Book Review | Book Chatter

All My Knotted-Up Life
By Beth Moore
Published by Tyndale, 9781496472670, Feb 2023, 300pp.

The Short of It:

Heartfelt and honest.

The Rest of It:

Beth Moore might be a household name or she might be completely unknown to you. Either way, you will be completely charmed by All My Knotted-Up Life.

Beth shares her childhood with us, and includes the painful mention of abuse suffered at the hands of her father. But she does it in THE MOST gentle way. No surprises. As she shares her faith walk with us, this part of her story had to be shared because it shaped who she came to be as a Southern Baptist who eventually walked away from the church. Anyone who has ever struggled with their faith, and fell out of love with their church will be able to relate to Beth’s struggle.

As Beth found her footing, by creating Living Proof Ministries, other areas of her life began to fall apart. Mainly, the precarious health of her dear husband and how that affected the entire family. What felt like trial after trial is what brought both of them closer to God.

I want you to know, that you will find comfort in this memoir if you call yourself a Christian, but you will also find parts of it absolutely charming even if you’re not. The stories that Beth shares about her grandparents and siblings bring to mind simpler, happier times and I wanted to sit in that moment for a long while which it why it took me so long to read the book!

This book manages to be pure charm, mixed with weightier topics. Thoroughly enjoyed it and shed a tear or two. Beth knows how to share a story.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Black Cake
By Charmaine Wilkerson
Ballantine Books, 9780593358351, November 2022, 416pp.

The Short of It:

This is a case of “like”, not love.

The Rest of It:

In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves. ~ Publisher

I had a really hard time finalizing my thoughts on this one, which is why it’s taken me so long to post the review. This book confused me. I really liked parts of it, but much of it is repetitive, in my opinion, and towards the end of the book I felt like little progress had been made with the story or the characters. I kept looking for growth but didn’t find it.

This was my book club’s pick for February and the host even made us a black cake, like the one in the book. Oh Nellie that cake had a ton of rum in it. Haha! We enjoyed it a little too much. Even with the added spirits in the form of rum and wine, we couldn’t find much to discuss. We all felt that the author could have done more with it. It was almost like she played it safe. I didn’t feel much for the characters and their actions were hard to explain. That said, I would probably pick up another book by this author because again, there were parts that I enjoyed. Other than that, I don’t have much to say about it.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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