lighthousebooks's reviews
556 reviews

The Anxious Generation: How The Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
Did not finish book.

Agree with the four reforms the author posits very early in the book. For most people, the four reforms are all you will need as a guide for parenting your children. Maybe this book is helpful to change policy or if you are really unaware of what smartphones are doing to yourself and your children and you like all the social science, but I found it to be quite a slog and gave up on it. I didn’t like how the behavior of people was compared to dogs, repeatedly. To be fair, cats were mentioned, too. But we weren’t created in the image of dogs and cats. (I understand that is how evolutionary social science works, but I find it to be so unrelatable. Faith is discussed in a later chapter in terms of its mental health benefits.) In all seriousness, I’m glad this book is sparking reform. Even in my own area there are groups popping up advocating for change because of this book. And I think that is great even if I didn’t enjoy the book.

Sisters of Belfast by Melanie Maure
Did not finish book. Stopped at 67%.

Read about 2/3. It was a struggle to get that far and finally decided to stop. Really sad and disturbing 😳, though I would have finished it if I was really enjoying the writing. In striving to be artfully done it ended up confusing me and being slow moving. The relationship between the twins was a bit much for me… maybe twins are like that, but… idk 🤪

The Contender by Robert Lipsyte

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Fantastic YA fiction about overcoming the victim narrative, learning to make good choices, and the value of hard work. Race, ethnicity, Harlem, 1960s. 

James by Percival Everett
Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.

Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion by Allie Beth Stuckey

informative

4.0

CSB Study Bible: Faithful and True by Anonymous, Anonymous

emotional hopeful informative inspiring

5.0

Revelation 22:3-5 (CSB) and there will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Amen! Come Lord Jesus!

Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by Brandon J. O'Brien, E. Randolph Richards

informative medium-paced

5.0

Great insights that will raise awareness of the cultural context (worldview) you may project onto scripture, thus causing you to misread it. This is a very small part of the text, but I noted that it helps answer a question that plagues the Internet and social media at times: Should women wear head coverings? Context is everything.

Social Sanity in an Insta World by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra

4.0

Enjoyed this reminder about what is good and not so good about social media. Many may think it is common sense and not pick up this book, and indeed it is, but I found it to be a good way to reflect and reset from a Christian perspective as the new year approaches. Some of the examples were not relatable, but the core of the book is solid. If I’m honest with myself, certain apps negatively impact me when I invest too much time on them. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎 𝒊𝒔 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. So books like this are helpful. 

“…women use social media to build relationships, while men use it more transactionally, like to find information or to network with new connections.”

“We dare not tell ourselves that we can afford unlimited relationships that aren’t face-to-face. To do so is to embrace idolatry, robbing our real relationships for the sake of our virtual ones.”

“…social media appears to inspire creativity, offer true community, and foster meaningful connection. But too much consumption can lead to emotional turmoil and spiritual defeat.”

For those who make the salt and light argument: “But this is your friendly reminder that social media use isn’t a requirement to get into heaven or to be holy.”

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 8 by Beth Brower

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

|| Volume 8 + Series 💭 ||

I always enjoy my time in St. Crispian’s and this time was no exception, but it seemed for a good part of the story to not be going anywhere. Until it did, and then it was heartbreaking 💔 I do look forward to reading Volume 9, but my enthusiasm has waned as it seems this is potentially a 24 book series 😳 

I also have some concerns that I’ve not shared and I want to do that now. It is my understanding this is not a Christian series, but it still bothers me that the sermons prioritize poetry over scripture. Poetry is wonderful, beautiful, but is it right to portray it as ministering like the Word of God? Also, Emma’s behavior becomes increasingly deceptive as the series progresses. I miss her integrity of character. Where did it go? And there are times when the boundaries of propriety for the time period are really pushed between the main characters. 

I’ve tried to brush away these concerns and others as creative license and humor, but they keep resurfacing as I’ve read each book. 

I do enjoy the series, but because I strive to write reviews from a biblical worldview, I think it is important to bring awareness to the fact that the representation of the Christian faith is muddled at best. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse

Scribes and Scripture: The Amazing Story of How We Got the Bible by John D. Meade, Peter J. Gurry

informative slow-paced

5.0

This scholarly work in three parts, Text, Canon, and Translation, is occasionally dry, but well researched and worth reading. It explains how we came to have the Bible we have today and why we can trust it. I finished it feeling a profound thankfulness for God’s providential hand in preserving His Word as it was faithfully copied by human hands through the years. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘐 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 by Mounce is more accessible and engaging, but for someone who wants to dig deeper this is the ticket.