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jenwestpfahl's reviews
295 reviews
Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity by Saundra Dalton-Smith
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.0
I read an article by the author and was absolutely fascinated by the concept so I got the book. I’m still fascinated by the concept and will likely think and talk about it forever: But the book was a bit lacking in substance. I did glean a few more nuggets than what I had gotten from the original article but I was expecting more.
It was a little heavy on the anecdotes from patients’ lives and light on evidence for how to best accomplish each type of rest. The author does give 3 applications for each type of rest but some seemed kind of uninspired. Or maybe I just felt that way about types of rest that I’m not lacking in.
I couldn’t read most of the second half (gifts of rest). I read two of the chapters and skimmed two. I was bored and felt like I was reading a stream of consciousness journal where someone is working out how to arrive at point rather than presenting one. And there wasn’t much in those chapters that I couldn’t have come up with myself.
I found the assessment tool to be accurate for me and I am going to sign up for the 30 day challenge to see if more actionable things come from that.
It was a little heavy on the anecdotes from patients’ lives and light on evidence for how to best accomplish each type of rest. The author does give 3 applications for each type of rest but some seemed kind of uninspired. Or maybe I just felt that way about types of rest that I’m not lacking in.
I couldn’t read most of the second half (gifts of rest). I read two of the chapters and skimmed two. I was bored and felt like I was reading a stream of consciousness journal where someone is working out how to arrive at point rather than presenting one. And there wasn’t much in those chapters that I couldn’t have come up with myself.
I found the assessment tool to be accurate for me and I am going to sign up for the 30 day challenge to see if more actionable things come from that.
The Galveston Diet: The Doctor-Developed, Patient-Proven Plan to Burn Fat and Tame Your Hormonal Symptoms by Mary Claire Haver, MD
informative
fast-paced
3.0
I’ve never read a diet book before so I have nothing to compare it to. But I learned several things that I am already putting into practice although I’m not following the whole plan. The boom was an easy read with formatting that made it easy to skim or even skip parts that I wasn’t super interested in, like the personal success stories.
Sullivan's Island by Dorothea Benton Frank
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Pretty good as far as beach reads good. The flashback chapters were much more compelling than the current life chapters. And the ending felt a little out of left field. It was also odd to me that the family’s faith was barely mentioned in the first half when it was clearly a huge part of their lives and prominent in thr second half.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Death of parent
Once in a Blue Moon Lodge by Lorna Landvik
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
It took a chapter or two to get into, but then I was hooked. It was nice to pick up on the lives of the characters from Patty Jane’s House of Curl, and while you can read this as a stand-alone, having read that first helps.
The book centers on Patty Jane’s daughter Nora. The plot, if you can call it that, is Nora’s adult life - finding her own way, including a new home base for the extended family and their community now that the beauty salon has closed.
I understand why Lorna Landvik kept the book going until the next generation were becoming adults but it seemed to go on forever, even past a couple of natural ending points. The actual ending scene was perfect but could have come sooner.
The book centers on Patty Jane’s daughter Nora. The plot, if you can call it that, is Nora’s adult life - finding her own way, including a new home base for the extended family and their community now that the beauty salon has closed.
I understand why Lorna Landvik kept the book going until the next generation were becoming adults but it seemed to go on forever, even past a couple of natural ending points. The actual ending scene was perfect but could have come sooner.
The Bohemian Flats by Mary Relindes Ellis
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Paints a vivid picture of a German immigrant family throughout their lives. Very similar to Swede Hollow but just on the other side of the river.
Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was a fun light read. One of those books where you see where it’s headed from almost the beginning but you enjoy getting there.
Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It wasn’t bad but also not memorable and a little boring. I really never grew to care about any of the characters so I felt like I was just bobbing along at sea until the end.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A powerful story, but about half of the super boring middle half could have been trimmed out. It was often hard to follow the overly descriptive language, and I had to go to the cliff notes a few times to understand what was happening.