I'm Happy for You (Sort Of...Not Really) by Kay Wills Wyma

I'm happy for me (sort of...not really) that I read this book.  I struggled with it, and had to force myself to finish it. This book reminded me of those crime drama shows on TV.  They have a story to tell that is good, but it's really only a story that should be a half hour long and instead they stretch it out to be an hour or two long.  I start out attentive, but lose interest half way through.

I'm Happy for You (Sort Of...Not Really) is subtitled Finding Contentment in a Culture of Comparison. I felt that the author, Kay Wills Wyma, spent a LOT of time telling us how discontented we are and how much we compare ourselves to others, but not nearly as much time telling us what to do about it.  I'm pretty sure that anyone who purchases the book already knows they are discontent.  I believe they would be looking for solutions and I don't think Ms. Wyma really delivers.  Mostly she seems to preach the evils of Facebook, Pinterest and other social media, so I guess the solution would be to turn those off. 

This book is billed as "Christian living", but I found it to be very light on Scripture and very heavy on psychobabble. It is well-written and uses a lot of illustrations from real people, but I wish it relied way more on God's Word and way less on psychologists and doctors and other authors.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for my honest review.

Let's Pretend We're Normal: Adventures in Rediscovering How to Be a Family by Tricia Lott Williford

Because I read Tricia Lott Williford's first book, And Life Comes Back, I was very interested in reading her second book, Let's Pretend We're Normal.  The first book told the story of her sudden and unexpected plunge into widowhood and the daunting task she faced of raising two preschoolers alone.  This new book is a sequel to that first roller coaster year.  Although certainly still missing her husband daily, she is now able to function more normally, or at least to pretend to be more normal. 

This honest, humorous book is filled with beautiful examples of God's grace.  Tricia and her sons sometimes stumble, yet they manage to get back up to fight on.  They battle to be a balanced, emotionally healthy family, despite the fact that they will always grieve the loss of the husband and dad. Some days they manage well, others are filled with tears and tantrums. Yet through it all, they love well, forgive quickly and laugh often.

Tricia is a gifted writer, giving us glimpses of her family life--abnormal though it may be. This book about the Williford family is a true story of hope after despair.  It is also the bigger picture of the God's faithfulness and the way he redeems all things.  I was blessed by reading it and I think you will be too.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for my honest review.