This month I read one a book by a former President, another by a former First Lady, one celebrity memoir, one celebrity biography, and the final was a book on writing by a well known author.
I listened to this on my free Hoopla app. The book started a little slow, but as Theodore Roosevelt (aka Teddy) went to college, his life became very interesting. He grew to become a remarkable man who fought against cronyism and crime in government.
I loved the story of how he became president. It started when he was asked by William McKinley to be his VICE president. He said NO. He didn’t want to be Vice President for three reasons:
He enjoyed his current job as of governor of New York.
The pay wasn’t enough. He was making $10,000 a year as governor, and his home in New York was paid for. If he became Vice President, the pay was only $8,000 a year – and he’d have to rent a home for his large family in Washington DC. He honestly didn’t think his family could survive on that smaller amount of money.
He just wasn’t interested in being Vice President.
Well, the public LOVED how ‘humble’ he was about not wanting to be Vice President. There was enough pressure for him to change his mind and accept the position. McKinley-Roosevelt won the election in a landslide. As Teddy expected, he didn’t love the job of VP. He had to remain mostly quiet and listen (he preferred talking and sharing his point of view), and he didn’t feel like he could make much of a difference as Vice President. However, six months into his new role, McKinley was killed, and Teddy Roosevelt became President. He served for the next 7.5 years, and loved his role. He was only 42 years old – the youngest man ever to be president.
Review: I slowly listened to the audiobook (that Michelle reads herself) in my car over the last few months.
The beginning is slow. Michelle is a lawyer and the beginning chapters feel like she’s reading a deposition. The first 7 chapters could have probably been summed up in two. I skimmed over a few parts, waiting for this book to get better, and it finally did. When Michelle introduces us to Barack, the story gets interesting.
I enjoyed learning what it was like for a young family to be in politics. I admire how she stuck through the challenges of political life – sharing her husband with the world and carrying the load of raising their daughters, while trying to keep some semblance of family life. She talks about buying lots of “take out” and fast food during their busy life, and how that began to negatively affect their health – especially the health of their children. That’s how her platform as First Lady was born – encouraging Americans, and especially children, to eat a little healthier and get some exercise. She was the first First Lady to have a garden at the White House!
I loved the part of the book where she shares what life was like in the White House. They have a cleaning staff, a cooking staff, etc. There are fresh flowers daily and someone constantly cleaning up behind them. There’s a bowling alley and movie theatre. She compares it to living in a fancy hotel. However, I didn’t know that the Presidents pay for their own groceries. They got a ‘food bill’ at the end of each month!
I didn’t agree with or support everything written in this book, but I think we could all benefit from getting to know and try to understand people who are different from us – different skin color, different beliefs and different politics. Politics can be so mean and ugly. I would love to see Democrats and Republicans work respectfully together to make this a better nation. Michelle and I do agree about this :).
I wasn’t really planning to read this celebrity memoir, but I kept hearing other’s say that they really liked it, so I gave in and checked it out from the library.
The title “Open Book” is exactly what it is. Jessica shares way more details of her life than I was expecting to read. She holds nothing back and everyone is fair game – her ex-husband Nick, her parents, her ex-boyfriends, her current husband, and of course, herself. Jessica shares how she got into music, about her marriage and divorce, about her struggle with addiction and more. She tries to pull out the good and shares the lessons she’s learned along the way.
We received this book free from our library as part of the summer reading program, so Clark and I read it together. Jackie Chan has had a very interesting life. He began his life with his family in ONE room of a larger house where his dad worked. Jackie began training in Kung Fu and theatre at the young age of 7 – working up to 16 hours a day, sleeping only 5 hours each night. His career began as a stunt person in the film industry, then he began acting, writing, singing, and directing. I had no idea how much he had accomplished in his life – it was a simple and fun book to read together. I love the “Who Was/Is” series for kids!!
This is a book on WRITING…written by a well-known author. I wanted some insight and inspiration as I consider my next book, and work on this blog.
Here are a few of the gold nuggets I pulled from the book:
One of the gifts of being a writer is that it gives you an excuse to go places and explore. It motivates you to look closely at life.
There are stories and ideas and vision and memories and plots inside me, and only I can give birth to them.
“Present and in awe” is how we should be in the world. There is ecstasy in paying attention. You can find holiness in everything, a sign that God is implicent in all creation. We can see everything as an outward and visaible sign of inward invisible grace. Anyone who wants to can be surprised by the beauty or pain of the world.
How often have you opened a book and said “YES!” … I want to give people that too!!
I automatically think that closing down is safe, but really – staying OPEN and LOVING is safer, because then we’re connected to all that life and love.
