"Carry On, Warrior": A Book Tasting

By Amy

Hey friends!  Have you heard of this book??  IT IS FABULOUS.  I am super excited to share it with you!  And, the phrase: "book review" sounds a little boring, so just think of this as a yummy little taste, (ya know, like when you hit the jackpot of samples at Costco.)  I've loved the author of this book, Glennon Melton, ever since I stumbled upon her TED X talk:  Lessons from the Mental Hospital.

(Gotta watch it, guys! She is SO funny!)

I watched it, and ugly cried, and loved her immediately.  She shares her truths with such warmth, and encourages others to do the same.  Her thoughts resonate so completely with me.  No, I'm not a recovering alcoholic, bulimic, or drug addict, but, just like you, I can totally relate to feeling afraid and not good enough.  I love her wisdom and vulnerability.  I admire her honesty: that's my goal for SOM-- to create a place for women to laugh, connect, share stories, and talk about the things that matter most to them--to share their truth.

If you love her TED talk, you'll also love her blog: Momastery.  This is my favorite post on her blog: "Don't Carpe Diem."  Haha...I laughed so hard, and felt hugely relieved to hear somebody else admit (in her hilarious way) that they don't find it possible to"cherish every moment" while raising babies and toddlers.  Haha...thank you, Glennon.  I needed that validation.

Recently, Glennon invited other bloggers to share stories about their own messy, beautiful lives on her blog...and I was sooo in!  Here's my post about my hard--and often ridiculous--struggle overcoming anxiety:  Kicking Fear in the Face: My Messy, Beautiful.

She also offered to send her book to fellow-bloggers to read and share.  Of course I was like, "Um, a full book of your stories!?  Heck yes, please."

So I requested her book: Carry On, Warrior, which I received for free and immediately began devouring.

OH, this book!  I mean, guys--it's a New York Times Bestseller.  So, it's kinda a big deal.

While I read, I laughed sooo hard and cried too.  Mostly because many of her stories and thoughts rang so true to my own personality quirks.  So many times the thought ran through my head, "Dang!  I wish I would have written that!"  She expresses so well the hilarious, joyful, and heart-breaking situations we find ourselves in as mothers, women, wives, and humans.  

Her vulnerability and honesty is completely refreshing.  But, it's not a tragic memoir that makes you miserable and wanting to lay down and die....on the contrary, her book made me want to get up and live!  Even stories from the sad parts of her life are interwoven with her warm/sharp wit.  She is a master story-teller.

This book left me happier to be my own crazy self, and more ok with my imperfections.  It also made me want to reach out more to other ladies, cause we all are fighting our own battles!  

She is a person whose life is shaped by her faith in Christ.  As a fellow Christian (I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints...aka Mormon) I LOVED to see how her beliefs translate into the way she actually lives her daily life.  Isn't that what faith in Christ is really about: applying His love, strength and teachings to the everyday wonderful and sucky stuff that we all deal with?  As she said, life is beautiful and brutal.  It's brutiful.  It's about showing up, even when we'd rather curl up in a ball and hide.  Just having the courage to show up can be enough.

Her cleaning and cooking philosophy had me rolling (especially her fancy pseudo vacuuming technique) and her insights into her relationships with her spouse, her sister, her parents, and her extended family brought many "aha" moments to me.  And her momming mishaps reassured me that we are all mommas on a learning curve.  (Oh, you will LOVE the dentist office story, not to mention the paper-bag-over-her-own-head parenting technique...Oh my Heck, I need a paper bag to deal with my emotionally bi-polar toddler!)  And, she only swears a few times in the book. :)

I love Glennon's words from Momastery:

"When it comes to God and faith and religion, I have some hunches…but I only know two things to be true--

1. I am God’s beloved child.
2. So is everyone else."

Yep.


Seriously friends, you gotta read Carry On, Warrior.  I'll include a link to the book on Amazon (I'm an Amazon affiliate)...and if you buy it after clicking through this link, I get a tiny commision, which helps to fund and run Swag On, Momma.  So, thank you! :)

Please share this with anyone who you think would be interested in this book. :)  And, if you've read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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2 New Book Reviews!

