Good Books by Christian Musicians

I went through a phase in college where I almost exclusively read chick lit with bright pink covers and biographies/memoirs of musicians. I have been enjoying the occasional musician biography/memoir again, this time with a focus on Christian musicians. I imagine this list will just grow and grow. 

🎶 Adorning the Dark... Andrew Peterson talks alot here about creativity in general and I learned a lot about albums from this one. 

🎶 The Chase... This one is about young adult relationships, not music, but I included it here since author Kyle Kupecky is a musician. 

🎶 City on Our Kness... This TobyMac book will light a fire in you to make a difference in your community. 

🎶  I Can Only Imagine... This is the story of Bart Millard from MercyMe and has also been made into a movie. 

🎶  I Still Believe... Jeremy Camp's novel about his first wife's young death has also been made into a movie.

🎶  In Unison... I liked this Jeremy Camp book, too, written with his wife Adrienne. This one is focused more on marriage advice but still shares music details, too. 

🎶 Like a River... Granger Smith's story is heartbreaking but powerful and this memoir was so well done! He's a great writer.

🎶  My Jesus... Anne Wilson's music story starts with grief. The first halfof the book really broke my heart but this girl has such a lovely heart! 

🎶  Rescue Story... Zach Williams lived fast and hard before he really found Jesus. He talks a lot here about substance abuse and a dysfunctional if not abusive marriage in the beginning of his testimony so be ready for that. 

🎶  Slow Down... Nichole Nordeman's motherhood book wasn't my personal favorite but I did enjoy it. 

Books that have revolutionized my health

 

100 Days of Real Food (and others in the series)... These books teach a lot about artificial ingredients and give a great explanation on what packaged items still count as "real food." I had to make substitutions in many of her recipes since she uses gluten and dairy but I loved the simplicity here.

The Dorito Effect... This book taught me so much about the history of food science in the United States. It frankly made me a little sad and mad at times, and so determined to make sure my kids have a healthier start!

Eat for Life... This book did teach me a lot about foods we should avoid, but it more importantly made me feel passionate and excited about eating healthy meals and serving them to my family.

Fiber Fueled... Longtime followers will likely remember my microbiome phase. I was obsessed and I loved learning so much in this book. I didn't agree with his gluten perspective based on other research I've read and followed for years (or on fermented foods because my body doesn't tolerate them) but I still loved this one. My family and I enjoy keeping track of our plant count each week now. It's a competition around here to see who can hit 30 first!

Forks Over Knives... I read this one after watching the documentary. Much of the information is the same but I'm a book girl so still really appreciated it in book form, too.

Goodbye Lupus... This book may have saved my life and I highly recommend it (plus her YouTube channel) to anyone struggling with ANY autoimmune disease or other chronic illness, including mystery illnesses with no official diagnosis. I'm telling you, this program will change your life. 

How Not to Die... The catchy title here may be misleading because this book isn't really about never dying, just about not dying from awful diseases that cause a lot of suffering. This book did teach me a lot about foods we should avoid, but it more importantly made me feel passionate and excited about eating healthy meals and serving them to my family. God really did design such a cool relationship between the human bodies and plants he created!

Plantfed Mama's Holistic Guide to a Vegan Pregnancy... After years of research, I felt confident that continuing to eat a plant-based diet would be best for me and my baby during this last pregnancy. I wanted to optimize my nutrition and loved using this book! There were others I enjoyed but none as much as this one since many others promote fake meats and such.

Salt, Sugar, Fat... This book taught me so much about the history of food science in the United States. It frankly made me a little sad and mad at times, and so determined to make sure my kids have a healthier start! 

What I read in February

I tried to be really intentional about my first month of postpartum healing this time around and I feel like I did a good job! I napped or rested in bed reading during a lot of baby's naps plus I employed the same trick with this baby that I used to use during nighttime (early morning) feedings- read on the Kindle so I don't engage/stimulate baby during sleep hours yet don't fall asleep! But I didn't do much audio book listening since I wasn't doing the workouts, driving, or chores that normally make sense as audio book time.

First, grown-up reads...

