As the new year ended I began my quest to reach 100 books for my Goodread goal. Don’t be impressed, I have always been a book nerd and for years and years I suppressed that love. I am unleashing it, so I may be a bit nuts for books currently :). Plus as a writer, I need to read and fill my head with knowledge and good writing to be able to pour that back out in my own words and thoughts.
As always, please leave a comment with your recent reads and what you love in a good book!
January has been a good month for books here are my reviews:
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Topic: A historical fiction novel inspired by the real love story of two Auschwitz survivors.
Who it may interest: Anyone who loves historical fiction inspired by true events, anyone who wants to read more on concentration camp life.
Entertainment: I listened to this book so it may not be a totally fair analysis on my part as listening is harder for me than reading. I wasn’t glued to it but I enjoyed it.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: I didn’t really leave with any lessons. The story was crazy, but since it’s fiction it’s hard to know exactly what happened and what didn’t. Their love story was true.
Extra thoughts: There is strong language used at times. I am fascinated at history and no matter how much I read each story is slightly different. I glean something from everything I read. But secular historical reads are always harder for me because it makes me sad there isn’t the light and redemption of Jesus.
What I liked: Learning more about life in the death camp Auschwitz.
What I didn’t like: it felt more like descriptions and telling verses pulling in my emotions and me walking in the shoes of the characters. To me it felt like a nice story but it didn’t feel deep. I like stories that dive down into deeper things as well as a plot line.
The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
Topic: The life of a man who survived Auschwitz. How he survived and how he took hold of happiness again.
Who it may interest: Anyone who loves memoirs, impactful stories of peoples lives, world war 2–concentration camps and oppression of the Jews.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: The best thing we can do or have happen to us is to love and be loved by others. Small acts of kindness are huge in spreading hope. If your still living there is hope.
Extra thoughts: This was a pretty short and quick read. I loved reading his story but I think it may have been even more impactful if there was more of it. It’s great for a short but nice read tho! Hearing first hand stories of survivors of this human atrocity is something I think each of us should have in our lives. The tenacity of the human body and spirit always blows me away…as well as the depth of evil humans can plunge to. I’d recommend this read.
My Dearest Dietrich by Amanda Barratt
Topic: A fiction story based off of Maria von Wedemeyer and Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s real story during 1942-1945.
Who it may interest: Historical fiction world war 2 lovers. Anyone wanting to read more on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his fiancé Maria.
Entertainment: This wasn’t a page turner for me. I kept turning pages because I wanted to understand Bonhoeffers story better. To walk in his shoes and honor his legacy. I was drawn to this book because I didn’t know he had a fiancé. I haven’t read anything on him, I just knew about him so this book intrigued me. For me this book was more descriptive than emotion grabbing.
Ease of reading: Easy-Medium
Main takeaway: In the midst of evil and fear it’s hard to figure out what decision is right. This quote sums it up best: “Did they do right? In a world of choiceless choices, how could any of them be sure? What was left to them but to throw themselves and their decisions upon the mercy of God? That alone held fast. “You did what you thought was right….that’s the main thing”.”As I think about decisions I see people make and ponder future possible decisions one thing that keeps judgement or fear of the wrong decision at bay for me is this: i don’t know what I’d do unless I actually am put in the position, then i simply trust God. In the midst of an incredibly hard time of history, Bonhoeffer made the best choices he could and then laid himself and his decisions at the mercy of God.
Extra thoughts: This book was well researched and very cultural, you get many glimpses of German terms and different traditions. I loved the glimpses into Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s faith. He was human and struggled but also had an unshaken foundation that set him apart and showed Christ. I think the author did good at portraying that in him. She honored their story well.
Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson
Topic: Wrestlings and lessons from an artists life, seeing glimmers of the gospel in all corners of life.
Who it may interest: I would say this book will resonate more with those wanting to make a career out of artistic things, but he does argue that ways we bear the image of Creator God is by creating. We all create, whether it’s writing, gardening, bearing children, etc. so in that sense it may awaken creative thoughts in anyone.
Helpfulness: I like to envision my writing process and life all wrapped up with a neat and tidy bow on top…but the truth is it’s not. Andrew really brought to words what authors and artists go through in the real, messy, but beautiful creative process. After reading this book I felt a little less crazy and a lot more on the right track. Also it gave me hope that maybe some of the tangly words and thoughts I have will become something good one day. This isn’t a “how to” book, rather, it’s an inner wrestling that leaves you settled saying, you too? Ahhh me too.
