Self-Help, Middle Grade Fantasy, Christian Nonfiction, Contemporary Romance, a DNF
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In this article:
The Anxious Hearts Guide by Cloos
How to Train Your Dragon by Cowell
How Happiness Happens by Lucado
Husband Auditions by Strong
DNF: Dare to Love My Grumpy Boss by Hall
The Anxious Hearts Guide: Rising Above Anxious Attachment by Ricki Cloos
3 STARS, Self-Help Nonfiction, My format: ebook
A guide for helping anxious attachers to navigate relationships in healthy ways.
Personal Review:
This book had useful information and was presented well but it was not what I was expecting. It was more of a summary of everything the author has read on the topic as opposed to a deep dive into the nitty-gritty, which was really what I was looking for.
The last large chunk of the book was also completely focused on the dating relationship. She said it was for anyone, but I really didn’t find any benefit other than realizing I did it all wrong before I got married (to a wonderful man) 13 years ago. Not really very encouraging. I was really hoping for more tips about being an anxious heart in ALL of my relationships, not just romantic ones.
I did get a couple of great book recommendations from the homework sections and I’m looking forward to reading more about the things that interested me the most.
How to Train Your Dragon (How to Train Your Dragon #1) by Cressida Cowell
4 STARS, Middle Grade Fantasy, My format: recommended by a friend
Goodreads Synopsis | Buy on BookShop | Buy ebook on Kobo
A memoir of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third.
Personal Review:
I wasn't sure what to expect but what a little gem of a Viking book this was. I absolutely loved the witty writing and the hilarious way the Viking culture was set up. I really enjoyed watching Hiccup use his gifts to step up to be the Hero.
If I had boys, I'm sure this would be a huge hit. Since I have only girls, I'm not sure they will enjoy all of the fighting, snot, green dragon blood, and YELLING that happens. As they get older, I'm sure they'll enjoy the rest of it and be able to overlook the gross parts.
My friend who recommended this has said that later books are better, so I plan to read through the whole series. Looking forward to it!
Content Warnings:
the only thing that made me uncomfortable for middle grade was a stealing of a woman’s bra to use as a weapon
How Happiness Happens: Finding Lasting Joy in a World of Comparison, Disappointment, and Unmet Expectations by Max Lucado
4 STARS, Christian Self-Help, My format: hard cover
Goodreads Synopsis | Buy on BookShop | Buy ebook on Kobo
Learn Lucado’s different, unexpected path to happiness that requires no credit card or stroke of fortune.
Personal Review:
I started out enjoying the book, wildly curious what a Christian pastor would say about how to be happy. Lucado's writing is excellent. His stories are short and entertaining and he does quirky things like referring to himself as his wife's husband (caught me off guard every time and made me laugh).
But then the chapters got repetitive. They kind of felt like they were saying the same thing, just using different stories and different Bible verses.
However, the book was saved by chapter 11, "Be Loved, Then Love". The whole book talked about how to treat other people, which is great. But most people have a really hard time treating others well if they don't understand that they are being treated well themselves (by a loving God). I don't know if he saved that chapter for the end because he knew it would redeem the rest of the book, or if it was accidentally placed there instead of the beginning. Regardless, that chapter added a star to my rating.
This being my first Lucado book, I was very satisfied. I am looking forward to reading more of his work.
Husband Auditions by Angela Ruth Strong
3 STARS, Christian Contemporary Romance, My format: for Inspired Readers Book Club
Goodreads Synopsis | Buy on BookShop
Meri is the last of her friends to be single. Kai has vowed never to get married. The two join forces to try out a list from the 1950s that is supposed to help Meri find the man of her dreams.
Personal Review:
I am torn about this book. It started out so fun and light-hearted. I really loved Meri the whole way through. She lost her head for a little bit but was pretty smart about her expectations of Kai.
Kai was a typical bachelor, kind of the whole time. I liked him but his growth didn't really happen until the end, and I'm not sure I believed it. I'm also not sure I believed the chemistry between Meri and Kai. It was kind of strange, almost like they were so attracted to each other that they just couldn't resist their urges against their better judgments.
This is strange to me because we can make choices about these things, and I feel like most normal healthy people are making choices as opposed to being completely driven by their lusts. I guess I wanted more maturity from them both and more growth in their weak areas. The story was fun, but the character-growth and marriage drama left me wanting.
Content Warnings:
a couple of lustful thoughts, 2 detailed kisses
Did Not Finish
I was rather enjoying the contemporary rom-com Dare to Love My Grumpy Boss by Ellie Hall as an audiobook. But about 50% in there was a kissing scene that I just couldn’t listen to with my girls around, which meant I needed to DNF since my girls are around a lot and I can’t risk more of those scenes. See more of my thoughts on Goodreads.
What have you been reading lately?
I’ve wondered about the How To Train Your Dragon books. I loved the movies when they released. Haha, your description makes me think of how I felt reading The Last Archer by S. D. Smith. I loved the story, the characters, and who wouldn’t love adorable yet fierce bunny’s with bows and arrows?! But there was quite a lot of fighting and I found myself holding my breath reading it. I think if I had boys it would be so much fun reading those books to them, but for now I’ll save my breath 😅
I haven’t read Max Lucado in years, his stuff all started to sound the same to me. But in high school I read and enjoyed a lot of his books. I remember Grace Happens Here being a comfort, and I think I read God Will Carry You Through This after a devastating injury/onset of chronic illness.
I highly recommend An Angels Story in his Christmas Collection. Though I must confess I never read the other two stories in that book. The descriptions of heaven and the angels fight to protect the seed of Jesus brought to earth was really powerful and fun to imagine how that may have all happened. I could read that short story every Christmas!