📖 Bible study: Proverbs! Still focused on a very slow bible study- quality, not quantity.

📖 All That Really Matters (Christian, fiction)... I am really fascinated by the overall idea of influencers (it's such a strange byproduct of an internet-heavy world, isn't it?) and really enjoyed this novel about a popular makeup influencer and her time mentoring young adults who have aged out of the foster care system. I'm not at all interested in book 2 but I am really loving Nicole Deese lately so I'll be reading it anyway!

📖 Bitter and Sweet (Christian, fiction)... Yet another book exploring family dynamics and character development. I am forever drawn to deep, rich stories like these. This one is set in South Carolina and focuses on a toxic adult sister relationship + some ties to their great grandmother's past.

📖 Boost Your Breast Milk (secular, nonfiction. Parenting? Health?)... Good, short and to the point, helpful!

📖 The Brain's Way of Healing (secular, nonfiction, health)... I didn't read the whole super long book, just parts that matched up with a loved one's condition. So fascinating!

📖 Formula of Deception (Christian, fiction, suspense)... I was really into this Alaska suspense book but there was a point right near the end that kinda pulled me out of the story. I will try more Carrie Stuart Parks in the future.

📖 Habits of the Household (Christian, nonfiction)... I adored this book! But I do think you won't get much out of it if you aren't actively parenting young children.

📖 Meet Me in the Margins (Christian [but not really], fiction)... I read this because Janssen said it was a good clean read for teens + I'm a sucker for a good book about books/writing. I am not a sucker for romance but they're growing on me IF they're done right. I loved this one! 

📖 A Time to Stand (Christian, fiction)... I was so curious to see how this one would go- a black lawyer who feels called to defend the white police officer who shot an unarmed black teenager. I have liked the other Robert Whitlow books I've read and I liked this one, too. 

📖 Plus the designated chapters of my ongoing baby reads this year, What to Expect: The First Year // The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding // The Wonder Weeks 

And for my kids' shelves...

📖 All of Creation (Christian, upper middle grade, nonfiction)... I've always thought it so strange that an environmental sustainability focus is so often seen as almost anti-Christian. The environment was hand-created by God, we live here, it's the thief who came to destroy, and besides, God is pretty clear in Genesis that we're supposed to take care of our world. This book did a good job of laying out practical things we can do to protect specific plants/creatures/habitats in a very Biblical, faith-focused way. #Christianhippie 🤷🏼

📖 The Blind Girl's Song (Christian, middle grade, fictionalized biography)... This was a well-done, engaging biography about the author of many famous hymns. I enjoyed this one and think a lot of music-minded kids will enjoy it, too. 

📖 Can You Survive: an Alien Invasion (secular, middle grade, fiction, choose-your-own-adventure)... Something that interested my son... Fluff of course, overall fine. Like most of these kinds of books, some adventure paths were better than others.

📖 DNA by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... Short and informative with fun tidbits thrown in.

📖 Flight of the Eagles (Christian, middle grade, fantasy)... I was curious to see if this 90s story would be too old and outdated for my oldest but it wasn't! He definitely plans to continue the series.

📖 Heroes: Incredible True Stories of Courageous Animals (secular, nonfiction)... These are all stories about animals helping during wars. Some stories end sadly but it's a good read for kids who can handle that.

📖 Kate and the Spies (Christian, middle grade, historical fiction)... This Revolutionary war novel is the third Sisters in Time book I've read and it's going to be a definite hit with one of my kids.

📖 Lena in the Spotlight series- Hello Stars // Daydreams and Movie Screens // Shining Night (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... I liked this Faithgirlz series about a young lady becoming a movie star overnight. Lots of good faith content in these.

📖 The Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson (Christian, middle grade, historical fiction)... Really liked this one and know my kids will love it so already planning to use it as our next read-aloud! 

📖 The Mythmakers (secular, YA, nonfiction, graphic novel)... This is a great look at the lives + relationship of JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis which I'll definitely hand to my kids as high schoolers. I also loved this author's Bonhoeffer graphic novel in a similar style.

