Well, here we are mostly through April and I have not been able to find the mental energy to write anything on here. I’ve even dropped off the face of the earth in writing my little diary posts during this time of “shelter in place”. I’ve seen so many people who are THRIVING during stress. They are stressed, so they become more productive. That is not me. I shut down during stress. Sure, I can keep up with the laundry and cooking and cleaning and teaching the kids, but beyond that I’ve got NOTHING left. I’m really, really hoping that I can knock myself out of this unproductive funk by making myself write some more on the blog. I doubt that anyone wants to read my thoughts right now (aren’t all our own thoughts enough for us right now?), but in order to keep myself sane I know that I need to do SOMETHING outside of my regular motherhood tasks.
So, today I have a book review post! These are my favorite to write and I’m always surprised by how many people read them! I have 16 books to review today that I have read in the last two months. 2 are devotional books, 2 are books I’ve read aloud with Tera and the rest are books I’ve read for my own fun.
*This post contains affiliate links, which means that if click on the image of the book and you purchase anything from these links, I will be paid a small commission.
Meg & Jo
Meg appears to have the life she always planned—the handsome husband, the adorable toddlers, the house in a charming subdivision. But sometimes getting everything you’ve ever wanted isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
When their mother’s illness forces the sisters home to North Carolina for the holidays, they’ll rediscover what really matters.
One thing’s for sure—they’ll need the strength of family and the power of sisterhood to remake their lives and reimagine their dreams.
My Review: I was skeptical of this one. There was a lot of hype around it since the remake of Little Women came out. However, I really LOVED this one. It was sweet, a little bit of sass, and the characters were so well-developed. I related so much to Meg, the responsible eldest sister. She’s always done the right thing and made the right decisions and now her life is just kind of…boring. Sometimes it takes a little upheaval to actually straighten things out. I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who likes chick flicks and classic retellings!
The Next Right Thing
Goodreads Synopsis: If you have trouble making decisions, because of either chronic hesitation you’ve always lived with or a more recent onset of decision fatigue, Emily P. Freeman offers a fresh way of practicing familiar but often forgotten advice: simply do the next right thing. With this simple, soulful practice, it is possible to clear the decision-making chaos, quiet the fear of choosing wrong, and find the courage to finally decide without regret or second-guessing.
My Review: I truly enjoy listening to Emily Freeman’s podcast, and I loved reading this book in her tone of voice (so soothing!). I am TERRIBLE at making decisions and facing change, so this book was really helpful. It had a lot of nuggets of wisdom and so many great and practical suggestions for those of us who sometimes struggle with decision making. This book has chapters for BIG decisions (moves, job changes, having more kids), but also sections for small decisions (what to make for dinner, how to respond to that email). I really loved this book and highly recommend it!
Of Curses and Kisses
Goodreads Synopsis: For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud to target Jaya’s little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she’ll be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. But much to Jaya’s annoyance, Grey’s brooding demeanor and lupine blue eyes have drawn her in. There’s simply no way she and her sworn enemy could find their fairy-tale ending…right?
His Lordship Grey Emerson is a misanthrope. Thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch, Grey knows he’s doomed once he turns eighteen. Sequestered away in the mountains at St. Rosetta’s International Academy, he’s lived an isolated existence—until Jaya Rao bursts into his life, but he can’t shake the feeling that she’s hiding something. Something that might just have to do with the rose-shaped ruby pendant around her neck…
My Review: I was also skeptical of this book, especially since it was shelved in the YA Fantasy section. If there is one section that I do not like, it’s that section! I heard that the book was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but I don’t think that is an accurate description of the book at all, and I don’t know that I would consider it “fantasy”. It’s a high school youth romance with a “curse” thrown in, but I absolutely LOVED it. I recommend this to anyone who likes clean chick lit and high school YA romance (think To All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before). I can’t wait for the next book in the series to come out!
