All of Grace (and Other May Reads)

I’m a huge bookworm and love sharing my latest reads with you. Last month, I read a total of eight books: All of Grace by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, plus seven other books. Read on for my impressions of each title.

May Reads

• Exploring Creation with Astronomy by Jeannie Fulbright

  This is the book my 10-year-old used for her science class at co-op this spring. Two of her nephews were in the same class, so I read the textbook aloud to all three of them during the course of the semester.

  I love Apologia’s Young Explorer Series. Jennie Fulbright does a fantastic job cultivating a sense of wonder in students for the universe around them.

  This book focuses primarily upon our solar system, with a full chapter devoted to the sun, each of the nine planets (or eight if you don’t count Pluto), as well as Earth’s moon, the asteroid belt, and the Keiper belt.

  Each chapter contains easy experiments and fun notebooking activities to help cement the information in students’ heads. These books lay a solid foundation for the more in-depth biology, chemistry, and physics courses they’ll take in high school.

• All of Grace by Charles H. Spurgeon

  Christian Audio was offering a FREE copy of this Christian classic during the month of May (no strings attached). So I downloaded it right away and listened while driving back and forth from Tyler to Kilgore.

  As with all Spurgeon’s books, All of Grace is superbly written. Lots of rich language and thought-provoking word pictures. Listening to it brought back many great memories of deep discussions such books have prompted through the years. Doug and I read lots of Spurgeon aloud to one another when we were dating. In fact, one of the first gifts Doug ever gave me was a 10-volume hardbound set of Spurgeon’s sermons. Doesn’t that sound romantic?

  All of Grace is Spurgeon’s plea to the unconverted. In an age when many preachers shy away from any reference to our sinful estate, our dire need for a Savior, and the eternal torment that awaits us if we reject the atoning work of Christ, it is refreshing to hear the gospel so plainly and powerfully proclaimed.

• Sweet Inspiration to Grow Your Faith by Tyndale House

  This short and sweet gift book is a companion volume to a book I read a couple months ago entitled Timeless Wisdom to Guide Your Path.

  Like the first title in the series, this is really just an artistic repackaging of encouraging Bible verses from both the Old and New Testaments, one verse per page. Most of the verses are quoted in the New Living Translation.

  Again, I loved the pretty floral borders, the flowing calligraphy and typewritten fonts. It’s a beautiful book and an attractive way to center one’s thoughts on the truth of Scripture.

  Both these books are available through Amazon, but I got mine 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 to join. This program from Tyndall House makes it easy (and fun!) to earn free books from a wide variety of genres, no purchase necessary. You don’t even have to pay shipping!

• Total Forgiveness by RT Kuykendall

  A friend of mine loaned me this book a couple of years ago when I was in the midst of a very difficult and demanding season. Only a few weeks earlier, my oldest son’s wife had abruptly left home and moved out of state. In her absence, my son desperately needed my help in caring for their children during the long, 12-hour shifts he worked as an ER nurse.

  Thus, my productive, predictable life was turned upside down overnight. Undoubtedly, my book-loaning friend foresaw the spiritual warfare we’d need to wage if we were to guard our hearts and minds against bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness towards those who had caused this upheaval. Yet God has been so faithful to us throughout the whole ordeal. Even though Total Forgiveness sat on my shelf nearly two years before I got through it (it was an audio book on CD with no time stamp), once I finally started to listen, I was nodding my head in agreement throughout.

  The book is packed with Biblical truth. Upon reading it, I realized I’d already done nearly everything the author recommended. Thanks to the faithful prayer support of several family members and close friends, I’d been able to fully forgive those who’d hurt me and wasn’t consciously harboring any bitterness or resentment. Yet the book’s final chapter took my concept of forgiveness to a whole new level.

  It’s way past time for me to return the loner copy of this book to my friend. But I’m going to order a copy for my own bookshelf, so I’ll be able to share it with individuals I know who are likewise walking through difficult situations. If that description fits your life, I highly recommend you read it, too.

• The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angelinas

  The kids and I read The Door in the Wall as part of our history studies this spring. Set in the Middle Ages, it tells the story of a young boy who is struck ill and consequently loses the use of his legs.

  Although bad things happen to the main character, his tale is full of hope and grit. He learns to adapt. He overcomes self-pity and maintains a positive attitude. Rather than focusing his attention on all the things he can no longer do, he applies himself to learning new skills that he can develop despite his crutches.

  His story is both heartwarming and inspiring. As his mind and body grow stronger, he finds himself in a position to help his countrymen in their darkest hour of need in a way few boys his age would dare attempt, lame or not.

• 1984 by George Orwell

  My husband read Orwell’s dystopian classic aloud to the family last month.

  Unfortunately, I found 1984 even more depressing now than when I first read it back in high school, primarily because the world it describes mirrors the 2020s far more accurately than the 1980s of my teens.

  Cancel culture, revisionist history, Big Brother, the Thought Police, double speak — it’s all described in minute detail.

  The difference between Orwell’s novel and real life? I have an eternal hope in Christ, The citizens of Oceania have no such comfort.
  

The other two books I read in May were only available for a limited time through the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle.

One was The Well-Planned Kitchen by Jennifer Mason, which was not so much about organizing your pantry as streamlining your meal plans. Very helpful tips! If she ever publishes this title on a broader scale, I’ll come back and link it here.

The other limited-run book I read in May was packed with encouragement. Motherhood Mantras was a short read — I finished it in a single sitting — filled with wisdom from 38 moms in the trenches. My favorite quote: “Let faithfulness be your goal — not perfection. What you do in your home, for your family, matters far more than you realize, even if you don’t see the fruit right away.”

And that is TRUTH. So let’s not grow weary in well-doing, dear reader. For we know that we will eventually reap if we do not give up. (see Galatians 6:9)