Maybe what I’ve written will help others, maybe it will be a small part of the solution. You don’t even have to know how or in what way, but if you are writing the clearest, truest words you can find and doing the best you can to understand and communicate, this will shine on paper like its own little lighthouse. Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save, they just stand there shining.
All quotes by Anne Lamott in her writing memoir, Bird by Bird
Have you read anything interesting lately? Leave a comment!
Review: This is such a wonderful, powerful book. I listened to it on my free Hoopla app, but now want to buy my own copy. This book is full of good truths about the enormous love God has for each one of us – just as we are. This book would make a great gift. Thanks to my sister Krista, for the recommendation!
Review: This is the story of the life of a black male (Kiese Laymon) growing up in the south. I appreciated how the author opened the curtain of his life. Kiese was raised by a single mom in a dysfunctional home – filled with abuse and poverty. The book’s title “HEAVY” – has a couple of different meanings. First – the author is large for his age and his weight is a theme throughout the book. Second, the story itself is “heavy” with a lot of struggle and very little redemption.
Review: I read a few pages out of this book most mornings for the last few months. It’s a book you’ll want to read slowly and absorb. I took pages and pages of notes. The book gives lots of inspiration and truth into how to move past insecurity and weakness and make a positive difference in the world. If you have goals and dreams for your life that you are waiting to see fulfilled, this book would be great for you!
Review: This book is a warm blanket and a gentle push in the right direction. It brought joy-filled tears to my eyes as I read each page.
The author is someone I worked with at New Life Church. He’s a great leader, pastor, and friend. I knew I’d like his book, I didn’t know how MUCH I’d like it.
This book answers the questions:
How do we become the kind of people who know how to handle whatever life throws at them?
Review: I cannot recommend the Biographies by Benge’s highly enough. They are so well written and always about the most fascinating people from history.
I watched the new movie “Harriet,” and wanted to know more about her life. I listened to this book on my Hoopla app and it was EXCELLENT. The book shares hard and fascinating stories about Harriet. I can’t believe one woman did so much in her life. She was a phenomenal woman!
Let me share one story from the book:
Harriet had freed many slaves, but had not been able to free her parents. Her parents were old, had lived hard lives as slaves, and could not “runaway” to freedom. Harriet had a dream that her father was in trouble, and she knew it was time to help. Harriet needed $20 to get them transfered safely North. She went to the Abolition office to ask for help. They had no money to give her. She went to the waiting room and decided she would not eat or drink until she had the money to free her parents. She fell asleep in the chair, and when she woke up, money was tucked inside her shawl. The lady at the front desk told her that people kept coming in, and when they saw Harriet, they gave whatever they could. The amount totaled $60! When Harriet arrived at her father’s shack, she discovered he would be arrested the next day and sent to jail. He was being falsely accused of a crime he did not commit. Often, slave owners would accuse their elderly slaves of a false crime, so the slave would be send to prison and the owner no longer had to house or feed them when they were too old to work. Harriet got both of her parents to freedom, and they lived in her home for the rest of their lives.
When I finished the book, I took a moment to thank God for how far we’ve come. Days later, George Floyd was killed and I realized we still have a long way to go. I’m incredibly grateful for women like Harriet Tubman and think we all need to hear her story!
Review: This is a memoir of a Patti Smith – who shares what life was like in New York City during the 70s as an artist. The writing was excellent, but the content is gritty.
Review: Another great book by the Benges. George Muller was a simple man who housed and fed HUNDREDS of orphans. He didn’t have much, but always prayed and trusted God to provide. Let me tell you a story from the book:
One morning, the cook let George know that there was not going to be enough breakfast to feed several hundred orphans. He calmly replied: God will provide. Tell the children to come and eat. As soon as the children prayed and sat down, a local baker knocked on the door and said: I couldn’t sleep last night. I had this feeling you all would need bread today, so I baked all night for you. A few minutes later, a local milk delivery man knocked on the door. He shared that his truck got stuck right outside the orphanage. He asked if they would please take all the milk he had, so that his truck would be light enough to get out of the hole.
That’s just one morning in the life of George Muller – the book is full of incredible stories like this as you follow his life through the book. This would be a great story to read or listen to (on the free Hoopla App) with kids ages 8 and up.
Review: I started reading this several months ago and finally finished. This is a book I would hear people mention, so I finally read it. It tells the story of a family growing up in Brooklyn, NY. The characters are well developed and believable. It’s a novel that loosely follows the life of the author.
Review: I’ve been reading a couple pages out of this book most mornings since January. It’s a Bible Study filled with practical wisdom and inspiration for moms of all ages.