📖 Nicholas Quick and the Man from the Chaos Dimension (secular, middle grade, fiction, fantasy)... Fantasy is never my favorite but this one was fun and then was a hit with my oldest.

📖 Who Were the Navajo Code Talkers? (Secular, middle grade, nonfiction, history)... I don't love every book in this series but I did really enjoy this one!

📖 Winning the War in Your Mind for Teens (Christian, YA, nonfiction)... Wow, what a powerful read period but especially for supporting teens through those hard angsty times. 

Picture books we enjoyed this month: The Book Bus // Buzzing With Questions // Captain Cat // I Will Rejoice // I've Loved You Since Forever // The King Without a Shadow // Pa, Me, and the Sidewalk Pantry // The Prince and the Porker // Race to Kindness // Take Heart My Child // What's Inside a Flower // The Wonderful Things You Will Be // You Are My Happy  

September reads

First, the grown-up reads!

📖 Bible study... Luke. Verrrry slowly, reading my Bible much more slowly these days on advice from our pastor. Seeking to understand each little bit rather than seeking to get through a lot.

📖 Better Together by Pam Barnhill (nonfiction, homeschool)... I felt so inspired by this little book on homeschool morning time and added so many great readings to our morning basket this month.

📖 Finding God in my Loneliness (Christian, nonfiction)... I was experiencing a strange kind of loneliness in early September that's hard to explain. I felt no loneliness at all in my home life or spiritual life but more in a female companionship kind of way. I am normally very content in This area but i think it was a combination of hormones and wishing I could be experiencing pregnancy alongside a friend. Fortunately that's gone now and I'm back to joyful contentment. This book wasn't quite what I was after and was one of those I had mixed feelings on. I liked several things and disliked/disagreed with a few things. 🤷🏼

📖 The Power of a Woman's Words (Christian, nonfiction)... I read this one very slowly, really savoring and reflecting on tiny morsels at a time. I was reminded of so many things people have said that have stuck with me over the years and reflected a lot on the gifts I want to give with my own words.

📖 A Skeleton in God's Closet (Christian, general fiction)... I was very into this one, about an archaeologist who uncovers something that will turn Christianity on its head. It was so good! I was genuinely invested in the outcome and sped through it. I would say this is a great book for guys, too. There is alove interest but it doesn't dominate the story.

📖 Slow Death by Rubber Duck (secular, nonfiction)... This book is from 2009 so I admittedly already about all of these toxins and had thankfully phased all of them out of our day-to-day life already but I still enjoyed seeing it all in one place and remembering why it's so important to focus on natural, God-designed things!

📖 The Stranger in the Lifeboat (secular publication with a strong faith focus, fiction)... Mitch Albom is for sure my favorite secular author. All of his books I've read so far always move me and make think, reflect, and enjoy a deep a powerful prayer session. This one did contain a curse word. (The A word)

📖 Truly Madly Deeply (Christian, fiction)... This is another Baxter Family stand-alone novel- you don't have to have to read any others to fall into it but you'll of course appreciate it more if you have. This one is largely focused on a high school senior switching career paths and facing a lot of opposition from his mother, and his girlfriend's sudden diagnosis and battle with a health crisis. I now have just two Baxter books left! 😱

Kid shelf reads:

📖 The Bronze Bow (secular, middle grade, Biblical fiction, TGTB)... The cover of this one didn't really appeal to me so I was surprised by how much I loved it!

📖The Golden Goblet (secular, middle grade, historical fiction, TGTB book list)... A bit depressing at first but pretty good!

📖 Joni's Story (Christian, middle grade, memoir)... Loved this memoir by Joni Eareckson Tada and promptly read it aloud to my older kids, too. Fyi to parents, there is one paragraph early on where Joni explains her depression after her accident and that she asked a friend to kill her, using very specific suggestions. I just skipped over the specifics when I read it aloud.

📖 Little Pilgrim's Progress (Christian, middle grade, classic)... It has taken me years to read this classic!

📖 London Art Chase (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... This first book in the Glimmer Girls series was cute and something my daughter has been so excited about! For some reason Amazon shows this as book 2 but it's for sure book 1. 

