The Duggars: 20 and Counting! by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar

My youngest daughter has me hooked on reality television. No, not "Survivor" or "American Idol"--REAL reality television. One of the shows she introduced me to is about the Duggar family.

Through their new book, co-authored by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, we get to know them almost as well as if we lived in their home. With transparency and heart, the Duggars share from the very beginning about their amazing and unique family.

Jim Bob and Michelle grew up in very different environments, and the results play out in their marriage early on. He's a saver--she eventually learns to be one, and becomes more thrifty than her husband!

They explain their philosophy of family growth, sharing how they didn't start out wanting 18 children. One thing you'll notice quickly about the Duggars is their deep faith in Christ. That permeates everything about them--from their philosophy of family, to how they manage their finances, to the amount of faith they need to make huge decisions.

Included in this candid book are emails they've received and their responses to their readers and viewers. Michelle also shares household tips and recipes (I'm trying most of them out, they sound so good!). Lots of pictures grace this book as well.

The Duggars aren't your typical American family--they aren't even your typical Christian family. To me, that's sad. I wish we had more families like the Duggars in our country and in our world today. Not size-wise, (although with the American birthrate declining every year, one day we won't be America any longer...email on this one if you'd like.), but faith-wise.

Reading "The Duggars: 20 and Counting" has changed how I view things for my own family. We too are ever-expanding, just not in conventional ways. My newly adopted daughter is having my first grandchild in May, and I plan on sharing this book with her.

My two youngest at home are 18 and 14; I still have time to instill some of what I've learned from the Duggar family in them, and I can work with my grandchildren as well, once they begin arriving.

We have a family of 9 total--half of what the Duggars have. Not all at once, and not all at home...but had all of our children lived under the same roof, living like the Duggars live wouldn't be bad at all.

If you've seen their show on TLC, you already know them a bit. If you haven't, you'll be in for a pleasant surprise. Either way, get their new book and you'll enjoy learning more about this amazing, faith-filled and loving family.

I'm giving "The Duggars: 20 and Counting" the golden bookmark for publishing excellence and voting it Best Parenting Biography of 2008! Don't miss out on this one! And catch their show if you can!

Happy Reading!