This has been a unique season for all of us! I usually read about 5 books each month, however, I only finished 5 books in March and Aprils. My reading rate has been cut in half over the last two months. There are several reasons I haven’t been reading as much.
I have very little “downtime” with everyone home all day, every day.
Review: It took me a LONG time to read this book. I started it in JANUARY! The book is packed with stories and research – almost too much for me to consume. Finally, on the first Saturday after this quarantine began, I left Ted in charge, “quarantined” myself to the bedroom, laid in bed, and finished this book. The book builds the case that success comes with being a GIVER, not a TAKER.
Here are some key points I pulled from the book: 1. Admitting your weakness makes you appear human and approachable. 2. When selling, ask questions. People enjoy talking. By listening, you will learn about the person and how to sell to them based on their interests. Change your mindset from selling, to helping! Givers outsell takers. 3. People who maintain an equilibrium between benefiting themselves and others achieve significant increase in happiness and life satisfaction. 4. This book has lots of good stuff on the value in volunteering! For instance, those who volunteer 2 hours a week find that their happiness, satisfaction and self-esteem go up within one year. Those who volunteer see a drop in depression. Elderly adults who volunteer live longer. (I personally loved his chapter on volunteering. I wrote an entire post about the value in volunteering here.) 5. Decide to be a giver. Focus on making a difference and success might follow!
“By shifting ever so slightly in the giver direction, we might find our waking hours marked by greater success, richer meaning, and more lasting impact.”
I started reading this book with George in February. As I began reading, the lifestyle of the Ingalls family seemed SO foreign to me. I couldn’t imagine living back then, and was honestly glad that I didn’t. Let me describe a little bit of their lives to you:
Ma spends most of her days cooking and doing laundry.
The kids don’t go anywhere. They have no one to play with, except each other. They would create games to entertain themselves. They could play outside – but had to stay close by their home.
Pa works from home and only goes to the store to get “essentials.”
By the time we finished the book at the end of March, I realized we were living the “Little House” life!!!
What seemed so foreign at the beginning, felt suddenly, VERY familiar. However, I realized this slow-placed life really isn’t so bad. I’ve been wanting time to SLOW DOWN and finally got my wish. I’m thankful for this time with my family and feel like it’s given us an opportunity to grow closer. And just like the Ingalls family, we are all finding joy in the SIMPLE things!!!
Shauna Niequist recommended this book, and because I’m living in Minnesota, I checked it out from the library. (Our library is allowing us to do curbside pickup!!)
This book was an entertaining novel. I enjoyed that the book was set in Minnesota, and how the author refers to towns all around me. The novel follows the lives of a few women as they enter the ‘lager/beer craft industry.’ The ‘characters’ in this story are believable and endearing.
Review: This book was written by a parent and psychologist. It’s a practical and helpful parenting book. Topics include respect, chores, homework, helping your child deal with a ‘bad day,’ and building ‘faith practices’ in your home.
While some parenting books have left me feeling overwhelmed, that was NOT the case with this book. It was inspiring and useful. It’s a book I’ll go back to again and again.
Review: The “Who Was/Is” series are GREAT biographies to read with kids. The books are short, easy-to-read, and filled with the most interesting facts. I love that the books give me a ‘refresh’ on important historical figures.
This is a fantastic book and perfect if you want to know a little more behind the “Hamilton” phenonenom!
Have you read anything interesting lately? Leave me a comment!
I LOVE reading! You find time for things you love.
I have books everywhere. One by my bed. An audiobook on my phone. A book by the couch. Another in the kitchen. One in the car.
I take a few minutes to read in the morning. I usually take about 10-20 minutes in the afternoon to read. In the evening, I’d rather read than watch TV. If my kids or husband are watching something, I’ll sit with them on the couch and read next to them, OR, I’ll read for a little while after the kids go to bed.
If I have to wait for my kids at a practice or an appointment, I’ll read.
I read WITH my kids. This is a little challenging with FOUR boys, so I pick a book and read one-on-one, or read SHORT segments with more than one child.
The free HOOPLA app allows me to download excellent books for no cost, so I will listen to books while doing household chores or exercising.
My increase in reading may also be related to the fact that I’m new-ish to Minnesota, so I don’t have as many social commitments, also #MinnesotaWinter! 🤔
Here are the 5 I read this month, as well as one we finally finished after nearly a year…plus a GIVEAWAY!
My son George was intrigued by this book and asked me to read it to him. We’d read a chapter each day at breakfast.
