Reading update: Successful Adoption

Just this week, I finished reading "Successful Adoption: A Guide for Christian Families" by Natalie Nichols Gillespie.

This was a very informative book about adoption. It talked in detail about domestic adoption, international adoption, and foster care. We are leaning toward domestic adoption and I learned quite a bit about the process from this book. I also enjoyed being able to learn about other types of adoption, as we never know exactly where God will take us on this adoption journey!

I am cruising right along with my reading in 2012! On Pinterest, you can see all the books that I have read so far this year. I have been averaging three books per month, and some months I am able to read more. Being more intentional about my reading has been a wonderful thing for me!

Reading: Dear Birthmother

Over the weekend, I (finally) finished reading "Dear Birthmother" by Kathleen Silber and Phyllis Speedlin. This book was extremely thought-provoking for me.

Because we are hoping to adopt, I had a lot of questions when I started reading this book. Most domestic adoptions in the United States today are open adoptions, so it's important to understand open adoption if you are hoping to adopt here in the U.S. In our research, we have found that many agencies practice mostly open adoption.

This book provided a lot of information, but it was also a little scary! It obviously only provided a view of one side (the pros of open adoption), so I didn't feel that I got a balanced picture of open adoption.

However, it was still a good read. One of the reasons I love to read so much is because reading really does expand my mind and cause me to think. If a book leaves me with more questions than answers, then I think it has still done its job. Now, I will likely be looking to read more about open adoption.

So far, I have read more than ten books this year, many from my 2012 reading list (plus a few extras)!

Up next: An ebook ("How My Soul Yearns: How God Brought Me Through Infertility and Beyond.") and "The Meaning of Marriage."