Three more books read...

Second post of the day... check here if you want to see my latest cards...

Despite the Janaury busyness and blahs, I've managed to read three more books from my 2011 Reading List Challenge, as orginally laid out here. The original post has links to Amazon.com reviews of all the books.

First I read Building Faith At Home. I am shocked to say it took me nearly a week to read that one... it took four days and should have taken two. I couldn't get into though, because so much of the material felt like a repeat of Faith Begins at Home - a book I greatliy enjoyed. The only material in Building Faith at Home was actually information that I found was more relevant to pastors and church leadership. The book just isn't geared to the average churchgoer or member. Holmen is a good writer, although I did find he repeated himself more than I would have liked. I did enjoy her use of stories to illustrate his key ideas, and I liked that he included a chapter summary at the beginning of the chapter rather than the end. Rating: 3/5 stars.

After I finished Building Faith At Home, I immediately dove into Your Family Journey: A Guide to Building Faith at Home. This book was a winner. Short, succinct, and very practical. It was a great jumping off point from Faith Begins At Home. It showed the reader how to make a family mission statement and use that as the basis for growing in faith as a family. The exercises made sense and were neither too easy or too hard. The questions to think about/discuss were useful. And the writing style was pleasant. I couldn't put this book down. My one criticism is that it could have been a bit more detailed. Thus, I can only give it 4/5 stars.

The last book I read was The Parent as Teacher. I did not enjoy this book much at all. It is very old and outdated, and I confess I almost gave up on it at least twice. In the end, I'm glad I didn't - I spoke to my mother, a retired principal who did a great deal of work in language arts, and apparently, the author, Dr. Denis Stott, was pretty groundbreaking at the time and his work as had a positive impact on the way the education system works with low readers. I got very tripped up by his use of the word 'retarded,' I found him very self promoting amd somewhat confusing in his ideas. I did find the chapter on learning to read really useful and readable. And an education student - especially one focussed on special education - may find the book worthwhile for its historical perspective. Beyond that, I wouldn't invest the time. 2/5 stars.