July 2025 Book Reviews

July was a busier summer month. Our church had VBS, we had some family in town, and my BROTHER GOT MARRIED! I might try to share a few pictures of that later, but it was a 3-day celebration that went late into each night.

Here's what did manage to be read by me this month...

Fast Like a Girl: A Woman's Guide to Using the Healing Power of Fasting to Burn Fat, Boost Energy, and Balance Hormones by Mindy Pelz

I've forgotten where I saw this book recommended, but I borrowed it through Libby at first. After reading it, I bought a used copy to have for reference. Fasting is something that I've heard about for my whole life. Many religions have a fasting element to their teachings & Christianity is no different. I knew that it was a spiritual discipline & thus would not be harmful in controlled doses. However, I also heard so many people say that women shouldn't fast because of the hormonal fluctuations. This book is by no means a religious book, don't get me wrong. But it does help women understand the ways our bodies react to fasting, how fasting can actually be very healing, and how a cycle of fasting can be used to achieve better health. I found the author's approach to be very balanced. Her emphasis was always on healthy lifestyle changes, not on a lower weight. I'm getting stuff lined up to start it the next cycle. (I had to wait until after all of the late-night wedding feasts!) Maybe I'll remember to post on how it goes!

Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien

I read the "sequel" to this book a bit ago. and this book actually overlaps quite a bit. It was still very helpful & I'd recommend it to anyone who is looking to gain a fuller understanding of the cultural context of the Bible.

These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder

My kids are just about Wilder-ed out. We finished this one & have one more left in the series. We'll give ourselves a break before we read that one. This book shows the courtship between Laura & Almanzo. It's sweet at times. And very different from our modern way of doing these things!

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind by Nate Bargatze

We listened to this book as we drove the 12 hours to my brother's wedding. It got us about half-way there. Listen, my husband & I love Nate Bargatze. We saw a short clip of him & went searching for more. We even went to a show of his before he was really famous. His jokes about 90s Christian parents being the most Christian are hilarious. However, this book was pretty boring. Some of it was just more details to stories he's already told. Most of it was just some really boring stories... Sorry, Nate! There have to be funnier stories than walking your dog or McDonald's changing their combo numbers. Or maybe he just didn't quite get to the funny in those stories like he does in his comedy routines. Anyways, it killed 6ish hours of driving through upstate New York, so there's that.

Four books! Next month should be more into our school routine, so I think I'll get more reading done... Hopefully!

Cheering you on!