Reading Recommendations:

Till Morning is Nigh, Leisha Kelly -

"Wearily, I went on to bed, glad for the opportunity to rest my head on the soft pillow, even though the bed itself wasn't such a comfort with the mattress pulled off and lying in the next room. But tonight I knew I was too tired to care much about that. I figured I'd be asleep almost instantly. But my foot sliding beneath the sheets seemed to find something that didn't belong. Reaching down with one hand I found what felt like a roll of paper. Thankfully, Samuel hadn't blown out the candle yet, or I might have crumpled it without thinking. In the dim light, I could see what it was. Franky's little paper baby Jesus. How he'd gotten in our bed, I might never know."

It is December of 1932, just one year after the Worthams and the Hammonds lost both a dear mother and a selfless friend in one terrible night. What would certainly be a bitter sweet occasion turns to crisis when George Hammond disappears, leaving his many children worried and alone.

Can Julia Wortham restore hope and joy to so many forlorn children? With so many mouths, so little money, and a mysterious illness taking hold of some of the children, she has her doubts that God will pull them through.

But she wasn't counting on the miracle of a simple, paper nativity.

This is the sweetest book! Unforgettable!

And, Women Pioneers in Texas Medicine, Elizabeth Silverthorne and Geneva Fulgham -

"I know you have lost your mind if you have employed a woman doctor." This woman was Claudia Potter, and her story is one of the intriguing and illuminating profiles included in this groundbreaking book on women in Texas medicine.

The pioneering figures presented here have forged new paths for women in fields ranging from nursing, pharmacy, public health, and denistry to general and hospital practice, hospice care, virology, surgery, and psychiatry. Their stories reveal the special obstacles they faced and overcame as women practicing in a demanding, traditionally all-male field. They also chronicle the history of medicine in a state generally since, although there was discrimination and resistance to accepting them, their accomplishments paralleled and in some instances led the development of medical practice and specialization.

Using vignettes and biographical details garnered from sparse available literature, newspaper archives, typescripts found in various libraries around the state, and interviews, Elizabeth Silverthorne and Geneva Fulgham have created profiles of women ranging from traditional roles such as native herbalists and midwives through contemporary pioneers in fields like genetics and nuclear medicine. Drawing on subjects across the centuries throughout Texas' geographical regions and from diverse ethnic groups, they have painted rounded portraits of the women, showing their educational achievements, personalities, commitments, family life and hobbies.

This book will appeal to general readers, medical people and scholars, and students of Texas history. Schools and libraries will find it a must for their shelves.

And, Helpful Cooking Hints for House Husbands of Uppity Women, A Cookbook by Archie P. McDonald -

The cause of this book is Judy McDonald, former Mayor of Nacogdoches, Texas. Ms. McDonald is a native Texan, although she did follow her husband, Archie, around during the early years of their marriage trying to get him educated. He had to attend Lamar University, Rice University, and Louisiana State University before she was through.

The McDonalds moved to Nacogdoches in 1964 when Archie finally had to go to work. This was required because of the birth of their first son, Tucker, and became even more necessary when Christopher came along.

The reader will enjoy reading of Judy's involvement in the community. Archie teaches history, and has written a few books and made some speeches. Good recipes and entertaining!

See you at Rylander!