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You are here: Home / Books / Adorned (& Other July Reads)

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Adorned (& Other July Reads)

Adorned - and other July reads

I finished reading six books in the month of July: Adorned by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, plus five others. Read on for my impressions of each (listed in the order I finished them).

The 6 books I read in July

  • Beyond the Cradle by Anne Stanton

    Beyond the CradleThe first book I finished last month was one a reader sent me — her debut novel, a poignant coming-of-age story about faith, friendship, love, loss, and the powerful way the people we care about help to shape and shift our perspective.

    Written in a style reminiscent of Ann Voskamp, Beyond the Cradle follows a young homeschooled girl named Robyn Thomas whose parents uproot her from a bustling life New York City to start all over in a small mountain community in rural West Virginia.

    That part of the story resonated with me. Since I was facing such a move myself while reading Robyn’s account, it was easy for me to empathize with her sadness over the prospect of leaving a familiar home and dear friends behind to move to a strange place where she knew not a soul.

    Yet I found hope and encouragement in the fact that almost as soon as Robyn arrived, she met a kindred spirit who soon had her feeling right at home in her new surroundings. If we could all have a friend as full of life and wonder and wisdom as Samantha Sticker — or better yet, if we could learn to be that kind of friend — the world would be a better place.

  • The Penderwicks at Point Moutte by Jeanne Birdsall

    The Penderwicks at Point MoutteIn the evenings last month, Doug read The Penderwicks at Point Mouette aloud to the family. We all enjoyed it very much, although his work schedule and my unpacking kept us too tired to make it through more than one chapter at a time.

    The Penderwick family was split up for this installment: The parents were traveling. Three of the girls were staying with an aunt for two weeks. And the fourth sister was on a separate trip with a friend.

    That all hits a little too close to home right now, as we’ve had to bid adieu to several kids as they head off in separate directions this summer.

    But, thankfully, the book was full of pleasant surprises and had a happy ending with the entire family reunited, and I’m trusting the same can (eventually) be said of the Flanders clan, as well.

  • It’s Not Fair by Melanie Dale

    It's Not FairIt’s Not Fair delves into the author’s struggles with infertility, pre-eclampsia, high-risk pregnancy, foster care, and adoption. These are all things with which I have no personal experience, so I appreciated hearing her perspective on such matters, which she gladly shares with candor, wit, and clever illustrations.

    She discusses many hard things others may be walking through, as well — terminal diagnoses, marital infidelity, financial ruin, rebellious children (more things I’m thankful never to have faced) — and offers strategies for surviving such potentially devastating hardships.

    Some of the coping mechanisms she describes are methods I’ve used in dealing with my own trials. Others seem less helpful for the particular difficulties I’ve faced. I recommend an eat-the-meat-and-spit-out-the-bones approach for anyone reading this or any book, other than the Bible. And, speaking of the Bible, I would’ve liked for the author to sprinkle Scripture more liberally throughout the book. Instead, she gathers it all in a single chapter — a listing of helpful verses to read, based on how you are currently feeling.

    Still, the book was worthwhile, and I’m glad I read it, as it obviously flows from the heart of an empathetic writer who is eager to help others navigate unfair circumstances and learn to love the life they didn’t choose.

  • The Third Target by Joel Rosenberg

    The Third TargetAfter reading (and thoroughly enjoying) the second book in Joel Rosenburg’s series of political thrillers featuring a foreign news corespondent named J.B. Collins, I had to back up and read the first.

    I finished the audio version of that one, entitled a href=”https://amzn.to/3OV63SQ” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>The Third Target, while hanging pictures in our new house last week. The storyline was gripping, start to finish, and so realistic that I had to keep reminding myself I was listening to a novel and not a news report. I halfway expected to find details from the events described (peace talks in the middle east amid ISIS terror attacks) in the headlines of our local paper.

  • Adorned by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

    AdornedMy favorite read last month? Adorned by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. In fact, this is one of the most encouraging, inspiring, and personally convicting books I’ve read all year.

    It has been on my “to read” list since it was first published, but I kept passing it over, mainly because the title didn’t do much to pique my interest. However, once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down.

    The book is written for women, both young and old, and discusses what the Titus 2 mandate should look like as it’s played out in our lives.

    As usual, Nancy delves deeply into scripture and pulls up nuggets of absolute gold. I would heartily recommend this book to any woman (of any age) who wants to live a life adorned by grace that points others to Jesus.

