I suppose I shouldn’t be putting this up already, as there is still another day, but I’m feeling pretty confident that I won’t finish another book between now and then.

August was a weird reading month for me.  I went “back” to work “full-time” on the first.  If you know me, you understand the quotation marks.  I actually never left work or went down to part-time. I just don’t get paid for all the time I put in during the summer months. Nevertheless, the start of the school year is always a stressful time and I didn’t finish my first book until the 13th.  After that, however, I was able to pick up the pace.

Here’s my list!

• Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way – Shauna Niequist – a beautiful collection of essays written during a tough season in the author’s life.  I haven’t read anything by Niequist that I haven’t liked. My only complaint is that every time I read them, I get hungry.
• You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys to a More Fulfilling Life – Eleanor Roosevelt – there is a lot of wisdom packed into this small book.
• Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier – fantastic read!  Rebecca is incredibly creepy without any gratuitous horror or violence. I loved it.
• Alexander Hamilton – Ron Chernow – interesting, but I struggled to finish. As with many biographies, I found it a bit dry.
• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet – Jamie Ford – I love historical fiction and often find myself immersed somewhere in the 1940s, but this is the first time I’ve heard the story through the eyes of Japanese Americans.
• Kidnapped – Dee Henderson – This book was previously published under the title True Courage, which I may have read, but if I did I never remembered the ending during the reread.  Henderson’s work isn’t going to win major literary awards but she tells an engrossing story well and I can easily finish them in a day or two.  I needed that after reading Alexander Hamilton.
• Wild and Free: A Hope-Filled Anthem for the Woman who Feels She is Both Too Much and Never Enough – Jess Connelly & Hayley Morgan – Not my favorite memoir/Christian living of the year but they definitely speak Truth.
• Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town – Jon Krakauer – major trigger warning with this one. Krakauer sticks to the facts, and I appreciated his style.  Even though it is clearly nonfiction, it almost reads like a novel. An important read, but a difficult one.

This brings my total for the year to 68 books.  I’m cautiously optimistic that I will indeed reach 100 again by the end of the year.

First, I’d like to apologize to my sister Amy for not posting all summer. She’s such a faithful reader – even texts me to ask me to post. Glad I have one!

I don’t have a lot to say today. It is my last day of summer break, though I really have been working at least a couple days a week all summer. Tomorrow, however, is the day I go back full time, and school starts in two weeks!

I didn’t read nearly as much as I thought I would this summer. I worked a lot and since so much of my summer work is spent staring intently at spreadsheets and computer screens, my eyes are tired when I get home and I have no motivation to read.

Here’s what I read in June and July.

• 11/22/63 (Stephen King)
• The Widow (Fiona Barton)
• Better than Before (Gretchen Rubin)
• Eligible (Curtis Sittenfield)
• Don’t You Cry (Mary Kubica)
• The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (Gabrielle Zevin)
• Finding Spiritual Whitespace (Bonnie Gray)
• Britt-Marie Was Here (Fredrick Backman)
• The Bluest Eye (Toni Morrison)
• Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Helen Fielding)
• The Nest (Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney)
• Where’d You Go, Bernadette (Maria Semple)
• The Blue Castle (L.M. Montgomery)
• The Hypnotist’s Love Story (Liane Moriarty)
• Heart Made Whole (Christa Black Gifford)

I’ve got to say, I enjoyed every one of these books. But, if I could only recommend three, they would be Eligible (a modern day retelling of Pride & Prejudice), The Storied Lie of A.J. Fikry, and The Blue Castle (though you should keep in mind that you’ll find it in the children’s section of the library…).

Total Books Read in 2016: 60

Happy Reading!

A couple months ago, the amazing Sophie Hudson put out an all-call for people to help promote her upcoming book.  Because I loved her first two books, A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet and Home is Where My People Are, I immediately applied to be part of the launch team, although I never expected to actually be chosen.  BUT I WAS!

The best part of being on a launch team is getting to read a much anticipated book before everyone else. I received my copy of Giddy Up, Eunice: Because Women Need Each Other about a month ago and promptly read it in a day and a half.

Y’all. It’s so good.

[Disclaimer: although I did receive the book for free, the review below is completely my own honest opinion.]

