Summer calls for reading in the sun, reading by the pool, reading good books anywhere you find yourself.
What have you been reading this summer? Leave a comment with your favorite summer read!
Where the Road Bends by Rachel Fordham
Topic or themes I saw: Being an outcast/outsider. The power of kindness. Redemption from a painful past. Dreams. The desire to be happy accompanied by the fear of not wanting to get your hopes up because you aren’t sure good things will happen to you.
Who it may interest: Anyone who loves a heart warming historical romance with elements of women’s fiction.
Story: Early on, I thought I had figured out where this story was headed. Not too far into the book Rachel totally shook that up. I adore books that surprise me in all the right ways. The characters were very real to me and I felt I was in the scenes. I also loved how the author wove threads through the whole book that connected at some point. It was a gentle, heartwarming story.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: The painful things we face, they don’t have to derail us, we can hold onto hope for a different future.
A favorite quote: “Scars do not only come from physical wounds. Some of the deepest wounds are unseen.”
Thank you to Revell for gifting me a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark
Topic or themes I saw: Dreams that feel out of reach, a heart that feels a bit hollow. The power of someone believing in you, the beauty of someone seeing past labels into who you really are. How bring passionate about something can ignite passion in others. The importance of stories. Racial struggles and the injustices that happened to people of color in the mid 1900s.
Who it may interest: Anyone who loves a good duel time, women’s fiction novel. If you like books from Amanda Dykes, Lynn Austin, Amanda Cox, or Joanne Bischof you will like this one!
Story: Set in the South during a time when racial tension was high, this story had me sucked in early on. The characters were well crafted and real to me. I love when a story is crafted in such a way that I resonate with the characters struggles even though my circumstances are different. I identified with each character in a bit different way. I even stopped and prayed a prayer for myself that Millie prayed. Not only was this an amazing story, I lived history, and was emotionally engaged the whole time.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: Gods plans for us matter, we can walk in them freely instead of be held back by fear. When we step past our fear we can find purpose and freedom.
The Memories We Painted by Caitlin Miller
Topic or themes I saw: Finding safe people to be vulnerable with in our brokenness. Being okay with who we are. Following God down the scary paths He leads us. Life with a chronic illness. Is there purpose in the pain, when it feels so dark? The tension in seeing beauty and knowing good can come but feeling the pain of the now. Being there for people in their pain, not trying to fix it or run from it but facing the hard questions of grief. The power of kindness and following Gods lead.
Who it may interest: Anyone grappling with grief, young adults trying to make sense of their future, anyone interested in novels that give voice to those with disabilities, historical fiction/time-slip fans.
Story: Goodness, there were so many beautiful, moving thoughts in this novel. It’s a beautiful story that tackles hard questions that I very much resonated with. Josie’s story is told as a young girl and as a young adult as she wrestles with finding purpose in the hard, in the small, and in life. In a poetic and introspective writing style, Caitlin crafts a story that gives us a perspective of how God is working out the details in our life while not negating the pain and confusion we often wade through to get there. It was a story I resonated with and know will resonate with many more!
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: If we see past the bad, the hard, and we don’t give up, we may just see we are headed somewhere good.
Topic or themes I saw: Injustice and exclusion. The intense courage it takes to stand up for what’s right when it feels everyone else is against you, when you are rejected and shamed.
Who it may interest: Historical fiction fans. Really fans of reading, this book is powerful.
Story: This beautiful, emotion grabbing novel is told through three perspectives: two maids and one white woman. This story exposes the hard things segregation brought on people. It makes my heart hurt for the people who went through it. The hurtful things that were said, the unjust things that were done. This story puts you in the scenes, puts you in the characters shoes so much you feel the good in people and the bad in them. The reader experiences what it feels like to take huge risks in the name of what’s right, whether it’s popular it not. The characters are strong and vivid and it’s told in a way that both grows the readers heart while also keeping them entertained. The Help is a heart-aching story that really grows one’s compassion, making the reader want to be a better, more understanding, kinder person.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: It can be hard and lonely to do the right thing. It may cost you friends and status, but it will gain you peace in the end.
