Oh, how I love to read! Reading enriches life in a way that no other medium really can. Period. I am so excited to share this month’s Simple Short Christian Book Reviews!
In 2012 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, neuroscientists at Stanford University reported that reading ability in young children is related to the growth of the brain’s white matter tracts—specifically, the arcuate nucleus, which connects the brain’s language centers, and the interior longitudinal fasciculus, which links these language centers with parts of the brain that process visual information. Strong readers, they discovered, start out with strong signals in both tracts that get stronger over a period of years. The opposite pattern occurs in weaker readers.
Let’s turn off technology for a while so that we encourage our family to read, it really is life-changing!
Simple Short Christian Book Reviews
FAITH
Are you seeking God’s purpose for your life? Have you faced challenges you never expected? Do you wonder how you can experience joy, that doesn’t fade? Then Invincible Joy is for you. This exceptional book written by Oliver Asher is a must-read. Oliver is the President of Advancing Native Missionsa global missions organization. Slow down and soak in the goodness of how amazing our Savior is!
Be still my heart, this is such a beautiful book. Dallas Willard has a way with words, can I get an AMEN? Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God is a part of the IVP Signature Collection, I highly recommend reading through the entire collection. This book will draw you closer to the Father and I can’t think of anything more important to say than that. Please read…
HOME
The Collected Cottage: Gardening, Gatherings, and Collecting at Chestnut Cottage by Kathryn Greeley is quite simply, enchanting! Pour yourself a cup of coffee and read away the afternoon. It will be time well spent as you will come away with a mind full of creative interior design ideas!
CHILDREN
Mama, Sing My Song: A Sweet Melody of God’s Love for Me I absolutely loved this book and the children in my life did too! This is a book about God’s love manifested in and through a loving mother. Charming illustrations and a song for your child too! It is sure to become a classic!
TEENS
Admittedly there is some controversy over the enneagram. No worries here though and I know this will be a help to parents and teens alike. In The Enneagram for Teens, Ainsley Britain shares her vast knowledge of the Enneagram in an approachable, easy-to-use guide that’s perfect for beginners. This book will help your teen become more self-aware which is desperately needed in the teen years. Filled with insights and tips you will want to read this one!
FAMILY
Giving Your Words: The Lifegiving Power of a Verbal Home for Family Faith Formation. The Clarksons have done it yet again… beautiful, wonderful, life-giving! If you are serious about raising dedicated disciples of Christ, this book is for you. The core principle is love. Biblical principles are illuminated and made tangible. A must-read for every parent!
ARTS AND CRAFTS
Fine Art Adventures: Over 35 Fun and Creative Art Projects Inspired by Classic Masterpieces from Around the World It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a children’s art book of this caliber. Jump in and start making these excellent projects!
Knitting Without Tears: Basic Techniques and Easy-to-Follow Directions for Garments to Fit All Sizes by Elizabeth Zimmermann is wonderfully written and educational at the same time. I have to admit to laughing my way through this opinionated knitting book. It is a classic for a reason. Knitting Without Tears is filled with charming stories and excellent knitting instructions and projects!
FINANCES
Now, I finally get it! Mis-Inflation: The Truth about Inflation, Pricing, and the Creation of Wealth is a must-read for those interested in understanding inflation. In our current economic situation that should be everyone. This would make an excellent homeschool resource for middle school or high school students.
CHRIST-CENTERED SLOW LIVING
The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction challenged me and changed me! That is exactly what a book about Christian living should do. Justin Whitmel Earley presents an excellent case for slowing down to focus on Jesus and in so doing reap rich rewards. He even teaches you how to do it and gives you historical evidence on why this should be a focus of the modern-day body of believers…the church.
HOMEMAKING
Reading Down to Earth by Rhonda Hetzel was like sitting down to tea with an old friend. I enjoyed and appreciated the wisdom she shared and oh, her knowledge of the practical, is impressive. All the way, from Australia, Rhonda is an older woman worth listening to and learning from. Not a Christian herself but I agreed with most of what she had to say, except for a few politically correct statements. Well worth your time and ENJOY!
GARDEN
I must have read Growing Wonder: A Flower Farmer’s Guide to Roses by Felicia Alvarez 10 times! It is a marvelous book for flower lovers and her recommendations can be implemented anywhere. Visually stunning and if you are not a rose lover already, this exceptional book will make you one!
FICTION
There seems to be a plethora of newly published books about libraries and bookstores. I for one say, “Bring it on”! The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin was at the top of the list! Two intriguing storylines are going on…Ava thought her job as a librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a quiet, routine existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence. Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer to silence them. ENJOY!
YOUR TURN…
What is the best book you have read lately? Please comment below!
Blessings,
Janelle
*This post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for supporting The Peaceful Haven!