In this book, Hudson studies three pairs of female friendships in Scripture and provides practical applications for us today…with humor, wisdom, depth, and ALL THE FEELS.  There were moments when I laughed out loud and others when I sobbed.  I was convicted, comforted, and challenged, all at the same time. There is something so beautiful that happens when women live life together and the Spirit of God is present.

Another thing that sets these three friendships apart is that all three pairs, Elizabeth and Mary, Naomi and Ruth, and Eunice and Lois, are cross-generational friendships.  We need each other.  We should be reaching out to those ahead and behind us.

Sophie interjects stories of the women in her own life – a beautiful tribute to her mother and mother-in-law and many others who have spoken truth to her in times of need. I couldn’t help but think the many women who have gone ahead for me – and that’s when the tears started to fall.

Here are just a few of my favorite quotes:

“Culture tells us to compete. To look out for ourselves. Scripture tells us to bless. To look out for each other.”

“The majority of women who are involved in a church or synagogue state that they feel little, if any, emotional support from their congregation…Yes, it’s vulnerable to open up about the deepest desires of our hearts, not to mention our sin and our shortcomings, but it’s better than being isolated. It’s better than being bitter…What are we going to model for [Millennials] and the generations behind them? Are we going to pass on a culture of honor and blessing? A culture where women are valued for the unique gifts they bring to the body of Christ? A culture where women are supportive of each other, encouraging and kind?”

“If we tell ourselves that a person will never understand where we’re coming from and what we’re dealing with, then odds are we won’t open up. And if we don’t open up, we can rest assured that we’ll miss out on other women’s wisdom and perspective. We might even walk around with a bunch of burdens we shouldn’t be trying to carry alone. We might compare ourselves straight into isolation and loneliness. Or, heaven forbid, we might just quit – quit trying to reach out, quit trying to connect, quit trying to be vulnerable, quit trying to support, and quit trying to love each other really well.”

What a ridiculous month it’s been! School ended on Friday after a whirlwind last four weeks of testing, during which I worked about 12 hours a day each day, plus more on weekends. I am truly blessed to have a job I love, but the last month wore me out. If that wasn’t hard enough, I am also moving this Thursday, so I’ve been packing and painting and otherwise stressing myself out.

I did, however, read a few books! I’m slowly working my way through Stephen King’s 11/22/63, all 849 pages, and I think I may actually finish it and read one additional book in June. But first, here’s what I read in May.

• The Secret Keeper (Kate Morton) – Kate Morton’s books are long, but this one is probably my favorite of her works that I’ve read.
• Calling Me Home (Julie Kibler) – loved this story about an interracial relationship in the 1930s
• Strong and Weak (Andy Crouch) – great commentary on leadership
• Bel Canto (Ann Patchett) – I liked this one alright, but it was a little boring for me. I didn’t connect with the characters.
• Giddy Up, Eunice (Sophie Hudson) – I am so fortunate to be on the launch team for this book.  I got an advance copy (it comes out this Tuesday) and read it in two days.  This book is so good! I laughed, I cried, was impressed with its depth, and remembered all the dear women in my own life.  Get this book!
• Still Life (Louise Penny) – I’m in a readers’ Facebook group called “SortaLiterary” and so many members have raved about this book. I did not like it.
• A Man Called Ove (Frederik Backman) – This is the best fiction I’ve read so far this year.  I love Ove (pronounced Ooo-va), the world’s most loving curmudgeon.  In my mind he looks like my grandpa.

Year total to date: 45.

 

April was a ridiculously productive reading month. I still don’t quite know why. I guess it’s because there were so many books I was excited to read and because I used reading as a reward for getting my work done.

Here’s what I read in April, with a brief description of each.