The book is about a young man who is set to inherit a LOT of money if he completes several tasks that will teach him valuable life lessons, like:
The Value of Money
The Value of Time
The Value of Work
The Value of Good Friendships, etc.
I’d highly recommend this book if you have any teenagers in your house. It’s easy-to-read and talks about 12 life lessons that will lead to a meaningful life.
This book is filled with a hodge podge of the author’s thoughts, ideas, and stories from his life.
My favorite parts of the book were:
His reminder to look for the good – it’s all around if you are paying attention.
Seeing the Good is a Key to Happiness!
His encouragement to invest in another kid who isn’t your own child. 50% of kids will go through a divorce and another percentage of kids don’t have a relationship with one of their parents. Kids truly benefit from another person encouraging them and teaching them something new. I STRONGLY agree with him on this topic. Having another person who wasn’t a parent invest in me, changed the trajectory of MY life!
Giving Back is a Key to Happiness!
Compound interest – most of us know how it works with money, but we forget how it works with relationships. Small investments made on a regular basis over a long period of time have a huge payout.
Bob is the CEO of Disney. In this book, he shares stories from his career (before Disney), and how he’s transformed Disney since he began leading the company 15 years ago. He shares life and leadership lessons.
It’s a well-written book with some interesting stories and good lessons, but I was hoping it would be more of a memoir and story of his life.
If are a business leader, you will enjoy and benefit from this book.
Rating 7/10
If you want to read a good book about the ‘inner workings of Disney,’ then a phenomenal book I’d recommend is: Creating Magic by Lee Cockerell. I LOVED this one and consider it a MUST read. In fact, I’m going to put it to my ‘read again’ pile.
I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to read this classic. I wish I would have read it as a teenager. It’s such an endearing story about four sisters, and I grew up with four sisters!
I watched the new movie recently and fell in love with the story, so I checked out the audiobook from the library. The book was written in the 1800s, so some of the language is a little outdated, but other than that – the story is wonderful. The new movie is EXCELLENT!
Janet Benge is one of my favorite authors. She tells the stories of men and women who’ve done fascinating things with their lives.
I started reading this book with George but he was not engaged. I wouldn’t recommend it for kids.
I’ve heard of John Wesley as a pioneer in church history and wanted to learn more about him. I was UN-pleasantly surprised by his story.
He was raised by an extremely strict father and that became a BIG part of who he was. He lived by RULES. Those ‘rules’ or METHODS became the foundation of the Methodist church. Most of his life was about how much he could DO without really understanding or experiencing the love and grace of God. For a better biographies by Janet Benge, I highly recommend Corrie Ten Boom, Gladys Aylward and Amy Carmichael!
Rating 7/10
An awesome book I’ve been reading to the boys for about a YEAR that we FINALLY FINISHED IN FEBRUARY:
I think every family should own a copy of this book! The short devotionals teach something about science and how it connects with God and us. We find each page fascinating. We’ve just purchased, and started reading, the second book in the series.
Rating 10/10
*GIVEAWAY*
I’m currently reading “The Wise Woman Loves” and I’d love to send you a copy. To win:
Subscribe to this blog.
Leave a comment (by clicking the little comment box by the title of this post).
A super short, easy-to-read book that I could recommend to every person in this world. Whether you are grieving something simple like canceled plans, or something much larger – like divorce or loss of a loved one – this book is a MUST READ!
I’m making a new goal to start each year with a Zig Ziglar book. However, since he’s written over 200 books – I may need to start each MONTH with a Ziglar book. He is absolutely inspiring and the master of motivation and success!
If you want a fascinating story – check this book out! (I listened to the audiobook in my car.)
The author spent many years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. After he works through the anger of being wrongfully imprisoned, he realizes they’ve stolen his life but they can‘t steal his joy. He chooses to make a positive difference right there on death row. He brought light and life to a very dark place. He gets to know each prisoner –and their stories filled my heart with compassion and it gave me a different perspective on our prison system.
The book is an excellent example of CHOOSING JOY in ANY situation, as well as the difference that ONE PERSON can make.
If you were a Full House fan, or enjoy watching “Fuller House” in Netflix, then you’ll like this book. It’s “Kimmy Gibler’s” autobiography. I like how she takes you behind the scenes of her show and into her life.
She’s shares stories of how she’s gotten through some “lows” in her life – mainly anxiety and an unwanted divorce. I appreciated her insight into what’s helping her through those struggles.
I read the book several years ago and after watching the movie, I decided to re-read the book.
There are parts of the movie I liked better (Cate Blanchett portrayed an Oscar-worthy Bernadette!) and there are parts of the book I liked better (so many more details).
