3 hours ago
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If you are interested in thinking on the subject of assisted suicide and other end-of-life decisions from a Christian perspective, I HIGHLY recommend this book. This book addresses not only those who might be considering assisted suicide, but those, like me, who are wanting to look at this subject in a God-honoring way.
Joni not only doesn’t preach in this book, but she presents a truly compassionate look at these subjects while remaining uncompromising. She addresses those who may be facing suffering or death with compassion and a challenge to use every day to God’s glory, and she addresses those around these people to consider the situation with compassion and biblical truth. She speaks from personal experience on both sides of these circumstances, and I don’t think you will find a more well-balanced Christian approach to end-of-life decisions than in this book.
As someone who is strongly against assisted suicide, I especially appreciated this book because it made me look at the whole subject with more compassion. Joni challenges you to think about the real people who are facing suffering and death, to put yourself in their shoes, to imagine yourself as their friend, and to consider how you would handle these things in a Christ-honoring way.
I also personally found some of her distinctions in the last section interesting as she addressed end-of-life decisions, and she made me realize I really should sit down and write an Advance Health Care Directive. Even though I’m healthy and don’t expect to die soon, you just never know. People get in care accidents every day, and it’s important to think about the potential healthcare decisions that could be made and how to approach these things in a way that glorifies God, should a difficult ending be part of my story.
I highly recommend this book for every Christian to read. It’s not a happy subject, it’s not one that’s “fun" to read about, but I think it’s important to think about these things from a biblical perspective - both for the sake of those who may be facing these kind of issues, and for ourselves should we, God forbid, face them ourselves on day.
Note: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Each year in the spring, I start to think in the direction of all things homeschooling (at least ever since my kids have been old enough for me to think about school). I start planning next year's curriculum, I break out all my books about homeschooling, and I watch a bunch of videos on Youtube. I happen to follow several homeschooling moms on Youtube (one of these days I'll put a list together for you), and I've come across quite a few "homeschool room tour" videos.
Now, most of you know that I was homeschooled growing up, and this homeschool room idea honestly surprised me. I had never even heard of having a "homeschool room" until the last couple years.
We do not have a homeschool room. You can watch this little video to see our current homeschool setup:
We do most of our schoolwork together right now, and it happens most often at the kitchen table.
The kids seem a little less wiggly when I have them sit at a table (which is probably also why most homeschool rooms feature a table). Occasionally we do work on the couch, but that's always a little more chaotic. Since the only table we have is in the kitchen, that's where we work. This works out really well for us, and I'll often have Wyatt read to me while I fix dinner or whatever. Having him at the kitchen table allows me to multitask part of the time (and he actually seems to read better when I'm not sitting right next to him looking over his shoulder).
When I was growing up, we did not have a homeschool room. School was a more casual affair, and my mom gave us a lot of freedom as long as the work got done. As a child, I would grab my schoolbooks in the morning, and take them wherever I felt like doing school that day. My typical routine was to fix a big glass of ice water and lay down on my stomach in the morning sunlight that came through our living room window. In the afternoon when the sun shifted, I often put on my swimsuit, gathered up my books, and did school in the hot tub (in retrospect, kudos to my mom for not worrying about me dropping my textbooks into the water). Doing school wherever I wanted weirdly made the whole thing feel less like work and more like fun.
So honestly, even if I had an unused room, I'm not really sure if I would designate it as a homeschool room. I don't want to restrict my kids to doing their schoolwork in just one area of the house. As a former homeschool student, I know how much I enjoyed shifting to different areas throughout the day, and as the kids become more independent with their schoolwork I want them to have the freedom to go wherever is easiest and most fun for them too.
Though I tell you, if I had an extra room, I would definitely consider a homeschool library room...
Do you have a room designated for homeschooling? Or do you just do schoolwork wherever, like me?
A few people have asked me in recent months how to start a blog.
