November Book Reviews

 

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Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan (audiobook) ★★★★★

Three children, separated by thousands of miles, are connected through a very special harmonica. Each child face harrowing situations when an old harmonica seems to find them as they each struggle with different challenges during WWII era. Each of the stories had unique plots that were full of suspense as well as heartbreak, one set in Germany, one in a Pennsylvania, and one in California. Bookending the three historical fiction stories was a more magical story about a boy in a faraway land who first finds the harmonica along with three mysterious sisters when lost in the woods. This was a novel appropriate for middle-grade readers but captivating for adults as well. The audiobook is phenomenal, likely my favorite ever because the narrators are great, perfecting all the varied accents and the musical pieces mentioned in the book as being played by the harmonica are actually played on a harmonica in the audiobook! It was such a fun reading and listening experience bringing literature and music together in this beautiful novel! 

Content rating: G

All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor (audiobook) ★★★★★

A sweet, wholesome story of the daily adventures of Jewish family (with five girls!)  living in New York's Lower East Side around the 1950s. It's not a preachy book at all, but still has plenty of life lessons for kids. I was especially inspired by the mother in the story. This would be a fun read-aloud for older elementary school or middle-schoolers. 

Content rating: G

Classics Club' Reading Challenge:  50th book (out of 75). See my whole list HERE 

Triggers: Exchanging Parent's Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses by Amber Lia and Wendy Speake ★★★★★

I found this book and the study guide (which I purchased separately) to be incredibly helpful in recognizing and working through some triggers that lead me to angry reactions to my kids. It is Gospel-centered and focuses more on the parent's ownership of their anger rather than focusing on the child's behavior. There are plenty of good tips and suggestions to try, but it's not primarily a book of tips, but rather, digs deep at issues like selfishness, need for control, pride and other sinful roots to some of our anger. It is grace-filled rather than condemning, but it definitely convicted me towards prayerful change. I will be using this as a resource for years to come. The book is divided in two, with internal (like sleep-deprivation, stress, etc)  and external triggers (too much noise, disobedience from a child, etc).

Content rating: G

Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies by Hillary Morgan Ferrer ★★★★★

This book takes a deep dive into the different -isms in our culture (such as feminism, emotionalism) as well as progressive Christianity and looks at them from a Christian worldview, dismantling some of the lies as well as showcasing what we can learn from each. The study guide (purchased separately) helped dig even deeper. I read this very slowly along with other moms this year, and it challenged each of us in how we approach different philosophies so prevalent in our culture. Although we all have young kids that aren't asking big philosophical questions right now, it definitely helped us become more prepared as moms for when the time comes to have these discussions. I learned a ton, was challenged in my faith, and found it to be a great book for discussion with other Christian moms who are dedicated to imparting truth to their kids. 

Content rating: G

Sons of Blackbird Mountain by Joanne Bischof (audiobook)

In the beautiful Appalachia Mountains of the 19th century, a stranger named Aven Norgaard arrives, fresh off the boat from Norway. Alone in the world, she is hoping to connect with an older lady, a distant relative of her recently deceased husband. Instead she finds out she has also recently passed and the only remaining Norgaards in the area are three brothers running a cider business from their sprawling farm, one of whom is a deaf man named Thor who struggles with alcohol. This is historical fiction, romance, and redemption stories all rolled into an engaging novel. I appreciated the way Bischof showed the devastating effects of alcoholism and the difficult process of quitting cold turkey  from both Thor's perspective as well as those around him. For Christian fiction, I didn't feel it was heavy-handed or preachy and tackled lots of heavy topics (including racism/KKK, an attempted sexual assault, and deep-seated family tensions) in a realistic way without way too much description or overindulgence in sad details. She approached moral struggles and redemption in a powerful way as well. Lastly, I found it very interesting to read a novel partly from the perspective of a deaf person (the chapters alternated from Thor and Aven). 

Content rating: PG 

The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality by Kimberly Ann Johnson

Kimberly looks at different aspects of a woman's healing post-birth, sharing her own experience as well as sharing what other cultures do to support new moms. In India, for instance, the new mom moves back in with her family for a few months so she can exclusively take care of the newborn and not worry about household chores. She explains how our culture's fast-paced and independent ideology does a disservice to women since there is an expectation to bounce back post-birth to our old bodies and busy lifestyles. Instead, new moms deserve to be nurtured and given a lot of support and patience as she discovers her new role and heals physically and mentally from birth. The first third of the book focused on creating a postpartum plan while still pregnant so that the new mom would feel supported by those around her and be on the (slow) road to discovering her new self as a mom. I am very fortunate to have had a friend (who was also my doula for both births) help me develop a postpartum plan during my third trimester, so I can attest to how important this was for setting boundaries, listing ways my husband, family, and friends could help in practical ways, and what I felt I would need to be able to rest and recover. The author lists a lot of questions to help a new mom develop her own postpartum plan. The second third was about savoring the fourth trimester, the first three months after birth. It looked at different medical issues that can arise and how to heal from them (like weak pelvic floor causing incontinence), owning your birth story by writing it out to help process it, and ways to vitalize your mind and body when you feel so depleted. She encouraged new moms see pelvic floor physical therapists and postpartum doulas when possible. I have been blessed by both of these resources, so I can attest to how helpful and supportive it has been for my own healing this time around in my fourth trimester. And the last third of the  book looked at life beyond the fourth trimester (reclaiming sexuality, discovering the mother you are, etc). There was helpful info about reintroducing exercise, and what to avoid the first few months (high-impact movements on the pelvic floor and core, such as running, which I was planning on restarting soon). I loved the premise of this book, which is clearly stated in the subtitle, but it was hard to apply a lot of what was written. There was a very heavy emphasis on metaphysical practices that I am not interested in trying out, as well as traditional Eastern medicinal herbs and tinctures that I also am not keen on trying. I was hoping to get more info on nourishing foods, but the foods mentioned were more about balancing yin and yang than nutritional value. I gleaned a good amount and it brought up plenty to think about as I am in my fourth trimester right now, but there was definitely a lot that I could have done without and sped through since there was too much new-age stuff in there for me. Maybe it's because of my nurse practitioner background, but I just wanted more research-driven info focused on medical explanations rather than complementary/alternative medicine.

Content rating: PG-13 (descriptive talk of sexuality and birth injuries)