It is crazy how fast summer is moving by! I hope you are enjoying it and finding some good reads :). Please share if you have read a favorite!
Here are my reads for July:
The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold
Topic or themes I saw: Finding purpose wherever we go. The power of treating people better than they deserve. Truly seeing someone and caring. Finding joy, even though not everything is perfect, and in the process finding true happiness and joy come from the Lord. The principle that we may never see the effects of the things we do, but it’s there, it matters. The power of living to love.
Who it may interest: Anyone who loves contemporary women’s fiction with a little duel time woven in. Anyone who loves a story that grows your heart and makes you want to be a better person. Those who love books by Amanda Cox and Cynthia Ruchti.
Story: I instantly fell in love with Clara from page one. She was spunky and determined and had me smiling. When I grow up, I want to be Clara :). In the story Aidyn thinks (about Clara) who is this woman, and where did she get such fierce love? That’s what I want people to see me as too. This is a story of a woman’s love for others and how it reached far past her, making a difference. I love stories where the characters are unique and unashamedly themselves. That was Clara. This book has a worthy place on my bookshelf.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: Live your life. Live. Full of compassion, love, care, freedom, happiness. This book is such a beautiful picture of how I want to live my life. I’m not there yet but I think I’m getting closer. I love this quote from the book: “Such a simple act brought a thrill to the woman in the chair, a woman who seemed to possess more life in her final days than some people possessed in their whole existence.”
Thank you to Revell for gifting me a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
A Ribbon of Years by Robin Lee Hatcher
Topic or themes I saw: The progression of faith in lives. Being tuned into how God leads then following that despite the opinions of others. How that can influence lives. Doing what God lays on our hearts even if you don’t understand it completely.
Who it may interest: Those who love women’s fiction. Anyone who would enjoy following a woman’s life through younger years all the way through her death. A woman who some may say had gotten a hard lot in life, but how even in the pain how she learned to walk through it. Anyone who loves Francine Rivers or Lynn Austin will most likely enjoy this book.
Story: This book explores the topic of hardships and pain. It’s focus is of one woman’s life but it’s told through many different characters over many years. It’s a story that shows how God works in individual hearts and in the big picture when we can see past the pain of today. It shows real fears, feelings, and real abiding faith and the God who reaches down and pulls us closer to Him, even when it feels our world is falling apart. It’s a story that plays right to the heart of what I believe: a life well lived can shape the stories of other hearts. It can reach out and impact others in ways we never can imagine. It’s a story that shows how great our God is. I loved this book. This was a story I needed when I read it.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: God will always provide. Even when we don’t understand, even when it’s painful He provides. It’s worth it to remain faithful to Him, that’s a life well lived.
Topic or themes I saw: The depths of hopelessness. The impact that investing in someone’s life can have. PTSD and the struggle for soldiers to adjust to civilian life again. Hanging onto Hope. Feeling like an outcast and finding belonging.
Who it may interest: Anyone who loves WW2 women’s Christian fiction.
Story: I really love Lynn Austin’s books, but this one was one of the few of hers that didn’t pull my emotions in like normal. It seemed to be alot of telling instead of putting me in the scenes. The story is told through two different women. Peggy, in 1946 throws herself into finding out what happened to her friend Jimmy in the war so she can help him overcome his battle fatigue and depression. Gisela’s story begins in 1938 when her and her family attempt, and fail, to escape Germany and Nazi persecution. Through this story you get a feel for what life was like as a Jew during the war, and what it was like for soldiers after the war. As always I love Lynn Austin’s books, and this was no exception, I just felt I was hearing about it more than experiencing it. I personally love feeling like I’ve experienced things when I read books.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: Hang onto Hope. Trust God, even when we can’t see or understand. This quote pretty much sums up my main takeaway: “ The only light we’ll ever have in this dark world comes from God. If we turn away from him, we’re left with darkness and despair.“
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Topic or themes I saw: Fear, the hardships of war, hard choices, bravery, a stand to do the right thing at personal cost. Choices, impossible choices and how in war even choices with the best intentions can seem futile and broken, but you do the best you can in the midst of a shattered and broken life.
Who it may interest: Anyone who wants a vivid picture of what of life was like in occupied France. Anyone who loves learning about history through stories. Kristin writes history in her stories in amazing depth and clarity. Fans of historical fiction World War 2 will love this one.
Story: I have read this book twice. I loved it the first time, but I think I loved it even more the second time around! The story is told through two sisters in France. One sister is bold, impulsive, and refuses to look past all the wrongs that are happening. The other sister prefers to play it safe and go along with France’s surrender. But as the tensions and hardships increase what will the sisters choose? It’s a story of how painful it was for civilians to live in occupied France and the hard decisions they had to make. The atrocities they saw. This story really sets the reader in the scenes, the characters are real and the tension and pain of that time period is tangible.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: War breaks lives, it’s an awful thing, but the human spirit is also a very strong force. The hard things don’t leave us, but it is possible to rise above them.
Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner
Topic or themes I saw: Identity struggle. Shame and regret over past choices. The feeling of not deserving happiness. Healing from trauma.
Who it may interest: World War 2 historical fiction fans. Anyone who loves women’s fiction and isn’t afraid of heart jerking reads. If enjoyed the Nightingale you may enjoy Secrets of a Charmed Life.
Story: Susan has a way of writing that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Secrets of a Charmed life sucked me in and had me glued to the book. It’s a story of two sisters who went through the blitz in London. You get a heartbreaking glimpse into the pain civilians went through with the bombing, but also what it may have looked like to walk through the trauma caused by it. This one really grabbed my heart and made it grow with empathy.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: We all make both good and bad choices. There is no secrets to making perfect decisions, we just live our life the best we can, with love for people as our motivation.
Favorite quote: “Life is lived at the moment you are living it. No one but God in heaven has the benefit of seeing beyond today.”
The Powerful Purpose of Introverts by Holly Gerth
Topic or themes I saw: Both the strengths and struggles of introverts. How to see the strengths and overcome the struggles.
Who it may interest: If you are an introvert who has struggled to understand yourself or have tried to be more extroverted and come up exhausted. For extroverts who want to understand and encourage the introverts in their lives.
Story: I have read this book twice and each time I grow a bit braver to step more into the person God made me to be. It gives me courage and understanding on the beauty of introversion. It also is like a balm on hurting parts of my heart, gently healing them.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: Introversion is not something to be fixed. The world needs both introverts and extroverts, embrace who God made you.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
Very helpful book complete with exercises to help you apply what you learned.
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