As a result of the professional blogging spike in the past five years, you can find a ton of posts about how should start a blog if you want to be a professional about it. However, I don't know that everyone who has considered starting a blog necessarily wants to make blogging their profession.
Some people just want to have a place to write about whatever they feel like writing. Some people want to document a specific journey or adventure on which they are embarking. Some people just want to give it a go and see if it sticks.
Unfortunately, there's not that many posts out there anymore telling you how to start blogging casually. So I thought I would just write my own so that the next time someone asks me about starting a blog, I have a post ready to go with the bare minimum of what they need to know and do to get started.
1. Set up your blog page.
Before you can start to write you need to have a place to write, so you need to choose a blogging platform. There are two approaches to this:
A. Start as if your blog will earn you money one day.
Many bloggers who have monetized their blogs will advise you to start right off the bat with WordPress.org and hire someone to build an amazing website for you. If you you want to start a blog with the intent of earning money with it, and you are fully committed to that and have a plan, listen to those people. I have many blog friends who recommend the resources on Just A Girl And Her Blog for a professional approach to starting a blog.
However, I am not going to tell you to do that.
B. Just start.
Personally, I don't think there's any sense in investing a ton of money until you really figure out if blogging is for you. You may absolutely love blogging, or you may write for a couple months and decide it's not your thing. Especially if you are more interested in personal reasons for blogging (documenting your life, connecting with other people, having your own platform to just write), I would recommend that you start on Blogger.com. I've been on Blogger since the beginning, and I am still happy with it. The interface is very intuitive (you can just start!), they have a great designing dashboard that is easy to use (you can make it look how you want it to look), and it's FREE! You can sign up with Blogger and set up a basic blog in about ten minutes, so go do that. I'll wait.
A Note About Designing
If you want to fiddle around with the design template on Blogger you probably will figure out how to make it look the way you want it to look you all by yourself. You may also consider creating or commissioning a graphic designer for a header image, because that is the first impression of your blog page (nice, but not strictly necessary). You can also search on Etsy for blog templates; some sellers will even install it for you. This is the template designer I used when I wanted to update my template to be mobile-responsive (i.e. so my blog would adjust to screen on your phone), and I'd recommend her - she was very helpful!
2. Start writing.
The next thing you need to do to get going with your blog is just to write.
The professional blogging community will also tell you to create several posts before you launch your site so that you have content already waiting for your potential readers. I don't think this is a bad idea at all. When you have posts already published and ready to promote, it makes it look like you've been writing for more than a day. This is nice, but I'd like to emphasize that it is in no way necessary. It's more important to just start, so if pre-creating content is going to slow you down, I say just skip it.
Just go ahead and write whatever you want to for your first post and publish it. In the long run, what makes most bloggers successful is just writing, and being consistent about it.
The more you write, the more you think of to write, and the more creative you force yourself to be, the more creativity comes to you. So just get started. Try to make a goal of writing x-amount of times per week. If you stick to it for a while, you're going to come up with some good content, and it's going to get easier and easier to come up with good content.
3. Start reading blogs.
You may want to do this before you actually start creating your blog, but after you start writing I think it's especially helpful to read other blogs. There are two reasons for this.
A. To spark your own ideas.
First, reading other blogs will often spark ideas for posts for your own blog. Seeing how other bloggers write will also give you a better idea of how to format posts on your blog, and the kind of feeling you want your blog and writing to have.
B. To become a reciprocal blogger.
The second reason I recommend reading other blogs is not only to get ideas, but also to start creating your network. Blogging is way way more fun if you have people actually reading your blog and interacting with it, and a good way to encourage that is to become a reciprocal blogger - meaning you leave comments on other blogs, and return comments when you receive them on your blog.
This used to be the norm in the blogging world, but unfortunately blogging has gotten a lot more self-focused over the last five years, with an emphasis on pageviews rather than relationships. If you want to have a casual blog and make it fun, focus on building relationships. The good news is that I sense a shift back to building a sense of community among bloggers, and I hope this continues.
