August Reads

The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands by Lysa Terkeurst: I really enjoyed reading this book especially during the last month as I have tried to balance my daughter's recent diagnosis of having a brain malformation with the never ending demands of being a wife and mother.  The sheer amount of appointments that I have attended while meeting with different physicians and therapists has made me constantly re-evaluate my priorities.  I have had to say no to a lot of great things this summer in order to prioritize Eva's current health needs.  (I do think that I would benefit from reading this book during any season of my life.)  I gleaned a lot from this book but I believe it is really lacking in encouraging women to serve in their local churches.  The author encourages women to choose their best yes in their lives but it really felt as though she was freeing women from many of their responsibilities in life.  I could easily see a woman reading this book and deciding that she should no longer serve at her local church.  She would keep coming but would stop no longer teach Sunday School or attend on Wednesday nights etc.  When one's life is too full I do agree that you need to say no to many other good things in your life but I truly believe that as a Christian you need to make it a priority to continue serving in your local church.  Every one's life is busy but we are all called to be a part of the body of Christ and that involves serving in the church.  

Called for Life: How Loving Our Neighbor Led Us into the Heart of the Ebola Epidemic by Kent & Amber Brantly: This book chronicles the story of Dr. Kent Brantly who contracted Ebola while serving as a medical missionary in West Africa.  I followed the story in 2014 when Dr. Brantley was evacuated to Atlanta, GA and rejoiced when he made a full recovery.  I loved reading more about the Brantley's life and how they continue to help the people of West Africa.  I will say that I did find the first few chapters a little slow but after that I couldn't put this book down.  It was such a page turner even though I knew that Dr. Brantly would live in the end.  Please note that I did receive a review copy of this book from Blogging For Books.

Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family, A by Mary Ostyn: My sister-in-law handed me this book the last time I saw her and I knew I would love it.  As someone who grew up in a large family I love reading books about raising a large family even though we only have two children.  Do you want to know why?  Women who have large families have things figured out by sheer necessity.  They simply must develop great systems in order for things to work well in their families.  I want to have excellent systems in place in our family so I have more time carved out to be a fun mom who gets to actually have fun with her children.  Out of the handful of books I have read about raising large families this author definitely struck me as a mom that has a lot of joy in her life.  I thought the book was packed full of great tips and advice.  She has tons of creative ideas and was just the type of woman that I would love to have over for a play date.  Even if you never plan on having a large family I would still recommend picking up this book.

Mary On Horseback: Three Mountain Stories by Rosemary Wells: I was delighted to discover how much both Eli and I enjoyed this biography which I read aloud.  It shares the true story of Mary Breckinridge who founded the Frontier Nursing Service in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky.  Ms. Breckinridge devoted her life to serving the lives of people in rural Appalachia where there were no doctors or nurses in the 1920s and 1930s.  I was vaguely familiar with Mary Breckinridge since my college roommate just happens to be from the small mountain town of Hyden, KY where Mrs. Breckinridge worked.  This book was such an inspiration and a perfect biography to read to young children.

What books did you read last month?