📖Penny (Horse Diaries) (secular, middle grade)... A paint mare story for my horse-loving kiddo!

📖 Time Crashers: Viking Attack (Christian, middle grade, choose-your-own-adventure)... I liked this one alright but parents should know there is of course fighting due to the Viking theme. In one story line, our MC does meet a violent (but not graphic) fate and youre encouraged to use your time machine and try a different storyline if you don't like that ending. 

Also, library picture books that stood out: Because Barbara //  Cozy Light, Cozy Night

Powerful Christian nonfiction about overcoming an abusive childhood

I'm sure this list needs no introduction or trigger warning but I'll give one just in case. These books are all powerful and inspiring, but also painfully difficult to read. Each author has his or her own past experiences so some share stories of verbal abuse, some violent physical abuse, some sexual, and some a combination. How detailed each author was varies.

📖 All My Knotted-Up Life... This one is the life story (thus far) of popular author and speaker Beth Moore. She came under fire for some controversy not too long ago and she does address that here.

📖 The Complicated Heart... Sarah Mae's mother was an abusive alcoholic and Sarah's life was anything but easy as a result. She has been very open in the past about her teenage abortion and testimony, and she shares that in this one too.

📖 A Family Shaped by Grace... I was quite surprised by this book, was expecting a simple how-to for grace-filled conflict resolution and while there were some great tips, there was also some very powerful background story.

📖 Finding Spiritual Whitespace... Again, this book really surprised me. I thought I was getting just a simple how-to and instead found myself frequently tearing up, deeply moved and inspired by Bonnie Gray's story. 

📖 I Can Only Imagine... This one is by the frontman of MercyMe. I listened to their music a lot while reading through this one and then watched the movie when I finished. 

📖 Leaving Cloud 9... This is one of those books that came into my life at the exact right time. A person in my life had just made a very dark choice but reading about similar mental health struggles in this book gave me important perspective and helped me find my way to the grace and compassion I'm called to have.

📖 The Mom I Want to Be... This one is less about motherhood in general and more about the author's journey into healthy and loving motherhood despite being given an abusive model as a child. 

📖 Stormie... I had read some of this author's Power of a Praying ___ books in the past but had no idea just how powerful her faith story was! The whole first half of this memoir is dark and painful to read but the faith journey is such a beautiful sight to behold!  

The most important traits

 

"While we do want to discover the uniqueness of each child, our praise must consist of verbal applause for more than appearance and talents. The most important traits we praise are those that exhibit Godly character. The Bible calls these "the fruit of the Spirit": love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). If even a sprout of these fruits peeks through the soil, a wise mother will fertilize the sprout with positive words in hopes of a bountiful harvest." - The Power of a Woman's Words by Sharon Jaynes 

I am loving this book! It's inspiring me so much that I'm reading it ultra slow, one section at a time, so I can drag out how long I'm inspired. Do you ever do that? 

Easter Books!

Amon's Adventure (Christian, middle grade)... This is a devotional style biblical fiction four middle graders but I enjoyed it too. Sarah McKenzie of Read Aloud Revival encourages you to just read the story rather than the devotional element and I have to agree.

The Easter Egg by Jan Brett (secular, picture book)... This is fully secular, all Easter eggs and bunnies, but I can't resist Jan Brett's gorgeous illustrations!

The Easter Story by Carol Heyer (Christian, picture book)... Love this one! Beautiful message at the beginning and end, lovely way of writing out the Easter story, and lovely illustrations.

The Easter Story by Patricia A Pingry (Christian, picture book)... This is one of our books that gets read every Easter. Very cut and dry, the Easter story with simple illustrations that we all like.

The Friends of Jesus by Karen Kingsbury (Christian nonfiction) ... This biblical fiction by Karen Kingsbury was such a powerful read! I do seem to love anything she writes, at least so far, but I would highly recommend this one around Easter!

God Gave Us Easter (Christian, picture book)... We like all the books in this series so this is of course a fun one to pull out and read every year at Easter.

The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown (secular, picture book)... Technically I do not adore this book, although I do like it fine, but it is special because it belonged to my husband when he was little. It's fun to pull a book out of the shelf that we know daddy once read during his childhood Easters!

