Recent reads.

Praying Mom: Making Prayer the First and Best Response to Motherhood by Brooke McGlothlin- I read a little bit of this book each day as a devotional for a month or two until I finished it. I enjoyed it! I love how she weaved stories with prayer tips and advice. My favorite part was the end where they had different verses and corresponding prayers by topic, like prayers for when you feel angry, when you need peace, when you feel weary, etc. I loved how it was encouraging and convicting together, with practical tips to involve prayer more throughout your days.

Rockabye: From Wild to Child by Rebecca Woolf- I followed Rebecca's blog for many years (she doesn't blog anymore), but I always was intrigued by her writing and enjoyed following along with her family. It's been interesting to read her books (this is her first, published in 2008), as she delves even deeper than what she wrote about on her blog. This book is about how she got pregnant when she was 23 with her boyfriend of four months at the time. They got married, had a baby boy, and it's about her journey to marriage and motherhood and the first year or two of her son's life. We personally live very differently and believe very different things (she's definitely not a Christian), but her perspective is captivating. I enjoyed reading it because I felt connected to her from following her blog for years.

Fostered: One Woman's Powerful Story of Finding Faith and Family through Foster Care by Tori Hope Petersen- I have followed Tori online for years and enjoyed hearing her perspective about foster care and learning from her. I was eager to read her book and hear her story. This is an honestly and beautifully written memoir of her story. It was deeply sad to read at times, but I'm thankful she shared and that we can see how her story is shaping who she is today. It's beautiful to see the redemption- what she has overcome and her love for Jesus and helping others. She is young (mid-twenties), so I'm looking forward to continuing to follow her and see how her perspective continues to grow in Him as she ages and how she moves for Him.