Ease of reading: the reading itself was easy, BUT there was a lot of deeper things going on that when I stopped to
ponder them instead of zip through, I gleaned so much more than just the surface glance so to speak
Main takeaway: As an artist you open up parts of you to the world others dont have to and that can be really scary. Faithfully follow. Even if you doubt, even if what you create seems good one day and bad the next, even if you don’t know what to create, even if you worry you have nothing new to create or say, or you fear it doesn’t matter. Keep going God can use it all. It’s less about impressing and more about following those impressions from God on your heart to the best of your ability and letting him turn it into something beautiful. I loved this quote from the book: “Maybe the song you’re writing is for one specific heart broken soul who won’t be born for another four hundred years. Maybe you won’t meet him or her until the New Creation, and they’ll thank you for opening yourself to public scrutiny, for striving to arrange the words just so, for learning about what makes for a good melody or tight phrasing…” That’s a beautiful thought when I sit and think about it for awhile. It reminds me, it’s worth it to keep following.
Extra thoughts: It’s interesting, this is the second time I’ve read this book; the first time it was fine but not earth shattering. The second time I really resonated with it and I so understood the author. It’s so intriguing to me that books can resonate or not depending on the season of life we are in!
When the Morning Glory Blooms by Cynthia Ruchti
Topic: Grace. The way grace looks both received from God and lived out through His children.
Who it may interest: Anyone who has ever felt alone or crazy in their God given dream. Those who have (or know someone who has) experienced a pregnancy before marriage. Anyone who hasn’t but wants to take a walk in someone’s shoes who has to gain understanding and compassion. Anyone who wants a good heartwarming read. Anyone who needs to plumb deeper into grace.
Entertainment: I always love it when a book gets me flipping pages just to see any names and make sure it turns out how I want. This one did that. The author inner-twinned the three woman’s stories in a beautiful way and it had me wanting to pick up the book each moment I had.
Ease of reading: Easy but deep.
Main takeaway: There were so many sentences woven through this book that just stopped me, and I reread it over and over drinking in the depth of their meaning. The author has an amazing way of writing deep things in easy to read sentences. If I had to pick the main takeaway it would be this: grace is deep, patience is powerful, God provides. The author wrote characters that lived out grace and love even tho it was hard. She shows them actually living it, not only preaching it. She shows how this kind of lifestyle has impact, even when it doesn’t turn out exactly how we want or seem very productive or powerful.
Extra thoughts: I loved all the characters but especially Anna, she was sweet, wise, and real.
I would recommend this as a great fiction read!
You Are The Girl For The Job by Jess Connolly
Topic: Following God’s plan, getting ourselves and insecurities out of the way so we can do the things God asks us to do.
Who it may interest: Anyone who can easily get wrapped up in doubts and fears, who question if their call is from God (or even needed), anyone who wants to be more brave and confident in their pursuit of living out the call God put in their heart.
Helpfulness: one thing (among many) that I loved about this book was that she repeated the main points through the book
a lot. Instead of one point and done she randomly reviewed different points helping me cement them in my brain a bit more! I’d say this book encompasses many of my hang ups. People pleasing, fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of getting it all wrong…all wrapped up in one message that resonated with me. It was a message of both grace and truth. I love how she doesn’t gloss over things that we fear: rejection, fear of hearing God wrong, fear of hurting other ppl. Infact she says you WILL! BUT. Gods grace walks us through it, his spirit convicts us and we can repent and begin again. I spend so much time trying to avoid bad things that I miss the good, I stay stuck and hold back when I should move forward. This book was a gentle nudge toward the good instead of being imprisoned by the things that shouldn’t hold us back.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: It’s not about avoiding pain or failure it’s about handling it with grace and in a healthy way. It’s not about letting our doubts and fears hang us up, it’s about learning to walk through them instead of letting them lock us up.
No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert
Topic: Being misunderstood. Segregation in modern American education.
Who it may interest: Anyone who has ever felt misunderstood…despite good intentions. Anyone who wants to see a birds eye view of how easy it is to misunderstand someone.
Entertainment: This book was my kind of entertainment. A good plot line with a deep message. The author wrote the characters in such a way they became my friends, I understood them. Part of me wanted to read it quick to find out what happened, the other part of me wanted to savor it.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: Everyone has a story, everyone has pain. We need to walk with each other, seeking to understand instead of assuming the worst. I walked away with the thought also of how It’s so easy to see through the lens of what we’ve always known, how it’s easy to be bias and only see partially. To accidentally treat people wrongly. It’s important to talk a walk in someone’s shoes as the old saying goes.
Extra thoughts: The author weaves in so many different viewpoints, hard, uncomfortable topics and points of view in a really amazing way. She doesn’t skirt around hard topics. She does it through the characters living it out, letting the reader ponder all these things…feeling what the characters feel instead of saying who is right and who is wrong. To me that’s super skillful and thought provoking. This book was a really good read for me, I love books that stir up my understanding and empathy.
I would highly recommend this read!
