Chris Beat Cancer (& More January Reads)
I finished reading five books in the month of January — Chris Beat Cancer, plus four others — all of which came highly recommended by friends and family members. Read on for my impressions of each title (and maybe add a few to your own to-read list).
5 Books I read in January
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
My daughter Bethany read C.S. Lewis’s A Grief Observed last month and gave such a glowing recommendation, my husband and I immediately devoured it as well.
Beth writes: “Just finished reading A Grief Observed — a short collection of journal entries C.S. Lewis wrote as he was grieving the death of his wife… raw, heartbreaking, resonant and profound. It was a struggle not to highlight almost every page in its entirety. It reminded me of some of the psalms of lament — an unfiltered outpouring of the emotions we experience as we wrestle with God in moments of confusion and pain. I cried a lot, but was also comforted. If you read it, know that the final line (written out in Latin) is a quote from Dante’s Paradiso, which itself alludes to Revelation 22:17. It is a beautiful, hopeful ending to the book and worth looking up the translation when you get to it.”
Chris Beat Cancer by Chris Wark
A friend recommended the book Chris Beat Cancer after learning about my recent breast cancer diagnosis. I started reading immediately and finished in less than a week.
After being diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age 26, the author, Chris Wark, had surgery to remove the tumor and 49 lymph nodes, but decided to forgo chemo in favor of making radical changes to his diet, which he details in this inspiring account.
I’ve also been reading Wark’s Beat Cancer Kitchen trying out the recipes, which are very tasty. The best time to read either or both of these books? Before you ever get a diagnosis, since many of the recommendations are as good or better at preventing cancer as they are at healing it.
The Four Hour School Day by Durenda Wilson
I’ve listened to Durenda Wilson’s The Four Hour School Day last month. It was fun and affirming to hear the perspective of another homeschooling mom of many (she has eight children, seven of whom she’d already graduated when she penned this book).
Subtitled “How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life,” Durenda shares from a wealth of wisdom and experience and encourages readers to trust God to equip them with all the wisdom, patience, grace, and creativity they will need to educate their children at home — and do an amazing job of it!.
As an aside, I was recently told Durenda is presently fighting a very aggressive kind of cancer, and I know she would appreciate our prayers!
The Truth about Cancer by Ty Bolinger
The Truth about Cancer starts with the history of cancer and its various treatments, the standardization of pharmacological medical schools, and the subsequent closures of many alternative schools. The author’s perspective was different than any I’ve read before, though parts of it resonated (especially in this post-COVID age).
Many of the anti-cancer treatments described in the book are backed by rigorous studies (though the research wasn’t necessarily done in the US). Others seem a bit hokey, new-age-y, or overly-reliant on anecdotal evidence.
Overall, this is a good reference book, especially for those interested in doing what they can to avoid developing cancer in the first place. If you’ve already gotten a diagnosis, please read prayerfully and with all due discernment, and discuss what you learn with your physician.
The Four Seasons of Fruitful Parenting by Melodie Sterrett
Like her book The Balance of Loving Discipline , which I read last December, Melodie Sterrett’s The Four Seasons of Fruitful Parenting is another quick read packed with lots of practical tips and wisdom.
In this slim volume, Sterrett details and discusses the changes that take place over time, both in the relationship parents enjoy with their children and also in the primary emphasis of their child-training efforts.
Moreover, we should welcome these changes as our children grow older, gain maturity, and take on real responsibilities for their life and work.
Do you love to read as much as we do? I’ve gathered all my best resources for bibliophiles onto this page, or you can read more of my book reviews by following this link .
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