The Legends of Easter Treasury- The Legend of the Easter Egg // The Legend of the Easter Robin // The Legend of the Sand Dollar (Christian, picture book)... I love all three of these stories, which you can find as standalones as well.

Precious Moments The Joy of Easter and The Wonder of Easter (Christian, picture book)... We enjoy both of them. Precious Moments was a part of my childhood and I still love the sweet illustrations to this day.

Rufus and Ryan Celebrate Easter (Christian, board book)... This one is a board book for the littlest Easter lovers and the series was a hit for our family during our board book days. 

The Tale of the Three Trees (Christian, picture book)... I recommend this beautifully written book at both Christmas and Easter and you will see why once you read it! There is such a beautiful, powerful message in this book about three trees being cut down and turned into something powerful in the life of Jesus. 

The Time of Easter by Suzanne Richterkessing (Christian, picture book)... Church mice explain the Lutheran practices surrounding Easter. Cute illustrations, informative in an understandable way. 

Great Reads for Hispanic Heritage Month

American Girl: Josefina (secular middle grade)... these books are set in New Mexico in 1824. I like the sweet, age-appropriate dilemmas and the faith + family life in these books but the culture is so rich that it speaks for itself too. We see the culture come alive in food, clothing, speech, day to day tasks, professions, and even holidays. Very well done. I would say that these books are ideal for the 4th through 6th grade crowd. 

A Bear for Miguel (secular, leveled reader)... I really love the message in this one, set in El Salvador, and the great conversation it brought about. 

Chato's Kitchen (secular picture book)... chato the cat lives in a Los Angeles barrio. He invites his new neighbors (a family of mice) to dinner with secret plans of serving them as the main course. Things naturally go awry and this is just a generally fun story. We first encountered it through a Scholastic book DVD in which it is read by Cheech Marin. He has a very distinctive voice and it really brought the story to life. 

Danza (secular, picture book)... This is the biography of dancer Amalia Hernández. I have a lot of dance in my background and just loved this one! 

Echo (secular middle grade)... this is one of my very, very favorite books. This is a World War II story told in three parts. I guess technically four because of the intro and outro. Part one is set in Germany and part two is set in Pennsylvania. Part three is the part that allows this beautiful book a place on this list. Part 3 is set in California and is about a Mexican-American family who agrees to take over the farm of a Japanese-American family while they are in an internment camp. I believe this is the first time I had ever encountered Japanese internment camps in middle grade literature, although I'm sure it exists elsewhere. I love this author and feel like she did such a beautiful job showing this Mexican-American family battling racism in the school system while helping a Japanese-American family battling racism in the form of the World War II spy fear of japanese-americans. I feel like this description is frustrating me though because it breaks this amazing, powerful book down into such a small portion of it. Just read it! I have recommended it to so many people and everyone who has read it has said it was wonderful. I've also enjoyed the music-filled audio book version. 

A Girl Named Rosita... This is a great picture book biography of Rita Moreno, Puerto Rican star of Westside Story. 

Esperanza Rising (secular middle grade)... this depression-era book is by the same author as Echo and I loved it as a kid. Esperanza and her mother have to flee their home in the dark of the night and start life over in a lower station than they previously lived in. Esperanza learns so much in this book and so do we. This author is a master storyteller I cannot recommend enough.

I Love Saturdays y Domingos (secular picture book)... this is a really fun look at bicultural families. This picture book is about a little boy who loves to visit his white, English speaking grandparents on Saturdays and his Spanish speaking grandparents on Domingos (Sundays). This is a very well done story that shows the cultural differences and similarities all tied in a neat little bow about family love.

Juana and Lucas (secular chapter book)... I have only read the first two books of these series and I thought they were fun and cute. I believe there were one or two things I didn't adore but that overall these are clean, wholesome, and fun. These ones are set in Bogota, Colombia and are so filled with fun culture details. 

Mango, Abuela, and Me (secular picture book)... when abuela comes to live with the family, everything changes! Abuela only speaks Spanish so Bridges must be gapped and this story just shows such a beautiful example of love knowing no limits.