Amber is my neighbor and friend--the one who invited me to the book club in the first place!  She is so cool, kind, easy-going, and approachable; I'm lucky to have a friend like her.  I love how she includes everybody--she's not about drama.  I'm excited she agreed to write a couple reviews, cause you get to meet her AND because I love both of these books, too!  Enjoy!
-Amy

My name is Amber Hoskins.

I am a mother of three and run my own childcare business out of my home.  I love to read and enjoy getting together with my book club group each month.  Here are two books I love that I want to share with you!

"The Girl in the Green Sweater"

by Krystyna Chiger with Daniel Paisner

...is the true story of a Holocaust survivor, a little girl named Krystyna.  She grew up in the Lvov ghetto and was forced to live in the sewers under the city for over a year with her family and other Jews.  Most of the story takes place in the sewer, with Krystyna giving a first-hand account of what happened during the terrible ordeal.

To say that the characters in this book were anything but courageous would be crazy.  The everyday trials that they endured would have made me wish to die, but they carried on with a strong will to live.  These people triumphed through all the adversity they faced.  They were one of only three Jewish families from this area that survived the brutality intact.  This book moved smoothly for me and captivated my attention from the beginning.  I love that it's a true story and that it had such a good ending for the Chiger family.  This is a fast read.  Just a warning: some parts are hard to read because of the nature of what this book is about.


 
"These Is My Words"

by Nancy E. Turner

is a historical fiction novel, in the form of a diary.  Sarah Agnes tells about her life during the late 1800's in the Arizona territory.  This book is a grammatical mess in the beginning.  (Sarah has basic writing skills, but improves with practice as the book continues.)

The story starts with Sarah and her family living on a settlement near Tuscon with her family.  She's an intelligent, fiesty 18-year old, who knows how to use a gun.  Her skill with a rifle fends off indian attacks and other assaults.  By the time she hits age 21, she has endured a loveless marriage, started a profitable ranch, given birth to a child, and seen the death of her husband.

The core of this story is romance.  It was so easy to get lost in this book.  All of the characters were easy to love, especially Sarah.  This book had me laughing out loud on one page and crying on the next.  It was facisnating to see the development and maturity that Sarah goes through.  This book is on my top 5 list.  It is an easy-read.  Disclaimer: There is some violence (life is rough on the frontier, but it's not overly descriptive) and some brief sexuality between husband and wife (it's tasteful, not offensive.)  Don't let this keep you from reading this great book!
-Amber

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Thanks so much, Amber!  

Here's my two-cents:  Both books were freakin' amazing.  

Like any good friend, Amber lent me these two books...and I seriously devoured them. (Both caused all-nighters and reading hang-overs the following day.)  

The "Girl in the Green Sweater" is now an academy-nominated movie.  For good reason.  This story showed how much humans can endure when they have love and hope to cling to.  Seriously, think about it: the lived for a year in a SEWER!  I'm pretty miserable when I have to go in a porta-potty for 30 seconds.  One woman in their group even gave birth to a baby while living in the sewer...can you imagine!?  And, this is a true story!  I loved this book.  Though it was about a dark time in mankind's history, it showed the goodness of people and the depth of love that families and even strangers can have for each other.   It was uplifting, and unique--being from a child's perspective.

As for "These is My Words"...READ IT.  Oh. my. gosh.  I was under it's spell.  I was giddily squealing and bouncing on the couch at the fabulous love twists.  At one point, (of course when my husband walked into the room) I was SOBBING.  (He thinks I'm mental.)  I really liked how Sarah and her man (her second husband, not her first dirt-bag husband) were human.  Some romantic stories are SO far beyond reality, that it kinda makes me gag a little--this one was sweet enough to be satisfying, but real enough to be believable.  Man, this is making me want to go read it again. 
Oh, and I wouldn't worry about the sensuality--it's brief, and not too descriptive.  (Like PG-13, not R.)  I'm pretty picky about that, too, and I wasn't offended.  SO, yeah.  Read it, then come back and tell me what you thought! :)
-Amy

Ps. I'd love to hear your opinion!  Have you read either of these books?  What did you think?

