Bringing up Girls Review

Title: Bringing up Girls

Author: Dr. James Dobson

Pages: 285

Having two daughters of my own I was very interested in Dr. Dobson's book "Bringing up Girls." After reading this book I would recommend it to any family that has daughter(s) and could use some good sound answers and advice in parenting.

The first part of the book covers the different roles and protrayals of women and girls in times past and in our current society, including the media and movies. The changes are alarming and disparaging, but presented in an adequate manner. There is also a significant amount of research and studies in Chapter 4 and later in Chapter 14 (Consequences) and 18.

There were some great practical tips in Chapter 10 (Fathers to Daughters) that were actually from another book title Father to Daughter: Life Lessons on Raising a Girl.

The middle chunk of 20 pages consists of a question and answer with Dr. Dobson. Questions about sports, movies, and behaviors.

The book finishes with a chapter on Bullying, more question and answer, and finally parental resources.

This book covers many different topics related to "bringing up Girls" and would be a noteworthy addition to any Christian's bookshelf.

4/5 Stars

Note: I was provided this review copy by Tyndale Publishing.

The Skin Map review

Author: Stephen R. Lawhead
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pages: 398

Time travel and high adventure abound in this brand new title from veteran author Stephen R. Lawhead. Lawhead published his first novel in 1981 and has written over 20 novels.

The main character Kit Livingstone's great-grandfather appears to him out of the blue with a story of passage to other worlds all held together by an important map. There are other people after the map and the tension mounts in a race for power and control over the map. *Minor spoiler ahead* Kit's girlfriend plays a significant part in the story as she spends a good amount of time starting a new life in a different world and a different time.

The Skin Map is a well-paced novel with excellent dialogue, amazing scenery, and an ending that I didn't see coming. I would recommend this title to any fans of historical adventure.

There are more books to come in this series and I enjoyed it enough that I will pick up the next novel as soon as it is released (The Bone House - September 2011).

4/5 Stars

*I received this book as a review copy from Thomas Nelson*