In 2022, I’m setting monthly reading goals. You can see the 9 books I picked to read in January here.
So far, I’m very excited to say that I’ve already finished four from the stack + two audiobooks and I’m in the middle of reading two others and hope to have them finished next week! YAY!
My Honest Reviews From This Week
Here are my honest reviews of the the three books I read this past week:
Note: You can follow along with the books I finish this year and my star ratings over on GoodReads. Also, books are rated on a 1-5 star scale. I basically won’t finish a book if it’s one star (not worth my time!) and I’ll rarely give a book a 5-star rating unless it was just absolutely amazing or life-changing.
I’ve loved other books by Jami Amerine, so I was excited about this title — especially because I think we can all use encouragement to rest in the Lord and live less exhausted, stressed lives.
However, I just felt like the book had a lot of things I disagreed with theologically or that were really confusing. I also felt like it jumped all over the place and lacked a lot of clarity as to how to live a rested life of trusting in the Lord. There were some good thoughts in it and Jami’s characteristic humor, but I just don’t feel like I could recommend the book based upon my concerns that some of the advice was not something I would agree with theologically or Biblically.
Verdict: 2 stars
This was the very honest (and pretty amazing!) story of a couple who said yes to God and stepped out in faith to adopt 10 children (in addition to having 4 biological children). I really appreciated hearing their willingness to say yes to things that felt so far beyond their ability and how they shared God’s faithfulness in the hard things.
I did find the book confusing in parts. She would reference something that she hadn’t given enough backstory to or clarification for (for instance, she talked about homeschooling but then talked about a child being embarrassed about something at school).
But overall, I think the book would be an encouragement to all foster families and adoptive families and those who are considering fostering or adopting — especially if you have a larger family. I especially appreciated her honesty in sharing how hard it is, but how it is worth it, despite the hard.
Verdict: 3 stars
I have mixed feelings on this book. I enjoyed the historically accurate story of the American Library in Paris that stayed open during World War II (a story I was unfamiliar with it). And I found walking in the shoes of those who experienced what it was like to deal with all of the emotions that the war brought and the hard decisions you had to make really thought-provoking.
However, I felt like the story drug on in parts and felt fluffy in other parts. I also didn’t enjoy that some parts bordered on being PG-13 when it came to the romance.
It definitely wasn’t my favorite World War II novel to listen to, but I also liked it enough to finish it. So I’m giving it three stars!
Verdict: 3 stars
What did you read or listen to last week? I’d love to hear!
