I am very much of a feel reader. There are many reasons I love to read, but the way books make me feel is the number one reason. It’s a very subjective reason to like books, but it is the way I rate them for the most part. This month, I ran into a few that were great, but just either didn’t make me feel anything or made me feel uncomfortable. I did end the month strong on I’ll Be Seeing You by Robin Lee Hatcher which was a really good feeling book for me :).
What about you, what is the main reason you love reading and why do books become favorites?
Here are my reviews from my August reads:
A Flicker of Light by Katie Powner
Topic or themes I saw: Family tension, feeling out of place. Marriage stresses. Feelings of inadequacy. But the healing and hope that can blossom forth.
Who it may interest: Anyone who loves contemporary Christian women’s fiction. Fans of Cynthia Ruchti, Amanda Cox, and Sarah Brunsvold.
Story: A Flicker of Light takes place in a small town through the perspective of three generations: Grandmother, son, and daughter. I absolutely loved the setting it was so real and tangible, and I really enjoyed the small town vibes. Wow could I relate to Bea, and I saw my own husband in Jeremy’s gentleness and patience. The Grandmother, Juniper has dementia and it was a really heart tugging perspective, to have her POV. This was a beautiful generational story, a great read.
Main takeaway: It will be okay, and beauty can be found.
The Military Wife by Laura Trentham
I have been reading a lot of novels with PTSD and military in them, that’s why I picked up this one.
I loved how much Noah adored Harper for who she was, even though she felt a bit weird and insecure. I also really loved how Harper feared things, but didn’t let the fear rule her life. I enjoyed how the author crafted the book in a way that really helped you see the camaraderie and friendship of military wives and the friendship of soldiers. It showed the pain of loss in a really heart tugging way. Last I loved how this book showed the anguish of loss but the hope of something good to come again.
For me personally, there was enough cussing and sexual references/tension that I struggled to get through the novel and wouldn’t recommend it to people who enjoy the same novels as I do. There weren’t any horribly graphic scenes, it just felt sexual tension was a central theme and that isn’t my kind of read.
The Happiness trap by Russ Harris
This book is a book about how to let go of the power thoughts have over us and live a life we truly value. The whole point is not to get rid of thoughts, but the struggle with them.
One thing I really appreciated about this book was how often he reiterated if this doesn’t work try something else. In this book he gives so many different things to try. Often when I read books I can get hung up on something that doesn’t necessarily work for me then feel like a failure if it doesn’t work.
He teaches us to stop fighting the negative thoughts, instead to see them for what they are, make room for them to come and go, and shift our focus to the things that are valuable to us. I’ve always tried to get rid of them which never worked only causing more negative feelings.
Another thing he teaches is thoughts and feelings are just stories, opinions, they aren’t necessarily truth. I don’t know about you but mine feel so incredibly true. This book really helped me separate from all I was stuck to that wasn’t true. There’s so much freedom living separate from thoughts that aren’t true. They may not leave, but they no longer have power to control or bind me.
I also really benefited from how he described values verses goals. I can get hung up on goals and if they don’t come to pass I feel like a failure or that time spent working toward it was wasted. But values on the other hand… they are deeper. They are the reason we do things. It was really helpful for me to understand the importance of understanding values and how that is the very base of setting goals.
I’ve been struggling…and healing, most of my life from feeling bondage to peoples opinions or expectations. I’ve wanted freedom from it. What I found in this book was even better, I’ve found how to break free from my own thoughts. That’s incredibly valuable. I’d highly recommend this book. I bought the illustrated copy to remind me quickly of the principles in this book.
The Haunting of Misty Wayfair by Jamie Jo Wright
Topic or themes I saw: Finding your Identity. The burden of feeling like you mess everything up. Not living up to peoples expectations, feeling like a disappointment. Running from situations, anxiety, feeling like an outcast. Mental illness.
Who it may interest: Those who love a suspense/mystery with Christian threads.
Story: This is a duel time novel told through two women—Thea and Heidi. The story centers on a legend that a woman haunts Pleasant Valley. The characters are vivid and unique. I loved the way their quirks tie into the story and the theme in a seamless way. I normally don’t read this genre but I am so glad I picked this book up. Jaime weaves asylums, mental health, and legends into a story with spiritual truths and healing in an entertaining and fascinating way. This story was truly a work of art.
Main takeaway: Life pushes us toward our Creator whether we acknowledge it or not.
The Words We Whisper by Mary Ellen Taylor
Who it may interest: WWII lovers, anyone who enjoys duel time novels and women’s fiction.
Story: I haven’t read many WWII novels set in Italy so that was a really cool aspect of this book. The story is told mainly through Isabella, a dress maker, during WWII and Zara, a hospice nurse, present day. Zara’s Nonna wants help clearing out her attic, she needs to find something to share with Zara and her sister, it holds secrets. I did struggle to really get into the book until about halfway, at that point I did I became a bit more invested, but it still wasn’t a huge attention keeper for me. I loved how fiery and confident Nonna was, and I loved the twist it took at the end.
Extra thoughts: This book did contain sexual content and some language.
I’ll Be Seeing You by Robin Lee Hatcher
Topic or themes I saw: Wanting something you can’t have, discontentment. Mercy, grace, beauty from ashes. The struggle to be truthful, the bondage of living with lies, and the hard freedom found in telling the truth. Ignoring your conscience. Romans 8:28. This story paints a beautiful analogy of how Jesus takes our shame and guilt and gives us freedom. It’s a story that’s full of truth and grace.
Who it may interest: Anyone who loves WWII historical fiction, Christian women’s fiction, and books written in such a beautiful way you leave with deep spiritual lessons. If you love Lynn Austin or Francine Rivers this would be a good read.
Story: You know how books can weave their way into your heart in exactly the ways you need? Robin’s books do just that for me, I’ll Be Seeing You was exactly what I needed. I adore how she weaves in the character’s relationship with God, how they interact with Him, and how they follow Him. It is so relatable to me. I love her writing style.
Daisy’s story shows how pain does come from sinful choices but how loving and kind our Father in Heaven is, how He redeems and restores. This story gripped me early on and really had me chewing on what would I do in these situations. I was cheering for the characters and hurting with them. They were very real and dear to me.
I also loved how she weaved America’s past with Americas present in a breathtaking way. I loved the perspective of young Brianna who starts the book seeing history as boring but as the book progresses sees so much value.
I loved this quote: “{History} wasn’t about just facts and dates. History was about people. People like her great-grandmother. People like her.” AMEN.
Main takeaway: God doesn’t shame us or withhold forgiveness, in Him we are not condemned. He works all things out for our good. He is so kind.
Yours is the night by Amanda Dykes
I absolutely adored Amanda’s book Whose Waves These Are. I really struggled to get into Yours Is the Night. It didn’t pull me in emotionally. To me, the story felt a bit choppy and abstract and that pulled me out of the scenes. I also didn’t connect with the characters deeply.
I really loved how Mira had a heart toward fairy tales but saw how reality crushed it. Then as the story progressed she saw beauty amongst the ruins, elements of fairy tales in the midst of pain. I loved how pain and hope were mingled in this story. This novels center was all pointing to hope amidst the darkness and I loved that. I also loved Amanda’s heart for honoring veterans.
I would say this story was fairy tale meets real life told in a very poetic writing style. Just because I didn’t connect with it deeply doesn’t mean you won’t ❤️.
