Time-Saving Moms (& More June Reads)
I finished reading six books in the month of June: Crystal Paine’s Time-Saving Mom plus five others. Scroll down for my impressions of each work.
6 Books I Read in June
The Art of Making Memories by Meik Wiking
I purchased The Art of Making Memories thinking it might offer some fun ideas for making this summer one my children won’t soon forget. But the book was much more scientific than that.
Rather than the bucket list of suggestions I was expecting, it contains a treatise on how memories are made and stored and retrieved, along with a few hacks for optimizing the process.
I still found it a fascinating read, although it is not written from a Christian perspective and consequently falls short in some of its conclusions concerning the attainability of deep and abiding happiness.
Time Saving Mom by Crystal Paine
I finished The Time-Saving Mom by Crystal Paine over a long weekend. She packed the book with practical tips for organizing your days to flow smoothly, with proper attention given to your all top priorities.
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you have a good plan, and this book provides a great framework for avoiding overwhelm.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and give a hearty amen to the suggestions therein, most of which are already personal habits (with the exception of using Google Calendar as a digital second brain — I’ve always used Evernote instead, but may give it a try after reading all Crystal’s compelling arguments for doing so)
The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K Chesterton
A friend of mine recently read G.K. Chesterton’s The Man Who Was Thursday aloud to her children, then loaned her copy to our family so that we could read it as well and discuss it with them afterwards.
Amazon calls this book “a thrilling classic that belongs on every bookshelf.” And I will admit that the story was intriguing. It grabbed and held my attention and kept me guessing throughout. There were several points in the narrative that my husband and I laughed aloud over the absolute absurdity of the events being described.
But the overarching metaphor felt forced — or maybe even tacked on as an afterthought. The purpose of allegory should be to lend clarity to complex topics, not to further muddy already murky waters. This book is more bizarre than brilliant, more inane than ingenious.
Farmer Boy by Laura Engles Wilder
My daughter and I finished re-reading Farmer Boy together last month. This book contains so many great life lessons!
Maybe it’s because I’m the mother of eight boys, but this is my very favorite of all the Little House books.And one of my very favorite chapters is the one called “Independence Day.”
At the prodding of his friends, Almanzo works up the courage to ask his father for a nickel to buy a cup of lemonade — something he’s never even thought of doing before. Father gives his son ten times that much, along an unforgettable lesson in the value of money and how to invest it wisely.
The entire book is delightful. I highly recommend it!
The Covenant Household by Douglas Wilson
My husband and I listened to The Covenant Household on a recent trip to Sulphur Springs. We’ve really come to appreciate Douglas Wilson’s writings, but I think this is my favorite yet of all his books I’ve read so far.
The book deals with family relationships from a concise, biblical perspective. We found it both insightful and convicting.
Wilson holds to a complementary view of marriage and a belief that parents have a God-given responsibility to train, teach, and discipline their children rather than indulging or ignoring poor attitudes and sinful behaviors.
And so, just like the other books we’ve read by this author, The Covenant Household is written from this conservative perspective with lots of supporting scriptures to back up those beliefs.
Faker by Gordon Korman
I had to drive two hours home from Dallas late one night last month and Gordon Korman’s Faker kept me entertained — not to mention awake and alert — on the road.
Trey, the son of a con-artist who is constantly uprooting the family to avoid getting caught, finds himself in an ethics class at a new school and begins to question his father’s life choices. Trey is ready to put down some roots, live a normal life, and keep his friends for more than six months at a time.
But how can he achieve those goals when he knows his dad may call another “Houdini” at any moment and completely change everything — hometown, children’s schools, and every person in the family’s identity.
Do you love to read as much as we do? I’ve gathered all my best resources for bibliophiles onto this page, 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!