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Hey Folks, 3 New Book Reviews!

Kira is another lovely friend from the book club.  She's a momma of three cute girls, she's easy-going, and fun...and she agreed to write about her favorite books for us!  Yay! 
-Amy

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By Kira

Picking favorite books has always been hard for me!  I love so many books for so many different reasons.  And my tastes change from day to day.  So how do I pick books to recommend to you?  I started by doing some thinking (which for me is my only quiet time…in the shower)  While thinking I tried to go past the usual and think of books that really affected me so here is my list!  Hope you enjoy.


1. My first book has to be  
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer.

I was looking for a book at the library to listen to in the car when I would travel for work. The name struck me as odd so I picked it up and thought “why not”. This book was such a treat. The whole book is written through letters. There was no narration to connect it. At first I didn’t think it would work, but it totally did! I loved every minute of it and got all the information that I needed. The book is about the main character’s association with a literary society that started due to the German Occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. It’s funny, heartwarming, and you will eat up each page. My favorite parts of this book are the excerpts you can quote from it. My absolute favorite was: “Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books.” That is what this book will do.






2. My next favorite book would have to be  
The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini.

The Kite Runner tells the story of a young boy and his closest friend Hassan, his father's young servant. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events; from the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy through the Soviet military intervention, the exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime. When I picked up this book I knew I would get a great historical fiction book and learn about a region I didn’t know much about. But what I didn’t expect was the ending of this book. It was one of those stories that I will always remember and one that really made me think. The story tells of redemption and how a choice that we made that we regret and maybe hold unto and can be made whole. By the end I was crying and totally fallen in love with all the characters involved.  As much as I love this book there are two scenes you should be aware of. Towards the start of the book there is a scene where a young boy is raped by an older boy. And towards the end of the book there is a brief scene of violence during a fight.



3. And my last book would have to be  
The Space Between Us

by Thrity Umrigar

This novel is about a wealthy woman and her servant which offers a revealing look at class and gender roles in modern day Bombay. This book was lent to me by a friend so I picked it up and read it. I loved the contrast between these two women and what it shows about class. Even though it was set in India, everything about it had relevance to our way of life here in the United States. It shows you that no matter what our background is and what our social standings are, we still will experience heart ache and joy and we need to be able to recognize the worth of our lives apart from others. There was such a sweet lesson found within these pages. I finished the book knowing that I have so much worth in this big world.  (As a heads-up, there are a few brief scenes of sexuality between a married couple.) 
-Kira




--
Thanks, Kira!

So here's my two cents: I read "The Guernsey Literary..." book and also LOVED it!  Seriously a fabulous book; the characters were interesting and so endearing, the historical setting was fascinating, and it has the sweetest little love story.  I'm pretty sure I squealed out loud several times.  (That's embarrassing.)  READ IT!  

I haven't read "The Kite Runner" but I did read "The Space Between Us".  The writing was gorgeous, but the story had a lot of sad family/marriage situations, so it was a hard one for me.  However, I did enjoy learning about the class system in India, as well as understanding the friendship between these two women.

Thanks again Kira!  

So, friends, time to bust out those hammocks for hours of summer reading! (If only, right? Well, at least maybe you can fit in an hour during naptime...)  

Happy reading! 
-Amy

Ps. Have you read any of these books?  If so, we'd love to hear what you thought!  So please chime in with your opinion.  Thanks! 

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Book Reviews by Kim, Our New International SOM Correspondent (Cause we're fancy, like that.)

Hey, friends! As promised, here's a couple book reviews, from one of the ladies in rockin  book club I go to.  These are submitted by my fabulous friend, Kim--who I'm missing a lot since she packed off and moved to the Canadian frontier with her husband and baby.  :(  It's ok, I am going to dress in a lumberjack disguise (gotta blend, ya know?) to sneak over the border and kidnap her for our next book club meeting.

So set some dishes of food and water on the floor for your children to forage from*, lock your bedroom door, and let the reading binges begin! :)  Oh, and remember to chime in with your opinion if you've read any of these books in the comments section! 
-Amy 
*Please don't actually neglect your children...it's a joke.  I don't want to be responsible for that.