  • Bear Bottom by Stuart Gibbs

    Bear Bottom

  • The latest installment in Stuart Gibbs’ Fun Jungle series finds Teddy Fitzroy and his family, along with several coworkers and their families, on a bison ranch in West Yellowstone. Bison have been disappearing, and Teddy gets the green light to investigate why. Then, when a pricey piece of jewelry belonging to his girlfriend’s mom also goes missing, Teddy finds himself searching for clues to solve both mysteries at once.

    The book is filled with all the fun facts, interesting tidbits, and perplexing puzzles we’ve come to expect from Stuart Gibbs. The thing I wasn’t expecting was the confounding revelation — seven books in — that one the characters we’ve known since book one is, in fact, gay. But sure enough, he shows up in this story with a husband we’ve hitherto heard nothing about nor had so much as a hint even existed.

    In no way is this new information central to the plot. Rather, it seems forced, as if the author were purposely pandering to the population pushing this agenda. If you are one who welcomes this change and applauds such diversity among fictional characters in children’s books, then by all means read this one. If, on the other hand, you’d prefer that the books your children read be untainted by the woke agenda, you’ll want to steer clear of this title altogether.

Do you love to read as much as we do? I’ve gathered all my best resources for bibliophiles into this post, or you can read more of my book reviews by following this link

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through any of those links, we may receive a small referral fee, at no extra cost to you. Such fees help defray the cost of running this website. This, in turn, allows us to continue offering our readers a wealth of FREE printable resources. So thank you for your support!

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Doug & Jennifer Flanders - www.flandersfamily.info

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Doug hired a limo on our wedding day to transport Doug hired a limo on our wedding day to transport us on from the church to our hotel — a limo that maintained a strict “no shoe polish policy.” So I’ve been making up for that unmarked car ride ever since. Ha!  #happilyeverafter #weddinganniversary #thehoneymoonstillisntover #35years #everydaywithyoudearissweeterthanthedaybefore
Do you see those black clouds rolling in? No soone Do you see those black clouds rolling in? No sooner did we get checked into our hotel and suited up to swim than they closed down the attached water park due to the impending storm. #badtiming  Fortunately, the sun was back out early the following morning, and we enjoyed some very short lines to some very long slides for several hours before time to check out.  We had a wonderful time there, but when we later heard our kids recounting their favorite parts of our trip, that water park hotel didn’t even make the list.  Do you know what did? Playing Marco Polo with Mom and Dad at another hotel’s small indoor pool. We couldn’t have spent more than a half hour playing, but it paid big dividends in terms of good memories and grateful hearts.  Which just goes to show that the time parents invest with their children trumps the money they spend on them every time.  That’s because, deep down, kids don’t want stuff. They want attention. They don’t need more of your paycheck. They need more of you.  #flandersfamilytravels #familyfun #homeschoollife #timetogether
Our daughter’s colleagues staged a “friendly r Our daughter’s colleagues staged a “friendly roast” last week, and here’s what they had to say about her: “If your mom wrote a book on sex, you may be Bek Flanders.”  They’re right. I did!  The thing I love about this photo (besides Bek’s big, beautiful grin)? Realizing her co-workers would never have even known about my book had Rebekah not shared that information herself, which means she can’t be too embarrassed about the fact.  Doubtlessly, it also helps that what I wrote is NOT a how-to book, but a why-to. (Swipe for a peek at the cover or follow link in profile for more details.)  Bek answered: “Yeah, I’m not embarrassed about it. I think it’s funny and starts good and important conversations. I’ve been able to encourage people from all over the country to think and talk about sex in a healthy/scientific/biblical/serious and lighthearted way, and how to raise the next generation to do the same. If we want our world to have a healthy view of sex, we’ve got to be vocal about it. If we stay silent then the only advice this generation will hear is the world’s, and I certainly don’t want that.”  #smartgirl #goodadvice #importantconversations #loveyourhusband #loveyourself #embracinggodspurposeforpassioninmarriage
We’re all heading to a homeschool dance tonight, We’re all heading to a homeschool dance tonight, and Abby’s feeling a little like Millie out of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. (Here’s hoping the evening doesn’t end in a fist fight. Ha!)  #ohitsetsyoursensesinaswirl 
#doodinuptogoandseeagirl
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Gettysburg is so full of history — even the hote Gettysburg is so full of history — even the hotels have a long and rich backstory. When this one was first built in 1896, it served as a high school.  One of the US flags to which its students pledged their allegiance every morning now hangs in the upstairs foyer of the hotel.  #federalpointeinn #oldglory #gettysburg #pennsylvania #fourscoreandsevenyearsago
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