Is it wrong to be posting this on the last day of the month? I suppose in theory I could read another book before minute, but it’s really not going to happen.
I surprised myself by reading 9 books this month. Granted, in terms of page counts, they were much shorter reads, but seven were nonfiction, which I tend to read more slowly. In fact, on August 15th I’d only completed 2 books! Somehow I caught back up. It’s nice having met my goal already – I don’t feel the pressure anymore. This is all bonus. I even stopped reading a book halfway through (not listed) because I just didn’t like and didn’t want to waste my time. I could have powered through to add a book to the list, but I honestly didn’t care to find out how it ended.
Also, I think this is the first month in which I haven’t read something set in the 1940s. Go me.
And so here they are….latest in bold.
Non-fiction:
Every Bitter Thing is Sweet by Sara Hagerty
Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker
7 by Jen Hatmaker
Breaking Free by Beth Moore
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson
The Envy of Eve by Melissa Kruger
Recapture the Wonder by Ravi Zacharias
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Depression: Looking Up From The Stubborn Darkness (Edward T. Welch)
Quiet: the Power of Introverts in a World that can’t Stop Talking (Susan Cain)
The Fringe Hours (Jessica Turner)
Jesus the King (Timothy Keller)
A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet (Sophie Hudson)
He Chose the Nails (Max Lucado)
Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard (Laura Bates)
Sabbath (Wayne Muller)
Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis (Lauren Winner)
Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me? (Mindy Kaling)
In Cold Blood (Truman Capote)
Yes Please (Amy Poehler)
Just Mercy (Bryan Stevenson)
Brown Girl Dreaming (Jacqueline Woodson)
United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity (Trillia Newbell)
Nobody’s Cuter than You (Melanie Shankle)
Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times (Jennifer Worth)
Something Must be Done About Prince Edward County (Kristen Green) – talk about conviction. This is a true story about a county not too far from me that SHUT DOWN their public schools in order to avoid desegegration. This is several other books this year are causing me to question my worldview.
For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards (Jen Hatmaker) – A breath of fresh air. Relax and laugh at yourself. We are all broken and Jesus died to save us. I wish Jen was my friend.
The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to be Beautiful (Myquillyn Smith) – this is a home decorating book of sorts. Really, it’s about contentment. Recommend.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (Marie Kondo) – I’m all for purging. I’ve done a lot of it this year. But my possessions are not people so I am not going to look at my socks and say, “How would you like to be folded?” or at my books and say, “Which shelf would you like to call home?” For the Love.
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to be and Embrace Who You Are (Brene Brown) – this is a book about courage, vulnerability, and wholehearted living. I love Brene’s style and point of view. She’s also a sociologist (my first love). I plan to read more of her work.
Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehesi Coates) – Coates writes a lengthy letter to his son about being black in America. This was hard to swallow, but important for the sake of empathy and understanding. There is so much I cannot understand, but I want to for the sake of reconciliation.
Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life (Shauna Niequist) – I adored this collection of essays. The author truly finds the beauty in the mundane and has cultivated a life of gratitude.
Brown Girl Dreaming (Jacqueline Woodson)
United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity (Trillia Newbell)
Nobody’s Cuter than You (Melanie Shankle)
Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times (Jennifer Worth)
Something Must be Done About Prince Edward County (Kristen Green) – talk about conviction. This is a true story about a county not too far from me that SHUT DOWN their public schools in order to avoid desegegration. This is several other books this year are causing me to question my worldview.
For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards (Jen Hatmaker) – A breath of fresh air. Relax and laugh at yourself. We are all broken and Jesus died to save us. I wish Jen was my friend.
The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to be Beautiful (Myquillyn Smith) – this is a home decorating book of sorts. Really, it’s about contentment. Recommend.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (Marie Kondo) – I’m all for purging. I’ve done a lot of it this year. But my possessions are not people so I am not going to look at my socks and say, “How would you like to be folded?” or at my books and say, “Which shelf would you like to call home?” For the Love.
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to be and Embrace Who You Are (Brene Brown) – this is a book about courage, vulnerability, and wholehearted living. I love Brene’s style and point of view. She’s also a sociologist (my first love). I plan to read more of her work.
Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehesi Coates) – Coates writes a lengthy letter to his son about being black in America. This was hard to swallow, but important for the sake of empathy and understanding. There is so much I cannot understand, but I want to for the sake of reconciliation.
Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life (Shauna Niequist) – I adored this collection of essays. The author truly finds the beauty in the mundane and has cultivated a life of gratitude.
Fiction:
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Alan Bradley)
Big Little Lies (Liane Moriarty)
The Magician’s Nephew (C.S. Lewis)
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)
The Good Girl (Mary Kubica)
The Invention of Wings (Sue Monk Kidd)
The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag (Alan Bradley)
Year of Wonders (Geraldine Brooks)
Three Wishes (Liane Moriarty)
Orphan Train (Christina Baker Kline)
The Things we do for Love (Kristin Hannah)
Angels Walking (Karen Kingsbury)
A Red Herring Without Mustard (Alan Bradley)
The Next Always (Nora Roberts)
The Rosie Project / The Rosie Effect (Graeme Simsion)
The Outer Banks House / Return to the Outer Banks House (Diann Ducharme) –
Summer Island (Kristin Hannah)
Attachments (Rainbow Rowell)
Speak (Lauren Halse Anderson)
The Last Anniversary (Liane Moriarty)
Chasing Sunsets (Karen Kingsbury)
The Girl on the Train (Paula Hawkins)
Bridge to Haven (Francine Rivers)
If I Stay (Gayle Forman)
Her Husband’s Secret (Liane Moriarty)
Eyes on You (Kate White)
The Lost Wife (Alyson Richman)
The Nightingale (Kristin Hannah)
March (Geraldine Brooks)
The Other Boleyn Girl (Philippa Gregory)
Cutting For Stone (Abraham Verghese)
Life after Life (Kate Atkinson)
Still Alice (Lisa Genova)
The Dressmaker (Kate Alcott)
Covenant Child (Terri Blackstock)
What Alice Forgot (Liane Moriarty)
The Royal We (Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan) – In a word: HYSTERICAL. This is basically Will and Kate fan fiction and I loved.every.page.
Afterwards (Rosamund Lupton) – This author came highly recommended to me but I’m not sure I picked the best book to start with. Didn’t love it.
The Other Boleyn Girl (Philippa Gregory)
Cutting For Stone (Abraham Verghese)
Life after Life (Kate Atkinson)
Still Alice (Lisa Genova)
The Dressmaker (Kate Alcott)
Covenant Child (Terri Blackstock)
What Alice Forgot (Liane Moriarty)
The Royal We (Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan) – In a word: HYSTERICAL. This is basically Will and Kate fan fiction and I loved.every.page.
Afterwards (Rosamund Lupton) – This author came highly recommended to me but I’m not sure I picked the best book to start with. Didn’t love it.
Total as of August 31, 2015 — 73
This Cloudy Glass 