P.S. I Love You
Goodreads Synopsis: Holly couldn’t live without her husband Gerry, until the day she had to. They were the kind of young couple who could finish each other’s sentences. When Gerry succumbs to a terminal illness and dies, 30-year-old Holly is set adrift, unable to pick up the pieces. But with the help of a series of letters her husband left her before he died and a little nudging from an eccentric assortment of family and friends, she learns to laugh, overcome her fears, and discover a world she never knew existed.
My Review: I started to read this book right when we were quarantined for this pandemic. I have grappled with fear over contracting the virus and of course, death. So I questioned myself the whole time I was reading this book, as the main theme is the unexpected loss of Holly’s husband. However, this was a sweet and lovely book (a bit of a tear jerker in some places!) about learning to live and thrive even after hard things happen in life. I loved how it didn’t end tied up in a neat little happily ever bow, but it did have a positive ending. I’ve also heard it’s a great movie, but I have yet to watch it. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it anyone who likes sweet clean chick lit romance with a little more meat and some tears for good measure.
Nothing to See Here
Goodreads Synopsis: Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal and they’ve barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help.
Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way.
Thinking of her dead-end life at home, the life that has consistently disappointed her, Lillian figures she has nothing to lose. Over the course of one humid, demanding summer, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—while also staying out of the way of Madison’s buttoned-up politician husband. Surprised by her own ingenuity yet unused to the intense feelings of protectiveness she feels for them, Lillian ultimately begins to accept that she needs these strange children as much as they need her—urgently and fiercely. Couldn’t this be the start of the amazing life she’d always hoped for?
My Review: What did I just read? That was one of the most unpredictable and bizarre books I have ever read. It was…compelling. I couldn’t stop thinking about all the various implications and things that the author was trying to say without saying them at all. This was a REALLY interesting book, although I can’t say that I loved it or even liked it. It was full of rich snobbery and misguided loyalty. It made the main character seem like a doormat who eventually kind of came out on top. This book did have a lot of language, so be warned!
Never Have I Ever
Goodreads Synopsis: Amy Whey is proud of her ordinary life and the simple pleasures that come with it—teaching diving lessons, baking cookies for new neighbors, helping her best friend, Charlotte, run their local book club. Her greatest joy is her family: her devoted professor husband, her spirited fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, her adorable infant son. And, of course, the steadfast and supportive Charlotte. But Amy’s sweet, uncomplicated life begins to unravel when the mysterious and alluring Angelica Roux arrives on her doorstep one book club night. When they’re alone, Roux tells her that if she doesn’t give her what she asks for, what she deserves, she’s going to make Amy pay for her sins. One way or another.
My Review: This book was a bit dark and twisty for me. It was for sure very interesting and I wanted to keep reading to learn what happened, but overall it was too dark for me. I’m sure that those who normally read thrillers would think this wasn’t a thriller, but for
Nothing to Prove
Goodreads Synopsis: All too many of us struggle under the weight of life, convinced we need to work harder to prove to ourselves, to others, and to God that we are good enough, smart enough, and spiritual enough to do the things we believe we should.
Author and Bible teacher Jennie Allen invites us into a different experience, one in which our souls overflow with contentment and joy.
My Review: I was really encouraged by this book and the message that it gave me. Jennie Allen has recently popped up in several podcasts that I listen to since she has a new book that just released. I hadn’t heard much about this one, but I’m always a little bit skeptical going into Christian life and thought books. However, this book had a message that I needed to hear right now: I have nothing to prove. I am not enough. Christ is. And it is Christ in me that accomplishes anything in the world. Hallelujah.
Respectable Sins
Goodreads Synopsis:
Have Christians become so preoccupied with “major” sins that we have lost sight of our need to deal with more subtle sins? Jerry Bridges addresses the “acceptable” sins that we tend to tolerate in ourselves, including pride and anger. He goes to the heart of the matter, exploring our feelings of shame and grief and opening a new door to God’s forgiveness and grace.
