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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Apparently, I've become a book reviewer.

I know, you would rather be reading Eliana's 8-month update. Don't worry...it's coming. However, this blog is going to be a book review.

I recently learned about a book review program from Bethany House Publishers. You sign-up on their list, they e-mail you choices for books, you select a book, they send it to you for free, and all you have to do is write a review and post it to your blog and a retailer's site, like Amazon. I am all about some free books, so I decided to give it a try. Honestly, at first I thought nothing would come of it. I really did not expect to receive any books. The e-mails that they send say that just because you select a book does not mean that you will receive one. This happened to me several times. However, one day I ended up with a book in my mailbox. I had actually received an e-mail confirmation about it, but it ended up in my spam folder. A week later I received another book, and not long after that I received another book. They request that you post your review within 30 days of receiving the book. So....needless to say that can be difficult for me right now with taking care of Eliana, working, cooking, cleaning, etc. But again...free books!

My first review is on the book What Your Husband Isn't Telling You by David Murrow.

I must admit that although I enjoyed reading this book, sometimes it was hard for me to believe the things Murrow had written. Let me rephrase that. I didn't want to believe the things that he had written. For example, one chapter explains that men look at other women no matter how hard they try not to do it. That's not something I want to think about. I want to live in my happy bubble where my husband only has eyes for me. I'm not saying that I disagree with Murrow. I'm just saying I didn't like to read it.

Murrow writes in a way that is easy to understand, which makes for a very quick read. The book is divided into sections explaining the foundation of a man, a man's body, soul, and spirit, and what a woman can do to help her husband and her marriage. Although I would have liked to have more practical ways to help my husband, Murrow explained at the beginning that his goal was "more descriptive than prescriptive."

One of my favorite aspects of the book was Murrow's use of the sentence, "Here's something your husband isn't telling you..." He would then go on to explain something that husbands rarely say to their wives. For example, "Here's something your husband may never have told you: It means a lot when you prepare delicious, nutritious food for him."

Overall, I found Murrow's book to be quite helpful. He gave me many things to think about regarding why my husband may respond to certain situations in a way that I would not expect. There were many times in the book that I wrote the word, "ouch," in the margin. I wrote that when Murrow made a point that hit a little too close to home for me. These are areas that I need to work on in my own life.

However, there were a few things in the book that I did not agree with. At times I felt like he was showing women how they could get away with manipulating their husbands, but in a seemingly submissive way. This may not have been his intent, but there were a few instances that came across that way to me.

Murrow also has a free website: speakingofmen.com where he has many valuable resources for both men and women.

* This book was given to me for free by Bethany House Publishing in exchange for writing an honest book review for them.

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