1. So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed (Jon Ronson) – didn’t love it. I felt like this was a book that could have been a magazine article. However, if you are a big Jon Ronson fan, I’m sure you’d enjoy it. I preferred The Psychopath Test and Nonsense: the Power of Not Knowing.
2. The Distant Hours (Kate Morton) – This story is set in England and flashes back to the 1930s.  Mysterious, but not a mystery, with an unexpected twist at the end. I enjoyed it.
3. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (Daniel H. Pink) – this is a nonfiction book looking at motivation and our system of rewards in current employment. I read this for class and found it fascinating.
4. Rising Strong (Brene Brown) – this is the second book of Brown’s that I read. It is about overcoming adversity. I love her sociologist’s perspective. although I could have done without all the anecdotes. Just give me the data.
5. After You (JoJo Moyes) – This is a must-read for anyone who cried through Before You. Although I find the arc a bit too unbelievable, it provided the resolution I needed and I was pleased.
6. Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World (Anthony Doerr) – this was a fun memoir. Doerr reflects on the year he lived in Italy while writing. The funeral refers to the death of the Pope. What I loved best about this was that the book he was supposed to be writing during this year was All the Light We Cannot See, which I loved. A fun, short read.
7. The Hole in our Gospel: What Does God Expect of Us (Richard Stearns) – challenging and convicting. Written by the president of World Vision.
8. The Kitchen House (Kathleen Grissom) – I absolutely loved this historical fiction novel set in Virginia in 1810. It tells the story of the antebellum South through the eyes of Belle, a slave whose father is the plantation owner, and Lavinia, a white indentured servant on the same plantation.
9. Pretty Baby (Mary Kubica) – This was a really interesting suspense novel. I could not put this book down. It tells the story of what happens when a middle aged woman struggling with infertility and depression takes in a homeless girl with a baby. Where it goes…you would never expect.
10. The Grownup (Gillian Flynn) – I hated everything about this. It’s a short story and I read it in half an hour. If it had been any longer I would have stopped reading.
11. Glory Over Everything: Beyond the Kitchen House (Kathleen Grissom) – this is the sequel to The Kitchen House. I loved it because it provided some resolution to some loose ends in the first book, but since the main characters are male, it didn’t resonate with me as much.
12. Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human (John Mark Comer) – a great, Christian, grace-filled perspective on keeping the Sabbath.
13. Looking for Lovely: Collecting Moments that Matter (Annie F. Downs) – oh, Annie. This book spoke to my heart more than any other book I’ve read this year. My only criticism is that I wish she’d added more Scripture. It’s memoir in every sense.
14. The Forgetting Time (Sharon Guskin) – This debut novel tells the story of a single mom whose four-year old son suddenly starts “rememebering” things he never experienced. Unique and captivating.

My Top 3: Drive, The Kitchen House, Looking for Lovely

2016 Book Count: 38

24 books through the first 25% of 2016!  I’ve consistently read 8 books a month even while taking 2 classes a week in the evening.  Not too shabby…

I will say that I had trouble in the second half of last month finding books that I LOVED.  My goal for April is to stop reading the book if I don’t enjoy it.  It may mean my monthly total goes down, but I’m okay with it.

Here’s what I read last month:

• Taken by Dee Henderson
• Their God is Too Small: Open Theism and the Undermining of Confidence in God, by Bruce A. Ware
• If I Run by Terri Blackstock
• The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry, by Jon Ronson
• Democracy In Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul by Eddie S. Glaude Jr
• God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly: A Physician’s First Year by Matt McCarthy

As someone whose brother just completed medical school in the last 12 months, I find it fascinating how immediate the transition from student to doctor occurs.  He’s 27 years old and performing ridiculous procedures every day.

I picked up this book in part because of the brilliant title, and also because I love a good medical story.  Matt McCarthy does not disappoint, as he shares the many highs and lows of his intern year of residency.  McCarthy is a great storyteller, and while I have my doubts that it is all true, I enjoyed the read.

I would love to hear a “real” doctor’s take on all this.  Oh wait… I know one.

 

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.

 

 

“Whenever white America has a cold, black America has the flu…Claims that the recession is over…only confirm that much of what happens in black America is not a matter of national concern—unless, of course, it threatens people who ‘really matter.'”

I began reading this book and was hooked from the first chapter.  Since Ferguson I’ve read several books about race relations in America and the black experience.  I’ve read works of fiction and nonfiction, Christian thought and academic pieces, and white and black writers.

Democracy in Black is probably the one you should read if you are only going to read one book on the topic.  Eddie S. Glaude Jr. writes to both a white and black audience.  He discusses history, data and philosophy at length, but also writes from personal experience.  It’s not an easy read; Glaude calls out contradictions and  travesties of both races.

His main premise is simple: America is NOT a post-racial society, and that is why the #BlackLivesMatter movement is necessary.

You guys, today in America we incarcerate more black people than South Africa did at the height of apartheid.

We have a problem of race in America and declaring it over does  not make it over.  Glaude says the reason is because there is a value gap, that is, “white people are valued more than others in this country.”  All you have to do is watch a Trump rally to see that.  Glaude says, “BlackLivesMatter reminds white people that their lives do not matter more than others.  It is a direct challenge to white supremacy.”

