Lies Women Believe (& More July Reads)
I read seven books in the month of July, including Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth’s Lies Women Believe, which I studied with a women’s book club this summer. Read on for my impressions of each title:
7 Books I Read in July:
The More of Less by Joshua Becker
As a woman who is married to a quasi-minimalist (and has mothered several more), The More of Less wasn’t my first exposure to the idea that giving away anything you aren’t actively using is better than holding onto such stuff “just in case.”
Yet I remain unconvinced that the extreme minimalist lifestyle is morally superior to (or any less focused on material possessions than) that of a thrifty, resourceful, and organized packrat — especially when it comes to art & craft supplies. 😊
Still, if you’d like to pare down your possessions in a relatively painless way, Becker practical tips for doing so — along with pointers for convincing reluctant family members to participate, as well.
Lies Women Believe by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
I attended a book club this summer with some women from my church. For six weeks, we met every Tuesday night to discuss two more chapters of Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth’s Lies Women Believe.
This is a great discussion book, candidly pointing out commonly held deceptions/misconceptions, and countering each one with the liberating truth of God’s Word.
The ladies all finished the book this week, and we had our final meeting last night. I was happy to be able to add this classic work to my “books read” list, but I’m a little sad to see the wonderful discussions it fostered come to an end.
Swindle by Gordon Korman
We came close to quitting this book two or three pages in, due to the fact the characters were making foolish decisions (including spending the night in a condemned house slated for demolition) while hiding those plans from their parents — not exactly the sort of behavior we’d want our kids to emulate.
But we decided to listen a little longer before making a final decision, and I’m glad we persevered. Foolish decisions are often part and parcel of childhood, and this book gave us an opportunity to discuss the events described in the book and brainstorm better ways of dealing with the problems the kids faced.
Plus, the parents in the story eventually found out what their kids had been up to and were able to contribute similar words of wisdom to the conversation.
The Joy of Slow by Leslie Martino
In that I’m coming to the end of our homeschool journey, I’m happy to report we’re already familiar with many of the joys Martino describes in The Joy of Slow, having discovered them early on by the grace of God.
We probably stuck to textbook learning — especially when it came to math and sciences — a bit more than this author has done, but we still had plenty of time for great books, open-ended art endeavors, and outdoor adventures, even after each day’s 25-30 Saxon math problems had been completed.
If you’re feeling stuck in your children’s education — either because they spend all day in a classroom or because you’re attempting to duplicate a classroom experience at home, this book offers ideas for a wonderfully different and life-giving education.
25 Ways to Communicate Respect by Jennifer Flanders
I wrote this handbook for wives the year my husband and I celebrated our silver anniversary. It contains 25 suggestions for communicating respect to your spouse in ways most men find meaningful. My husband wrote a companion book called 25 Ways to Show Love to Your Wife (which I’m hoping to coax him to turn into an audiobook next).
I actually 25 Ways to Communicate Respect to Your Husband twice last month: once to record the audio, then a second time to edit the recording. It was a bit of a learning curve, but I’m happy to say it passed through a lengthy list of quality checks and is now available as an audiobook. Hooray!
Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
My husband and I listened to Everything Is Tuberculosis together after a daughter-in-law recommended it highly. And she didn’t mislead us: It was a fascinating and enlightening read with lots of personal and moving stories of the afflicted.
Green traces the history of consumption, “once romanticized as the malady of poets,” which still claims more than a million lives a year. I had no idea it was still so prevalent — although the fact another of my daughters spent three months working in a tuberculosis hospital in Jordan last year should’ve clued me in that TB continues to ravage many parts of the globe.
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
A young girl (Julie) finds herself immediately smitten with the new boy (Bryce) who moves into the house across the street. In chapter told from alternating perspectives, we learn she shadows him constantly through grade school and junior high, while he does everything he can think of to avoid her attention.
But when the giant sycamore tree at the school bus stop is cut down by construction workers, both Bryce and Julie start to see one another with fresh eyes. And pretty soon, their roles are completely reversed.
My daughter and I read Flipped together last month and loved it. She wasn’t even born last time our family read this book aloud, so it was sweet to share it with her, just the two of us.
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