This page is where I’ll archive the books we’ve read and I’ve commented on, so anyone can find them after they’ve moved back to the bookshelf. Some of these books may get even more attention at my literature blog, Simple Letters to Great Minds and I’ll notate that in their description if they do.
Love in the Balance by Regina Jennings. Review here.
The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher Look for a review in a few days. (12/31/10) Reviewed here. One star. Read on to find out why.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Honestly, I’m not enjoying this book. It is taking me a long time to get through it. In the first place, I don’t care for the way Mrs. Stowe switches person in the books. In several places, she goes from storyteller to essayist. This detracts from the story itself and gives the essays a holier-than-thou feel. I also have a problem with her apparent prejudice, which seems odd, considering which side of the story she is writing. The slaves who have white blood running through their veins are the smart ones, the ones who can easily make it out in the “white” world, not just because of their looks, but because they learn more easily than those who are all black. Even Tom, who is portrayed so lovingly, is unable to learn to read well. That bothers me on some deep level. So, I’m plugging away at the book, trying to ignore, or at least discount, the things that bother me, and see what others with whom I’ve discussed the book with see – a wonderful Christian book, pointing out the horrors and inhuman-ness of slavery, and pointing to the One True God. (I did not finish it. Maybe another time. But I got tired of seeing it in the bookbag, so off it’s gone, back to the bookshelf.)
Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry is Medicating a Nation by Charles Barber
I wrote a review of this book on this blog. Here’s the link.
Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe by Todd Wilson
I like this book. Really, I do. I think Mr. Wilson has done a great service to homeschool moms (and dads) by writing this book and pointing out the things that we think that just aren’t true. Unfortunately, I also think he’s done a poor job of backing up what he says with Scripture (which I would’ve expected more from him, as he is a former pastor) and also backing up what he says logically. I think it is still a good book for homeschooling moms to read, though.
Why Gender Matters by Dr. Leonard Sax
I learned about this book from a talk Andrew Pudewa. of Institute for Excellence in Writing, recently gave at our local homeschool conference. He based much of his talk, “Teaching Boys and Other Children Who Would Rather Make Forts All Day” on the information found in this book. I thought I would read it myself, as many of the points Mr. Pudewa made really hit home in my household. So far, while I can’t say I agree with where Dr. Sax is coming from in every aspect of his research (he believes in evolution, for one), I do appreciate this look at the physiology of girls and boys and how it affects learning. It is also written very conversationally, so it isn’t difficult to read.
Broken Dishes by Earlene Fowler
This book is simply for fun. A Benni Harper mystery, the eleventh in the series. I’m really enjoying this series. It is “almost” clean. Mrs. Fowler doesn’t quite leave you at the door, but she certainly doesn’t take you all the way in, either. It is also “almost” Christian, in that the main character has a definite faith in God and Christ, but the books aren’t about that faith. It is just a part of her life. They are mostly murder mysteries, but what I really like about them is the progression of maturity and love in the main character, Benni, and her husband, Gabe. I’m an awful mystery reader – I read the end to find out who the culprit is and then enjoy finding out how the detective finds it out herself. This series is well-written in first person, and Mrs. Fowler puts a definite personality into the whole story.
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