If you are just starting out with a casual blog, I recommend commenting frequently and widely on blogs that look similar to yours, and I almost guarantee a few of those bloggers will end up coming back and reading your blog too.
4. Get your posts out there.
By this I mean to go ahead and share your posts on social media. In the blogging world today, commenting, while important for casual bloggers, is not as effective as it used to be in getting people to visit your blog. You need a way to let people know that you have some new content. There are several ways to do this:
A. Instagram.
I highly recommend joining Instagram, even for a casual blog these days. Not only will this help you get your blog out there to people who might be interested in reading what you have to say, the (sort of sad) truth is you will most likely get more responses to your content on Instagram than on your actual blog. I've found it's almost easier to find blog friends this way, because it's so quick and easy to comment back!
B. Facebook.
There are a few ways to use Facebook - you can create a page for your blog so you can share new content, or you can just share new content right on your personal Facebook if you don't mind everyone in your friend list potentially reading your blog. You may also consider joining a Facebook group for bloggers. I don't use my blogging Facebook groups that much because they are typically geared more toward the business side of blogging, but sometimes they can be fun. The Peony Project is a one for women bloggers.
C. Linkups.
A lot of people have great luck finding blog readers through participating in linkups. A linkup is a collection of blog links surrounding a specific theme, and it is hosted on someone else's blog. You would typically write a post that would fit with the theme of the linkup, and then go to the host blog and add your link. If you are going to participate in a linkup to find blog friends/readers, do not just drop your link and run. You have to comment on other people's posts too. I don't do that many linkups, personally, but if you are interested I'd check A Joy Filled Life and/or Girl On The Move for their link party lists.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I write about?
There are typically two kinds of blogs out there: niche blogs, and lifestyle blogs. Niche blogs are focused on one particular topic, such as cooking blogs, fashion blogs, homeschooling blogs, etc. If you want to create a niche blog, I think it's important to really be focused and only write things that relate in some way to your topic. My blog is not a niche blog. I would classify it as a lifestyle or personal blog. I just write about whatever in the world I feel like writing. You can make a blog work either way, you don't necessarily have to have a niche. It's also totally okay to change your focus, especially when you are just blogging casually (which is what this post is all about) - you can try niche writing for a while, and if it doesn't work, change it up.
How do I get people to send me items to review?
A lot of blogs, as they grow, can become a weird hybrid of a casual personal blog, and a money-making blog. My blog might be a good example of this - I mostly write what I please, but I also accept products to review and sponsored posts occasionally - either for fun or to help my family. Because of these occasional sponsored posts, I frequently have friends asking me how they can get free products or compensation through blogging.
In order to get items to review or be offered compensation for writing a post, you have to build something of a readership first. Companies want to make sure their investment of money or a product is going to yield some sort of return, so you just aren't going to get these kinds of offers until you start getting a certain amount of monthly pageviews. Gaining pageviews does take a lot of work, and if this is going to be your focus from the start I would say you are probably not wanting to be a casual blogger - you are hoping to make money with your blog, so I'd check out more of the resources for professional blogging at the link near the top of this post.
How did you start getting sponsored content or products to review?
If you don't necessarily want to start with the goal of making money, but are just kind of curious on how that works, here's my story.
I wrote on my blog consistently for several years, made blog friends, and generally just had fun with it. I gained some like-minded followers. Pinterest came out, and I had a moderate amount of success with some of my party-related posts, which afforded me even more regular pageviews. Once my pageviews reached a certain level, I had companies occasionally contact me to see if I'd like to receive a product to review - of course I said yes (when it was something I would be interested in)! Then I went through a brief phase when I decided to try to gain more sponsored post opportunities through sponsored content networks, and I had some success with that because I had a certain amount of pageviews and an audience that those companies were looking for.