Hi, I’m Kim.

I have loved books as long as I could read. I enjoy stories that truly transport you to a different place, and that have characters that I miss when I am done reading the book.

Here are some of my favorite books:

The Book Thief
by Mark Zusak

Genre: Historical Fiction

This is a great book set during WWII in Germany. It follows the life of Liesel, a young girl as she grows up and learns the power of books, and reading. The author is great at writing short descriptions that really help you visualize everything without having to take pages and pages to do so. It is also written with Death as the narrator so it is an interesting and different twist. My favorite part of the book is the characters--he develops them so well, that I felt like I was there experiencing everything with them. He was really able to make them come alive and I truly felt the things they were feeling in the book. Since this is set in Germany during WWII, there are some heavy parts in the books. It has a little bit of strong language, but no words that you can’t find in the Old Testament. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a book that you will want to have some time to read. I had a hard time putting it down, but it is long enough you can’t read it in one sitting.



 
The Thirteenth Tale
by Diane Setterfield

Genre: novel, gothic fiction

This is a novel that drew me in. It takes a couple chapters to get hooked, but once you are you find a Victorian ghost story that will have you thinking about the book, even when you aren’t reading it. I like the characters and the story was different than a lot of other things I have read so it seemed new and different to me. It is a little bit creepy, but not overly scary, more suspenseful. It glides over the more adult things of the book, without going into a lot of detail (like no long descriptions of sex scenes) but there are hints of adult topics, so its not a book you would want your young kids to read.

The Glass Castle
by Jeanette Walls

Genre: Memoir

This is the story of Jeanette Walls and her family growing up. It is an amazing story or how she grew up in poverty with an alcoholic father, and a mother that likely suffered from mental illness, but in spite of these things became a productive adult. She tells her story starting with her earliest memory, and really gives the reader a glimpse into her life. She does not just focus on the negative, but really tries to explain her family and the relationships she had with them. I loved how real and insightful this book was. Even though it is hard to read at some points, it was also extremely funny, and I though over all it was a hopeful story. It does have some bad language, but it is used as direct quotes from her father, and I didn’t feel like it was excessive.






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Thanks Kim!  

SO, ladies...have you read any of these?  What did you think?  We'd love to hear! :)

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I'm an Addict and I Need Help.

By Amy

It's summertime...Which, for me, means: out-of-control book binging, baby!  Are you a book-aholic, too?  Ah, what a wonderful affliction. :)

A great book will make you ignore even the most basic human necessities.  You don't want to sleep, eat, interact with other humans, or....well, go to the bathroom; nothing else matters--you are totally consumed with the story.  (Remember when I told you in my Home Tour that sometimes when I'm reading, I'll finally go to the bathroom, but then I just end up sitting on the toilet for a hundred pages before I realize that my bum is cold and falling asleep? Ha...admit it, you do too!)

Then there's period after the book... (when I am still not very productive).  You know what I mean--that delicious feeling when you are still under story's spell--it can last for days after reading it!  You are re-living the best moments, mulling the story over and over--not wanting to let go, though the book is done.  Lots of times I go back and re-read the best parts, reading slowly and savoring it since I'm no longer reading full-speed, gobbling up the story, like the first time though.  Ahhh.  I love a good book.

Here's the problem, I have a baby to take care of!  And it's not like when I read I think, "Oh, I can hear my baby crying, but I'm just going to ignore him."  Nope.  I don't even hear my baby crying!  (Isn't that sad!?)

I've escaped into the world of the book.  Don't get me wrong, I love my life and my hubby and my baby...it's just, my life is pretty chill and simple.  It's fun to live the cool, exciting stuff in a book--to put myself in another person's story.  Then I come back into my own world, and I'm grateful for the characters and setting of my own tale.  

When I read a love story (a good one, I'm a bit picky), I revel in it and wallow in sappy happiness...It makes me think of my own love story.  Then, when I finish the book, I run to Partick and get all cuddly--he just laughs at me and thinks I'm a weirdo.

