It’s gonna be May and I have a short but sweet stack of books for you this month! I’ve been slowing down on the reading front these days and my looming goal of 80 books is getting farther and farther away. As Goodreads likes to put it, “Press on! Read 5 more books to get back on track!” So, I suppose, press on and read these 5 reviews to see if you need to add them to your TBR 😉 Enjoy.
The Voice we find by Nicole Deese
5 Stars: This series is not my go-to genre, but even so, I cannot get enough of the Fog Harbor Romance books! (Please keep writing more Nicole!) Each book takes on a completely new story but in the same world – with the occasional character jumping in from books past! The Voice We Find is a clean, realistic love story in the middle of real life. These two human’s both have stories they are working through and the Lord draws them together. It is just the kind of book that makes you smile. Just like her other books, it has a hopeful ending. Not everything is perfect, but life will never be that way. We can still have hope & joy in trial and hardship.
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
5 Stars: Can you really rate a Narnia book any less?! We listened to the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre Audio book of The Silver Chair and it was incredible. The voice acting and high production value makes the story come alive! We were all sitting at the edge of our seat to see what would happen next! Puddleglum is one of my favorite character’s in the Narnia books and several times, I was brought to tears by the Truth that this book shares. Wonderful read, wonderful listen! This is a book and a story to be cherished!
The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House by Joanna Davidson Politano
5 stars: This magical, historical, other-worldly mystery is unlike any book I have read (except for the other book of Politano’s I have read – The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple!) I’ll be honest, I had no idea what was happening or how things would end, but I was in! I flew through this book in an attempt to figure out how everything connected and finally see Sydney end up with her pirate! This book was so well written – everything came together in a way that made sense when it felt like nothing could ever do so! The cover of this book feels like the inside. Completely well-done!
Up from Dust: Martha’s Story by Heather Kaufman
4 Stars: This book was pretty good and decently engaging. I felt like it took a long time to get started – I suppose I was waiting for the Mary, Martha, and Lazarus parts we all know. It was hard to watch Martha live her life – how she was treated and also how she treated others. Her hope and salvation didn’t come until the end of the book (but HE did come!!) Personally I have a bit of a hard time with Jesus saying and doing things that are not exactly mentioned in scripture, but every instance still felt true to his character and lined up with Scripture. Overall, it was encouraging and challenging to imagine these well known Bible characters as real people and see how their encounter with Jesus changed their lives.
And the ladies Bible study I am a part of wrapped up in April, so here is my review of the study we did this Spring season! It is a bit different than the book stack, but I do think it is important to include these in my round-ups.
Abide: A Study of 1, 2, 3 John by Jen Wilkin
5 Stars: Honestly this has been the best Bible Study I have done in a long time, if not ever! This was so well done! Full of information, historical context, and SCRIPTURE. We read these three books countless times during the study, memorized passages, and learned more about who God is (as the Bible is a book about God!) I was challenged, convicted, and encouraged! This was a wonderful Bible study to do with the ladies at my church! HIGHLY RECOMEND the video series and group discussion as they aid in the study greatly.
Nearly half way into 2025 and as of today I have read 25/80 books. There is still some time to go, but these 4 or 5 book months are slowing me down 😉 You can check the status of my Goodreads report here. If you don’t already, follow me on Goodreads to see what I am reading, what I want to read, my favorite books, and every review I write! I also share all the books that I have rated 4 or 5 stars on my Amazon storefront where you can look for even more recommendations than just this monthly list! Always feel free to share recommendations with me – I am a big fan of word of mouth!