Choosing to SEE by Mary Beth Chapman
Wow, this is a good book. I've already read 169 pages in two days! Some parts are tough- really tough to read- other parts have had me laughing out loud. Mary Beth is the mom of six children, so all moms will relate to some part of her story. She's adopted three daughters from China. (We adopted our daughter from China a year ago, so I've greatly enjoyed the stories about China.) Mary Beth also shares candidly about her struggles with depression, self-image, and dealing with grief and the loss of her youngest daughter. She is married to the well known Christian musician Steven Curtis Chapman and shares interesting stories about their life together. This book is ultimately a message of hope and points the reader to God who holds the whole world, and each of our stories, in His hands. I think you'll enjoy it.
The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
I originally purchased this book for the recommended reading book lists in the back. Once I cracked the book open though, I got sucked into all the interesting facts and findings about what causes some students to succeed and others to fail. (Surprise! The common denominator for successful students is that they were read to on a regular basis. Thus, the reason for the book.) Mr. Trelease gives lots of facts, details, and anecdotes to prove his point. It's not a dry book at all as he shares personal tidbits often to keep it real. He also gives some great recommendations of how to read to your kids at each age level. But, he is so passionate about his subject that sometimes I feel like he being alarmist, or ranting a bit. I don't agree with his feelings that the government should shame and bully parents into reading to their kids. To me, that's extreme and not the way to go about things. I have only read two of the nine chapters in this book, so I'm not sure if my opinion on the author's tone will change or stay the same. All in all, I've already learned a lot from this book, and I've found the research and study results fascinating. This is probably because I'm a teacher and helping kids learn- especially learn to READ- is one of my passions. This book will not appeal to all moms, but it's worth checking out at the library to get some good read aloud suggestions. The books are organized according to age groups so it's easy to find a section that would be applicable to your children.
Lord, I Want to Know You by Kay Arthur
This is a devotional study on the names of God. I am really excited to embark on the journey of getting to know God better. A friend of mine recommended this book to me, and already after one day into it (I'm on page eleven)...I'm recommending it to you! I've always loved mysteries and as a girl I spent my summers reading Nancy Drew books. So, I'm realizing that I'm excited about this book partly because God is a mystery to me in many ways. I want to know Him better. Each section of this book is peeling away a bit of the mystery and revealing more of the truth about our Maker. Another reason why I bought this book is because being a mom has showed me on a whole new level how much I need God's help. He has all the answers, and I definitely don't! Also, I want my kids to know God and find comfort and hope in Him too. The better I know Him, the better I can parent them and teach them about their Heavenly Father. Finally, this book is very encouraging. It's full of truth and life because it's filled with scripture. This book is like eating cheesecake- I take a bite and then savor it. I read a bit and then mull it over and ponder the truth for a while. Soon I find myself hungry for more and jump back in for another bite. Oh, it's so good...life to my soul! Why not join me in this Bible study?
Those all sound great! I always have so many books waiting in the wings to read! :)
ReplyDeleteYep, I've got a tall stack of books waiting to be read too. Let me know if you find a good one. I'm looking for a fun fiction book to balance all the "deep thoughts" books I have in my stack. :)
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