When I was a teen, I was into reading fiction about girls with anorexia, which at that time (mid-80's) was pretty new. I even thought that I might want to become a psychologist or psychiatrist due to the empathy that was borne in me from reading about the inexplicable struggle that these young girls go through. It's been a long time since I was a teen and it seems like eating disorders are much more commonplace (in fact they only affect about 1% of teen girls--see note below**), but I still wonder if anyone reading this hasn't had a friend or a relative who has struggled through anorexia or bulimia. And now with a tween daughter of my own, I feel certain that at some point one of her friends or she herself will struggle. Is ...
Category Archives: Non-Fiction
The Lost Girls
The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World. is the story of 3 late-twentysomething women who left their jobs and personal lives behind in New York City to travel the world for an entire year. Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, and Amanda Pressner each come to the trip for different reasons and with different points of views. The shift from person to person helps us to get a more complete perspective of the trip, but also cuts the depth, as we don't get to know the full affect that this trip had on any one person. I have a feeling that everyone will identify most with one of the girls, which makes the 3 alternating point of views interesting: Holly is a sweet optimistic girl with a thirst for adventure and ...
Amish Proverbs
I have read many Amish fiction books, and I enjoy escaping to a place where life seems calmer, more family-centered, and people are honest and hard-working. In April, my husband and I visited Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and spent the day touring and learning more about the Amish lifestyle. Although I know I would never be able to adhere to the Amish way of life, I do believe that all of us would benefit from incorporating some of their attitudes into our busy schedules. In her new gift book, Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life, Suzanne Woods Fisher provides a collection of wise Amish sayings that all of us can heed and treasure. Suzanne Woods Fisher's interest in the Amish community stems from her own family heritage. Her ...
On-the-Go Devotional: Joy
Joy: A Godly Woman's Adornment is the latest offering in Lydia Brownback’s series of On-the-Go Devotionals. I read and reviewed Contentment so I was excited to be offered the opportunity to read Joy. Like Contentment, Joy is compact, a mere 104 pages. There are 42 devotions, each of them obviously brief, perfect for the woman “On-the-Go.” However, do not mistake brevity for a lack of spiritual depth or instruction. Also like Contentment, Joy will totally get in your business, exposing the real reason for our lack of joy, and carefully pointing the reader to the only source of true and lasting joy: Christ alone. In the Introduction, Brownback writes: Some of us find a perverse satisfaction in our gloom, much like a baby pitching a tantrum to get what she wants. But God doesn’t respond to tantrums. Our moodiness dishonors ...
The Reluctant Entertainer
Hello. My name is Lisa and I entertain, when I entertain, reluctantly. In other words, hospitality does not come easily to me. I lack motivation, not to mention organization. Is there help for someone like me? Oh yes, indeed there is. It is to hesitant hostesses like myself that Sandy Coughlin writes her new book, aptly named The Reluctant Entertainer: Every Woman's Guide to Simple and Gracious Hospitality. From the get go, Sandy offers gentle encouragement and inspiration to those of us who struggle with inadequacy and unrealistic expectations in the entertaining department. It’s Real Entertaining for Real People (coincidentally the title of the first chapter). Other topics included are: Overcoming the Pitfalls of Perfectionism, Simplifying Entertaining, Discovering Your Inner Martha, and The Heart of Hospitality: Conversation (all chapter titles). Sandy shares some of her favorite recipes as well as gorgeous photography from her ...
It Starts at Home
It Starts at Home: A Practical Guide to Nurturing Lifelong Faith is exactly what it suggests it is - practical encouragement for living out your Christian faith within the four walls of your home. My husband, Jonathan, beat me to reading this book and so we both ended up giving this one a read. This book makes the point that simply sending your children to Sunday School without living out faith at home is not going to produce a committed Christian for life (should that be your intent.) Authors Kurt Bruner and Steve Stroope are here to remind parents/guardians that it is what children see lived out at home that will most effectively impact them during their life walk. With that in mind, the authors address Christian parents ...
Every Natural Fact
Although the general public's commitment to environmentalism and "going green" may be on the rise, the quantity and quality of many of our family's interactions with the natural world are challenged by hectic schedules, lack of access, and the call of air conditioning on a hot summer's afternoon, among countless other factors. To all who value the experiences that only the outdoors can provide, rejoicing is in order for Amy Lou Jenkins' new book, Every Natural Fact: Five Seasons of Open-Air Parenting, a series of essays describing her outdoor adventures with her son in their native state of Wisconsin. But really, this book is so very much more. At the base, Jenkins has written a book honoring the beauty and wonder of nature, and her writing style conveys a respect and adoration for this world. The graceful ...
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Jennifer Donovan
Managing Editor -
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