Marisol MacDonald Doesn't Match (secular picture book)... Marisol MacDonald is Scottish and Peruvian. This one is another fun look at bicultural families as we see marisol's mixing of her two cultures in such a fun way. This is also a really great look at the fact that each one of us is a unique individual and that being true to who we are is beautiful.

Sisters in Time: Rosa Takes a Chance (Christian middle grade)... this Christian historical fiction series is full of standalone books about different girls set in different time. I have not read all of them and have not approved of every one of them but I did read and love this one. Rosa takes a chance felt a lot like a mixture of Esperanza Rising and Echo from above as it sort of deals with both themes. This one is set during the Dust Bowl and is about a family trying to figure out how to handle that situation as well as an issue of segregation in schools.

Standing Together (Christian nonfiction)... this Christian nonfiction is a memoir about faith and how faith got this couple through the very trying time of Carlos losing his limbs after stepping on an IED and of Rosemarie's determination to be the wife he needed to get through that trying time. The couple is from Puerto Rico and we see bits and pieces of that shine through throughout this memoir. This is not specifically a culture-focused memoir but because their cultural heritage is so strong I felt like it still deserved a spot on this list. 

Sylvia & Aki (secular, middle grade)... This one, much like part of Echo, talks about a Mexican-American family working a Japanese family's farm during their time in a Japanese Internment Camp. This is a true story but it reads like a fiction novel. I really enjoyed this one.  

Tacos for Two (contemporary Christian romance)... this contemporary Christian romance tale is one I really enjoyed because of its fun You've Got Mail vibes. Our main heroine is biracial and is I believe half or one quarter Mexican. She owns a Tex-Mex food truck in Texas and we see a lot of Mexican food culture here. Plus, it's just a really fun read! 

The Three Little Tamales (secular picture book)... this fun picture book is essentially The Three Little Pigs but instead of pigs we are dealing with tamales. This one is set in Texas so we are looking at Tex Mex foodie culture and it's just a generally fun read since we love factured fairy tales. And tamales 😉

Waiting for the Biblioburro (secular picture book)... I really love books about mobile libraries in their various forms and adored this book set in Columbia. This is a fictionalized account of Luis Soriano and his biblio burro, a donkey he used to transport a small mobile library to rural areas. We read this book multiple times when we borrowed it from the library.

Six great books that talk about cancer

The Baxter Family books by Karen Kingsbury (Contemporary Christian fiction) ... I always try to warn that this series isn't for everyone even though its an absolute favorite of mine so far. It can be very intense and emotional at times, heartwarming and joyful at other times. 

Beyond by Amber Van Linge (contemporary Christian fiction) ... This is a miracle story about a young teenage girl with a brain tumor and I loved getting to know her. The paragraphs are not set up in a traditional format but I didn't feel that it detracted from the story. 

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip (Christian timeslip)* ... I just had the pleasure of reading this new release and I can't recommend it enough! Mrs. Kid's faith is such a beautiful thing to behold and the relationship she and Aidyn develop is so heartwarming. The bulk of the contemporary storyline takes place in Mrs. Kip's hospice home and the flashbacks show us the story of her life, mostly during the 1970s. 

The Hardest Peace (Christian nonfiction) ... This memoir was written by a wife and mother with terminal cancer. It was just as moving as it was painful. This is a HARD book to read but it was also a richly rewarding treasure trove for me. 

Strands of Truth (Christian suspense) ... This suspense/thriller was not focused on cancer- The main character finds her biological family through a DNA testing site and then finds many of the people in her life turning up dead, going missing, or dealing with mysterious circumstances that need to be uncovered- but you do see a supporting character going through cancer treatment. 

Undone by Michele Cushatt (Christian nonfiction) ... The author of this memoir shares a lot of her life but a big part is her tongue cancer story. I got so much out of this book! 

* I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Book-filled vacation

We just got back from a little mini vacation in Lubbock, Texas, and it was so filled with books! 

First, the amazing stack of books we got for $1 each at Mardel, a Christian bookstore. 