Product reviews and sponsored posts can be a lot of fun, but they only come once in a while, and I don't think they should be your only reason for blogging. Most people aren't that interested in a blog that only puts out sponsored content and product reviews. After trying to earn more money with my blog for a year or two there, I decided I was becoming exhausted with the whole thing and had more fun with blogging when I focused more on friendships with other bloggers, so I shifted back to a more casual/personal approach. I still do occasional sponsored content, but I'm more particular and don't accept those posts as often anymore.
But what about your book reviews?
Okay, if you are wanting to know how to get books to review, that's a whole other ball game! I love reviewing books on my blog, and I think it fits in nicely with a more casual approach to blogging. Let me know if you are interested in more on that, and maybe I'll put together another post on how I receive free books in exchange for reviews!
Blog buddies, what do you think? Would you add anything to this post for people who may be interested in starting to blog casually?
I like to think that sharing the gospel in written form on this blog counts for something, but let's be honest, if I really are about those around me who are headed for Hell, I should be willing to speak up in person too. But I get scared, and I don't know what to say. It's a problem. I've been feeling convicted about this for a couple years, but it's so hard to know where to start.
After praying about this for a while, I feel like the Lord brought a couple resources into my life in the last few months that are making me feel a lot less terrified of evangelizing. I was going to share about all this in one of my life update posts, but then I thought, hey, evangelism is an important enough topic that it certainly deserves it's own post. And I know some of you out there have the same struggles as me. Speak up in the comments!
Resource #1 - Wretched Radio
In December we started listening to a podcast called Wretched Radio. Derek and I are officially hooked now. Todd Friel, the host, has a sarcastic sense of humor that is entertaining, but the meat of his ministry is all tied back to the importance of the gospel and evangelism. We don't always agree with his style or word choice, but he's very grounded on God's word. Each week he does a "Witness Wednesday" episode, where he gets random people on the radio and witnesses to them right there. Just hearing how someone else witnesses to people, in real conversations, has made me feel so much more prepared for the moment when I might get a chance to witness to someone myself. And feeling prepared is half the battle, right?
Resource #2 - Living Waters
On a related note, Friel started this part of the podcast with Ray Comfort, who has a whole Youtube channel where he witnesses to strangers. His boldness in sharing the gospel is so inspiring, and makes the whole thing seem less scary and more doable. Derek and I could sit for hours and watch his witnessing videos. You can see all those here, but be prepared to get sucked in for a ridiculous amount of time.
Resource #3 - Successful Christian Parenting by John MacArthur
I've mentioned Successful Christian Parenting before, but this is my go-to book for refocusing on evangelizing my children - who are the people I want to point to the Lord the most, for obvious reasons! That's really the whole point of Christian parenting. I think this book would be great in particular for anyone who has children in their life that they want to lead to Jesus, even if you aren't a parent yet, and the approach he explains in this book would be helpful in witnessing to someone of any age. I'm reading it again this year.
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Evangelism is one of those things that I think a lot of us put off because we don't think we have the "gift" of evangelism. But the thing about spiritual gifts is that they are often things that we are supposed to do whether we have a "gift" for it or not. We're all supposed to be practicing discernment, hospitality, mercy, etc. And we're all supposed to be evangelizing. Plus, this is purely a guess, but I imagine that since we know God is not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), He probably has gifted more than 2% of the church with the gift of evangelism...and maybe a lot of us just don't realize it because we're too scared or lazy to give it a try.
That would be me. But I'm working on it, and I wanted to encourage my fellow sisters in Christ to work on it too. Checking out these resources is an easy place to start.
Do you have a hard time with evangelism too? Are you trying to work on it? What resources have helped you?
I don't really make New Year's resolutions, and I kind of gave up on the word-of-the-year thing (for now at least). But one thing I do enjoy is making reading goals for the year! You all know how much I love books, so these kinds of New Year goals are less burdensome and more fun.
