Book Review: Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child
What do you wish you knew about parenting a disabled child? Parenting a disabled child is a daunting task, and author and advocate Kelly Coleman turned her experience into a disability resource book so that other parents and caregivers would have access to explanations and resources that make navigating the systems a bit smoother. This newly published book Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child – Your Guide to the Essential Systems, Services, and Supports is an incredible resource for parents and caregivers. Schools, medical offices, and therapy clinics should have a copy of this in the lobby. Not only is it helpful to parents, but it gives others insight into the struggle and loneliness families feel when navigating systems and services. No parent ever thinks they will be there, but if you are, you are not alone in the journey. No matter where you are in your journey, this book is a roadmap and a comfort to find you are not alone. As a teacher and tutor, this book gave me talking points to use with clients as I help them understand what an IEP meeting looks like and how to advocate for their child at…
Book Review: Ida B
When was the last time you had a day when things went from righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong? Years ago, my oldest daughter read Ida B… and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster and (Possibly) Save the World in a book club in elementary school and got to attend a book signing with the author Katherine Hannigan at a local bookstore. Being a teacher, I read the book and instantly fell in love with the story, all the various characters and the strong emotions the story described when Ida B’s life suddenly goes from righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong. I knew it would make a good read aloud book for my fourth grade class launching many discussions, teachable moments, and language arts examples. The description of how much the dog Rufus drools is a great one for figurative language examples. Ida B is just a great book all around. The book is gentle in some areas: very general description of Mama’s illness and strong in others: Ida B’s thoughts on many topics are bold and self-deprecating. Ida B believes that there is never enough time in the world for all the…
Book Review: It Must’ve Been Something I Ate
Leading Question? It Must’ve Been Something I Ate by Jeffrey Steingarten, best selling author of The Man Who Ate Everything has been on my nightstand for months. Not because it is a neglected book, but because it is so good but so long! No book recently has increased my vocabulary and knowledge like this book by a former lawyer transmuted into food writer. Why say friendliness when you could use conviviality to describe the perfect holiday dinner party? Why kill a lobster by boiling it alive when you can research all the conflicting ways to humanely kill a lobster at home before turning it into a lobster roll served on top sliced hot dog bun? It is categorized as “cooking essays” but it also clearly falls into the category of humor books. Food critic, Jeffery Steingarten is obsessed with investigating recipes, culinary techniques, ingredients, and replicating it at home, whether or not the ingredients are easy or legal to obtain. Never have I wanted to try more tricky recipes like pizza bianca in “Flat Out” after I read pages of sampling the percent of protein in the milled flour around the world or the mineral content of the water in…
Book Review: When Words Matter Most
When do words matter most? Just as I was finishing working through the book Truthfilled: The Practice of Preaching to Yourself Through Every Season by Ruth Chou Simons, a friend gave me a copy of the book When Words Matter Most: Speaking Truth with Grace to Those You Love by Cheryl Marshall and Caroline Newheiser. These two books go hand in hand. Colossians 3:16 says “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” We must first let the Word of Truth dwell in us. We must preach truth to ourselves. This is where Truthfilled is helpful. It’s not a self help book but a beautifully illustrated and practical reminder that in the trials of life, the truth of God is unchanging and life changing. This book is a 7 session study that you can do on your own or with a group. The art alone is worth a view! When Words Matter Most takes this concept to the next level. Once we have internalized this truth, we can then share it with others, strengthening and encouraging them…
Book Review: Lazy Genius Kitchen
Where do you put your dirty dishes in your kitchen? We all have routines. In my house the dirty dishes go to the left of the sink before they get loaded into the dishwasher, which hopefully happens shortly thereafter. Best selling author Kendra Adachi writes Lazy Genius Kitchen so we can “have what you need, use what you have, and enjoy it like never before.” Do my dishes go to the left of the sink because that’s where there’s more counter space or because that’s the dirty dishes zone that frees up all the rest of my kitchen space for other things? Recently a friend loaned me this book and said it is much like how I already run my household. That was true! The book is a “slightly sassy” guidebook to organizing your kitchen using the Lazy Genius Principles. Adachi gives the framework to prioritize what matters most in your kitchen and build a system that makes it easy for you to enjoy your kitchen and mealtimes. This book is jam packed with helpful references on how to cook, how to make meals taste good, how to use kitchen tools, and how to simplify all the tasks and hard…
