July Reads

 

I can’t remember the last time I read this many books in one month!

July has been a month of reading for me!  What a blessing.  We traveled 13 hours to visit family.  Thanks to my sweet hubby for driving almost the entire way!  We enjoyed some great long talks and then when he was talked out I read (and read and read).  😉 

July Reads:

A Place of Quiet Rest by Nancy Leigh Demoss I’m only about halfway through this one as I have been reading it slowly pondering what I am reading as I watch God use this book to speak to my heart.  This book is all about your relationship with God and offers suggestions on what that may or may not look like.  I have found one of the most challenging aspects of parenting to be making time just to be alone with God.  My son Eli is notorious for waking up whenever I do.  It doesn’t matter how quiet I am in the morning he just knows and will wake up.  It can be very frustrating to me so this book has been so helpful in encouraging me to continue pressing on even if I may be interrupted.  If you haven’t ever had the pleasure of reading Nancy Demoss I highly recommend any of her books!  This one is no different. I have used both her books: Lies Women Believe and Lies Young Women Believe (for teenage girls) in Bible Teaching and have witnessed first-hand the blessings of Miss DeMoss’ ministry.

Touching the Sky by Tracie Peterson. This was my first Tracie Peterson book to read and I am sure that I will be reading more of her works in the future.  Touching the Sky is a historical fiction book set during Reconstruction.  This was a delightful book about a woman caught between protecting her sister and the man she is in love with.  My husband’s name is also Brandon so I also appreciated Laura’s beau in the book being named Brandon.  😉  I found this book to be a delightful fiction read perfect for a lazy summer day or long road trip.  (I read most of the book in the car on the way to Arkansas.)  Please note I did receive a free review copy of this book in exchange for this review.  All opinions are my own.

The Amish Cook by Elisabeth Coblentz.  This cookbook packed full of insightful notes about the Amish way of life may just be at the top of Christmas wish-list this year.  I never dreamed that I would enjoy reading a cookbook so much.  I didn’t actually make a single recipe from the book but they all look phenomenal.  The book is a collection of recipes and notes that Elisabeth Coblentz wrote in her weekly article that was published for 10+ years in a variety of newspapers.  Super interesting!

The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise BauerAt 700+ pages this book is not for the faint of heart but is one of the most thought-provoking books I have read on education.  As a professional tutor and mother I found this book absolutely fascinating.  I also felt such a sense of accomplishment upon finishing it-almost the same sense you get at the end of a long semester when you read the final chapter of your textbook.  The book details the steps involved in educating your child using the “Trivium” or in ways to supplement what your child is already learning in their school.  I read the older (1999) edition of the book and presume that the new edition is even better.  The book contains numerous resources and recommended books.  Overall I found the book incredibly thought-provoking.  At age 2 Elijah is still a couple of years away from formal schooling but this book encouraged me to keep doing what we are doing: instill a love of books in Elijah and give him plenty of time outside to explore his world.

Living Rich For Less by Ellie Kay.Another great read from Miss Ellie Kay.  This book says many of the same things that I learned from her other books but was still a nice read.  To see my review of 2 of her other books click here.

Well Preserved by Eugenia Bone.  I really enjoyed reading through this contemporary book on canning.  I was really intrigued by the idea of small batch canning.  Canning has quickly become one of my favorite new hobbies.  Since my family is still rather small we can a good number of pints rather than large quarts which would go to waste before we could eat them.  I am hoping to try her recipe for canning cauliflower later this fall if our cauliflower makes it.  🙂  This book is also unique in that she provides several recipes to go with each canned item.  What a wonderful idea especially for relatively new cooks like myself.  The book does include many canning recipes that call for wine.  Since we are a non-alcoholic family I doubt it will be one I add to my collection.  I was also a little disappointed at the lack of variety in her book.  There were absolutely no recipes that used peaches which was what I happened to have 2 bushels of in my kitchen at the time!

Divine Design by Nancy Leigh Demoss and Mary Kassian. This is a brand new Bible Study on what it means to be a woman written by two of my favorite women authors.  One of the authors, Mary Kassian I kind of actually know.  She is a professor at the seminary where I graduated from (Southern Seminary) and I have been so blessed by her teaching there and in this book.  I’m not quite finished yet but this Bible Study is just plain awesome.  Buy it, study it, and watch God radically challenge your thinking of what it means to be a godly woman!

Get Out of That Pit by Beth Moore. First let me start off by saying that I don’t feel at all like I am in a pit.  I have always heard such wonderful things about this book that I picked up the audiobook from the library to listen to in the car.  Once again Beth Moore is such a blessing.  Throughout this book she will challenge you, motivate you, and bless you in so many ways.  She’s one of those authors that you can feel so close to because God uses her to penetrate right to the heart.  Having done just two of her Bible Studies in the past I feel like I know her but I really don’t.  If you are going through a tough time right now (or have a friend who is) this book would be great.

The Healthcare Survival Guide by Martin B. Rosen and Abbie Leibowitz.  With many possible changes coming to the healthcare system within the next year I have tried to make it a priority to learn all that I can about how the healthcare system works.  This short book is pretty basic but does a good job of explaining how various things in the health care system work.  It also provides different suggestions for discount prescriptions.  I was very unhappy that the book endorses the use of Planned Parenthood for various female well-care something I just cannot agree with.  I think you can also receive female health-care at various county health departments which they failed to mention.  I’m hoping to write a post in the upcoming week or so about some of the things I have learned first hand about healthcare lately.

How to Retire Happy by Stan Hinden.  If you are still reading through my lengthy list of books at this point you are probably laughing but bear with me.  😉  Yes I’m a 20-something year old woman reading a book written about retirement.  This book was actually really good.  When it comes to financial matters retirement stuff is probably the area I know the least about so I set out to see what I could learn this month.  This was really the first book I have read about “retirement” other than the confusing pamphlets that come in the mail with people trying to sell you different things.  This book does a wonderful job of explaining various retirement options in a language that even I could understand.  Brandon and I do not have plans on retiring from ministry one day but do realize that health issues  might not always allow us to work full-time.  We also know that ministry will look very different for us when we are in our 70s and hope to plan accordingly.

From Fatigued to Fantastic by Jacob Teitelbaum. Having recently re-discovered Dr. Tietelbaum’s Fatigued to Fantastic supplements I was very curious to read this book.  I began taking his supplement during seminary and it was a wonderful help.  This book was fascinating.

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