It’s an entertaining story of a lady – Bernadette – who is a fabulous architect. Once she has a baby, she stops creating and focuses 100% of her attention to her daughter for the next 15+ years. Instead of finding creative outlets, she starts to become a menace to society. The story is super entertaining.
The lesson I gleaned from the book (and movie) is that we were all born to create. If we aren’t fulfilling our God-given purpose in life – we start to act out in ways that are problematic. We fill legitimate needs in illegitimate ways.
This would be a great book to take on vacation! And I recommend the movie too! Both are entertaining.
Each is an affiliate link, that means if you click and decide to purchase, I may earn a small commission for recommending that product! Thanks for reading!
Review: This was the first audiobook I listened to in 2019 and I absolutely LOVED it! Chip and Joanna have a FASCINATING story that they tell in their own words. The book includes the story of how they met, as well as the hilarious story about how their show Fixer Upper almost didn’t happen. This is probably a fun book to read, but the Audiobook is amazing because the story is told by the authors! You can listen for free if you have a library card and use the Hoopla app!
Review: I listened to this one on my Hoopla App and recommend that you do the same. Brene shares stories on Joy, Vulnerability, Courage and Connection throughout the entire book. It was EXCELLENT!
Key Takeaways:
The whole-hearted person cultivates rest and play.
Brene says she has never interviewed a single person who lives with Joy without ACTIVELY practicing Gratitude. The one difference to becoming a JOYFUL person? Practice gratitude. When you look into the faces of your children and experience the shudder of vulnerability – actively express gratitude. (RATHER than catastrophizing). When a fear comes, verbally express gratitude.
Review: I listened to this on my Hoopla App, but would like to read this in printed form so I can highlight and underline. This book is filled with truth and encouragement.
“Jesus wants us to flourish. He wants us whole. He wants to take what the enemy meant for evil against us and turn it for good. He wants us to live life bold and free, courageous and steadfast.”
Susie Larson
Fully Alive is a journey of healing from the inside out through the redemption of Jesus’s eternal love for us. Susie suggests healthy ways to replace destructive thoughts and habits and answers to the anxiety, fear, and worry that weigh us down.
“Picture Jesus Himself holding your face in both of His nail-scarred hands and looking directly into your eyes. Hear Him say to you, “I love you. I see you. I hear your cries. I remember you. I will take on your pain. I will heal you.” Let those words soak into your soul!”
Review: I don’t read a lot of fiction. I’d rather be reading about someone’s life or learning something new. However, my friend gave me her copy of this book and said she loved it. Once I started reading, I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. Delia is a phenomenal writer and I see why this book is a New York Times Best Seller. At the time of this post, this book has received nearly 30,000 5-star reviews on amazon! (I have 1% of that with my book!)
It’s the story of a girl who raises herself. It’s a captivating story about how she survives, who she chooses to trust, and how she provides for herself.
Review: I neglected nearly all household chores for 24 hours to devour this memoir. Tara Westover shares her fascinating story of growing up in a Mormon family, not being allowed to attend school or do anything that her family considered “worldly.” She ends up teaching herself so that she can take, and pass ,the SAT. She then gets into college – and goes on to get her PhD. That is my short and boring version of a fascinating story.
Review: I saw a friend recommend this book and decided to purchase it. When it arrived in the mail, I read the first two pages to get a feel for what the book was about…but then I couldn’t put it down. I stayed up way too late too finish this one. When I read the last page, I wanted to read it again.
This is a book written by a therapist and writer – Lori Gottlieb. She shares stories about some of her clients, as well as what she learns from her own therapy. I appreciated the insights she gives about her patients and her own behavior.
Review: This is an old book that I finally read for the first time this year. It’s a fascinating true story about a missionary who smuggled Bibles into communist countries. The story describes one miracle after the other and leaves you full of hope and joy. It strengthened my faith in the goodness of God. This would be a good family read-aloud!
Review: Janet Benge writes biographies of people who made a positive difference in this world. Each book is about an ordinary person who does something extraordinary with their life. Her books are great for ages 8 and up. I recommend you read to or listen with your children or grandchildren. They are easy-to-read and so engaging! The three I read this year were:
Review: This was written by women, for women. They are Bible studies for each day to help you live a life of joy. Included in this study is access to a short teaching video on Joy by Tommy Newberry.
Review: I’ve always loved to read, but sometime between babies 3 and 4, I took a break from reading. I was just too tired and too busy.
However, after watching “The Blind Side” movie... I wanted to read the story behind the movie. I checked this book out from the library. The book was so interesting that I couldn’t figure out why I ever stopped reading. Michael Lewis is a phenomenal writer. This book was the catalyst to me reading voraciously again.