I could go on, but don’t want to summarize the Glaude’s entire work.  This book broke my heart.  We must do better.

 

 

 

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.

Snow days and sick days meant for unexpected time to read in the last four weeks.  I suppose I could finish another book in the remaining 48ish hours in February, but I shouldn’t.  I have several papers that I should be writing, but instead I am typing this post while binge-watching Fuller House on Netflix.  It is so cheesy but I love it.

Without further ado, here’s what I read this month:

• Becoming Myself: Embracing God’s Dream of You (Stasi Eldredge) – This book was too emotional for me.  Not wrong with it necessarily, but didn’t speak to me.
• Catching Up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization (Yong Zhao) – I read this for a class I’m taking this semester.  Zhao offers an interesting perspective on the perceived positives and negatives in the world of education.  A good read.
• The Antelope in the Living Room: the real story of two people sharing one life (Melanie Shankle) – Melanie Shankle, a.k.a. Big Mama, is a hilarious writer.  This book made me laugh out loud more times than I can count.  She just mentioned in her podcast that she is working on another book and I cannot wait.
• Bread & Wine: a Love Letter to Life Around the Table (Shauna Niequist) – This is a book about food.  It doesn’t get much better than that.  Food, fellowship, hospitality, friendship.  I haven’t loved all of Niequist books but I enjoyed this one and will be trying some of the recipes at the end of each chapter.
• Born Survivors: Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope (Wendy Holden) – this nonfiction work tells the stories of three women who gave birth while in concentration camps.  A hard read, but one of good triumphing over evil.  In a lot of ways, my mind can’t even fathom the depth of the suffering detailed in this book.
• Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality: A Brief History of the Education of Dominated Cultures in the United States (Joel Spring) – this was another book I had to read for class.  It gave me a lot to think about, especially given our current political climate.
• A Charlie Brown Religion: Exploring the Spiritual Life and Work of Charles M. Schulz (Stephen J. Lind) – I go to church with the author of this book.  While I don’t love cartoons, I appreciate Peanuts and found Schulz’s internal struggles quite fascinating.
• Knowing God (J.I. Packer) – this book blew my mind.  I am rereading it right now because it was like trying to drink from a fire hydrant.  I understand why this book, written several decades ago, remains so popular.  I’ve learned so much.
• Me Before You (JoJo Moyes) – I bought this book a long time ago and finally got around to reading it this week while sitting on the couch to sick to move. This book is beautiful, funny, moving, and exceptionally sad.  I have the sequel on hold at the library and look forward to seeing how this story ends.

And there you have it.  16 books so far in 2016.

I don’t have a reading goal for 2016 other than to just keeping reading.  I doubt I will get to 100 books again, but then again, I never thought I would last year either.  Somehow I ended up reading seven books this month!

• The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) – I read this at the recommendation of the “All the Books” podcast. I guess Atwood is a legend and this is the book they suggested as a starting point.  This is an interesting take on a dystopian society (written over twenty years ago) but I’m not sure I want to read anymore of her work.
• Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing (Jamie Holmes) – a very enjoyable and informative read.  I posted a review a few days ago.
• Shame Interrupted: How God Lifts the Pain of Worthlessness and Rejection (Edward T. Welch) – last year I read Welch’s book about depression and found it helpful.  This book blows the other one away.  Powerful stuff.  Best book I read this month and one of my all-time favorites.  I highly recommend this to everyone.
• As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust (Alan Bradley) – I’m not sure I like the new arc Bradley has chosen in the Flavia series, but I love her character so much I will read the next book when it is released.
• From Fear to Freedom: Living as Sons and Daughters of God (Rose Marie Miller) – didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.  I certainly learned from it, but for a relatively short book it felt like it dragged on.
• The Lake House (Kate Morton) – This is my favorite fiction book I read this month.  It is a mystery that flips back and forth between past and present.  Morton keeps you in suspense until the end.  **Not a gory book…suspense without any horror or violence**
• Fates & Furies (Lauren Groff) – I did not like this book.  It’s received mostly positive reviews but overall the storyline left me feeling dirty and gross.  I did like the way she divided the book into two parts, and told essentially the same story through the eyes of two people.

So there you have it.  I can’t wait to share more books with you in a month!