This months reads. Half were great while the other half were a huge let down.
A wide variety of books read this past June. Books on saving money, marriage, sewing, organic food, canning, and theology just to name a few.
June Reads:
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollen. Although I found this book incredibly interesting I only made it through about half of it. (It was an audiobook from the library and I had to return it before I was finished.) The book is divided into 3 parts: industrialized food, alternative or “organic” food, and food people obtain on their own through gathering, gardening, or hunting. Much of the book is spent tracing and discussing exactly where our food comes from. I found this part incredibly interesting.
Shop, Save, and Share by Ellie Kay and 1/2 Price Living . I just recently stumbled upon Ellie Kay while browsing at my local library. I read two of her books this past month. They were both excellent and gave me lots of great ideas on continuing to save money in our household. I would recommend 1/2 Price Living to anyone who desires to be a stay at home mom or work part-time but feels they cannot afford it.
Confronting Jezebel by Steve Sampson. This subtitle reads discerning and defeating the spirit of control. I think everyone struggles with control at times so I was excited to review this book. The book was written about “Jezebel’s” who try to control everything. I found the book lacking in Scripture and had some serious issues with how Sampson handles the Scriptures. All that the book really did for me was make me more fearful about controlling people in my life something that is incredibly unhelpful. It would have been great if the book had been Gospel centered and addressed to believers who struggle with acting controlling to others around them. Perhaps it would have addressed various heart struggles involved and how to repent of this sinful behavior to live a life of godliness. Overall a big disappointment. I do not recommend this book. (I did receive a review copy of this book in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.)
Real Marriage by Mark and Grace Driscoll. I found the first 1/2 of this book to be fairly solid and was completely blown away by the second half. Having read a handful of books on marriage I did not find a whole lot in the beginning that was personally life changing. The Driscoll’s did a nice job talking on the importance of friendship. This challenged me to make spending time just as friends more of a priority. The second half of the book was in fact disgusting. Revolting might be a better word for it. I have issue with the way they interpret Song of Solomon and their encouragement of various activities within the bedroom. If you are looking for a solid Christian book on marriage there are a number of other books: Created to Be His Helpmeet, The Excellent Wife, and When Sinners Say I Do to name a few. Don’t buy this book!
Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff. Thankfully I was able to check this book out of the library before purchasing it. The whole premise of the book was so appealing that I almost ordered it. It was such a let down. Most of the canning recipes are for odd, expensive, bizarre ingredients. Some of the items I had never even heard of! Almost everyone I know who cans does so to save money so this just seems stupid. Throughout the book the author does not write as someone with expertise in the area of canning. Frankly it appears that she knows just a little bit more than I do. If you are looking for a good canning book just buy The Ball Blue Book like everyone else. The instructions are great and the recipes are even better!
Sew What You Love by Tanya Whelan. This was one of my favorite books this month that I had the chance to browse through. There are a number of delightful bags, children’s clothing (girls only), and attire for thin women. I was a little too busy with my garden to make anything from this book yet but hopefully sometime this fall I will have a chance to make the Amelie Bag. I would recommend this book and hope to add it to my library sometime in the future.
Emerson Family 
I feel the same way about “Real Marriage,” Amanda! I haven’t actually read the whole book, but it was difficult for me when our church went through the book together because I disagreed so strongly with, like you said, Driscoll’s interpretation of Song of Solomon and their encouragement of certain bedroom activities that I didn’t feel comfortable with.
That said, I do have several friends who come from sexual backgrounds that are very different from mine – backgrounds that are wrought with a lot more pain, more experimentation – who found this book life-changing. So, for me, it wasn’t a helpful book at all, but I know there are others who did find it helpful and “real.” I wonder, though, if–in the end–the behavior this book classifies as normal and healthy will be helpful or harmful to hurting marriages. I guess I have mixed feelings about it.
I can imagine that it would be a little uncomfortable to go through the book in a small group setting! I should have probably added that my background is a lot different from the members of Driscoll’s church. I do hope that it can be of help to those who come from different backgrounds and not a hindrance to their marriage.