Book Reviews

What Our Family is Currently Reading

Reading Friend

Mark Twain once observed: “The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” We agree with that sentiment whole-heartedly.
 
Below is a smattering of the books the members of our family have recently finished or are presently reading, along with our impression of the works. Most of the titles are linked to Amazon, so if you see something that interests you, you can click through for more information.

Overload Syndrome

Posted on December 10, 2011
If your stress level skyrockets this time of year, if your calendar’s over-committed, if the festivities leave you feeling frazzled, then this is the book for you. Subtitled “Learning to Live within Your Limits’, this book offers hope to the weary and worn. The author, who also wrote the equally helpful Margin, as well as one of my husband’s favorites, More Than Meets the Eye, is a Christian physician who “provides practical life-changing perscriptions” to the pervasive problem of spreading oneself too thin. That’s something most of the moms (and dads and kids) I know do routinely. How about you?
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Advent Conspiracy

Posted on December 1, 2011

This book is subtitled “Can Christmas Still Change the World?” The world needs the good news of the gospel now more than ever, but as James admonishes, it’s of little use for us to tell the cold and hungry to “be warmed and filled” while making no attempt to meet their physical needs. This small volume encourages us to put our money where our mouth is and to use the abundance with which God has blessed us to improve the plight of those less fortunate. For a 2½-minute synopsis of what “Advent Conspiracy” is all about, watch the YouTube video by the same name.

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One Thousand Gifts

Posted on July 24, 2011
One Thousand Gifts I know I’m not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but that knowledge didn’t keep me from buying Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts based solely on the fact that its jacket design is so beautiful. Fortunately in this case, the inner prose is just as lovely as the outer portrait. Voskamp writes a very personal account of how counting blessings can mend hearts that are broken, transform attitudes that are bitter, and make all of life better. Sweeter. Deeper. Fuller. Her “dare to live fully right where you are” was so compelling that, as soon as I finished the book, I went straight out to buy my own gratitude journal so that I, too, could note and number the infinite graces God showers on me.

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Too Much of a Good Thing

Posted on May 13, 2011
Too Much of a Good ThingToo Much of a Good Thing: Raising Children of Character in an Indulgent Age

This book addresses the problems that occur when children are given everything they want, but not what they most desperately need: parents who love them enough to set some limits. Dr. Kindlon writes: “[Children must] learn at an early age, even if it’s painful, that their needs don’t always come first and that the world does not revolve around them…. [T]his is one of the most important lessons that we can teach them.” This book validated a couple of my own long held beliefs; namely, that the family dinner hour is extremely important and should be jealously guarded, and that children grow up to be more successful who are required to do regular household chores. The financial struggles many parents are facing in these hard economic times may actually be one of the best things that ever happened to their children.

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Absolutely Organized

Posted on March 17, 2011
Absolutely OrganizedAbsolutely Organized

Thinking about spring cleaning? Debbie Lillard’s “Guide to a No-Stress Schedule and Clutter-Free Home” is a great starting place for anyone desiring a more orderly life and home. From scheduling babies to storing beach balls to sanitizing bathrooms, this short book covers all the bases. Plenty of photos, charts and diagrams make it fun to read, easy to understand, and simple to implement.

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Large Family Logistics

Posted on February 12, 2011
Large Family LogisticsLarge Family Logistics

This book was a lot bigger than I was expecting. Subtitled “The Art and Science of Managing a Large Family,” it is chock full of practical wisdom for managing a large family. Even when things at our house are all running smoothly, I enjoy reading this sort of thing. When things aren’t running smoothly, I especially enjoy it. The chapters are succinct and their titles self-explanatory, so I suppose it would be possible to use the table of contents as an index and just look up Kim’s suggestions for problem areas. But if you are anything like me, you will want to read the book straight through, cover to cover. Of special note is Kim’s appendix on coping with exhaustion — there you’ll find tips any mother can use, whether she has two kids or twenty!
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Two and Two Are Four

Posted on February 3, 2011



Two and Two Are Four

My two middle girls took turns reading this book aloud to me and their younger siblings. It is a fun, light-hearted tale of two sets of siblings who get into all sorts of mischief without really meaning to — like the time they go “bear hunting” and bring home a skunk instead. Or when one slides down a newly painted banister before the varnish is dry. Each adventure is funny and enjoyable, and gives them all new opportunities to learn from their mistakes.

