Booking It 2011 - February

Well, I've stuck to my goal of reading more this year, so far.  I really had my nose in a book every minute the first few weeks and although I've cooled off a little, I'm making a definite effort to always have a book going without any lag.  In fact, my real problem is that I keep working on several books at the same time and have trouble finishing any of them.
First off I read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  It's the first one on the Life As Mom list.  I am not usually this way but I could not finish this book.  It started strong and I loved the idea of it.  I could totally identify with her in having a good life but still wanting to be "happier".  And I could even go along with her for the first few "months".  But after a while, I was just really bored for some reason.  I just lost interest in the specifics of her life and living out the little details of her happiness goals.  So for my own happiness, I skipped ahead to the end and moved onto the next book.  I won't say it was a waste because it got me thinking but overall I lost interest in the book around the halfway point.
In addition, I read a good portion of The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer.  It's over 800 pages so I didn't read the entire thing but I did read a good bit, dealing with the philosophy of education, specifics of how that looks in a day and over the years and then the details of how it's taught from kindergarten through 4th grade.  So basically I left out the parts on 5th grade through high school because I can't think that far ahead.  It was really interesting.  I love the philosophy of classical education and I think it would be a "must buy" if I decided to start homeschooling.  For now it was a good read for a mom trying to be sure my child gets the best education possible and I'm glad I was able to grab it at the library this time.
On a much lighter note, I read Mini-Shopoholic, part of the Shopoholic series by Sophie Kinsella.  I love those books.  So easy to read.  And although Rebecca always grates on my nerves at the beginning of the book, I love how out of control everything gets and then discovering how the chaos gets resolved.  I definitely recommend this as the good beach read type of book.  All fluff & fun - which us moms deserve sometime!
I also read Parenting with Love and Logic, again.  It is a good book to remind me that natural consequences are really a great way to discipline.  And giving kids choices is something that I do sort of naturally but a reminder of why to do that and some ideas of how to do it productively has made many circumstances, especially with Noah, much smoother.  So good book!
I also finished The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with the kids.  I definitely enjoyed it more than they did but I think it gave us all a sense of accomplishment when we finished.
And I wrapped up To Kill A Mockingbird and was reminded why it is such a beloved book.
I'm still working on Honey For A Child's Heart about reading to our kids and have started Mansfield Park (my first ever Jane Austin novel) which is the next in line for Life As Mom's Booking It list.  My list is growing and I'll try to do this each month to go along with the Booking It check in.
What are you reading???