My son, the budding bookworm. I'm so proud! :)

Reading is great--but ignoring family, friends, and the necessities of life is NOT.  It can be a challenge to read responsibly!  But, the first step is recognizing the problem.  I've realized that I am a book-aholic, and I need help.

To make matters worse, I am in a super cool book club, and we all enable each other in our book addiction!  These ladies tell me about amazing books, lend me books, and worst of all....get me hooked on series!   HELLO!  I can't do SERIES!  They take over my life till I finish them!  (I don't think I spoke to my husband for three days when I devoured "The Hunger Games.")

Ok, Ok...I'm sure you know I am NOT upset with these ladies for "torturing" me with amazing reads.  We have tons of fun and I've read some incredible books from their suggestions.

Which leads me to an announcement...drumroll... Throughout this summer, these super cool ladies in my book club agreed to tell write book reviews, telling us about their favorite books!  (I will add a few too!)

Ladies of book club!  (Minus a couple who couldn't make it that night...we still love you!)

I am super stoked for you to meet my friends and hear their recommendations!

So, I guess I will add to the book-addicts' problem by supplying more excellent books to read.  I'm sorry.

Please, proceed with caution, read responsibly, take care of your children, and try not to pull all-nighters (or only occasionally).  Cause for me, the next morning, when I'm suffering from a reading hangover (picture me sitting in my pjs, hair askew, mouth slightly hanging open, staring dazed at the wall while my crying toddler tugs on my clothes) I always wish that I'd shut my dang book at midnight.

*Sigh*...Someday, I hope I learn self-control.  :)
 -Amy

Ps. Are you a book nerd?  Let's hear about your reading addiction.  (Maybe I'll feel better...Ha!)  How bad has it gotten?

Pss. What are you reading this summer? 

Psss. Moms, how do you fit in reading now that you have kiddios?  I'd love to hear! :)

Like and Share with your book-nerd friends, so we can get their input!  Thanks!  :)

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For All You Book Nerds!

By Zoie

As an English teacher, I often get asked this question: Why do we read? 

Although I have many ideas and opinions on this topic, there are plenty of others who have shared these same ideas much more eloquently. So, here are some of my favorite quotes about reading, followed by some helpful websites for you reading junkies out there. 

 “A story is a way to say something that can’t be said any other way, and it takes every word in the story to say what the meaning is.” -- Flannery O'Connor 

 "We read to know that we are not alone." --[William Nicholson] 

"If we could read the secret history of our enemies we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility." --Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

 "Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book." --John Green 

"If I should always read, I should never feel the want of company." --Lord Byron 

 Now, for you fellow book nerds, I'd like to point out some resources that I wish I'd known about earlier: 

1.) Goodreads- It's like Facebook, but substitute friends for books (they're interchangeable...right?). 

2.) Check out awards lists, especially Young Adult Awards lists if you want to avoid some of the craziness that happens in adult books. Many awards/associations like the Printz , ALAN, and YALSA can help you locate good books and will also usually provide book lists of the most popular or amazing (not the same thing, mind you) books from the year. 

3.) Find free books online! Sites like this one can direct you to sites like Project Gutenberg, and others that will give you free access to books. 

4.) Check out alternate versions of books that you're not sure about yet. I like to watch the BBC versions of books, Wuthering Heights (love love love), for example, before I commit myself to reading the book. Lifetime Channel also has converted quite a few books into movies. For example, Speak, The Face on the Milk Carton, and many others can be viewed for free on Youtube. 

Obviously, it won't be as good as the book, but if you're not quite sold on the book, something is better than nothing, right? 

Also, there are a lot of other alternative versions of books out there, other than movies. Meg Cabot does a really....funny/freaky rendition of Heidi and other classic literature with her Madame Alexander dolls. On a more brilliant level, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries videos are a modern rendition of Pride and Prejudice. 

I know that the books will always be more exciting than the movies for English nerds like me, but these are all good ways to get others to share your nerdy love of literature. Lure them in! 

What about you? Why do you read? And what are some of your favorite books? 

-Zoie

 *Sources: (thenewdorkreviewofbooks.com) (my.englishclub.com- boys reading) Girl- fanpop.com Sheknows.com- girls laying (orthodoxwayoflife.blogspot.com)

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