Mothering by the Book: The Power of Reading Aloud to Overcome Fear and Recapture Joy

The subtitle is "The Power of Reading Aloud to Overcome Fear and Recapture Joy." There were a lot of good quotes, especially in the first few chapters. I had to remind myself that I couldn't go underlining and marking things because this was a library copy. Good stuff about giving kids freedom to learn and explore and be who God made them to be without pressuring them to compete with an artificial standard. The author talks a lot about fear ruling her life, which was kind of interesting because I was reading The Looking-Glass Illusion at the same time (which deals with facing your fears). However, she focused on fear so much that I started to lose connection with her. I realize that I do have fears and that sometimes they have show more influenced my decisions, but I had trouble relating to the overwhelming and paralyzing fears that the author seemed to be constantly struggling with. show less

Mothering by the Book: The Power of Reading Aloud to Overcome Fear and Recapture Joy by Jennifer Pepito caught my attention via its subtitle. Mothering my daughters and reading books are two wonderful parts of my life and the combination appealed to my bookish heart. I appreciated that this author has grown children and shared honestly about her mistakes and successes. Her perspective offered encouragement mixed with wisdom but avoided (and even called out) the false idea that following certain rules or methods will guarantee happy, healthy, and godly children.

Reading one chapter of Mothering by the Book per night fit my taste well. Although I had read only two of the literary works the author discussed, she provided the necessary show more information from each story and tied it into her focus concept. Each chapter deals with overcoming fear and finding joy but addresses the topics from different angles and incorporates varying practices (journaling, speaking life, thankfulness, etc.). Some chapters inspired while others challenged. I underlined many portions and spent time in my journal answering the reflection questions.

Mothering by the Book: The Power of Reading Aloud to Overcome Fear and Recapture Joy by Jennifer Pepito will likely appeal to bookish moms. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and now have several recommended novels on my wish list. Although the ideas can be applied to all types of families, the author homeschooled her children and I think the book fits with the homeschool experience well.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. show less