theseasoul's reviews
482 reviews

No Mere Mortals by Toby J. Sumpter

4.5

|| 4.5 ⭐️ ||

A solid book on what exactly God’s institution of marriage is all about. It touches on a lot of things including the biblical roles of husband and wife, a correct order of affections, leadership and sanctification, common pitfalls and misunderstandings, questions to consider and be clear on before marrying, beauty, children, and a lot more. There were a couple theological notions I didn’t agree with (infant baptism being one of them!), but ultimately it was very helpful and practical. It would probably make a good wedding gift for an engaged or newlywed couple. 

Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties by Kevin Gascoyne, Jonathan Racine, François Marchand, Jasmin Desharnais, Hugo Americi

5.0

|| 5 ⭐️ ||

I think I may have discovered my new favourite tea book! Incredibly thorough overview of tea history, tea regions, and famous varieties/cultivars with the most lovely-sounding descriptions of tasting notes I’ve ever read. Instead of dissolving into nothing but information about British tea traditions and teabags (as many tea books tend to do), this book digs deep into the rich history and culture of tea-growing nations and represents them well. Very informative. I even managed to learn some things I didn’t know before—such as the common use of fans over tea crops in Japan to disperse fog, retain soil warmth and prevent dew formation. I’d never heard of this. 

There’s a section on learning how to properly analyze the taste and aroma of tea, including a lovely flavour wheel to reference (even though the writing in it is very small). 

Finally, all the high quality photographs make it a delightful coffee table book for company to flip through. I’ll be adding this one to my wish list; I’d love to add it to my collection of tea books. 

2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity by John C. Lennox

5.0

|| 5 ⭐️ ||

Incredibly helpful! Living in a world where AI is very rapidly becoming a major part of life, whether we like it or not, I’ve been increasingly intimidated by it and not really sure what to think. It turns out the Bible has a lot to say about it in terms of the men and women being made in the image of God, human value, materialism, the incarnation, etc. even if it doesn’t explicitly talk about AI—and that’s more than enough for constructing a cohesive worldview regarding this issue. I was very encouraged by the reminder here that God sustains His creation and His people, and laughs at human efforts to become gods over creation themselves. It’s important to know how to operate in this modern world in a way that glorifies God and values mankind; but there’s no need to worry about machines taking over the world, because God is still Lord over all. So many great points were made about human consciousness, emotion, creativity, trust, etc. All the things that set humans apart from machines no matter how hard they try to make machines a perfect substitute in various realms of life. We have assurance that they won’t succeed, because only God can create life. 

I listened to this on audiobook (the only way i could read it for free), but I wish I had read it—it was pretty philosophically dense and it can be hard to grasp everything through listening to it.

I Am: 40 Reasons to Trust God by Diane M. Stortz

2.5

|| 2.5 ⭐️ ||

This is basically a book full of Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments, and the author draws parallels between these stories and the names of God. The only problem was that some of the stories actually have little to do with the names of God that were chosen for that story, and it felt like the story had to be watered down, twisted, added to or taken away from in order for the name to fit. Even some of the stories where the name did fit had important details left out. I think parents would be better off reading most of these stories to their kids straight from the Bible, and explaining it to them in simpler terms if their brains aren’t quite ready for certain details yet.

The Lifegiving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming by Sally Clarkson, Sarah Clarkson

5.0

|| 5 ⭐️ ||

Possibly the most beautiful and inspiring book I’ve read on homemaking/hospitality through different seasons. It’s overflowing with candid ideas and advice for creating a home that people—family and outsiders alike—feel drawn to. Sally and her husband raised their children to deeply appreciate the written word, art, music, culture, thought; diligently teaching them how the beautiful things of everyday life reflect the beauty and glory of Christ. I went into this expecting some homemaking tips, but it also ended up broadening my vision for raising a family to the glory of God and the day-to-day faithfulness involved in that. Sally and her daughter both have individual, yet such exquisite writing styles that made me simply appreciate life, creation and my Saviour just a little bit more.

I believe the Clarkson family is Anglican, so there were some minor things in the context of this topic that I didn’t agree with; but even in disregarding those, there was still so much to glean. 

Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World by Dan Koeppel

4.0

|| 4 ⭐️ ||

Well that was interesting. Who knew the history of the world’s most beloved fruit was so depressing, and its future so seemingly bleak? I’d be curious to learn about where the banana situation is at now, since this book was published back in 2007; but I’m guessing not a whole lot has changed. We’re still eating Cavendish bananas and they’re not yet being lab-grown. They haven’t gone extinct just yet. 

It was pretty sad to learn about all the human exploitation still going on in many banana plantations. Chemicals may keep the banana diseases from completely taking over the world, but the trade-off is it makes plantation workers sick and/or sterile. Wages are often awfully low. And as far as I know, this is still an issue. Paying the few extra dollars for organic/fair-trade bananas has always been worth it, and now I have even more reason to.

Ultimately a very fun microhistory. I wish bananas the best and I hope they can somehow hang in there for years to come. 

Cassie and Caleb: Discover God's Wonderful Design by Susan Hunt

3.5

|| 3.5 ⭐️ ||

The dialogue was pretty cheesy and unrealistic, but the message of the story was solid enough. It briefly outlines the difference in roles between men and women as told in Genesis in a very age-appropriate way, and goes through a clear presentation of the gospel—surprisingly thorough for a book for young kids. There are reflection questions and extra Scripture references at the end of each little chapter, encouraging further discussion between parents and kids and a deeper understanding of the topic.

The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask: (with Answers) by Mark Mittelberg

4.0

|| 4 ⭐️ ||

A great book that outlines some of the biggest questions about Christianity that believers dread being confronted with. It was organized very nicely, making it a good basic resource to remind us why we can be fully confident in what the Bible says and what we believe while sharing our faith with others. There weren’t many questions that I hadn’t previously been equipped to answer, but it’s very easy for me to forget some of the specifics and therefore books like this are always a helpful reminder. And it’s always good to be reminded that sharing our faith isn’t all about winning the argument, but ultimately about presenting the gospel and allowing the Lord to work in their hearts through that.

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis

3.0

|| 3 ⭐️ ||

I enjoyed this about as much as I expected. Not the most riveting sci-fi plot, but contained plenty of C. S. Lewis’ classic biblical and philosophical undertones which certainly made me pause and think. I probably would’ve gotten more out of it had I slowed down and analyzed it just a bit more. 

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

4.0

|| 4 ⭐️ ||

This may be the most depressing memoir I’ve ever read. Reading about Jeannette’s deeply dysfunctional family, her alcoholic father who wasn’t willing to sacrifice a thing to provide for his family, and a mother who preferred her hobbies over taking proper care of her children was all heartbreaking. The neglect was unreal. It makes me angry to know there are so many broken families similar to this one in the world, many hiding behind a façade and pretending even to themselves that everything is fine and normal. It made me particularly angry that her parents constantly downplayed her reports of being molested several times, brushing everything off and saying she was “tough” enough to handle these “minor” instances. 

I liked the literary choice to not get deep into introspection at all. Jeannette just told things exactly as they were, and that was enough to communicate all the feelings behind each moment of her childhood.