It’s already the end of January? How did this happen? I finally have my January book review up for you all! I know that many of you look forward to this blog post, and hopefully it won’t disappoint! I read five books this month…and most of them were just…meh. I have one that will absolutely make my top ten list for the year and one that I don’t really recommend and the rest were just ok.
The first book I read this year was Winter Garden. You might remember that Firefly Lane actually made my top 10 list for 2016. I figured if Kristin Hannah wrote a book that great that I would love some more of her books. This one, though…was just meh. It was soooooooo S L O W until about 200 pages in, and then there was about 50 pages that I couldn’t put down. And then it ended super cheesy and I just felt disappointed.
I’ve actually had this one checked out of the library since October and I meant to read it before Kiah arrived…obviously that hasn’t happened…until now! After reading Ina May’s books and Baby Catcher, this one is just not as exciting. Cara writes about her experience as a midwife in NYC. The story is more about her life than about births, however, and I think that’s why I didn’t like it as much. GIVE ME ALL THE BIRTH STORIES! This book does focus a lot on how difficult it is for midwifes and doctors to have a respectful, professional relationship. It was pretty fascinating and I do recommend it, but it’s not chalk full of birth stories like I would have expected.
If you are a Christian and a mother, you need to drop what you are doing and order this book. You can actually get it for FREE on www.desiringgod.org. This book answers the question: “Are you Mom Enough?” And, unfortunately, the answer is no. But God is enough for us in those many, many broken moments. I love how this book didn’t wax eloquent about how God is enough, but gave down-to-earth, real life examples. God is enough in the vomit. In the sleepless nights. In the laundry. He’s enough.
This isn’t really a novel or a biography or a memoir, but short chapters by several different authors. It’s actually a compilation of blog posts from these different ladies. I found that it was PERFECT for pumping or nursing sessions.
Do you ever read my book reviews and wonder where in the world I got the books that I read? Yeah, sometimes I wonder that, too. I don’t even know how this book got added to my list, but I kind of feel like I wasted some precious time by reading it. It’s fun, it’s funny, it’s lighthearted and it’s an entertaining read on Ali Wentworth’s thoughts on life…but it just wasn’t for me. First of all, she is witty and hilarious, but rather crude. Second of all, I don’t even know who Ali Wentworth is (I just learned she is an actress in Friends). It’s certainly not the worst book I’ve ever read, but it’s not one I can wholeheartedly recommend as I felt like it was rather mindless fluff.
I’m left completely baffled after I finished reading this one. I have heard a LOT of people in the blog world say great things about this book. I have even checked it out of the library before only to have to return it because there was someone else in line for it. I waited a few more months and snagged it. I was utterly disappointed. The first few chapters were intriguing- I found myself nodding along and even grabbing my notebook to jot down a few things.
And then it got strange. Mystical. Gilbert’s premise is that creativity is magic and it will find you and use you and you will build a relationship with it and it will take you places. I found myself trying not to roll my eyes because as a Christian, I know where creativity comes from (God). I know what the purpose of my creativity is (to glorify God). And I know why we sometimes mess up that creativity (sin).
That being said, this book did have some really interesting perspectives that I enjoyed thinking about. For example, Gilbert encouraged “creatives” to always have a different job/income source than their creativity. If they need to create to live, then creating becomes a chore and it is not longer an enjoyment. Gilbert made several other similar points and I really appreciated them and gleaned some great ideas for blogging and being a creative in that sense.
I guess I would recommend this book to bloggers, artists, authors and other creators, but I would encourage all to take it with a grain of salt. I think overall, the book has been a little bit too hyped up and I’m really surprised how many Christians I know that have fully endorsed it when in reality, it does so much pointing away from God.
And that’s it for January! I can’t wait to see what else this year has in store for me! I need to make a trip to the library soon to get some fresh books in my hands!
What are you reading? What would you like to read in 2017? Have you set any reading goals for the year? I’d love to hear them!
I don’t think Ali Wenworth was on Friends. I looked at her Wikipedia page, and I don’t really know why she is famous enough to have multiple published books…looks like she has had a few bit parts here and there.