alltheradreads's Reviews (1.9k)

This has to be one of the most raved about books of 2016, am I right?! Especially with how this election has played out, I was really curious about this one, but still reluctant to actually read it. (Always the case with books that get so much hype.) I'm glad I did, but I admit I wasn't as wowed as many others seem to be. It's solidly written, but I think it could have and should have been shorter. Many parts felt unnecessarily long and slow to me. I really wanted there to me more commentary on the culture as a whole than I got-- it's MUCH more a memoir than it is a book about the hillbilly culture and how it plays into our world (which is more of what I was expecting). Still, a fascinating look at a lifestyle, a region, a people group, and primarily a family that is radically different from my own and therefore incredibly fascinating to me. I really do recommend everyone reads this one, if for no other reason than to open your own worldview up to another.

Oh, books about writing. I have so many feelings about you. I didn't hate this one, but I just didn't really like it either. There were a few key lines I loved, but mostly, I was annoyed by the rambling stories and analogies she shared, and I wanted more practical wisdom instead. It's a super short read, so no real loss here, but just nothing I would recommend to other writers.

Here's a confession: I fully expected to HATE this book. I went into it all like "I'm a feminist, hear me roar!" and then was surprised by how much I actually didn't hate it after all. It's much more complementarian in nature than I would say I am, but every time I verged on thinking/feeling "uh wait, no, what about..." she would address my exact thoughts in the next chapter. This isn't a book I 100% agree with or am on board with, but as far as books about womanhood (and especially about being a wife) go, this one is a solid read. There were definitely parts that really rubbed me the wrong way, but there were equally parts that I really loved and felt encouraged and challenged by. There was still a lot of talk of submission and housewife duties that I was like OH HECK NO to, but I expected way more of that than I got. All in all, I'm glad I read this one and gave it a fair chance, and I was pleasantly surprised by what I found here. Curious to hear other thoughts about this one-- drop a comment below if this is one you've read!

This book is all about the power of not knowing, and that was such an intriguing concept to me when I first saw it. I'm someone who is very Type A, very perfectionistic, very much a planner, so things that I don't know or things that are out of my control are challenging, so I was really hopeful that this book would be enlightening and helpful in navigating the unknown... but I wasn't really thrilled by it. I found it to be pretty dry and not very relatable to my personal life, although the examples shared and the anecdotes and statistics included were varied and diverse. I didn't really feel like this book had a strong point or a really clear focus in the end, and it kept rambling on and going down rabbit holes that left me uninterested and skipping ahead to try to get to something that was more exciting to me.

I adored this one. I know I've said before that certain books feel like a breath of fresh air, but goodness, this one really did. It brought faith to life in the most elemental, sacred, simple, beautiful ways -- even things like folding laundry and digging up potatoes in the garden can be holy acts of worship, and Taylor writes about it in a way that just makes you feel like ahhhhhhhhh. Life is good and I am grateful. It's rich and it's so pure and just feels counter-cultural in all the ways I desire and long for in the craziness of my life. I read this one slow and savored it, because it's one you just need to savor.

The subtitle of this one is "how building a great relationship with yourself is the key to a happy successful life" but it was other positive reviews that actually sold me on giving this one a shot. As soon as I got it, though, I read that the author was on Joel Osteen's board, and I had a feeling I wouldn't end up enjoying this one as much. I was right. It reads very much in line with the "prosperity gospel" themes, with a lot of that same language. It did have a lot of Scripture included and was clearly a faith-based book, but much more so in the "you can be successful if you just love yourself!" kind of way than a "strength comes from the LORD" kind of way. I didn't really like this one much at all -- just not the style that really encourages or motivates me at all.

I had heard many rave reviews about this one, and I'm (mostly) a fan of Voskamp's writing, and this one didn't disappoint. There were times it felt too flowery and too rambly, but mostly, I really loved the heart of this one and the stories she wove. I recently listened to a podcast with Voskamp and it helped that as I read this one, I was hearing it in her voice in my head! I think I'm a little bit over her long-winded ways of writing, but there were still many incredibly nuggets from this one, and lots of great word-play like she's known for that I did love.

I had seen this one all over social media when it came out, but hadn't ever gotten my hands on it until it came across our massive book stack at the office. I read this one over a sunny lunch break out by the canal, and found it to be meaningful and refreshing. Great thoughts were shared here that were calming and centering, and I'm glad I started this new year with this one.

I really, really loved this one. I've heard of Allen from IF:Gathering, but hadn't read much from her, and I was really impressed with this book. My standards for Christian book by female authors are high (so not a fan of things that are fluffy or cliche) but this one really hit home for me. It was relevant, meaningful, intentionally written (loved the great use of white space to slow down as I read, the reflection questions, the Scripture passages to stop and pray through), and really beautiful. I highly recommend this one to women who have ever felt like they aren't enough -- because this book will remind you that in Him, you ARE.

I only recently watched Gilmore Girls for the first time, so I didn't have the same longtime nostalgia as many fans, but I watched (and mostly hated) the revival and was curious to read more of Graham's thoughts on it all. I also LOVED Parenthood and was curious to read her thoughts on that show too, and she didn't disappoint! I've read a handful of celebrity memoirs in recent years and this one was the most fun and the most like what I really wanted out of a book like this. If you've seen and liked her shows, you'll like this one!