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theseasoul's reviews
456 reviews
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth: Updated with New Material by Ina May Gaskin
4.5
|| 4.5 ⭐️ ||
I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of learning about natural birth and God’s design for it! He thought of everything when creating a mother’s body and the child growing within it, as well as the incredible process of birth itself. It’s so fascinating. Reading Ina May’s wisdom makes me even more excited to give birth someday (Lord willing), and confident in my body’s ability to do so. It also solidified a little more (if ‘more’ is even possible) my desire to avoid a hospital birth and all the usually unnecessary medical interventions that come with it.
Ina May’s approach to prenatal care and birth is a little more hands-on than I would probably want, but she really has a deep understanding of the kinds of support and environment a woman needs to safely give birth with little to no interventions. I especially appreciated her thoughts on the mind-body connection in birth and the Sphincter Law, since that’s one of the most missed aspects in the context of mainstream/medicalized birth. Her thorough analysis of various complications in birth and interventions commonly used to resolve them was also interesting and helpful. It’s a great way to weigh the pros and cons of certain interventions in preparation for birth.
I just read this for fun, but I’m sure I’ll be reading it again someday if I’m ever expecting.
The Moon Cycle Cookbook: A Holistic Nutrition Guide for a Well-Balanced Menstrual Cycle by Devon Loftus, Jenna Radomski
2.0
|| 2 ⭐️ ||
I had high hopes as this is a brilliant idea for a cookbook, but I was disappointed by the heavy emphasis on self-love and self-worship on almost every page. There were suggested “rituals” for each cycle phase, and while most of them were fine, a couple of them were very problematic (they even suggested doing a tarot card reading in one of the phases!) Most of the recipes lean plant-based; and I know that the crazy amounts of fibre and nuts promoted in these recipes often create the perfect storm for women’s hormones and cycle (as they did mine before I started focusing on animal foods in my diet).
Some of the recipes gave me new flavour combo inspirations and the photography/formatting of the book is absolutely beautiful. I even went out and made one of the soup recipes already (it was delicious)! But beyond that, I just can’t recommend this cookbook.
The Case for Grace: A Journalist Explores the Evidence of Transformed Lives by Lee Strobel
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
|| 4.5 ⭐️ ||
I’ve read several of Lee Strobel’s books by now, and this by far was the most encouraging to me. Most of his books approach evidence for the truth of Christianity from various angles, which have served to strengthen my faith; but this one focuses specifically on the testimonies of grace in various people’s lives. Many, if not all of the stories shared are what many would consider “too far gone” for Christ’s forgiveness, but that just enhances the astonishing grace that God lavishes freely on His children. These are some powerful stories and I really enjoyed reading them. It reminded me that even at my worst, God’s grace is abundant. I take that for granted far too often!
Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
|| 4 ⭐️ ||
I can see why Temple Grandin is regarded as a controversial voice; some of her views on autism would now be considered outdated and even harmful by some. However, upon reading her autobiography, it’s also clear to me that she is an extremely intelligent woman who has always done the best she could to navigate life with autism with the best knowledge and resources available to her at the time. I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with wanting to mitigate the negative symptoms of autism in order to exist in society with more ease. I definitely think there are always much better ways to do that than with drugs and antidepressants, but she figured out what worked for her and it has enhanced her quality of life.
Along with all of her experience with and insight into autism, I enjoyed learning more about her brilliant contributions to the humane treatment and slaughtering of cattle. Her observations of how animals think and respond to the world are incredible.
Warlords of Wyrdwood by RJ Barker
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
|| 2.5 ⭐️ ||
This middle book was full of battles, which I almost always find hard to follow. I tend to get lost in them, and then when emerging from the battle, I’m not really sure what’s going on anymore. Unfortunately this was the way it went repeatedly while reading this.
Ont and Udinny were fun perspectives to read, though, and I still enjoyed their personalities. The Wyrdwood and all within it was also still as vivid as ever. I’ve mostly lost my investment in the plot, however.
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
|| 2.5 ⭐️ ||
Not my favourite. Some great imagery, but the characters were only moderately interesting to me. The whole concept was quite strange and a bit creepy now and then. Not at all what I was expecting.
Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages by Anne Mendelson
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
|| 4 ⭐️ ||
Oh man, food microhistories are so much fun to read. It’s a love letter to milk from someone who really REALLY loves the stuff. I was already a diehard raw milk fan and have tried my hand at making various dairy products from scratch from it, but now my eyes have been opened even more to so many amazing ways in which dairy can be used and appreciated. My mouth was watering the whole time. Although many of the recipes are too fancy/specialty for me, I’m feeling thoroughly inspired after reading through them. I had no idea dairy was so diverse and spans across the cuisines of the entire world to the extent that it does. Really enjoyed learning more about this realm.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
|| 4.5 ⭐️ ||
It was a pleasure to read another novel by this author! Her writing style is so interesting, concrete in its setting and descriptions but also mysterious and slightly unsettling. Usually I struggle to wrap my head around plots that involve time travel, but surprisingly I managed to follow this one without too much confusion. It was executed so well. I had a wonderful time reading this, and I would’ve happily read it in a single sitting if I could.
|| Content warnings ||
A few minor characters have same-sex romances (not a huge focus on them, but annoying nonetheless even when it comes up in passing). One or two profanities. Mention of suicide.
Shadows in the Mind's Eye by Janyre Tromp
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
|| 3 ⭐️ ||
I was intrigued by the premise of this novel—books set in WWII itself are very common, but what is it like for a soldier coming home to his family after the war and readjusting to regular life and society? Most books end just before that point, but this story gives us a glimpse into what that must have been like; not only for the soldier himself as he navigates flashbacks and PTSD, but also for his wife and young child who have been eagerly waiting for his return. I loved Sam and his fierce desire to protect “his girls” even as he wrestled through his horrific memories.
Interestingly, this book also took an unexpected turn into the thriller realm. The twists near the end got pretty wild. I can enjoy a good thriller, but in this case I just wanted more of Sam, Annie and Rosie and less of all the other characters and sub-plots. Maybe that would’ve made the plot too boring, but I don’t think I would’ve minded.
|| Content warnings ||
War flashbacks, alcoholism, drug addiction