Synopsis: Subtitled: “How I Was Raised by a Tiger Mom but Could Not Be Turned to the Dark Side.” Review: My interest in Tiger Babies Strike Back petered out in the first 30 pages. Kim Wong Keltner is a good writer but I just grew weary of the memoir aspect of the story. I know it’s not entirely fair to judge the book you wish you were reading, but honestly I really wished she had talked to more families in an effort to present a…
Synopsis: The fourth and final book in the story of the return of dragons to the world, and how they change humans for better and for worse. Review: Robin Hobb is one of my very favorite authors and I really wish I had done my due diligence and re-read the first 3 books in this series (as well as brushed up on the Liveship Traders series) before reading Blood of Dragons. I really love the world she created here but I didn’t connect with any…
Synopsis: A sheltered young man realizes he needs to decide what he really believes in. Review: Aaron Hartzler is witty and perceptive, and Rapture Practice is an insider’s look at the wacky outskirts of evangelicalism. I didn’t stay very interested in the memoir aspect, mainly because as I’ve mentioned before I’m not crazy about the genre, but I did like the way Hartzler told his story. He’s a good writer, to be sure. And the review would have been longer, but my site was hacked…
Synopsis: Subtitled, “What Doctors Don’t Tell You, What Corporations Try to Sell You, and How to Put Your Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Before Their Bottom Line.” Review: I was basically nodding my head and saying yes yes yes while reading The Business of Baby, which covers pregnancy, birth, and the newborn period and lays out in damning detail how financial considerations are the reason why the US has such abysmal newborn and maternal mortality rates. Because of my work in lactation and had two home…
Synopsis: When a new coach kicks head cheerleader Beth out of her spot, her sidekick and quasi-faithful lieutenant braces herself for the impact, even as she becomes enthralled with the coach herself. Review: I heard about Dare Me from a friend and got really excited over the premise–cheerleader noir–but a day later she said, “Don’t bother, I loved the first half and then it fell apart.” I started reading and it was SO AWESOME that I was like, “What is she talking about? How could…
Synopsis: Subtitled: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity. Review: I had been keen to read Far From the Tree when it started getting buzz pre-publication. But I was horrified (HORRIFIED I TELL YOU) that the Kindle price was set at $16.99. I do not pay that, not for anyone (okay, I paid it for just one person). Finally, the price dropped to $9.99 and I hit the purchase button with alacrity and style. And of course the price has dropped further so I wish…
Synopsis: Subtitled: A Gay Christian’s Pilgrimage in Search of God in America. Review: In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve met Jeff Chu on several occasions and am pretty sure at least one of them was a Thanksgiving potluck, so I read Does Jesus Really Love Me? with a bit of personal interest. The first compliment I’ll pay to the book is that I found it fascinating and riveting way beyond the mutual friends we share. The second compliment I’ll pay is that this book…
Synopsis: Subtitled “What Have We Done to the Gospel? Can We Find Our Way Back to Biblical Christianity?” Review: I don’t live in the suburbs but there was still a lot in Suburbianity that resonated with me. I really appreciated the incisive dissection of the way that the American church has taken Christ out of Christianity, a topic that was well-addressed by Michael Horton in Christless Christianity, and which is developed even further here. I felt newly inspired by the beauty and clarity of the…