I have three basic goals for this year:
1. Complete Jami Balmet's Christian Women Reading Challenge.
2. Complete the Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge.
3. Read 75 books this year.
I read a lot of books anyway, so 75 books won't be too much of a stress. It comes out to about one more book a month, which I'm hoping will challenge me to spend those spare moments less on scrolling my phone and more on flipping through pages on my Kindle. But looking at my reading list over the last year, I think I could increase the quality of the books I read. I'm hoping participating in both of these challenges will help me pay more attention to the kind of books I'm reading, so I can make sure I'm actually growing in some way from my reading. I especially hope to read better quality fiction books (even though I know I'll still have some light reads on the fiction side, because sometimes you just need some chick lit). Here are the categories for both of these challenges, and my preliminary picks (which I can almost guarantee will change, but it's good to have a plan).
Jaime Balmet's Christian Women Reading Challenge
I listen to Jaime's podcast and really enjoy it, and I'm looking forward to her reading podcast that will start sometime this year! Her challenge focuses mostly on Christian non-fiction, and I'm hoping to read some winners in these categories this year!
Practical Homemaking - Three Books
1. Hello Mornings by Kat Lee (already completed, see review here).
2. The More Of Less by Josh Becker (I own the audiobook.)
3. How To Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind by Dana White
Biblical Womanhood/Marriage - Three Books
1. Housewife Theologian: How The Gospel Interrupts The Ordinary by Aimee Byrd
2. Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur
3. Women Living Well by Courtney Joseph
Parenting/Family Life - Four Books
1. Why I Didn't Rebel by Rebecca Lindenbach (completed - I'll count it here, but it wasn't my favorite. See review here.)
2. Reset For Parents by Todd Friel
3. 30 Ways To Save Your Family In 30 Days by Rebecca Hagelin
4. Six Ways To Keep The Good In Your Boy by Dannah Gresh (I read the companion to this one about girls and it was great.)
5. Successful Christian Parenting by John MacArthur or Loving The Little Years by Rachel Jankovic (Bonus books since the first book in this category wasn't my favorite. Both would be re-reads - I know they're good!)
Christian Living - Six Books
1. You Are What You Love by James K.A. Smith (I already started this book and it is excellent!)
2. Adopted For Life by Russel Moore (I own this one and have wanted to read it for a while.)
3. Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges
4. How Then Shall We Live? by Chuck Colson (I own it, haven't read it.)
5. Brass Heavens: Reasons For Unanswered Prayer by Paul Tautges
6. Glimpses Of Grace by Gloria Furman (I own it, but I'm not sure if I'm a fan of Furman's style. I'll give this one a try.)
Theology - Four Books
1. None Like Him by Jen Wilkin (To buy! I really liked the other book I read by Wilkin, and her Bible studies are great.)
2. Your God Is Too Small by J. B. Phillips (A classic my pastor mentioned years ago that I have wanted to read.)
3. Expository Listening by Ken Ramey
4. The Work Of Christ by R.C. Sproul
Biography - Two Books
1. A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, And A Great War by Joseph Loconte
2. Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxes (I have the audiobook, which is an ideal way to get through biographies in my opinion.)
Finances - Two Books
1. More Than Just Making It by Erin Odom (Started it, great so far.)
2. Love Your Life Not Theirs by Rachel Cruz
Christian Classic - One Book
1. Out Of The Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis (the one fiction book on this list, but it counts, right?)
Church History - One Book
1. Still trying to figure this one out. Suggestions?
Modern Mrs Darcy Challenge
Anne's blog is probably the most prominent book blog out there. This reading challenge looked fun - I decided to add this challenge into the mix this year since it seems to be more conducive to picking fiction. Here are her categories, and what I might pick for each.
A Classic You've Been Meaning To Read
-So many choices...I will probably either go with A Tree Grows In Brooklyn or To Kill A Mockingbird.
A Book Recommended By Someone With Great Taste
-Throw me some suggestions, people!
A Book In Translation
-I'm struggling with this one. I'm thinking of trying My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante.
A Book Nominated For An Award In 2018
-To be determined when the nominations are actually made. But I'll probably be going for a Newberry because I like Children's books for this category since I think they will have less of a chance of being political statements.