My Review: This is an EXCELLENT book, and I have found myself recommending it to everyone I talk to since I read it! If you are a Christian who has been in the faith for a significant chunk of time, I highly recommend this book. It was extremely convicting, but also extremely encouraging. I know that this is a difficult subject to talk about- after all, no one likes hearing that what they are engaging in is sin (in fact, after I posted my review on Instagram, I got quite a few messages asking me if I really believed that anxiety is a sin). Instead of feeling condemned and judged by this book, I felt more encouraged in following Christ and leaning on him for his grace and truth. I will be keeping this one and re-reading it!
Uncovering the Love of Jesus: Lent Devotional
Goodreads Synopsis: Do you feel like Easter sneaks up on
My Review: When I first heard about this book, I wondered why the author’s name sounded so familiar. Upon further inspection, I realized that we had gone to college together and even briefly had been in the same Bible study together! I’m not typically a “devotional” reader, but I wanted to give this one a try! I thought the book itself was SO BEAUTIFUL and the devotionals were very thorough and thought-provoking. Each day for the 40 days leading up to Lent, a devotional led through an act or a parable of Jesus. It was a beautiful book, but my favorite part was the family activities and crafts that were included in the book! I highly recommend this book, even though lent is still nearly a year away!
Adventures with Waffles
Goodreads Synopsis: Well, the Goodreads synopsis is in Norwegian. Basically, this book is about two delightful young children who strike up
My Review: I read this as a read-aloud to Tera and we both really enjoyed it. I loved how all the characters wove through the whole book, but each chapter was it’s own story so we didn’t have to remember tons of little details from the chapters before in order to enjoy the next chapter. The characters were fun and truly had so many adventures. It’s hard to tell how much Tera picks up from these chapter book stories, but it’s fun for me to have a little time with her each day and read a little bit of a story!
Slaves Among Us
Goodreads Synopsis: The horrific world of modern slavery is exposed in this book based on the first-hand experiences of victims of human trafficking. Through the stories of three remarkable individuals who share how they fell victim to traffickers and how their bodies and souls resisted an enterprise of total destruction, Monique Villa takes us around the world–from Ohio to Tokyo, London to India, Qatar to Colombia–to uncover a parallel world where men, women, and children are dehumanized and reduced to obedient machines.
My Review: This book was incredibly eye-opening and a very informative read. I really appreciated how the author described different forms of modern-day slavery and what they look like from the inside. We have most likely all supported these types of slavery in some way, even though we think that we are completely innocent in that area. I also really appreciated how the author gave very practical tips on how to fight against slavery on an individual level, a local level, and a global level. This book really reminded me that even though we are “sheltering in place” there are still many evils out in the world and we need to be doing our part to fight against them. I did struggle a bit with the author and her perspective, however. In the very first paragraph, she leads the book off by talking about how she doesn’t believe in God and never will. Throughout the book, she seems to lace in her cynical perspective towards God. I just felt like the book could have been written without all those comments/thoughts.
Scythe
Goodreads Synopsis: Thou shalt kill.
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
My Review: Wow, wow, wow! This book was BRILLIANT! I first got it from the library for Theo. As soon as Theo started reading it, he told me that I just had to start reading it right away! He has already blazed through all three books in the series. I picked this one up, and he was right- WOW. I am not usually into sci-fi or alternative worlds, but this one was just so brilliant! It really made me think and my mind was constantly scrambling to put together the pieces of the world that they live in and whether or not my current thought process of our world is correct or if I need to reevaluate how I think about life, death, thoughts, and feelings. This would be a seriously great book for a book discussion. That being said…it was very dark. After all, the entire book is about killing. I don’t want to “justify” the killing, but it does make sense within the context of the book. It’s not TOO gory, but a little gorier than I liked. I will say that this book made my brain hurt. Reading it was like taking a caffeine pill- I just couldn’t stop thinking about it! So, I highly recommend this book if you can stomach death, some gore, and some crazy mind-blowing affects. But stay away if you are easily triggered or overly sensitive. I am taking a break before I read the second and third books because my mind needed a little cleanse!
