Money Saving Mom®

Bread & Wine

This book moved me, inspired me, and challenged me. And it made me want to spend more time in the kitchen and around the table.

However, the phrase that stuck out to me most was: Present Not Perfect. Shauna shares how we can get so wrapped up in trying to make life perfect — to get all our ducks in a row and keep them that way — that we miss the present.

We rush through life with our plans, our goals, and our lists. We check things off. We pat ourselves on the back for being a powerhouse of productivity. And we forget to breathe. To slow down. To soak up the moments. To savor the here and now.

Anchored

This book is the story of Kayla Aimee’s daughter being born as a micro-preemie and the pain and heartache and struggle that she walked through while fighting for her daughter’s life.

It’s funny AND heart-wrenching at the same time — which is a mark of a talented author, in my opinion. (I always say that I consider a highly talented author to be someone whose writing makes me laugh and tear up in the same page.)

The Happiness Dare

I loved Jennifer’s encouragement to start looking for shots of happy in the middle of the mundane, cultivating cheer in the midst of the messes, and celebrating the gifts and wonder and beauty to be found all around us!

As Jennifer challenges us, let’s “refuse to join the chorus of negativity, stop sleepwalking through life, boycott cynicism, and wring the joy out of ordinary days.” We were made for more!

Finding Spiritual Whitespace

This book wasn’t anything like I expected it to be, but it was everything that I needed to read. It was so good and messed with me in such a profound way!

Bonnie shares how she had to go back to the broken places in her life and work through and heal those before she could find freedom from her intense anxiety and panic attacks. As someone who has experienced anxiety since the time I was a young child, I resonated with her journey so much and this book was a big piece of my own healing journey this year.

If you feel like you’re running on empty with no time for rest, no time for yourself, and no time for God, I think you’ll be blessed and challenged by this book.

Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World

Bob Goff is a unique, one-of-a-kind man. You’ll pick up on that just by reading the introduction. He loves life, he loves people, and he’s not afraid of outlandishness or extravagance when it comes to showing love to others. His big heart is contagious.

Loving others isn’t just words we say; it’s the life we live. It’s giving of ourselves, it’s bringing joy to others, it’s being available to others, it’s dropping everything to be involved in others’ lives. It’s caring, it’s giving, and it’s sometimes doing crazy stuff, all because we love someone else.

You might not agree with all of the finer points of Bob’s theology and you might think he’s a bit over-the-top, but I can almost guarantee you can’t help but be challenged to examine how you love others.

Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better

In a society where it feels like we are wired to find offense everywhere we look, what would it be like to choose to not be offended? (We do have a choice, you know?)

This book focuses on the choice we each have about how we respond, even when people aren’t treating us how we’d like them to. This doesn’t mean that we let people walk all over us or that we don’t set boundaries, but it does mean that we can choose to either be a victim or a victor. We can choose to either be offended and hurt and upset, or we can acknowledge our feelings, grieve our loss, and choose to forgive.

I highly recommend that every Christian read this book! Jesse and I did an entire podcast episode centered on it because I found it so helpful!

Raising Emotionally Strong Boys

Do you struggle with kids who get easily irritated or have angry outbursts? Do you find yourself getting frustrated by your kids and then beating yourself up because you are frustrated at your kids and you don’t want to be? 

Do you wish you had practical tools and suggestions for how to navigate hard conversations with your kids and how to help them face difficulty and disappointment in life?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, PLEASE do not walk, RUN and go get a copy of Raising Emotionally Strong Boys by David Thomas. And, if you want a taste of it, go listen to the 30-minute interview I did with the author on The Crystal Paine Show. I learned so much from this book and it impacts me every single day in how I parent.

Raising Worry-Free Girls

Whether you have sons or daughters, I think this is a valuable read. Yes, all of her stories, anecdotes, and advice are more girl-driven, but I think much of it applies to boys (and adults!) too.

There is an epidemic of anxiety going on among our youth. This book will give you some starting places, great tools, and lots of food-for-thought to help you combat your kids’ anxiety.