Extra thoughts: Mild cussing is present in this novel.
Who it may interest: Anyone who has unkind thoughts about themselves. Anyone who gets stuck in the mental muck of overthinking.
Helpfulness: Wow, where has this book been all my life? I have read many books on time management, fear, anxiety, and even overthinking but this one is by far my favorite. It does more than scratch the surface of my problems, it digs deep. The way Jon explains things gives me no excuse. I’ve found loopholes in the past, Soundtracks gives me none. For example the thought of “would you tell your friend the thing your telling yourself” can be helpful except the fact that I’m not my friend, I’m me. My eyes about glazed over when I got to that part in the book—my mind said been there done that but Jon surprised me. He said “if I repeatedly told my friend this, would they still want to be my friend?” That simple twist revealed that me the gravity of the negative thoughts I let myself think about myself. This is how he writes on the topics through the whole book. Fresh, deep, impactful, leaving no room for excuses. He gave me a path forward to overcome unhealthy thoughts through his clear writing, easy to integrate methods, and in-depth research to back all these ideas. He also helped me see positivity in a much more real way. He lays out how to live positively in a healthy way, not in a denial type way.
Ease of reading: Easy. He is also hilarious so that makes the reading experience even better!
Main takeaway: I can live free from condemning, mean thoughts. . . I simply have to put into action the methods he teaches.
The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery by Amanda Cox
Topic or themes I saw: Kept secrets can create pain, even if kept with good intentions. Mother-daughter relationships. The power of seeking understanding instead of assuming. The past doesn’t have to dictate our future.
Who it may interest: Those who love Christian women’s fiction. Anyone who loves a heartfelt duel-timeline novel. If you like Francine Rivers, Amanda Dykes, or Joanne Bischof I think you will love reading Amanda Cox’s books as well.
Story: Oh goodness, I wonder if Amanda wrote this book specifically for me. Just like I resonated so much with the characters from The Edge of Belonging, I did with this one too. Told through the eyes of a Grandmother, Daughter, and Granddaughter The Secret Keepers of the Old Depot Grocery is a story of how easy it is live life in bondage of lies, shame, and fear and how the truth can set us free. This is a beautiful story of what secrets and wrong assumptions can steal, but it’s never too late for redemption.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: Live your life. Stop waiting for a different life, stop being shackled to the past or choices you wish you could change. Live now, today.
The Curators Daughter by Melanie Dobson
Topic or themes I saw: Preserving the past matters. The clash between love and hate, Gods redemption and forgiveness, good and evil.
Who it may interest: World War 2 fiction fans who also love duel time novels! Anyone who loves reading about history through a good story.
Story: I was amazed at the history I learned from this book. I greatly admire authors that can weave so much history into a book without slowing down the pace or it being harder to read. Melanie wove the history seamlessly into the very story. Ember, a holocaust researcher who grew up in a white supremacy anti-semitism compound is determined to confront hate toward Jewish people. Her mission is to uncover the past to bring awareness and fight hate. Hanna is an archeologist who is forced to give it up and be a nazi wife to further their regime. While she initially goes along with this because she thinks sees the things Germany is doing as good, and because she feels she has no other choice, she quickly finds many things unsettling. It is a beautiful story of anti-semitism, nazi archeology, and the Lebensborn home.
Ease of reading: Easy
Main takeaway: The past can be redeemed. We can replace past pain with new memories while trusting God handle the pain and brokenness.
Steal Like and Artist by Austin Kleon
This was a short but helpful read. He laid out truths for us creatives in a easy to understand way. If you are a creative, this would be a good read for you to pick up!
Writing with Emotion, Tension, and Conflict by Cheryl St. John
This book explained many of the writing principles I have learned but didn’t completely click in my mind. It brought to life many of the things I’ve attempted to study in my favorite novels but couldn’t quite articulate. If you want to write deeply layered, heartfelt fiction this is the book for you!
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