I don’t review a lot of non-fiction books on my blog, but when I saw there was a book about books, the reading life and bookworms, I knew I needed to read and share it! This book is not only a wonderful read, but an amazing resource, filled with book lists for different seasons of a reader’s life!
In Book Girl: A Journey Through the Treasures and Transforming Power of a Reading Life by Sarah Clarkson, Clarkson begins each section with a little essay of her own, and then proceeds to give us some book lists that correspond with the essay. I learned a lot from Ms. Clarkson’s essays and found them very relatable. Ms. Clarkson argues that reading shapes who we are and it’s the lens through which we view the world. She talks of stories helping us to understand things better in real life; they help show us what is good and give us hope to fight and cope with the evil in the world. Ultimately, she says that our lives are a story as a part of the Kingdom of God. I couldn’t agree more with her arguments for how important reading and stories are!
I personally have such a passion for Story. Ms. Clarkson talks all about the exact reason why my blog is named Faery Tales Are Real, arguing for the importance of fairy tales and how they point us to the greatest Story of Christianity. I love how she found connections between fairy tales and Biblical narrative. I just felt through reading this book that I had found a kindred spirit, as the author talks about Anne from Anne of Green Gables and how she loves the Lord of the Rings (can I get an Amen). The Lord of the Rings helped strengthen her faith when she was younger, in the same way that it did for me.
I highly recommend this book to any person who loves reading, no matter what stage of the reading journey they are in. It is an excellent resource to have on hand (the book lists are amazing)!
Content: This is a clean read. The only content is: mentions rape when describing To Kill a Mockingbird; word damn is used.
Rating: I give this book 5 stars!
Genre: Christian non-fiction
I want to thank Tyndale Momentum, Tyndale House Publishers and Sarah Clarkson for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.
About the Author:
Sarah Clarkson loves books, beauty, and imagination, and thinks everyone else should too. She's a published author (The Lifegiving Home, Read for the Heart, Caught Up in a Story) and recent graduate of Oxford University, where she studied theology at Wycliffe Hall. She blogs at sarahclarkson.com and is a regular guest on the podcast At Home with Sally, where she chats about her current reads and imaginative discoveries. She lives in Oxford, England, in a red-doored cottage she shares with her husband, Thomas and their duagher, Lilian.To visit the author's website click here
To purchase the book click here
Well, my goodness, there is so much to this book-it sounds incredible. I love that Ms. Clarkson links stories to the Bible, and otherwise to our world around us and our everyday experiences. And the book lists-I love that! When I was much younger and was searching for great picture books for my children (something I took very seriously and had so much fun doing), I was constantly referring to the lists set forth in Jim Trelease' book (The Read Aloud Handbook). It was wonderful and led to many great moments with my children (hopefully they'll agree.... :-D ). I'm so excited that you've tapped into such a "find!" And any book that develops the theme that "our lives are a story as a part of the Kingdom of God" has to be beautifully written and a wonderful resource book. Congratulations to happening upon this book and thank you for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeleteI know, it is a keeper for sure! I have a feeling I will be referring to the lists in the years to come. Yes, it's such a fascinating read and she really does pack so much great content into this book. Ahhh, that's awesome that you did that with your kids!! I'm sure they have grown up with a great love for reading and appreciation of books : ) What age does that book go up to? Is it just picture books or does it include middle grade as well? Thanks so much for your support and encouragement!
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