2015 Book Review

I'm going to shorten it a little this year. I can't seem to find the patience to write a full review on each book. However, I'd still like to document what I read last year, at least a little.

1. Total Money Makeoever : Dave Ramsey
This is a re-read, and I should probably read it again. Such a good book to teach about money management

2. The Mommy Diet: Allison Sweeny
Got it for free at the library, skimmed through it at best. Not worth your time.

3. Doing More with Less: Bruce Piasecki
Also got for super cheap at the library. Also not worth reading.

4. Master Your Metabolism: Jillian Michaels
I enjoyed this one. It's good for me to read books about health here and there to keep my in check. It explained the way our bodies work really well.

5. Christlike Parenting: Glen Latham
I'd give this book a 7 out of 10 maybe. I appreciated the principles taught and I definitely have lots of room to improve, but didn't agree with them all. So when I didn't agree with something they wrote, I felt like it was essentially saying, "Then you're not a Christlike parent."

6. Raising Passionate Readers: Nancy Newman
I randomly picked this one up at the library. The topic is something I'm really into, so I liked the book for the most part, but I felt like all of her suggestions were no brainers.

7. How to be a Perfect Wife and Other Myths: Afton Day
This older book was given to me and it was short, so I went ahead and read it. It was humorous, but really dated.

8. Ben Hur: Lew Wallace
First fiction book of the year! Hooray! SO GOOD. It's really long, so there were obviously parts that I felt lagged a little, but overall, it was just fantastic. I especially loved the beginning when they gave you the backstory on all of the wise men, and also really loved the ending where you got such an intimate look into the last bit of Jesus' life and Ben Hur's conversion. SO GOOD.

9. Arming your Children with the Gospel: ?
Good points made, easy to read, a little dated.

10. Optimal Health: ?
I did a health program challenge type thing 3/4 through the year. This book came with the program and it was good to keep me in check. Lots of good ideas and suggestions.

11. Till We Have Faces: C.S. Lewis
I hadn't heard of this C.S. Lewis book till earlier this year from my father-in-law. I really enjoyed reading it. There was specifically this page or two where it describes a character and I felt like he was writing about Gwen. I'll have to track it down and save it. This book was imaginative and deep. I still don't think I understand how it ends.

12. The Power of Everyday Missionaries: Clayton Christensen
WOW! Loved this book. It was easy to read and extremely inspirational. I've since tried to really change my behavior to be a better member missionary.

13. Gifted Hands: Ben Carson
My brother and sister-in-law gave me this book, and I felt it was time to read it with the presidential elections happening and everything. His life story is truly inspirational. My only issue was that I wish it was written as a biography and not an autobiography. Because of all the amazing things he's accomplished, even when he's just listing them, it sounds like bragging. :) But if someone else would have said those things about him, it wouldn't have been so "in your face". :)

14. Dirt is Good for You: Editors of Babble.com
Found this one in a box of books someone gave us. It was essentially a compilation of blog posts about parenting, and how we all make mistakes and no one is perfect and that's ok. I didn't expect to like it so much, but it was really engaging. I thought I might actually keep it, until the very last entry, which had a bunch of curse words.

15.Miss Grimsley's Oxford Education: ?
My Grandma let me borrow this book. Sometimes it's fun to read something that doesn't make you think too much. It was a really entertaining story about a girl (in Pride and Prejudice times) who wants to go to Oxford but can't because she is a woman. She also falls in love with someone, of course. :)