December Book List & Review

It's my goal to share what books I've read the month prior and what I gained from them.  I have all kinds in this list...I hope you find a book that you enjoy from this list!

Give Them Grace:Dazzling your Kids with the Love of Jesus
I have so many mixed feelings about this book.  It's hard for me to process my thoughts but I'll do my best.  I will say that I took some great pieces of wisdom from this book and threw out what I don't believe to be truth. I personally discerned some theology I did not agree with that I won't get into for this purpose but feel free to ask me about it if you'd like.  If you read this book, read with a trusted group of women you can gain insight from or even better yet, a mentor who already has grown children.  I sought out three other mentors to help me discern this book.  The concept of the book is great but the action/practical application is very lacking and was hard for me to understand how to implement realistically.  I believe we should remind our children of the sacrifice of Jesus' death but realistically to do it every time your child misbehaves would be too much to be effective.  Kids will start to turn a deaf ear.  I have at least observed something similar in another family.  Again, just a portion of my thoughts without going into too much depth for a blog review.  :)

Sacred Sex
This book took me a long time to get through.  It may have even taken a year!  It's an interesting read and some good info.  I especially liked the section on how we view our bodies and how our culture damages that view.  That really spoke to me.

Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry
This was a quick and easy leisure read for me.  I found it interesting and full of many things the Lord has revealed to me as a mom as well.  I am always hesitant to suggest a book when I don't know the spirituality of the author for fear of leading someone astray.  There were some new age references in this book so read with caution in those areas.  Most tips matched to my beliefs in the Lord so I found it an interesting read.

15 Minutes Outside: 365 ways to get out of the house and connect with your kids. 
LOVE this!  Hands down a great book.  It has inspired me to get outside more and really be intentional about it.  I'd love to eventually get outside each and every day.  However, reading this as winter rolls around kind of dampens my willingness to do this.  I was going to attempt it but realized I was setting myself up for failure.  I would love to begin this spring to get in the habit and hopefully carry it over into next winter.  I borrowed this book from the library but it is on my "to purchase" wish list.  Great, handy guide to have on your shelf.

That's My Son: How Moms can Influence Boys to Become Men of Character
I have also had this book on my shelf for several months, picking it up every now and then.  I finally finished it.  Since this is my personal copy I will keep it on my shelf for future reference.  I found it quite informational and great info.  My mothering instinct doesn't really know how to mother a boy.  I would do just fine with a girl but there's so much about boys and men I do not understand.  Recently I realized that I must begin to research it.  I would definitely recommend this book to a friend who has a son.

Unmeasured Strength.
What a story!  Not typically a book I would pick up and read but it caught my eye at the library and decided to read it.  It's about a woman who was in the twin towers who actually caught on fire on 9/11and survived.  It's a record of her very long and painful journey.  I was quite amazed at the strength this woman had, especially since I did not find that she had a personal relationship with the Lord.  The book was all about her and her desire to be healed.  I had a lot of questions....how would her story have been different had she known the Lord in a personal way?  How far do we push ourselves and then let Christ take over?  Do I sometimes give up too easily thinking the Lord will help me if He desires?  Definitely an interesting read.

Picture Book Activities
MUST HAVE for moms who want a little structure for their preschoolers.  I love this resource.  I had to send it back to the library so I bought a copy on ebay for myself.  It looks as though it's no longer in print so you have to buy it used.  I found ebay to be the cheapest option.  I'm excited to use this for Kaleb's curriculum the rest of the year.  We'll have a lot of fun doing different activities on some great picture books!

There were some other books I browsed through from the library but didn't catch my eye enough to write about.

I'd love to hear what books you read in December.  I have an ongoing list that I keep.  I get suggestions from friends, I look in the Christian Bookstore catalog and online blogs I read.  I love that I can get most anything from our library system and it costs nothing to borrow from another library in the same system.  It has allowed me to read much more than my budget would allow in purchases. I also saw a blogger I follow who made a pinterest category of books she read in 2011.  So, I'm going to do this for 2012 so I can look back at all I read for the year.