This morning we stopped by a Sugar Browns coffee shop and I did morning time at the table while I waited for them to make my husband's coffee + my chai! (I haven't had a chai in 2-3 years and gosh, I had forgotten how delicious they are!) 

(Current morning reads: the book of Luke, Nothing to Prove, Theodore Roosevelt)

4 books I finished on this trip: 

The Dragon and the Stone by Kathryn Butler* (middle grade, Christian)... This fantasy delight is going to be so fun for my kids! It wasn't super deeply spiritual in this first installment but it certainly could be and I'm just happy for the clean read anyway! This is a fast-paced, well-written, engaging adventure that I happily added to our sixth grade shelf. 

Elysium Tide by James R Hannibal* (suspense, Christian)... I'll be honest- the surgery in the first chapter had me feeling quite squeamish. There's some medical description + insensitive talking in the book that was almost too much for me and it took me a couple chapters to get used to the Hawaiian speaking style but this is a riveting suspense fans of detective novels will enjoy. 

Lewis and Clark by George Sullivan (chapter book, secular)... I liked this offering from the Good and the Beautiful Book List, now on our 4th grade shelf. 

Science Book of Volcanoes by Patricia Lauber (chapter book, secular)... This is a simple nonfiction and I liked it just fine. I put it in our 4th grade shelf just because of some difficult names but it's probably about a 3rd-4th grade reading level otherwise. 

* I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

9 powerful Christian memoirs by parents whose children faced a medical crisis

This is a very specific type of memoir and it's definitely the most painful kind I read. In this season of my life I can't imagine anything harder than seeing my children suffering through a medical condition. I learn so much from the parents of these books and their faith journey (and resilience!) is so inspiring to me. 

These books aren't for everyone and they certainly aren't light reads but if you can handle them you'll walk away with so much more than you brought in! 

Anchored... Kayla Aimee tells the story of her micropreemie daughter's long NICU journey with wisdom and a great deal of humor. 

Blessed, Blessed, Blessed... This is Missy Robertson's (of Duck Dynasty) story about her daughter's cleft lip and palate journey. Mia's attitude is also very inspiring! 

A Different Beautiful... This is a beautiful story. Courtney Westlake's daughter was born with an incredibly rare disorder which has affected both the function and appearance of her skin. Courtney has learned to navigate it all with grace and to redefine what beautiful looks like. 

Forgiving God... Hilary Yancey's picture-perfect pregnancy was quickly turned on its head when her baby was given multiple diagnoses. Craniofacial abnormalities and a missing eyeball are just the beginning of her son's struggles and Hilary had to really come to terms with what this all said about God and his love for her and her son. 

Heaven is for Real... You've likely heard of this book, or at least the movie. This is Todd Burpo's story about his son Colton's appendectomy and Colton's insistence afterwards that he spent his anesthesia time in Heaven. 

A Love That Multiplies... I know a lot of you have no interest in the Duggar family but I was really into this family back in the day. It was an appropriate show we could watch with our kiddo! This particular book is heavily focused on the NICU story of their micropreemie, Josie. 

Miracles from Heaven... This is a crazy powerful story about a young girl's gastrointestinal disease and its sudden disappearance after she fell through the trunk of a tall tree. This one was made into a movie starring Jennifer Garner. 

Through the Eyes of Hope... Lacey Buchanan has a beautiful story here about her son's journey after amniotic bands prevented the growth of his eyes during her pregnancy.  

Unreasonable Hope... Chad Veach has a very powerful story to share about his daughter, Georgia. Georgia has a rare condition called smooth brain but Chad and his wife have an incredibly powerful faith (unreasonable hope) that God will heal Georgia. 

I'd also love to take a moment to remind you of one of my books, Blessed by Birth. While most of the birth stories in this book are just fun and happy moments, a handful of them contain health struggles as well. If this type of memoir moves you, it would mean the world to me and the other contributors if you would consider checking out our book! 

Great reads for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

All Thirteen (middle grade nonfiction)... This is the powerful, amazing story of 12 boys and their soccer coach who were trapped in a rapidly flooding cave. The story garnered national attention and it was beautiful to see that a great number of people from all over the globe worked together to rescue them. Along with moving me, this book also taught me a lot about Thailand and Thai culture. 

