December Book Reviews

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Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whitmel Earley ★★★★☆
A dad shares very intentional habits he and his wife are cultivating in their family with four young boys. Each chapter focuses on a different area, from wake up to bedtime. It had a liturgical theme to it, with Justin explaining how liturgy is similar to forming habits, repeating truths to oneself over and over to shape our lives. The book with brimming with practical ideas, from prayers for your children to ideas for curating screen time and mealtime conversation games (we have started playing High, Low, Buffalo during dinner, where we each share a good, hard, and funny or unexpected thing about the day. Our three-year-old loves it!). There are a lot of great conversation starters for spouses to discuss how they want to shape their household and what habits to start cultivating in their home. It seems a bit daunting to read through the book and feel like you need to do it all, but taking one habit at a time that fits the individual family culture, style, and priorities is a good way to start. I loved the chapter on marriage, which included a ton of great questions to ask one another during date nights that dig deep. Justin is a highly motivated, organized, and disciplined man who really leans heavily on habits, and he really likes liturgies, so his style may be hard to follow for some people, but I think many Christian parents could benefit from the book, even if they execute it in different ways than presented. It at least brings up great areas of a family that could use structure or intentionality to point kids towards Jesus, deepen relationships with one another, and reach out to the community as a family to share God's love.

Around the Year with the Von Trapp Family by Maria Augusta von Trapp ★★★★☆

I have been wanting to read The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by the same author since I love The Sound of Music and have been curious about the real story behind the classic movie. But that book hasn't been available through audiobook version, so I picked this one up when I saw it on Scribd as an audiobook.  I now want to read Maria von Trapp's autobiography even more since I really enjoyed Maria! It goes through the liturgical year as Maria shares different family traditions that shape their family, most of which are tied to their strong Catholic faith. She starts with Advent and moves on through the quieter season leading up to Lent, then Lent itself and onward through different Saint days that are unknown to me but important to Catholics. Since I am not Catholic, there wasn't a lot that was applicable to me, but I found it fascinating and inspiring how intentional she was as a mother. Her faith was pivotal to her mothering and the activities and even decor she brought in the home; everything pointed to a bigger message but didn't seem preachy or stuffy. From the way she described their everyday lives as well as big celebrations, such as Easter Day, it was apparent the kids really enjoyed their childhood. I also loved how intentional she and her husband where as each grown child was preparing to marry. During their engagement season, the parents would have a casual marriage counseling-like curriculum of topics they wanted to cover before their child was out of their house and building their own home and traditions. The intentionality of a mom wanting to shape her home after sweet memories and ground her children in the faith reminded me of Sally Clarkson's The Lifegiving Home and Jessica Smartt's Memory Making Mom, both of which are from Protestant Christian moms, so they align more with my beliefs and therefore had more applicable content for me. Treasuring God in Our Traditions, by Noel Piper, is another book similar to all of these, that I have been wanting to read. 

Classics Club' Reading Challenge:  51/75. See my whole list HERE 

The Characters of Christmas: The Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus by Daniel Darling ★★★★★

This was my fourth year reading this book in December and I still love it! Each chapter of this thought-provoking book focuses on a different person surrounding the story of Jesus' birth, from the obvious (Joseph, Mary, Elizabeth and Zechariah, the Wise Men, the angels, the shepherds) to the more obscure (Simeon and Anna) and even "the monster of Christmas", King Herod. Great insight that brought these pivotal characters of Christmas alive to me in fresh ways. Disussion questions at the end of each chapter dig deeper and help to extrapolate even more practical application. This is a great book to read during Advent, especially if you want a fresh understanding on the people who witnessed, either in awe or in fury, the birth of Christ.

Come, Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional by Paul David Tripp ★★★★★

It's my third Advent reading this devotional and I still love it! This devotional was a perfect way to savor the Advent season. The thought-provoking daily devotions were deep and sometimes even challenging (in the sense that it revealed things in me I felt I needed to pray through). I absolutely loved that Tripp included a short section at the end of each daily reading that was for parents and children. It had a simplified explanation of the devotion and a great way of explaining it and discussing it with children through metaphors. I look forward to using that portion with Elliot when he is older because there were really great ways Tripp explained themes such as what it means that Jesus is the Way, how God's peace is different that the world's peace, the promises God has given us in His Word, Songs we sing at Christmas, self-righteousness, and hope (among many others). I definitely recommend it for anyone who wants a daily devotional for the  Christmas season. The devotions are each four to five pages, so it is not very time-consuming, but is succinct, very well-written, and pointed me towards Jesus every day in December 

Rating: G

Home for Christmas: Stories for Young and Old ★★★★☆

Twenty Christmas short stories that range from the religious, nativity-centered to the secular about a store Santa, but all were endearing in their own way. I only recognized two (The Story of the Other Wise Msn by Henry van Dyke and Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl Buck) but found a few new favorites, like The Well of the Star (Elizabeth Goudge), The Empty Cup (Opal Menius), and Three Young Kings (George Sumner Albee).

Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room At Christmas and Always by Ruth Chou Simons ★★★★☆

Twenty-four impactful devotions split up in for sections for the four weeks leading up to Christmas: Our Posture, God’s Promise, Our Response, and Our Messiah. Gorgeous watercolor paintings throughout, and an opportunity to respond each day with one question to ponder, one carol to sing, and a prayer.