July Reads

The All American by Susie Finkbeiner

Topic or themes I saw: Finding your place

Read it if you love:

✔️Historical fiction
✔️Baseball
✔️Stories with hope and hard
✔️Coming of age novels
✔️Strong family stories
✔️Larger than life characters
✔️Character driven stories

Story: This novel had me hooked from the opening where Bertha is struggling to cook in home-ec class and then when her brother chose to rescue the runt of the kitty litter. That and the book loving 12 year old Flossie and the author dad. What more goodness can be packed in a book?! 😍.

Set during the Red Scare, Bertha’s father is accused of being communist. The story is centered around strong family themes and persevering through the hard without losing site of the beauty. It was so cool that complete opposites—communism (anti-American) was contrasted by baseball (all-American).

This book is about misfits finding their place and oh how I love those stories! I wasn’t sure I wanted to read a book on baseball (I am not a sports person), but man am I glad I didn’t listen to that silly thought! It’s a book about more than baseball.

The story is told through Bertha and her younger sister Flossie’s POV. I adored the characters! They were large and fun, fiesty, and full of life. The personalities in this book were so vibrant. And the way Finkbeiner set the tone of the book was marvelous. I really felt like I was in that era in a way many historical books don’t make me feel. I can’t put my finger on it, but it was lovely.

There were a few things that I personally would have loved to see wrapped up in just a bit more in-depth at the end, I felt a tad unfulfilled. Otherwise, I adored the story and would recommend getting to know the feisty and fun Harding family❤️.

Thank you Revell for gifting me a copy of this story, all opinions are my own.

Calculated by Nova Mcbee

Topic or themes I saw: This story was packed with so much goodness. So many lessons. Bitterness and freedom, Identity and destiny, Purpose, being loved for who you are (not what you do). Revenge vs justice. So many great thoughts wrapped up in this story. Trust vs logic. And a whole lot of calculations in the best kind of way!

This has feels of the movie Taken.

Read it if you love:

✔️The movie Taken
✔️Thrillers
✔️Emotion grabbing, heart tugging reads
✔️Duel time novels
✔️Stories set abroad

Story: Wow, I loved this novel for so many reasons. The way Mcbee strategically tied all the elements together was fabulous. It was the perfect balance between plot and character-driven. And I loved how she used a Bible story as inspiration for a few scenes. That was really cool.

This story is about child prodigy Jo Rivers. At the age of 15 she gets taken. She is forced to use her gift to help bad people succeed. But then she meets Red. I adored the scenes with him in it. Red helps her see the world in a different light and sets her on a course to redeem her pain and purpose.

I don’t typically read this genre but oh how I loved it this story. Highly recommend.

I listened to this one on audible, and while I do love listening to some books and audio, I think this is one I would’ve preferred to read myself. Toward the beginning until around the middle, it felt like at times the narrator seemed to miss the emotion I would have personally assigned to the voice 🙃. But other than that she did great.

Some amazing quotes from the book—

“Love. We are created for it. To become one with it. Without it, we die.”

“We often end up where we’re needed.”

“You can’t leave a legacy if you only live for yourself.”

“You see, three things are certain in this life. Purpose, change, death. But death refuses us an option to change. We must make that choice while living.”

“Orphans dream of vindication. Sons and daughters dream of destiny.”

“Love is always stronger than pain.”

The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman

This book really teaches us how to let go of anxiety and decision paralysis and step into the current. I really have been craving guidance on how to ground myself in today instead of constantly processing the future. This book was incredibly helpful.

I really appreciated how she explained naming things and correlated our process to stories, plot points, etc. it really painted a picture of hard processes mixed with truth and hope.

“Remember, today is a plot point. See it honestly for what it is, but don’t confuse the moment for the whole story.”

I enjoyed this book so much I purchased the companion journal. Looking forward to starting that!

By the Light of the Silvery Moon by Tricia Goyer

Topic or themes I saw: Belonging, steadfast love, people’s approval/opinions, caring for people regardless of opinions, failure, running away from love to receiving it.

