readerturnedwriter's reviews
1080 reviews

Intended for Pleasure: Sex Technique and Sexual Fulfillment in Christian Marriage by Gaye Wheat, Ed MD Wheat

4.0

This is a book on intimacy within marriage. I thought it was well written. It was informative but not in any way vulgar and looked at things from a Christian/biblical perspective. I could tell reading through it that it was a general Christian rather than specifically LDS book, but it was still a good read (if you're looking for a purely LDS read, And They Were Not Ashamed by Laura M. Brotherson is a very, very good read). This is a book I would definitely recommend, especially to engaged or newly married couples.

Business Boutique: A Woman's Guide for Making Money Doing What She Loves by Christy Wright

5.0

I loved this book! Christie Wright is a Dave Ramsey personality who focuses on entrepreneurial women, mostly who are starting businesses from home. Some of it didn't apply to me because of the type of business I am doing, but I loved the information in the book, thought she did a great job with the organization, and came away from it fired up to work on my business again. I would definitely recommend this book to any entrepreneur and especially to any woman who wants to get into or start a business. I will probably be rereading at least sections of this book.

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

3.0

I really liked the idea behind this book, but I didn't think the execution of it was very well done. I don't know if I can quite put my finger on why I didn't like it. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It was a little boring. The experiences from the concentration camp that he shared somehow seemed impersonal, detached in a way that made it not as compelling. The psychological side of it had some interesting parts, but at times, it seemed he was reaching to prove his new theory. This might be the kind of book that would be better to go online and find someone's synopsis of it.

The main idea is that rather than searching for happiness, man should be searching for meaning. If someone can find a meaning for their suffering, they can endure just about anything. If they lose sight of the meaning of it, they will give up. "In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice."

Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems: New, Revised, and Expanded Edition by Richard Ferber

5.0

We never used "the Ferber method" with our kids, but I have used this book as a tool to help my kids sleep better. I love that Ferber delves into the science behind baby's sleep (and sleep in general), it helps to know that how your child sleeps is normal and what to do about it. He also gives advice on how to get your child to sleep better, based on principles (like setting limits, etc.). I read this when our first was not yet three months, when our second was born, and when our first transitioned from a crib to a bed. All three times it was extremely useful.

Clutterfree with Kids: Change your thinking. Discover new habits. Free your home by Joshua S. Becker

5.0

I have to say, I loved this book! It isn't just another cleaning book; I loved it's focus on minimalism as a lifestyle. You don't just get rid of stuff and then organize what's left, but you get rid of everything you don't need, set up habits to keep the clutter out of your life (including habits of continuing to get rid of stuff as life continues), stop buying so much stuff, and declutter other areas of your life (like your family's schedule). It's not so much about your stuff as it is your outlook on life and what's really important in life (hint: stuff really isn't very important in life). The author really focused on the blessings of living with less, which I really loved.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

2.0

I did not really like this book. I wouldn't recommend it. First of all, it could have been at least half the length and still contained all the relevant information. The author seemed to go on quite a few tangents, which were for the most part interesting, but only slightly related to his main theme. He also referenced a lot of studies (which were interesting) but then stretched things a bit to make the studies fit his points, rather than drawing his points from the studies. It was a little vague, where you read the book and thought, this is interesting but never really got ideas of what you could do with your own marketing. In fact, a lot of what he talked about was inherent (or at least he claimed) so that other people could do exactly the same thing, but because they weren't born with that special something, they'd never be able to mimick it exactly. Your job was to find those people, not become them. It bothered me.

Even though I didn't enjoy the book overall, I was able to pull some useful ideas. I will also say that my brother-in-law read this book before Ben and I and really enjoyed it. If I were to make a recommendation, I would suggest finding a YouTube video that summarized the main events and talked about some of the studies in the book.

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

4.0

This book was like Dave Ramsey but in scripture language and parables. I did enjoy it and it was interesting to see some of the financial principles that I believe and strive to live in this context. It was a short book, but took me a surprisingly long time to read. It was well worth the time.

A Twaddle-Free Education: An Introduction to Charlotte Mason's Timeless Educational Ideas by Deborah Taylor-Hough

4.0

The book was basically an overview of what a Charlotte Mason education entails. I was actually hoping (from the title) that it would be more focused on book choice, but it wasn't. However, it was well done for what it was.

Charlotte Mason Study Guide by Penny Gardner

1.0

It was honestly not that great of a read for me, I'm surprised I even finished it. It was too wordy and I couldn't follow the organization of it very well, which drove me crazy. The best part were the quotes by Charlotte Mason.

Authority: A Step-by-Step Guide to Self-Publishing by Nathan Barry

4.0

This is a well done book. The ideas in it are good, I've heard a lot of it before in other books. It also has more step-by-step instructions for technical things rather than simply principles (I should have guessed from the title). Overall, I thought it was worth the read.