A Book Of Poetry, A Play, Or An Essay Collection
-I'm strongly considering tackling a Shakespeare play, since I've never actually read Shakespeare. Have any of you?
A Book You Can Read In A Day
-I'm just going to fill this in with Love And First Sight by Josh Sundquist, since I already read it and it's definitely doable in a day. Read my review here.
A Book That's More Than 500 Pages
-Started The Brother's Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, which could also technically count for "a book in translation". I'm planning on reading a chapter a day until I finish it, which is absolutely doable. This book is more interesting so far than I thought it would be!
A Book By A Favorite Author
-Definitely The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton, which was a gift for Christmas from my dear friend Felicia!
A Book Recommended By A Librarian Or Bookseller
-To be determined when I get up the nerve to actually ask a librarian for a recommendation.
A Banned Book
-Either To Kill A Mockingbird or Fahrenheit 411, both of which I've started and haven't finished because of my bookish ADD.
A Memoir, Biography, Or Book Of Creative Non-Fiction
-It is very likely this category will change, but I'm hoping to either do Fierce Convictions by Karen Swallow Prior (about Hannah Moore) or John Adams by David McCullough.
A Book By An Author Of A Different Race/Ethnicity/Religion Than You
-I've been wanting to read more stories from people who escaped North Korea, so I'll be going with The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee for this one.
Both of those challenges should take me through about about 38 books, which means I'll have 37 other books to complete. I may double up in some categories or do some of Tim Challies reading challenge to keep me reading books that will grow me throughout the year.
What is on your reading list for 2018? Any recommendations for me?
This week the theme that stood out to me was "judging". We talked about it in Bible study, and then I read this article that brought it to mind again (written from a Catholic perspective, so I don't agree with some things he says, but the underlying point made me think).
I have thoughts.
At the end of December, or the first week of January at the latest, everyone posts their favorite books from 2017. But the fact that I'm posting mine now, solidly in the middle of January, just means that it will stand out more, right? I'm going to pretend the late date of this post was done purposefully for this reason! Aren't I so smart?
This last year was a pretty good reading year for me, overall. I didn't read too many duds, and I have a fairly substantial list of books I think were well worth my time, and yours! Let's just get started, because this will be a long post.
The non-fiction list is much longer than the fiction list. I'm hoping to read more end-of-year-post worthy fiction in 2018. Click on the links to read my more extensive reviews on Goodreads (including content warnings where applicable).
Non-Fiction
I had been reading this book through 2016, and finally finished it in 2017. This book is basically a critique of the modern charismatic movement, particularly the branches that are theologically and biblically unsound (I'm not saying everyone who labels themselves "charismatic" would fall in this group, but it is worth a careful evaluation). I think MacArthur comes off a bit harsh at times, but I couldn't disagree with anything he said, and I think there is definitely reason for concern about the charismatic movement. Worth a read because we all should have our eyes open on these issues.
I listened to this as an audiobook, and I regretted not buying a paper copy because I would have been highlighting all over the place! I love how Wilkin walks us through different pitfalls to avoid in studying the Bible and outlines a sound method for Bible study. The paperback is definitely on my list to buy, so next time I can go through it with highlighter in hand.
One of my more intellectual reads of the year, this book series presents different world religions and what they believe, but does it from a biblical perspective. It presents Christianity, how these different religions differ from the Christian belief system, and how to witness to people who may be involved in these different religions. I'm collecting this whole series for my own information, and also to use as a religion/apologetics study for my kids when they reach high school.
The Most Misused Stories In The Bible: Surprising Ways Popular Bible Stories Are Misunderstood by Eric J Bargerhuff
One of those books that made me want to say "THANK YOU!" throughout, but it also made me think about many of these stories from the Bible in a different way. Very grounded in a proper interpretation of Scripture, and I thought his tips for avoiding misinterpreting Scripture were right on.
