Bookish Thoughts

Since I review books for WaterBrook Press (and as a reminder, I get nothing out of that other than free books, thus my reviews are always truly what I thought of the books. Of course, I tend to think that even if I was getting more than a free book out of it, you'd still get exactly what I think. Because seriously, what's the point of a book review if it doesn't tell it like it is?) they offered me a choice of some books as a Mother's Day gift. These are books they're not specifically doing blog tours for, but wanted some sort of review. And hey, free books! As my gift, I selected the two reviewed below.

First up, With This Ring: Promises to Keep. (Note, the cover on the book I got looks nothing like this one, so the review following applies to the 2008 edition, not the 1999 one.) This is a great gift book for any couples you know who might be getting married soon - or who just got engaged but haven't set a date yet, etc. It's possible that someone who's been married a while might enjoy it for the thoughts and poems and quotes inside, if they're a quote person, but it's a neat little keepsake for someone who's just beginning the marriage journey. (Caveat: If you can, make sure that you're the only one getting them this book, or don't inscribe the front. I'd hate to be promoting the phenomenon that resulted in Tim and me getting 9, count them 9 inscribed copies of Dobson's Love for a Lifetime when we got married. On the other hand, I'm now pretty good at exacto-knife and ruler action to take out inscription pages for regifting purposes.) The book provides vignettes, quotes, and journal prompts that theme on the words of the traditional wedding vows, showing why those words are said and their importance. As gift books go, this is one I would actually be happy to give (and in fact my copy is getting popped in the mail this afternoon to a friend.)

Second was Rattled: Surviving your baby's first year without losing your cool. This is one of those parenting/mothering (cause really it's just for moms, no dad is going to want to read this) books that sounds like it's going to be cute and funny but when you get into it, it's just patronizing. Perhaps the experience would be different for a mom who gave birth, because the major theme throughout that lept off the pages as I read was that the only thing getting you through the first years of your child's life is the biological connection. As an adoptive mom I cry foul. Especially when written from an ostensibly Christian perspective. Granted, giving birth is the means chosen by 99% of women when it comes to having a child, but I haven't found other parenting books/devotionals to have such a biological focus as this one. And, I'll go ahead and also add that perhaps I have less of a sense of humor about needing to "survive" the first years of my child's life since I had to go to such lengths to get a chance at those first years. It ties back in to my frustration with the "What's the hardest thing" questions, I suspect. While yes, I agree that there are challenges, and the author does do a cute job describing her own challenges with her four kids, I just don't see the point of making those the focus of your child rearing experience. We don't tend to do that with marriage (can you imagine if people's first question to newly weds was "What's the hardest thing so far?" or if marriage books focused only on surviving the first couple years rather than basking in the joy of your union?)

That said, the set up of the book is unique and interesting - she starts each chapter with a verse, then she tells her story for the chapter, then there's insets through the chapter with thoughts and statistics (Food for Thought), then a closing prayer at the end of the chapter (Faith on Fire), then short quotes/stories from other moms relating to the topic of the chapter (Shelter from the Storm), then practical tips (First Aid Kit), and finally a short devotional (Spiritual Opportunity to Savor - S.O.S). My guess is that typical moms would probably enjoy the content and format, which is why I'll be dropping my copy off at the church library - there's enough there that someone is bound to enjoy it.