April Reads
I blinked, April disappeared, and as the Church, we left Lent behind and moved into Eastertide. Two of the books that are featured this month were Lenten reads that wrapped up as we celebrated Easter on the 5th of this month. The other two are books I both started and finished this month. There are several books stacked on my currently reading shelf with bookmarks in various places, but I am allowing myself to not feel rushed to compete them. I have a feeling May will be a big month because of these many nearly finished books, but again, there is no rush and I’m embracing the slow, intentional reading year.
PS: Galahad and the Grail by Malcolm Guite just released and it is going to be our next family read-aloud! I simply cannot wait!
Wardrobes and Rings by Julia Golding, Malcolm Guite, Simon Horobin
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This Lenten devotional is too good to pass up especially if you are a literature lover. My husband and I read this aloud before bed and enjoyed the discussions we had afterwards. With daily devotionals for the entire season, we were reminded of many of our favorite stories by our favorite authors and encouraged to enter into Christ’s story in new and beautiful ways. When you are reading a devotional by Malcom Guite, you know it – he is just so good. While I am not familiar with the writing of Simon Horbin and Julia Golding, they did a good job too. Julia specifically coming in clutch at the end (some of her earlier devotionals felt a little bit “all about me/girl power” which felt a bit off-putting at times.) Overall, a five star read for me and one I will read again during a future Lent (but probably not next year.)
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded by Jonathan Gibson
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Not my first of these daily liturgies by Jonathan Gibson, won’t be my last! I picked this one up for Lent this year (after reading the Advent/ Christmas one) and loved it just as much as I expected. It is a wonderful way to make your morning quiet time more intentional for the season of Lent. My main issue with this one is that I was anticipating it carrying though Eastertide and ending at Pentecost, but after Lent it only includes two more days for the sixth and seventh Sundays of Easter. Also, I found the formatting of Holy Week to be very confusing as it didn’t line up with the calendar (I know that Easter changes each year, but the number of days of Lent/ during the week doesn’t…) Looking past that, I love the repetition of creeds, included catechism questions, confession, absolution, prayers, and scripture readings. A great way to start the day during the season of Lent.
These Empty Places by Sarah Loudin Thomas
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A delightful historical fiction novel with a twist on the rags to riches tale set during the Great Depression. I very much appreciated Lena as she is determined to be wise, faithful, and content making the most of each situation. I found her to be a breath of fresh air from the traditional bitter, entitled socialite caricature. Her relationship with Preston felt real and the miscommunication/missed expectations between them felt understandable. Speaking of authenticity, I found the characters and problems to be genuine – they felt like real people in a real place in that time. Redemption and restoration happen as the characters move and grow through their messy, beautiful, heartbreaking journeys. I couldn’t put it down and had a smile on my face when it was over. Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book early!
Grandma Gatewood’s Walk by Ben Montgomery
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This was our April Book Club read! And honestly I am so thankful to be in a book club, because it challenges me to read books that I wouldn’t initially pick up and finish books I may not have given the chance. While this may not be the best book I have ever read, I am grateful to have read it. Knowing nothing about Grandma Gatewood, I was very surprised that this book mostly took place in the 50s when she was already a great-grandma with flashbacks to her younger years. The choppy presentation of past and present draws out her story, revealing how her hard life and daily “living” prepared her to complete this giant challenge of hiking the entirety of the Appalachian Trail (more than once!) Her whole life was just putting one foot in front of the other and that mirrored her hike. There is a lot of heartbreak in her story (and we may cringe at some of her choices with our modern eyes), yet there is still redemption in this real story – justice, freedom, and healing. Personally, my favorite part by far was her poetry that was sprinkled throughout the book. I think it is a reflection of how she dealt with and pursued healing in her life.
PS: I heard from my book club ladies that it is much better to read the book than listen to the audiobook!
The Reward of Nature by Emma Gatewood
If you will go with me to the mountains
And sleep on the leaf carpeted floors
And enjoy the bigness of nature
And the beauty of all out-of-doors,
You’ll find your troubles fading
And feel the Creator was not man
That made lovely mountains and forests
Which only a Supreme Power can.When we trust in the Power above
And with the realm of nature hold fast,
We will have a jewel of great price
To brighten our lives till the last.
For the love of nature is healing,
If we will only give it a try
And the reward will be forthcoming,
If we go deeper than what meets the eye.
Book Tracker: 24/52 books read in 2026. If you don’t already, follow or friend me on Goodreads where you will 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 AND here is my Monthly Book Review archives where I have monthly chronicled my reading list since 2023! Always feel free to share recommendations with me in the comments too – I am a big fan of word-of-mouth!