September Book Reviews

 

Source

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus (audiobook) ★★★★★ 

A heartwarming historical novel that is geared toward middle-schoolers, but absolutely engaging and appropriate for adult readers as well (plus, no questionable content!). Three siblings are left without any family during WWII in London and the best option is to join countless other children on the trains that took them to safer foster homes in the rural parts of England. They experience some hard things, but their determination to stay together as a family and their support for one another is endearing and wholesome, especially for a book written so recently (when it's easier to find books about sibling rivalry and individualism touted as the priority). The sibling's interactions reminded me of Narnia's Pevensie foursome, with an Edmund in both stories that can grate the nerves a bit but eventually matures into a bit of a hero. Also reminded me a bit of The War that Saved my Life.

Content rating: G

The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up To God's Goodness Around You by Shannon Martin (audiobook) ★★★★☆

A memoir by a woman who previously lived on a farm and moved with her husband and kids to a inner-city neighborhood where she was surrounded by a wide variety of lower-income families. She learns to be available to shine God's light in an otherwise dark environment, from keeping her kitchen stocked for hungry neighborhood kids to driving single moms to appointments or letting them use her phone whenever their phone lines are cut. Her husband worked as a chaplain in the nearby jail, so they became very involved with this ministry as well, trying to support men and women as they left jail and started a new life. She discusses the importance of meeting people where they are and loving on them without judgement or expectations for quick, magical transformations. Her approach is definitely slow and focused on developing trusted relationships rather than speeding through the gospel message and pointing at blatant sin. There was a lot I enjoyed about the book: her poetical phrases were creative and helped me stop and linger on her words. Her attitude of using the ordinary, mundane moments and places of life as a mom to be available and willing to love those around us. But I struggled a bit with some minor aspects of her theology and lessening the importance of mentioning sin for the sake of focusing on love. There definitely is a balance and I would agree with her approach overall, but some of her criticisms and warnings against more traditional evangelism were a bit strong and standoffish for me. It reminded me a lot of The Gospel Comes with A House Key by Rosaria Butterfield, which I enjoyed more and kept finding myself thinking about as I read this one. 

Content rating: PG (one curse word; some references to drug use)

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer (audiobook) ★★★★☆

In a culture of hurry, multi-tasking, busyness, and stress, Comer offers a different path; one he discovered after years of exhausted hustle as a young pastor of a thriving and quickly multiplying church where he was preaching five services on Sundays. Something had to change. This is his manifesto for a alternative to the hurried and harried life. The book is split into three parts: Part One: The Problem (in which he dives into the dangers and detrimental effects of the "epidemic" hurry, specifically on our relationships with God, people, and our own souls), Part Two: The Solution (in which he explains the way of Jesus and how we can learn to slow down from Him, and Part Three: Four Practices for Unhurrying Your Life (in which he gets very practical with a variety of ways to fight against hurry, namely silence and solitude, Sabbath, simplicity, and slowing). He heavily quotes John Ortberg (who wrote the Forward) and Dallas Willard, so if you are familiar with any of their work, there may be some familiarity with his writing. I first read this book in March 2020, right before the pandemic hit and right after reading  Digital Minimalism. Whereas Digital Minimalism looks at the topic of technology from a secular perspective, Comer combines the spiritual as well. The content of the book was excellent; my only complaint (and it's minor) was the delivery and format, which were a bit distracting for me. The paragraph structure was similar to what is used for blogging, without indentation at the start of a paragraph and many single-sentence "paragraphs" and frequent incomplete sentences. This is Comer's style, which he uses in his other books as well, but I am just not used to it and it seems too informal and casual for a book. He's from trendy, hipster Portland, so I guess he saw fit to make his own grammar rules :) This second reading was using an audiobook  which flowed a lot better for me.  