The information in this book was based on a survey of adults who went to church as a child but no longer do, and it was completely fascinating. Lots of solid information here that parents can apply to training their children, picking a church, etc. It also may have you thinking about ways you may have compromised God's word, and how that might be affecting your kids. A great, and possibly convicting, read.
Glory In The Ordinary: Why Your Work In The Home Matters To God by Courtney Reissig
A pleasant reading surprise, this book talks about the biblical view of work, and how our work in the home (which often seems mundane) brings glory to God. I wished I had read this a year earlier when I was struggling with no longer working outside the home! I listened to the audiobook and will probably be listening to it again.
One of my reading goals for 2017 was to read more about the Cold War. I got distracted by the whole having-a-baby thing and didn't read as much as I wanted to on this subject, but I did read this book and it sucked me in! A narrative non-fiction from a former KGB spy. It was fascinating to read about the process of becoming a spy, and I loved that it ended with his testimony of coming to Christ. Great read!
Unlocking The Bible: What It Is, How We Got It, And Why We Can Trust It by Jeff Lasseigne
This was another one of my pleasant surprises of the year. I had never heard about this author, and was unsure of this book, but it was excellent! A solid look at the history of the Bible, why we can trust the it is the Word of God, and lots of great Bible Study tips! I'll be reading this one again.
Eve In Exile And The Restoration Of Femininity by Rebekah Merkle
I didn't agree with every point in this book, but overall I found Merkle's message really encouraging! I love the idea that we as women could do so much more with our work in the home if we would just throw ourselves into it, instead of pining after the same roles as men. And Merkle has quite a high view of women and their abilities that is evident in this book, so don't get your hackles up before you give it a read. I'll probably be coming back to this one.
The Flipside Of Feminism: What Conservative Women Know And Men Can't Say by Suzanne Venker
This was a really fascinating look at the feminist movement and some of the consequences that we are just starting to see now. This made an interesting companion read to Eve In Exile because it looked at feminism from a slightly different perspective. Of course I liked both of these books because I am decidedly not a feminist in the modern sense, so if you consider yourself a feminist, prepare to be challenged (and probably offended). Just warning you now.
Fiction
Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig
This one was difficult to read because of emotional reasons, and it had some content issues, but I don't know, I thought it was worth mentioning here. The story follows an autistic girl in the foster system, and her struggles to find her "forever home". Sweet and suspenseful, sad, but the ending was hopeful and I liked that.
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
Have you ever watched "The Wonder Years"? This book reminded me of that show, except I like this book better! Holling Hoodhood finds himself stuck in class alone on Wednesday afternoons with a teacher who doesn't seem to like him, but we get to see how his studies and activities on those Wednesday afternoons help him grow up over the course of the year. I loved this book so much I went right out and grabbed the companion book, Okay For Now.
Okay For Now by Gary Schmidt
I loved this book too! Similar in type to The Wednesday Wars, this one follows Holling's friend Doug as he moves to a new town. Doug stumbles upon the library and an original volume from Audubon, and between learning to draw the birds and his friendship with the girl he met in front of the library, he starts to make the most of his less than ideal circumstances. The ending of this one seemed just right to me, happy, but a little bittersweet too.
Austenland/Midnight In Austenland By Shannon Hale
This one was purely for fun! Some content issues, but a funny and happy read. The main character goes to "Austenland", a resort that puts it's guests into the world of Jane Austen. I don't think I really need to say more than that. I also liked the sequel, Midnight In Austenland which was more of a mystery. Both of these would be fun summer reads!
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
Have you seen the movie? The book is basically the same as the movie, and I loved them both! I'm a sucker for a good coming of age story.
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
My first Kate Morton, and basically the best novel I read all year! (Well, maybe tied with The Wednesday Wars/Okay For Now.) The main character saw her mother kill a man when she was a teenager, and the story follows her investigation to figure out what really happened that day. This book will surprise you! I loved it.
All of these books are ones I would recommend to a friend! But now, friends, what would you recommend to me? What should I add to my reading list in 2018?
What were your favorites from last year?
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