Bridget
Delight and innocence of childhood (as the description says) is very accurate for this book.
There is one poem that's shockingly racist, but it was the only one.
I don't read poetry too often. It's something I enjoy once in a while, though. I remember learning about Emily Dickinson in high school, and I was surprised to find I recognized some of the poems in this collection! I guess I was paying attention more than I thought...
Dickinson was certainly talented. And she had some interesting things to say too (some poems more than others). I marked the pages with my favorites so I can return to them later. I will say it was interesting reading the introduction and then the poems she wrote. Apparently she attended a girls' seminary, but then rejected Christianity. I don't think she ever came back to the faith she was taught. I noticed a pattern in her work of referencing biblical themes and events quite a bit, sometimes seeming to come from a place of faith. However, other poems clearly show her rejection of religion and her celebration of science as its replacement. Just a couple observations.
Also, I really like the cover of this edition.
Not only does this book have practical advice for creating a budget, cutting spending, stretching a small paycheck, adding income, and more, but it also continually points back to God as our Provider.
Very helpful and very encouraging. Highly recommend.
What a great final (so far) novel to the Drew Farthering Mysteries series. I have so enjoyed my time with these characters and their investigations! Here's hoping this isn't the end of the series!
The author took the four gospels, arranged everything in chronological order, and added lots of details about the culture, geography, politics, and much more from the time that Jesus lived. I learned so much that put the story of Jesus in context and made it that much richer for me. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious about who Jesus is, as well as anyone who wants to look at the story of the gospels with fresh eyes. This biography of Jesus was excellent.
I'm struggling to write a review for this book. I think it's because this message is so important and I want to properly convey how much I was impacted by it. This book is small but POWERFUL, and I learned so much from Austin and her story.
I grew up white, Christian, and conservative. I think my jaw was dropped the entire time I was reading this because I had heard almost none of this in my upbringing. And it made me mad. How DARE we, as white people, tell Black people what their own lived experience has been?! That's absurd. So this book is important because Austin is a Black woman telling of her own experience living in predominantly white spaces.
She shares her experience of having a name most people would assume belongs to a white man, seeing the reactions of people finding out she's not a white man. She shares her experiences of being a Black woman at work, at church, as a child, teaching classes on racism, and so much more. I didn't know the extent to which racism is embedded in our society, and I am appalled. I am also committed to change.
This is what we need to do to begin to fight against racism and racial injustices: listen and learn from people who are living in the reality of it. I intend to do so from now on. May I never stop learning; may I never stop trying to fight racism in myself and around me. I want more people to read this book- it changed me.
Audiobook to pass the time on an 8 hour drive. I don't plan on reading any more in this series.
3.5 stars
I miss reading about Anne. This book was mostly about the Blythe children and, even more so, about the minister's children. It was cute and fun like the other books in this series, but I like Anne's adventures better.
Also, there are some racist comments in this book that brought my rating down.
3.5 stars.
“A cheerful heart is good medicine.” Proverbs 17:22
I picked up this book from a “free books” shelf at church, and I'm glad I did. It's a humorous look at how to face difficult times in our lives and how to have hope in God through it all. It doesn't go very deep, and it's not extremely organized (it's more of a series of small, somewhat-related anecdotes), but sometimes you just need a quick, light, pick-me-up read. And I enjoyed it. I added the extra half star because as I finished the last chapter of this book, I realized I was tearing up. Sometimes even the smallest message of hope can have a big impact.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
“Live so you won't be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.” p. 72
“50 Ways to Leave Your Worry, #38 - Find a child and read Winnie the Pooh together.” p. 131
“It seems to me that God continually chooses the most unqualified to do His work. Perhaps it's because they find it easiest to remember Who deserves the credit.” p. 136
“Ways to Access Your Funny Bone, #10 - Read fewer newspapers and more psalms.” p. 150
“God's grace should overwhelm all of us, shouldn't it? I know of no better reason in all the world to celebrate than this: we don't get what we deserve. We get something far better.” p. 152
“I need to be reminded that the same God who has been faithful to each generation isn't about to stop with this one.” p. 194
“Don't get me wrong. I love it here. I love rooms dancing with memories, halls loud with laughter, even sticky fingerprints on windows. But leaky toilets and wet basements have a way of reminding us that nothing lasts forever. Nothing here. That this house is a poor substitute for Home... Home sounds more like a place where pain is a distant memory. Where God makes everything new. Where wheelchairs and tears are noticeably absent. Home sounds like a place where joy and laughter are permanent. Where God's people touch nail scars, bow in awe, and celebrate an empty tomb... At times I wish I had answers for the pain, for the suffering. But for now it's enough to know that one day soon - I will be Home. For good.” p. 213-214
This is the point where I got teary. I'm grateful for small reminders that no matter what, there is hope. And that no matter what, there is always a reason to be thankful. And to laugh.
3.5 stars
I loved the Nancy Drew books as a kid, so I thought it would be fun to read the series again.
I honestly don't know what to rate this book. I'm in the thick of planning my own wedding, so it seemed like the perfect time to read this. I did really love reading about God as the creator of weddings, and learning about ancient Jewish wedding traditions that really do point to the gospel. It was a beautiful thing to picture my wedding as a way to proclaim the love of Jesus for His bride, the church. And there were some good, practical tips for how to accomplish that.
However, I overall felt like the book added more pressure to display the gospel perfectly at your wedding in millions of little ways, and I found it to be overwhelming. It also seemed like a lot of the advice and ideas only applied to people with perfect families with all healthy relationships. I know this was not the authors' intention, but I couldn't get past it as I read.
I don't think I'm in a place to give a fair review for this, so I'm leaving it unrated. I'm sure though that many people could get a lot out of this book. I also think it's worth reading just for the description of marriage as portraying the gospel.