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby by Tracy Hogg (abridged audiobook) ★★★★☆

Tracy's gentle voice and techniques are soothing for both baby and parents. She is affirming, encouraging, and appreciates the individuality of every baby and family unit in her suggestions and training, rather than guilt-tripping the reader to follow some kind of rigid plan or technique. She hovers somewhere in a healthy balanced middle ground between child-centered parenting and rigid schedule-based parenting, similar to Babywise. In this abridged audio version narrated in her delightful British accent, she highlights some of her most commonly used methods for calming babies and listening to their needs. She is really big on listening to your baby rather than assuming you know what she or wants as well as treating them with respect by explaining what you are doing to them so they are not surprised or scared. I especially liked her S.L.O.W acronym for deciphering a baby's cry (Stop to observe what's going on, Listen to the type of cry, Observe body language and context of what was happening prior to fussiness, and put it all together to figure out What's Up). Her E.A.S.Y. acronym (Eat, Activity, Sleep, You) is  similar to the Babywise Eat-Wake-Sleep pattern, but I did appreciate that she also focuses on parents taking care of their own needs in the You section (Babywise also does a great job of mentioning this in the first chapter). When discussing each part of EASY, she mentions topics like breast vs formula and how both can be healthy choices, choosing activities for baby that are not overstimulating for their growing brain, helping a baby self-soothe to sleep rather than using props, and bathing baby.  I was particularly challenged by her quote to "start as you mean to go on", which is to say for us that if we start off with lots of sleep props that can inhibit self-soothing, it can make things harder down the road, so starting Baby E's first days with the goal of learning to self-soothe will help in the long run. Easier said than done, but great advice nonetheless.

Content Rating: G 

Springs in the Valley by Lettie B. Coleman★★★★☆

I loved reading the year-long devotional Streams in the Desert two different years and was excited to hear there was a follow-up. This devotional was also great, though I think I preferred the first one the most, which was written in 1918 after she returned after many years serving as missionaries in Japan to the USA with her husband, who was very sick. As she watched him suffer in pain, the devotional was born out of their hardship. It has become a classic for good reason. It was such an encouragement and balm to my soul both years I read it.  I don't know the story behind Springs in the Valley (published in 1959 towards the end of her life), but it also has a very similar feel to it.  Each day has a short Bible verse and a devotional that usually includes an anecdote from a famous preacher (my favorite, Spurgeon, is in there a lot) and poetry or hymn verses, which is the same layout as Streams in the Desert. I started in 2021 and only made it a few months in before switching to another devotional because it just wasn't the right time. I picked it up again in early 2022 and started from where I left off, which is why I finished before the end of the year.

Content rating: G

Classics Club' Reading Challenge:  44th book (out of 75). See my whole list HERE

The Moonlight School by Susanne Woods Fisher (audiobook) ★★★★★ 

I have read a few books about the Appalachia region that were focused on improving literacy and opportunities for education during the early 1900s and am fascinated by this time and place in American history. So I was excited to hear about this Christian fiction book that I ended up adoring! It reminded me a little of Christy by Catherine Marshall,  which I enjoyed as well, so keep that in mind if you loved that book and would like something similar yet its own distinct storyline as well. Lucy Wilson is a young woman from the city who is hired by her aunt, Cora Wilson, who is the Superintendent of Education in Rowan County, Kentucky. As she starts visiting the illiterate mountain people of this secluded Appalachian area to dictate letters for them, she discovers the devastating effects of illiteracy. When the idea of moonlight schools, evening literacy programs for adults, is brought up by her aunt, she helps make the impossible dream a reality, changing her own preconceived notions of the mountain people and changing from a meek young woman to a courageous one who is willing to stand up for what is right. I loved the positive messages that were not heavy-handed or preachy. I loved the character development of Lucy. I loved the supporting characters (and found it fascinating to learn that Cora Wilson was a real person and much of her depiction in the story is based on facts), and I loved the atmospheric descriptions the beautiful mountain region. It was a delightful listening experience, with the audiobook narrator using accents to bring the Appalachia language to life. 