This year, I decided to reread The Blind Side. It’s the perfect book for football season because there is so much insight into the sport. I love this book and recommend it to anyone who loves a good, true story! You’ll especially enjoy it if you like football.
What was your favorite book of 2019! Leave me a comment!
Also – is there a book you are looking forward to reading next year? Let me know! Ted’s already set out a stack of books for me to read this year.
As you may know (or can figure out from this post) I love to read! Here are some of the reasons I read:
In this post, I’ve rated and reviewed 47 of the books I’ve read (or listened to) in 2019.
This post includes some REALLY GOOD BOOKS and a couple of REALLY bad ones too! However, this post includes my FAVORITE books of the year.
Click on any book to purchase your own copy. They are affiliate links, which means I make a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you choose to purchase one or more.
Even better, download the Hoopla or Libby app, enter your library card number, and listen for FREE!
Review: Super easy-to-read book filled with 1000 reasons to smile! The whole book is written about things that are AWESOME. SOOO many things that I take for granted and forget to be grateful for ..like:
Free samples,
tripping and realizing NO ONE SAW YOU!
Going to buy something and finding it on sale, ETC.
If you are in a need of a reason to smile … I recommend this book or his blog 1000awesomethings.com
Review: The title sums it up. Another book filled with things to make you smile. Not as good as the first one, but a fun book to read. The author lists and describes so many things that are awesome that we sometimes take for granted!
Review: It’s a very well-written autobiography of Steve Job’s (creator of Apple) daughter, but I don’t recommend it. It’s a sad story without a redemptive ending. For a better autobiography, I’d recommend:
Review: Chip shared some really fun and interesting stories throughout the book. Overall, it was an inspiring book that shows how hard work, integrity, and a good attitude (plus a smart spouse) can still lead to success. The Gaines family has turned the town of Waco, TX from a place you’d just drive through to get to Austin, to a destination city! There was no reason to visit Waco ten years ago – now people come to visit from all over the world.
Review: An extremely touching book and powerful story. A memoir of a brain surgeon who is diagnosed with cancer. I couldn’t put this book down, it was a great story and easy to read. However, the ending ripped my heart out!
Review: A classic book that I highly recommend! This book teaches that each person receives loves differently. If we want to make our spouses feel loved, be sure to speak their “language.” If you don’t know what it is, take this quiz.
Review: I went to two weddings this year and it made me curious as to what Gary Chapman would say to those who are about to get married. EXCELLENT book for newlyweds and those who are considering marriage!
Review: This book was written by a man who grew up with a strong Muslim faith. In college, his best friend was a Christian. The two of them had a mutual respect because of their strong faith in God. As they grew in their friendship, they began to challenge each other’s faith. As the author did research to defend his Muslim faith, he began to realize that he COULD NOT defend his faith. The more he studied, the more he realized that there was no truth behind his Muslim faith. This book challenged me as a mother to teach my kids the WHY behind What we believe. We have a defendable faith. It’s based on a solid foundation of historical truth. This book made me decide to read:
Review: This book took me a while to read because their is a lot to digest. However, I love how each chapter brings up an interesting question like “Do science and faith contradict each other?” and answers each question with facts and evidence.
Review: This book has been on our shelf for years. I finally took time to read it this year. It has such high reviews that I had high expectations. However, my thoughts matched what someone said on Amazon: “Here is this book in a nutshell: what do you want to do? Have discipline and do it. I just saved you ten dollars. You’re welcome.”
This book is a little too doom and gloom for me. However, there were some golden nuggets that I pulled out and here they are for you:
Spend time with your kids. Even when they act like they don’t want to be with you–they really do. Find something they like to do – and do that with them!
Have dinner together
Go camping or find a family getaway where you aren’t connected to work and cell phones
Play games together
Remember YOU ARE THE PARENT, we’ve got 20+ years experience and yet we let our children decide what is best.
Have access to all their social media accounts.
Limit video games
Don’t overschedule
Give your kids chores
Self-control is the leading indicator of overall life satisfaction and we, as parents, can help our kids learn self-control with things like: Not allowing dessert until they eat their veggies; Having them put their own toys and clothes away; Praise working hard over getting the right answer.
Review: I listened to this book on my Hoopla App and I wasn’t super into it. I wouldn’t recommend listening to this one – if the title intrigues you, check out the real book from the library.
Review: John is such an amazing teacher and writer. He is funny and vulnerable. I listened to this one and LOVED it! It dives into your relationship with God and others.