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Story by Robert McKee

Posted on February 1, 2011
StoryStory: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting

You might expect that a 480-page book would include some extraneous material, but my husband assures me this one doesn’t. Every paragraph of STORY is packed with invaluable advice intended for screenwriters, but profitable for writers of any genre. Students of the author, Robert McKee,have gone on to write, direct, and produce some of the most popular and critically acclaimed films of all time. Doug originally bought the Kindle version and read the entire thing on his iPhone. Then he immediately bought a hard copy and began reading it through a second time, only this time he is taking notes and memorizing the best parts, which may take a while, since as I mentioned before, he thinks all 480 pages are equally superb.

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Amy Carmichael: Let the Little Children Come

Posted on January 16, 2011
Amy Carmichael: Let the Little Children Come
I recently finished reading this biography aloud to the children. Amy Carmichael had such compassion for the children she worked with, and such a love for the Lord and a dependency upon His strength. Her life is an example to all of us. The fact that our oldest daughter is currently in South Asia working with disabled children and regularly sends home photos and progress reports really made this short narrative come alive and helped us to sympathize all the more with the struggles Amy faced during the years she served in India.

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The Story of Eli Whitney

Posted on January 10, 2011
The Story of Eli Whitney

As you can see, we’ve been focusing a lot on biographies during our schooltime lately. THE STORY OF ELI WHITNEY is another re-read I thought would appeal to my little guys, who themselves are very resourceful problem-solvers and enjoy inventing stuff. I remember my father pulling off the road next to a cotton field one time when I was little so that my sister and I could gather a handful and see for ourselves how hard it had been to get all the seeds out before Mr. Whitney designed the cotton “gin” (short for “engine”) to do the task more efficiently. The ability he had to recognize a problem and find a viable solution is another trait I highly respect and wish to foster in my own life and in the lives of my kids. This book gives a glimpse inside his genius.
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Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

Posted on January 3, 2011
Carry On, Mr. BowditchCarry On, Mr. Bowditch

I read this biolgraphy of Nathaniel Bowditch aloud to my children about ten years ago, but now I have a new crop of kids who didn’t hear or remember it, so I’m going through it again. If you’ve never read it, you should. Especially if you homeschool. Bowditch’s insatiable thirst for knowledge, the diligence with which he educated himself, and his driving desire to use what he’d learned to help others — these are exactly the character traits I want to develop in my children, and to model myself. What homeschooling mother wouldn’t love to have a houseful of self-motivated students who delight in learning new things and don’t give up until they understand the material well enough to explain it clearly to others?
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Publicize Your Book

Posted on December 30, 2010
Publicize Your Book: An Insider’s Guide to Getting Your Book the Attention It Deserves

Doug bought this book for me soon after I published LOVE YOUR HUSBAND. It was written for authors working with traditional publishing houses where a team of agents, editors, and publicists are also more-or-less focused on helping promote your book. But the information is equally useful for self-published authors. Deval walks her readers through the entire publishing process and gives step-by-step instruction for writing pitches, promotional materials, and press releases. If you’ve self-published a book, but haven’t the foggiest idea what to do to let people know about it, then this book will give you guidence and direction. The real problem will be finding time to implement all the great suggestions.
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A Time to Keep

Posted on December 26, 2010
A Time to Keep: The Tasha Tudor Book of Holidays

My little girls love Tasha Tudor’s illustrations and have been pouring over the detailed drawings on the pages of this beautiful picture book, doing their best to imitate the artist’s distinctive style. A TIME TO KEEP sends us back to a simpler time when families took joy in even the smallest things and their celebrations were homemade, heartfelt, and full of fun-loving tradition. This keepsake volume will make a lovely addition to any child’s library.
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Mocking Jay

Posted on November 11, 2010
Mockingjay

Back when our daughter Bethany was ready to read the third installment of THE HUNGER GAME trilogy, she had to wait a full four months for its release—a wait made all the more more difficult by the fact that CATCHING FIRE had ended on such a cliff-hanger. Fortunately, by the time the rest of us finished the first two books, MOCKING JAY was already available, so we could begin immediately. We devoured it. By that point, the characters had become our close friends, and although the bittersweet conclusion to this series wrapped up all their various storylines beautifully, when we closed the cover after the final chapter, we were left wanting more.
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Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

Posted on November 8, 2010

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

David Platt’s RADICAL is one of the most challenging and personally convicting books we’ve read all year. Doug liked it so much, in fact, that he gave scores of copies away to our friends and led an eight-week Bible study based on the book. Every Thursday night, folks would gather in our home to brainstorm: How can we as Christians most effectively share the RADICAL love of Jesus with those who do not know him? David Platt may not have all the answers, but he’s certainly asking the right questions.
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