Content rating: G

Becoming and Beholding: The Art of Everyday Worship by Ruth Chou Simons ★★★★★ 

"We become what we behold" is Ruth's motto in this masterpiece of a book. Written as a devotional with thirty-two essays, coupled together in sixteen "chapters" that start with an essay on beholding a certain attribute of God and then the proceeding essay is on becoming more like Christ, hence the title. Not only is Ruth a thoughtful writer who shares her own thoughts and experiences while expounding on sound Biblical truths, but she is also an accomplished artist. Her artwork, focusing mainly of floral and other nature themes, adds to the writing rather than distracting it. The delightful artwork includes hand-lettering of her quotes as well as Scripture and hymn lyrics as well as beautiful borders on the pages with the devotions and a two-page spread between the beholding and becoming sections of each couplet with practical ideas to savor and apply the truths.  Examples of some of the couplets include: 

Beholding: God's Greatness in Creation,  Becoming: It's Okay to Be Small 

Beholding: God's Provision in the Unremarkable, Becoming: Learn to Love What Must Be Done

Beholding: God's Perfecting Work Through Daily Practice, Becoming: Hard Can Be Holy

Beholding: In Praise of Failure, Becoming: Discover True Success

Beholding: How to Measure Abundance and Plenty, Becoming: You're More Than Your Money

Beholding: God's Mercy When Things Seem Unfair, Becoming: Remember Your Purpose

Beholding: Rest is Productive, Becoming: Stop Making Bricks

This is a devotional to savor and will stand up to re-reads since I am sure new things will stick out with subsequent readings. It is short enough to fit in a busy morning, yet long enough to dig deep into spiritual truths. It fit wonderfully with my 2020 goal to focus on God's presence in my everyday life since the writing and meditation of the daily readings were great reminders to slow down and linger in God's Truth. I found myself thinking of what I read throughout the day. To learn more about her art, writing, and ministry, visit her Instagram or blog, GraceLaced.

The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom On Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton (audiobook) ★★★★★ 

I first heard about Anthony Ray Hinton's story when I read the phenomenal and heartbreaking book, Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson, then was reminded of him when I watched the film adaptation of the book an year later. When I heard he wrote his own book detailing his arrest, trial, thirty years on death row, and (spoiler alter) eventual release, I knew I would read it. I hesitated for a while because I knew it would be a tough emotional read, but for whatever reason, ended up listening to the audiobook during an already emotional time in my life -- in the hospital and at home the days following the birth of our daughter this month! The juxtaposition of new life and men at the end of their lives was not lost on me and it was a somber yet powerful reading experience. Anthony Ray Hinton was charged with a murder that occurred when he was working in a locked facility miles away from the murder. His alibi was secure and he had no motive, yet he was convicted of two separate murders in 1985, landing him on death row. He tried for decades to appeal the ruling because of the grossly unjust way it was handled in the racially divided Alabama county where evidence in his favor was hidden and he was treated less than human by even his own lawyer. His love for his mama and for God as well as his sense of humor, determination to prove his innocence, and his compassionate friendships with the other death row inmates and even guards all helped him hope he would one day see the sun shine again. The book was understandably hard to listen to at times because of the hard realities of life on death row and the injustice against this innocent man, but it's message of forgiveness and determination to fight for the truth will stick with me for a long time.

Content rating: PG to PG-13 (a few cuss words, some disturbing details about executions on death row)

Let Them Be Kids: Adventure, Boredom, Innocence, and Other Gifts Children Need by Jessica Smartt (audiobook) ★★★★☆

Jessica writes essays in this book about gifts to give our children, like the gifts of adventure, boredom, imagination, balance, grit, family, innocence, and faith. It was a good reminder to cultivate a sense of wonder, adventure, and fun in our children while also fighting against things like too much screen time,  busy schedules, and unrealistic expectations that lead to stress. Topics like the importance of reading aloud and spending time in nature, giving unstructured “boring” time for kids to be creative, and a great section on questions to ask yourself before putting your child in  sports, we’re all topics I’d been thinking about already and applying in our home, but it was still so helpful to hear her thoughts.  There were some solid tips and humorous stories from the author parenting her three young kids, so it was an enjoyable read overall. The chapter on protecting children's innocence, particularly the section about porn-proofing your home by discussing what porn is from an early age and helping set boundaries in screen time as well as creating a safe place and grace-filled for them to tell you if they've seen "bad pictures", was worth its weight in gold. Hard conversations but absolutely necessary these days. 

Content rating: G

______________________________________________

Do you want more book reviews? Find me on Goodreads (and here is my link for books I read to my son, if you want children's book ideas!)