The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano
Topic or themes I saw: Mental health, light and darkness, music. The desire to do something good, but being restrained by circumstances, the frustration and questioning of God why? The value in everyone, hope even in the darkest of places.
Who it may interest: Anyone who loves historical fiction that with a gothic and mysterious feel but also is very hope filled.
Story: Stories of mental health are near my heart. I am also very drawn to stories with asylums. This story was both. It was haunting, mysterious, and dark in the beginning, but then breaks into light and incredible hope. The plot was mysterious, suspenseful, and kept me turning the pages. But even deeper than a good plot, there is this deep beautiful story of the value of human life, and the truth that we all have something to offer no matter how dark it looks, or how dark we feel. This was a brilliant story with deep, heart riveting meaning. It’s a story I will hold close to my own heart and flip open the pages again in the future.
Main takeaway: This quote sums it up: “There is no such thing as a hopeless case… only those who have lost hope.”
I also adored the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. They were so encouraging!
I also loved this quote: “It’s a rare and beautiful thing to see potential in these people, but you see more—you see value.”
Thank you Revell for gifting me a copy, all opinions are my own.
Experiencing God’s Love as Your Father by Mark DeJesus
This is a great read on understanding God’s love, how to move in the direction of experiencing it, and bringing to light things that may block that. I love Mark’s books and teachings so much, I highly recommend them.
When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer
Who it may interest: Um calling all historical fiction lovers…not one but TWO historical timelines. It can’t get any better than that. You will want to read this book if you love historical fiction with spiritual depth!
Topic or themes I saw: Trust that Gods path for us is the best, even when we can’t see how or understand it. The value of a child’s life, and unborn babies. The choice to make the best of situations and believe in Gods goodness, or to be overcome by bitterness. The sovereignty of God.
Story: How incredibly awesome is it to be richly steeped in two totally different historical time periods that weave together seamlessly in the same book?
Amazing.
Being able to see the contrasts in the two time periods was a super cool aspect of this book.
This story was sweet and tender but also hard and heart aching. It was the perfect balance of real pain in life, with hope and beauty too. I love when books get me thinking what would I do in this situation. In When The Day Comes, the characters had to make hard choices but God was at the root of it all. I loved how there was this strong mentor/mentee relationship between Libby and her 1774 mother. It shows how we can draw encouragement in a path we are struggling in from someone who has already walked it. When we are blinded by pain and can’t see beauty is coming amidst the mourning, we can be held up by someone who was once there but walked through it and grew. As Christian’s we can comfort others who are going through what we went through. This is one of those rare books that made me tear up on multiple accounts 🥰. I hope one day I can write a story as historically rich and spiritually encouraging as this one ❤️.
The Twilight series was a favorite of mine in high school. I read it again to go down memory lane. I’m glad I did and I can see why my high school self adored it, but today I didn’t love it near as much this time around 😉.
It will always be a fond memory tho 🙃.
Every Word Unsaid by Kimberly Duffy
Topic or themes I saw: The pain and struggle of stepping outside what you are expected to be. Following your heart without support of those who should support you most. Rejection and fear. Stepping outside a mold.
Who it may interest: Historical fiction fans who love stories with a strong theme.
Story: It’s a gift to be understood and to not feel alone. That was what this story did for me. Everything about this story was absolutely beautiful. Gussie is ambitious and not afraid to forge ahead no matter what. Her family doesn’t support her and their harsh words follow her as she goes. She comes face to face with something that seems to confirm everything her family has said. It’s a story of opposition and a doubt of a calling. It’s a story of overcoming the confusion and stepping into a healthy way to follow the passions God places in your heart. While the circumstances of Gussies story are different than mine, it perfectly encapsulated the same feelings I’ve had with rejection, and fear of exposing my heart. Cultural words and amazing descriptions really sweep you away to India. And goodness, there were so many fun words in this book. Your vocabulary will be expanded :). I loved the way Duffy skillfully wove together Bimla and Gussie’s story. Two different women with completely different walks of life, but in each other they saw and understood the pain from their individual wounds.
Main takeaway: Staying in expectations can feel safe. But it’s really bondage when Gods calling you to step in the life He’s made you for. I loved this quote: “There would be no failure in writing what was expected of her.” Why do we stay in expectations? Out of fear of failure and rejection. It feels safe. Another quote I loved: “We’ve been defined by what we’re not…rather than who we are.”
Extra thoughts: A side note, I noticed some reviews talked about finding our fulfillment and identity in Christ and that wasn’t portrayed in this book so they didn’t like it. I’d say, as a Christian I know my identity is in Christ but I struggle to understand it because I can be blinded by self worth struggles. As I read this book, I took everything in the story as being built upon the knowledge that our worth is in Christ, but pain and trauma can blind us from it. The journey Duffy wrote, in my opinion, was meant to show how to apply the knowledge that our identity is in Christ, not replace it.
The Way It Should Be by Christina Suzann Nelson
Topic or themes I saw: Unworthiness, overwhelm, not enough, shame. Grasping at work that feels too big and you feel too insignificant. Learning to accept help and receive. Addiction and a path toward recovery. A marriage hit by loss. Foster-care.
Who it may interest: Those who love heart tugging, contemporary women’s fiction.
Story: Rip my heart out. From chapter one I was instantly sucked into the story. I felt the inner aches of the characters as well as the tangible atmosphere due to the well crafted sentences. This was a eye opening, empathy building, heart tugging read. It’s so easy to judge a person by their situation. But when you crack open their story you see below the surface into the pain. Then understanding and love have room to expand. That’s what this story was all about. Zara was basically me. Oh how I resonated with her. The POV characters and the plot blended in such a way that the reader was able to see the inaccuracies in perception. I love stories that can pull me out of the narrow lens I see through and into a bigger picture. This book had me laughing in total understanding one minute then wiping a tear away at the heart aching reality of the struggles the next. This is a book I ended up buying for my home library.
Main takeaway: The best thing you can give your kids is love. The power of love is incredible. I love this quote: “I don’t have anything to offer them.”. . . “You have plenty of love. Just give it a chance.”
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