I found so many new insights, wise advice, and practical ideas for us to implement in our home through the pages. This book is not a replacement for counseling or therapy, but it would be a fantastic starting place if you feel like your child might be struggling with anxiety. You might also enjoy the podcast episode I recorded with the author, Sissy Goff.

Find Your People

I picked this book up after Micah was born when I was feeling like I had lost some of the regular connection and community in my life, as a result of feeling sick and tired during pregnancy. I knew things needed to change and this book served as the perfect launching pad for me to step out and start initiating again.

If you are longing for community, if you’ve been hurt by relationships, or you just feel a little lonely where you are, Find Your People is a fantastic read. I read it and then followed through with her suggestions… and they worked! In fact, in just a few months, I had developed multiple new relationships and deepened relationships I already had, and I felt so much more connected as a result.

Even though I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable putting into practice all of the author’s suggestions (like how her small group shared everything about their finances), the book was exactly what my heart and soul needed when I needed it, and it just might be for you too. 

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality

When my friend, Melissa, gave me this book and said it had really impacted her life, I wasn’t sure what I was going to think of it.

Then I started reading… and within a few chapters, I knew it was going to be one of those truly life-changing books. The book is all about how our emotional and spiritual health are so tied together and how we often overlook this.

The author talks about how we often seem to think that our past and our baggage and all the things we try to pretend don’t exist or stuff down or not deal with won’t affect us in the long run… but they will!

There are so many things I gleaned from this book and so many sections that challenged me in deep ways. I feel like this book helped me live more fully in light of the truth that I am loved by God, to walk with freedom and confidence, and to love people much more deeply and authentically.

The Unplugged Hours

This was one of those books that will likely challenge and stick with me for a very long time. And it was one of two books that inspired my word for 2025.

I especially loved how the book felt inspiring and doable, not guilt-ridden or legalistic! I think it makes you want to unplug more because of how it would enrich your life and relationships, not unplug because you felt like you must or you should or that all technology is bad.

The Giver

I don’t quite know what to say about this book. At first, I was so frustrated by the ending. That’s it?!?! No! There has to be more!

I couldn’t get the story out of my brain. What am I missing? Why is it haunting me?

The more I pondered, the more it started to make sense to me and I actually started to love the book and the powerful way it reminds us that without pain and suffering, we can’t experience emotional connection or truly feel at a deep level. If we took all of the pain away from the world, it would also take away so much depth and the ability to experience life in full color.

I wished I would have read this book with a book club because I would have loved to hear what other people thought of things as I went through it. And I totally understand why some people love it and some people don’t like it at all.

Dear Mr. Knightley

The book starts out slowly, but once I got to about page 40, I couldn’t put it down. It delves into some deeper issues of how past hurts and rejection can wound people so deeply that they hide their real self for fear of further pain and rejection. It’s a beautiful story of healing and redemption and of how to love and reach out to hurting people.

Ever read a book that you just don’t want to end and when you finish it, you want to meet the characters in real-life? That was this book for me.

Me Before You

This was one of the most heart-breaking, compelling, and thought-provoking books I’ve read in a long time. I thought it was very well-written and found it hard to put down. In fact, I read the entire book in one day!

Caveat: This book is not written from a Christian perspective, has quite a bit of language, and the plot line deals with suicide in a very raw form. I didn’t agree with the outcome of the book, but it made me dig deep and think hard… and books that do that are ones I feel are very worth my time.

What Alice Forgot

I really enjoyed this book and it has stayed with me for months after reading it. While it wasn’t written from a Christian perspective and had some swear words in it, the book was well-written and really caused me to step back and examine my own marriage and relationships to see if I’m making small choices that would, over time, have devastating consequences.

The Art of Losing Yourself

If you like Christian fiction that tackles real-life brokenness and doesn’t have Hallmark endings, I’d highly recommend this book.

I loved the character development and it reminded me that everyone has hard burdens they are carrying, and that hurting people need our love not our judgment, ostracizing, or criticism.

Remarkably Bright Creatures

So, this book completely surprised me with how much how I loved it and how attached I became to the quirky characters in it — including an octopus!

