dina’s experience adopting a little girl from Ethiopia – from the series of events that brought her to the decision to adopt, through to the actual process of international adoption. Though the story is filled with personal details, it reads a bit more like practical information that would be good to know if you were planning to adopt yourself. And though I have no plans for adoption, I still enjoyed this book and found it interesting. – full review coming soon –

Which means I am now all caught up on my review reading and have just one review left to write up, which I hope to do in the next couple days. Now I am turning my attention to my FIR list which includes several books that have been sitting impatiently on my bookshelves for awhile now.

I am currently reading: A Little Bit Wicked by Kristin Chenoweth and already just adoring it at only 30 pages in. I love a good celebrity memoir and this one is a great example of why. Funny, thoughtful and informative with tons of information I never knew about an actress I love!

Description from goodreads: “In this lively, laugh-out-loud book, Kristin shares her journey from Oklahoma beauty queen to Broadway leading lady, reflecting on how faith and family have kept her grounded in the dysfunctional rodeo of show biz. The daughter of an engineer and a nurse, Kristin was singing in front of thousands at Baptist conventions by age twelve and winning beauty pageants by age twenty-two. (Well, actually she was second runner-up almost every freaking time. But, hey, she’s not bitter.) On her way to a career as a professional opera singer, she stopped in New York to visit a friend and went on a whim to an audition. Through a combination of talent, hard work, and (she’s quick to add) the grace of God, Kristin took Broadway by storm. But of course, into every storm, the occasional drizzle of disaster must fall.“

When I finish this book I plan to start our next book club pick, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro : Here’s the description from goodreads.com: “One of Kazuo Ishiguro’s greatest novelistic skills is his restraint. A writer who never reveals more than we need to know, he doles out details in small, carefully rationed increments, like delicacies too rich to squander — leaving readers craving more. Nowhere is this skill more apparent than in this dark, dystopian tale of three former friends, all alumni of a British boarding school, who unravel a horrifying secret about their alma mater.” This book sounds really good and it was a very popular pick in our book club, too, so I’m looking forward to the discussion.

Then if time permits, another book I may read in the next month is Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin : I keep seeing trailers for the movie version of this book and OMG I need to hurry up and read the book before I break down and see the movie! “Rachel White is the consummate good girl. A hard-working attorney at a large Manhattan law firm and a diligent maid of honor to her charmed best friend Darcy, Rachel has always played by all the rules. Since grade school, she has watched Darcy shine, quietly accepting the sidekick role in their lopsided friendship. But that suddenly changes the night of her thirtieth birthday when Rachel finally confesses her feelings to Darcy’s fiance, and is both horrified and thrilled to discover that he feels the same way.“

So what’s on your nightstand right now?