Ted read this book on our honeymoon, 18 years ago (just after publication) and I finally listened to it on my Hoopla App this year. The book challenges you to put away the mentality that you need to know what God’s doing before you agree to obey and follow. John Ortberg talks about the positive difference walking in faith can do for your life!
Review: Skip this one. The author gives terrible advice. For instance, ‘buy a really expensive car to motivate yourself to earn more money.’ Don’t waste your time or money on this one. If you want a motivational, self help book – Choose a Zig Ziglar one instead!!
Review: If you use the Hoopla app, open it up, type in the name “Zig Ziglar” and listen to any one of his 30 books. He is so practical, so funny, and so encouraging! His books are full of real life stories that pull you in and teach you something.
Review: Before we moved to Minnesota, the only place I knew about in this state was the Mall of America. This book shares 100 interesting things to do around the Twin Cities and was really fun to read. I can’t wait to start checking them off my bucket list! If you are visiting or live in the Twin Cities, I would recommend this bookto you!
Review: This is a very insightful parenting book. I don’t see myself as a helicopter parent, but I realized I’m doing things for my kids that they should be doing themselves. I often want to show love for my kids by picking up after them, over-helping with things that they are capable of doing alone, preventing them from learning from their own mistakes…all things that keep them from maturing and becoming capable young men. This book had lots of helpful stories and insightful research. I would definitely recommend it to parents who have children 7-17!
Review: This book is an amazing true story about a man who goes to the most dangerous parts of Africa to find orphaned children and provide safety for them.
Review: After LOVING his first book (Another Man’s War), I was excited to read the second one. However, this book was a HUGE disappointment. The author chose to tell the story in his own words and “self-published” the book so he could say everything he wanted to say. This was a huge mistake. Most of the things he chose to write about in this second book were unnecessary and inappropriate. I threw my copy away.
Review: I heard the author of this book speak on a podcast and was intrigued by his story – I wanted to read his book to see how they got through the season when their beliefs collided. I highly recommend this book to anyone married to, or considering marriage with someone who has different a different faith than you.
Review: I listened to this autobiography on my Hoopla App, read by the author, rap artist Lecrae. I’m not a huge “rap” fan but this artist impresses me! The book is well written and easy-to-read. Recommended for ages 18 and up. Some of his life experiences would be considered ‘for mature audiences only.’
What stood out to me about his story was how he spent so much of his life struggling because he didn’t have a positive male role model in his life. This book reminded me how important dad’s are in the lives of their children. Those man-to-man conversations are something our boys crave.
Review: I saw that she would be speaking at a Women’s Conference I was attending, and I’d never heard of her, so I decided to read her book. This is a great book if you are struggling with insecurity. She talks about feeling stupid and not good enough throughout her life, and how she overcome that.
Review: This is my second reading of this book. I knew I could use a refresher in relational intelligence after moving to a new state and needing to make new friends. The book teaches that our relationships have a direct correlation to the quality of our lives. Most of us give less than optimal effort to our relationships. Yet…
Our day to day human interactions will determine the quality of our lives more than the tasks of work we do.
By cultivating relational intelligence, we can enhance our ability to affect the people around us more positively.
Review: I loved the book Bonhoeffer – a book ABOUT Bonhoeffer, but I’d never read a book written BY him. I found one of his books on my Hoopla app and listened to it. It’s a little too deep to listen to. I need to hold this book in my hands and read it slowly to truly appreciate it.
Review: This was the first fiction book I read after “Where the Crawdads Sing” and it just didn’t come close to the character development, storyline and detail of that book.
Stuart Brown started as a Violence researcher and switched to a PLAY researcher. The book starts with the story of an open shooting. When research was done on the history of the shooter – they found that he was never allowed to play as a child. His father was extremely controlling and regimented.
The opposite of play is NOT work. The opposite of play is depression.
The book answers the question:
What is play?
He describes it as time spent without purpose.
Most of us think time without purpose is WASTED time. We want to GET THINGS DONE!
Stuart Brown
I recommend this book to anyone with kids or anyone who has a hard time having FUN and relaxing!
The is a new book about understanding the Enneagram. If you don’t speak “enneagram” – it’s is an ancient personality system that helps you understand how you are wired, both positively and negatively. In The Road Back to YouIan Morgan Cron gives practical ways to use the Enneagram to connect with, and understand, different “personality types.”
Box Car Children Mystery
The book is older than ME!