Read it if you love:

✔️Historical fiction
✔️The Titanic
✔️Bible story retellings
✔️Strong themes

Story: Wow, this novel really transferred me to the Titanic. As a child I was fascinated by the Titanic, which only aided in how much more I absolutely loved this novel. This prodigal son retelling is deeply moving. A beautiful story of God’s kindness amidst our pain and brokenness. Of His forgiveness and restoration. I absolutely loved that this book showed the richness of love and grace and how the characteristics the Bible portrays—like the fruits of the spirit—have so much power to fill up our hearts where wealth and status are fleeting and isn’t what fills us up. This story really showcased that and I really appreciated it. Wealth isn’t bad, but if that’s where you are looking for your fulfillment you won’t find it. Love, joy, peace, self control, etc…now that’s where true contentment and healing lie. Amelia was a gem, I absolutely loved her character. And the way Goyer wrapped up Damien’s story was perfection ❤️.

Main takeaway: We don’t need to run from God’s love.

“He sees the worth in people when most just focus on their worth—as in money.”

“You saw me at my worst, and you looked upon me with compassion.”

“I have nothing to offer yet everything to gain.”

Becoming Free Indeed by Jinger Dugger Vuolo

This book is about Jinger’s spiritual journey in realizing her faith outside of the teachings of Bill Gothard. She talks about the deconstruction movement and how she has seen many people from her community leave faith in Jesus completely due to never living up to the legalistic system they grew up under. She makes it clear that isn’t what she is doing. She is disentangling the truth from the lies and distorted truths she lived under. This book is her heart in showing we can disentangle from man made ways to see the truth of Jesus. She talks a lot about how her faith was built on fear and how she has separated from that fear. I am always fascinated by people’s stories and I really enjoyed listening to Jinger’s. Anyone who loves memoirs, struggles with legalism or fear in their faith will love this one!

Sweep by Jonathan Auxier

This masterfully written tale encompasses both the depth of human loss and suffering with the power of sacrificial love, the bond of friendship, and the healing of hard earned freedom.

All in a way that’s for adults and children. Common Sense Media suggests this novel is for ages 8+.

By combining Jewish folklore with historical chimney climbers in Victorian London, the reader walks through an emotional story rich in themes of grief, loss, identity, kindness, and hope for a brighter tomorrow.

This novel was beautifully tied together and had me shedding tears. A re-read for sure!

“We are saved by saving others.”

Come Down Somewhere by Jennifer L. Wright

Topic or themes I saw: Hurting and hard people to love, being loved. Bitterness and rejection. Belief in God. Broken families.

Read it if you:

✔️Love real, non-sugar coated stories
✔️Love historical fiction set in 1940’s-50’s
✔️Want to learn about testing of the atomic bomb
✔️Love stories about friendship and coming of age novels

Story: This novel held so much intrigue and kept me flipping pages. So many questions (in the best kind of way) popped in my mind as I read! There was a central theme of believing in God vs unbelievers. This topic was explored expertly through many different characters (some who were very firm in faith, some indifferent, some hostile to it, and some who were searching because they had it (and lost it). All their individual experiences/views came together in a seamless flow.

Wright’s writing style was so beautiful. The way she put words and thoughts together was stunning. For example after a very big moment she embodies the gravity of it in this sentence: “My grandmother’s voice, quiet. So quiet it was the loudest thing in the room.”

This story reveals the thief of bitterness and assuming you know the whole story when you don’t. The thief of simmering in pain and anger. The end came together marvelous and strong in faith elements.

Main takeaway: God is always with us and we can find beauty if we stop simmering in our pain.

“Maybe it truly was time to grow up. To move past…cursing the world for not making a place for me in the present when I wasn’t willing to let go of the past.”

A Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

An intriguing read penned by a psychiatrist who
spent time in concentration camps. I listened to this on audible so I wasn’t able to scour the depths of his thoughts, but I gleaned many interesting things to ponder nonetheless.

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