American Girl: Corinne (secular, middle grade)... This one has culture and racism focus but not really any history. The focus is much more on other things but I wanted to include this anyway. 

The Caged Birds of Phnom Penh (picture book)... We read this picture book during a Cambodia unit. We learned a little about Cambodian culture and enjoyed our protagonist's clever way of ensuring her dreams come true. 

Chinese Menu (secular, middle grade)... Grace Lin has done such a great job combining fantastical folklore with true history behind various popular Chinese dishes. Bonus- beautiful illustrations! 

Finding Spiritual Whitespace (Christian nonfiction)... This was a beautiful book about healing and diving headfirst into God's comfort but she also dove a bit into her heritage as it pertains to her childhood trauma. I often call this book a Christian mental health memoir. 

The Firekeeper's Son (picture book)... I love Linda Sue Park's writing and we enjoyed this picture book about signal fires in 1800s Korea. 

Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same (leveled readers)... These leveled readers by Taiwanese-American author Grace Lin are fun and cute with just a touch of culture.

Lon Po Po (picture book)... This is a Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood. We actually know this one from a book DVD, 20 Fairy Tales. 

The Magnolia Story (Christian nonfiction)... This book is about the businesses and life of Chip and Joanna Gaines and it does spend a little bit of ink on Joanna's half-Korean heritage. 

Ming's Christmas Wishes (picture book)... This story, set in the 30s, looks at that uncomfortable in-between feeling immigrant's children sometimes feel. Ming's Chinese heritage is proudly and boldly on display in this lovely Christmas story. Ming and her father do briefly pray to a goddess on one page. 

Sylvia & Aki (secular, middle grade)... This one talks about a Mexican-American family working a Japanese family's farm during their time in a Japanese Internment Camp. Both girls' experiences are shown, back-and-forth. This is a true story but it reads like a fiction novel. I really enjoyed this one.

What is Nintendo? (Secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... This one is of course a huge hit at my house and even i enjoyed learning about the history of Nintendo. 

Where is the Great Wall of China? (Secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... Not all of these books have been yeses for us but this one was and gives a good, illustrated look at the history of the Wall. 

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (middle grade)... Part fantasy, part Chinese folklore, full delight 🤗 We listened to this one on audio and were so happy with it! 

Christian celebrity memoirs

Sometimes these are rich and meaningful. Sometimes they're just fun, easy reads. Either way, I've surprised myself with how many of these I've read and I thought I'd share them here today.

20 and Counting... I loved watching the Duggar family when they were on TV. None of these books dive into the scandal but Jinger's book lightly mentions it. (Also check out A Love That Multiplies, Growing Up Duggar, and The Hope We Hold)

Box of Butterflies... I have been following Roma Downey since I'm excitedly waiting to see the Baxters TV show air. This book doesnt talk about that but I really enjoyed learning about her and now I'm excited to try out Touched by an Angel, too! 

Courage to Soar... This is Simone Biles' Olympian origin story. I listened to the audio book and I thoroughly enjoyed it! 

I Can Only Imagine... This is the powerful story of MercyMe frontrunner Bart Millard and his father overcoming addiction. Loved it and loved the movie! I also love the song. 

First Things First... I read this memoir by Arizona Cardinals' Kurt and Brenda Warner while living in Arizona, I believe in 2010. I was fascinated by their big family systems and I'm excited to check out American Underdog! 

The Magnolia Story... I really enjoyed watching Fixer Upper and have enjoyed all three of the Gaines' grown-up books. (Also check out Capital Gaines and No Pain, No Gaines)

Soul Surfer... Bethany Hamilton was attacked by a shark while surging a lost her arm. Her faith story is so powerful! 

Strong & Kind... I never actually loved Duck Dynasty but I've still enjoyed quite a few of the Robertson family's books, especially Strong & Kind. (Also check out Blessed, Blessed, Blessed; The Good, the Bad and the Grace of God; The Women of Duck Commander; Young and Beardless)