37. The BoxCar Children and the Mystery Behind the Wall
Rating 6/10
I found this old book and decided to read it to my boys because I LOVED the Boxcar series as a child. The book is older than me, so some of the language is a little outdated. My kids weren’t super engaged in the story, and I didn’t love it as much as I did as a child. However, if you have a child who likes to read mysteries – the Boxcar series are simple chapter books that are fun to read.
Review: An interesting book that provides practical examples of how you can incorporate hospitality into your everyday life.
39. Paul Harvey’s For What It’s Worth
Rating: 8/10
Review: I used to love listening to Paul Harvey with my grandfather. This book is like turning on the radio and hearing his voice again. The book is filled with fun, funny, or inspiring stories sent in by his listeners.
Review: This is a great book for a person who may not be familiar with the true meaning of Christmas. A simple, encouraging, easy-to-read book about Christmas.
The entire reason for Christmas is the love of God. God loves you so much that he came to earth as a human so you could get to know him and learn to trust him and love him back.
Review: I LOVED this book. It’s full of simple ideas to make the world a better place. I used suggestions from this book to celebrate my birthday in a unique way! Read that post by clicking here.
Review: This book review 55 “essentials” every kid should know and use. For instance – always say please and thank you. Make eye contact when someone is speaking to you.
I own the first edition and read it as a teacher 20 years ago and decided to re-read it from a mother’s perspective. Many of the tips apply to the classroom (on a field trip, enter the building quietly) but there were good reminders for parenting too!!
Review: This book started slow and I wasn’t crazy about it, but by chapter four, I fell in love. It’s an amazing book with the sub-title: “Less than Perfect Parents can raise Kind of great kids!” She is funny and vulnerable and I recommend this one to parents with kids ages 2-12!
Review: Whether you make $40,000 a year or $400,000, Dave Ramsey gives you easy, practical ways to make your money go further. He gives a very simple strategy for getting out of debt, and saving money. His information is very useful!
I recommend READING the book versus listening on audio. I felt like Dave was shouting at me in the audiobook – but the actual book is full of useful information, interesting facts and success stories. Our copy has lots of underlines and you can WIN it by sharing this Post!
“We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have in order to impress people we don’t like.”
Review: If you are a fan of Elisabeth, you will really enjoy this book! She shared stories from her time on Survivor, The View, and Fox and friends. She lets us in to her failures and successes. It’s a quick and easy read. My mom bought this book, let me read it and is now allowing me to give it to one of my readers!
I’m giving away FOUR of my books:
Essential 55 by Ron Clark
Sacred Ground, Sticky Floor
Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s My Point of View
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey!!!
TO WIN:
Share THIS post on Facebook, text or email – 1 entry per share
Share ANY post I’ve written on Facebook between now and the deadline for an extra entry
Because I’m a teacher at heart – I wanted my first children’s book to be FUN and EDUCATIONAL!
Climb, Soar, Swim, Explore takes you on an ADVENTURE to the top of Pikes Peak (a Colorado mountain) and teaches you fun facts about the animals who live there.
I worked with a talented local artist who hand painted each illustration.
You can purchase a copy for $10 shipped!
Click here for PayPal, add $10, and I will send you signed 1st edition!
I recently read the book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus and was deeply impacted by the way Muslim parents instill their faith into their children.
Muslim mothers begin reading from the Quran each and every day, out loud, to their children from the time they are born.
Often the FIRST book their children read is the Quran.
Children memorize large portions of the Quran.
Muslim families are a part of a strong Islamic community.
Their Islamic beliefs are often so engrained that they do not even QUESTION whether their faith is based on truth. Instead, they carry on the same beliefs and traditions with their children – reading from, teaching, and memorizing the Quran from infancy to adulthood.
This book left me asking if I’m teaching my children about the Christian faith as passionately and faithfully as Muslim parents.
As I read further into the book, the author (Nabeel Qureshi) shares how he became best friends with a guy in college who was a Christian. The two of them had a mutual respect because of their strong faith in God. As they grew in their friendship, they began to challenge each other’s faith.
As Nabeel did research to defend his Islamic faith, he began to realize that he COULD NOT defend it. The more he studied, the more he realized that there was no truth behind his Islamic faith.
After lots of research, and even a prayer for the one true God to reveal Himself, Nabeel chooses to become a Christ Follower!
This book challenged me as a mother to teach my kids the WHY behind WHAT we believe.
We have a defendable faith.
Our Christian faith is based on a solid foundation of historical truth.
The author covers the evidence for the existence of God, how science confirms the God of the Bible, the nature of God (love, and justice), how Christianity is different from other religions, and how all these things apply to us and the world around us.
If you want to talk to your children about why Christianity is true, or you just need to solidify your own worldview, I highly recommend this book!