Praying God’s Word
Goodreads Synopsis: How do Christians learn to practice 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5, “tearing down strongholds by captivating our minds with the knowledge of God?” Beth Moore teaches that to be set free from each and every stronghold which claims our lives, we have to replace it with the mind of Christ and fervent daily prayer. Praying God’s Word is a topical prayer guide addressing fourteen strongholds and what Scripture reveals about each issue. The Scriptures are presented in prayer form to be incorporated into the daily prayer life as a way of letting God’s Word, through prayer, help you overcome the strongholds of bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, and other areas as well.
My Review: I started reading this back at the beginning of the year and I’ve slowly but steadily read 1-2 pages each day. I really enjoyed reading through this book of written Scripture verses into prayers. Each chapter is divided into different struggles, so one chapter is a collection of verses to fight against anger and resentment, one chapter is to fight against sexual temptations/addictions, one chapter is to fight against depression. As a Christian, I believe that my strongest weapon against the world is Scripture, but I often don’t even know where to start or how to pray. I found this book very powerful and a helpful tool. I will keep this one and pull it off my shelves to read through various chapters as I continue to struggle with things throughout my life.
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Goodreads Synopsis: Hiroshima-born Sadako is lively and athletic–the star of her school’s running team. And then the dizzy spells start. Soon gravely ill with leukemia, the “atom bomb disease,” Sadako faces her future with spirit and bravery. Recalling a Japanese legend, Sadako sets to work folding paper cranes. For the legend holds that if a sick person folds one thousand cranes, the gods will grant her wish and make her healthy again. Based on a true story, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes celebrates the extraordinary courage that made one young woman a heroine in Japan.
My Review: I read this as a read aloud to Tera, and about halfway through I was realizing that this was NOT a book for a Kindergartener! Oops. It was a very short and extremely moving about a young girl who dies from luekemia. This read aloud brought a lot of good discussions to our family- talking about religion, about what happens after death, about how we can choose our attitudes and love those who are suffering. We talked a little bit about the history of the atom bombs and war, but mostly I read through it and Tera wanted to fold a paper crane. I would revisit this one much farther down the road.
Unmarriageable
Goodreads Synopsis: In this one-of-a-kind retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in modern-day Pakistan, Alys Binat has sworn never to marry—until an encounter with one Mr. Darsee at a wedding makes her reconsider.
My Review: At first, this book was disappointingly slow. It went into SO MUCH detail and it was a true retelling of Pride and Prejudice (with no details spared). I was beginning to dislike the Binat family with all their social faux pas, and then it suddenly got good and I couldn’t put it down. I read the whole second half in one afternoon. I LOVE classic retellings, and I especially love when they put a different cultural spin on it, so this might rank in my top 10 books of the year, even though I was really starting to dislike it in the beginning.
Vertical Marriage
Goodreads Synopsis: He never saw it coming. It was the night of Dave and Ann’s tenth wedding anniversary and if asked how their marriage was doing, Dave would have said a 9.8 out of 10 and he even guaranteed Ann would say the same. But instead of giving a celebratory kiss, Ann whispered, “I’ve lost my feelings for you.” Divorce seemed inevitable. But starting that night, God began to reveal to Dave and Ann the most overlooked secret of getting the marriage we are looking for: the horizontal marriage relationship just doesn’t work until the vertical relationship with Christ is first.
My Review: Well, can’t say I really liked this book very much. I felt like the authors were just VERY different from Theo and I. It seems like they have really high highs and really low lows in their marriage, and they very much wrote from that perspective. I feel like Theo and I have a very steady relationship, which often means that we don’t have high highs or very low lows. I just felt like I couldn’t relate to much of what they were writing about, and I didn’t find the book as funny as they were intending it to be. I’ve read so many marriage books that are far more comprehensive and enjoyable than this one. Although, if you find your marriage to be a very passionate one with super highs and low lows, maybe you would relate more and gain some encouragement from this one!
Phew! If you made it to the end of that, congratulations! That was a massive book review! I’m hoping to get back into the routine of blogging and therefore be able to post more often in smaller chunks. I know not very many people feel like reading blogs right now, so I seriously appreciate all of you who are reading along!