Book Review: Road Trip Book Lists
Where will you go this summer? Bethany House Publishers produced an annual “Road Trip Guide” for seven years where they suggested books to read based on the settings. It’s such a clever idea! Summer beach reads abound, but what about those who vacation in Montana or India? There’s a book for them too! Grab a book set in your vacation destination, childhood home state, or bucket list destination and take a book vacation. The blog post has links to past road trip lists as well. While everyone is waiting in line to get the newest books, grab copies of these books online or at your local library and take a road trip to a new or favorite place! Where will you go this summer? Want other book reviews? Check out these posts. Got some book suggestions for summer travel? Post in the comments below! Table Talk: What was the destination of your favorite childhood vacation? What destination is on your wish list? Like this post? Share it with a friend! Facebook Email Pinterest Print
Book Review: Imperfect Disciple
What do you do when you struggle to get your act together but keep failing? Imperfect Disciple: Grace for People Who Can’t Get Their Act Together, by Jared C. Wilson, is the perfect book to read with a friend this summer. Wilson’s conversational style of writing makes you feel like you are sitting across the table at a coffee shop or at an airport waiting area having a chat. His wisdom makes you feel smarter not smaller once you finish a chapter. Read a chapter, let it settle in, then discuss it with a friend or two. Repeat 10 times. Preferably with an iced coffee. Wilson takes readers on a discipleship journey through his own stories with humor and honesty. Knowing you are not alone in this journey nor do you have to have it all together all the time will build your confidence. Discipleship is doing life on life with someone else. Normal life. Messy life. Wilson understands a life full of questions and knows a Book full of answers. After hearing Wilson speak in person a few years ago, some friends and I did a book study with Imperfect Diciple. There are not questions at the end of…
Book Review: How to Read Books Like a Professor: For Kids
How does seeing figurative language help you be a more thoughtful reader? You can read a book and think it’s a good story. Or you can read a book and notice the symbols, setting, and figurative language and understand the meaning of the story on a whole different level. This book is for the reluctant reader and the avid reader, the young and the old, but especially for the middle schoolers. Written by New York bestseller author and professor Thomas Foster, How to Read Books Like a Professor: for Kids teaches the reader some secrets to understanding books and points out helpful examples and connections along the way. Through humor and insight, the Foster teaches how to read books using familiar books, stories, and movies as examples. With chapter titles like “Nice to Eat You” and “Where Have I Seen You Before,” readers learn about the skills needed to find meaning and make connections. Not only will they read better, but their summaries and conversations about literature will also be much richer. This book is so good I suggest you get a copy this summer and read it aloud to your kids, ages 5th grade and up, especially the middle…
Book Review – Relationships: A Mess Worth Making
What relationships are a mess worth making? There’s no denying that relationships are messy, but there is hope for improving them. After the added stress of distance or close confinement during Covid, most of our relationships could use some strengthening. This book, Relationships: A Mess Worth Making, by Paul David Tripp and Tim Lane is a guide for deepening our relationship with God and improving our relationships and reactions with our fellow man. I first came across this book when our small group chose to do it as a book discussion. There was plenty to discuss and reflect upon with each of the chapters. When a friend came to me with some relationship questions, I immediately thought about several of the chapters of this book. I tried to summarize and quote large chunks of it. Then I gave up and bought her the book! It’s that kind of book. You will benefit greatly from the personal reflection, but you will also find yourself using this as a resource for others. Go ahead and add it to your shopping list. It’s available in paperback, audio book, or ebook. In fact, add a couple to your list and stock up. It’s a…
Book Review: Blazing New Homeschool Trails
Are you more of a trailblazer or a trail follower when it comes to raising and educating kids? No matter how you answer this question, this BRAND NEW book, Blazing New Homeschool Trails: Educating and Launching Teens with Developmental Disabilities, could be for you! My friend, Natalie Vecchione, did not set out to be a trailblazer. She set out to be a wife and mama and along the way, realized that the path was no longer clear for her as a mama of a child with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is a brain based disorder). She unexpectedly became a trailblazer and is now leading others down the path though FASD Hope. I had the privilege of tutoring Natalie’s son, so I got to walk a little bit along their path. So many hindrances to their path could have broken their family, instead, it made them stronger. When Natalie said she was co-authoring a book, I couldn’t wait to read it. In fact, I happily volunteered to be on the launch team so I could read it early! I also looked forward to reading the story of Cindy LaJoy and the business, Buckaroos Slices and Scoops, that her kids launched.…