Growing Grateful (& More March Reads)

I finished six books in March: Growing Grateful by Mary Kassian, plus five other titles. Read on for my detailed impressions of each.

6 Books I read in March:

• Risen by Angela Hunt

  I finished Angela Hunt’s Risen last month. It’s the historical fiction novelization of a move by the same name (which I’ve never seen).

  Set in first century Rome, the story begins with the crucifixion of Christ. The narrative follows the reactions and interactions of a Jewish widow and a Roman tribune with the risen Lord.

  I normally only pick up fiction when reading novels aloud to the children for school. But I listened to the audio version of this book on my own — another past freebie from Christian Audio — and thoroughly enjoyed it.

• Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

  The grandkids and I listened to the audio version of Jurassic Park last month while driving back and forth between Tyler and Kilgore. As you might imagine, the book is much more detailed than the movie (which we naturally had to watch after finishing the last chapter).

  My older kids kept telling me how good the book was. And they were right. Michael Crichton kept us on the edge of our seats throughout. The only thing I didn’t like was the fact the amount of swearing in the book. Granted, if anything were going to cause curse words to slip, being trapped on an island with a slew of man-eating dinosaurs would probably do it. But the prevalence of such language in this story left me wishing there were a Vid-Angel equivalent for audiobooks.

• Mother & Son: The Respect Effect by Emerson Eggerichs

  I finished Emerson Eggerichs’ Mother & Son: The Respect Effect mid-March. It was an excellent read, reinforcing many of the (sometimes hard-learned) lessons I’ve learned through my 33-year course of mothering sons.

  I’d highly recommend this book to boy moms of any age, but especially to those who find them scratching their heads over how to get through to their guys and wondering if effective communication is even possible. It is. And respect plays a crucial role. I’ve seen respect and admiration, sincerely expressed, motivate my sons to stand taller, work harder, study longer, and mature faster than any other thing I could offer them.

  This book normally sells for $28.99, but I noticed recently the digital version was on sale for just $1.99. I’m not sure how long this “limited-time offer” will last, so if you’re interested, buy now to cash in on the bargain-basement pricing.

• Growing Grateful by Mary Kassian

  This devotional book is designed to cultivate an attitude of gratitude in its readers. It’s a pretty book. I love the bright, cheerful colors and compact size.

  With 101 devotional readings, Growing Grateful will provide three-and-a-half months of daily practice in focusing your thoughts on life’s blessings. The author encourages readers to thank God for His presence and purpose, both in good times and bad.

  The chapters are short, but packed with pointed and Biblical exhortations. You can read one a day or, if you prefer, just power through the whole volume in a week or two. I know you’ll be encouraged either way.

• Through the Undertow by Alice Rausch and Nicholas Newell

  In this very personal, heart-rending account of infidelity and betrayal, the authors reveal the devastation and destruction that almost inevitably follow in the wake of divorce. The children, especially, suffer in such situations and often feel as if they are somehow responsible, no matter how many times parents try to reassure them otherwise.

  Through the Undertow is written by a mother-son team with firsthand experience of the horrors of seeing one’s family relationships crumble before their eyes. Told from the eldest son’s perspective, this book gives special insight into how a marital break-up disrupts life and changes trajectories. In Nick’s case, it transformed what had been a lifelong dream of attending the naval academy into a nightmare he couldn’t shake off, no matter how desperately he tried.

  Any readers who have experienced divorce — whether it was their own or their parents’ marriage being dismantled — will undoubtedly relate to much that is written here. I wish more parents would read this account before opting to inflict such damage upon their offspring by willfully breaking their marriage vows.

  Divorce is devastating, but it doesn’t happen in a vacuum. This book makes it clear that one spouse cannot keep a marriage intact when the other is dead-set on destroying it. It feels as futile as trying to bail water from a sinking boat, even as the other continues to blow holes in the bottom with a shotgun.

  Although the book doesn’t have a particularly feel-good ending, it does (thankfully) emerge from the depths of despair and points the way to hope and forgiveness. Readers will see it is possible to pick up the shattered pieces of the life they loved to rebuild something beautiful, even if the patched-together life rarely intersects with the spouse who strayed.

• A Bouquet of Timeless Wisdom to Guide Your Path by Tyndall House Publishers

  The last book I finished in March was a very short, sweet, and pretty little gift volume entitled Timeless Wisdom to Guide Your Path. It’s really just an artistic repackaging of selected Proverbs, most from the New Living Translation, one verse per page. I enjoyed the colorful borders, flowing calligraphy, and — yes — the timeless wisdom throughout.

  The book is available through Amazon, but I got my copy FREE from My Reader Rewards Club. If you aren’t already a member of this free program, I’d urge you to sign up today. You’ll earn 25 points (and I’ll get 10) when you use my referral link. Tyndall House makes it easy (and fun!) to earn free books (from a variety of genres) and Bibles through this program, no purchase necessary. You don’t even have to pay shipping!