On the rose's reading shelf

Our house is a bit unconventional.  It sort-of grew as we did, and as a result we have a lot of corners and details that are only "temporary".  One of my favorite features in my studio is the 'built-in book shelf' along one wall - the support studs in the wall that have never sheet-rocked over.  :)  They got painted when my parents let me convert the guestroom/office into the studio and their cuteness still makes me happy.  When I de-clutter, the contents of the shelf have a tendency to change . . . . well, all except the bottom shelf.  That one has been reserved for my current reading list almost since day one.  Unless it involves cookbooks, everything usually fits nicely.  Want to know what's on my reading shelf?

Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey & Stacy McDonald.  This book has been on my reading list ever since mum read it and recommended it as "really good".  I might not be a housewife yet, but from the little I've read there are still a lot of principles that apply to me.

The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald.  Sharpi requested them from our library after reading excerpts in one of those "random compilations" books and then passed them on to me.

Fashioned by Faith by Rachel Lee Carter.   I found a review during an afternoon of random blog-surfing and got curious.   Fashion is a relatively new interest for me, and while I have a fairly strong sense of what I like to wear and what I don't, I was intrigued by how a professional model would explore the combination of fashion and modesty.  Like a lot of things there were ideas I didn't agree with and others I thought were quite good.  I appreciated that she got young men to weigh in on how they perceive modesty, and I enjoyed reading the open letters they wrote.  I can imagine my brothers telling me a lot of the same things.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua.  I'm on my second read-through.  Mum and dad read an except in a magazine earlier this spring and a quote about "praising mediocrity" caught my attention.  Being a single non-mom, I'm fascinated by books on parenting theories.  There was a lot in this book that I didn't agree with and won't be implementing if I'm ever blessed with children, but there was a lot of sense in it, too. Curious?  There is an online excerpt here.  If any of you have read this, I'd be interested in hearing your opinions.  :)