This book has multiple unique characters, each telling their story from their point of view, and the way they all weave together in the end is beautiful and endearing. If you enjoy a good fiction story told from different vantage points that spans a wide variety of ages and interests, definitely check this book out!

Note: This is not a Christian book and has some crass language in it, but it is a well-written and engaging story… and it made me want to learn a lot more about the octopus from it, because it was fascinating and I learned so much just from what the book included about it!

Salt to the Sea

I absolutely loved this book. It was well-written, super engaging, and I learned a lot about an event in history (that took place during WWII) that I’d never even heard of before. I also loved that it was the same story written from multiple perspectives… which made it really fascinating.

It’s a sad story, but the author handled it in a way that it would be appropriate even for younger readers. Our teens read it with me one summer and we all really enjoyed it.

One thing I will say is that since it’s told from multiple perspectives, it may take a bit to get your bearings on who is who and what is what… but keep reading for the first 30-40 pages and then you’ll probably not want to stop reading!

We Were the Lucky Ones

This was my very favorite audiobook in 2021! It’s based on the true story of a Jewish family during World War II, who were separated all over the world, and how they ended up surviving and eventually being reunited. It is deeply moving, gripping, and heartbreaking. But, at the same time, it is the story of love, family, and perseverance against all odds.

I especially appreciated how creative and determined each of the family members was to beat the odds, come up with outside-the-box ideas, and not give up. When all around it felt like everything was crumbling and hopeless, they chose to press on and keep holding on to the will to live.

Note: There is a little bit of language and, as you can imagine, some intense and graphic topics are touched on. However, I felt like the book did a good job of not going into unnecessarily graphic details and that it stayed true to the story and experiences.

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I love this WWII novel, which is written entirely in the form of letters and telegrams between Juliet, who lives in England, and residents of Guernsey, a German-occupied island in the English Channel. In fact, I love it so much that I’ve read the book, watched the Netflix movie, and listened to the audiobook, which is uncharacteristic for me!

I ultimately decided that the book is great, the movie is good, and the audiobook (which is narrated by multiple voices) is very well done. So I highly recommend all three!

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

I’d had this book on our shelf for a long time, but honestly, the cover just looked boring so I didn’t pick it up to start reading to the kids. I’m glad it was assigned reading in our Sonlight homeschool curriculum, or we would have missed out on this gem of a book.

Yet another great example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover! All three of the kids found it very engaging and attentively listened when I read it and always begged me to read more when I’m done.

Johnny Tremain

This book was a winner of the 1944 Newberry Medal and is a fascinating novel that chronicles the defining events leading up to the American Revolutionary War. The author does such a great job of weaving together historical events and fictionalized characters in a way that had us all wanting to read just one more chapter!

The Golden Goblet

Kaitlynn and I read this book as part of her Sonlight curriculum in homeschool and really enjoyed it! It was one of our very favorites this year — especially if you love Ancient Egyptian history.

It was a Newberry Honor Award winner and I’m not surprised. The storyline is compelling and interesting and it brings Ancient Egyptian history to life.

Plus, it’s a story of endurance and resilience in the face of many odds. It was one of those read alouds that we just didn’t want to stop reading and both of us looked forward to each day to see what was going to happen. And we were kind of sad when the book was finished!

The Upstairs Room

We really enjoyed reading this book together as a family. It’s the true story of a young Jewish girl who was hidden in a room for two years to protect her from being captured or killed by the Germans. While the writing in the book could have been tightened up a bit, we all found the story fascinating and such a good reminder of the gift we have of freedom to be able to go outside and live our normal lives without fear.

Note: It totally caught me off guard that this book had language in it that I never would have expected for a kid’s book and I’ve had to edit out a few words here and there. Just keep this in mind if you’re planning to read this to your kids or let them read it.

Wonder

This book is such a worthwhile read! I read it in two days and can’t recommend it highly enough — especially if you have kids around ages 9-12 like mine are. I think it’s a book that can really impact your thinking on what compassion and empathy look like and the importance of being a true friend.

My girls read it and we had some great discussions about the book. We also went to the movie and I wrote a really honest review of my thoughts on the movie and why I felt like it missed the mark.