Read in August
Nothing like a holiday weekend to bring in a new month! We ended August with a bang over here in the Mayberry home – party hopping all weekend! Then Back to School (we like to wait until after Labor Day for the new school year!) I must be feeling generous, because almost every book I read in August gets five stars from me! It must just have been a good month! I am still behind on books but resisting the urge to change my goal. Here is the thing, I will either make it or not. But sometimes I read like 10 Christmas books during those long December nights, so maybe that will win it for me! HAHA!
Ps: I NEED good fall books to read. SEND me all your autumn/ cozy/ You’ve got Mail vibe fall books for me to read!!
Lift Your Eyes: Daily Invitations to Behold Christ in Motherhood by Whitney Newby
5 Stars: I picked this book for a summer book club that I organized this summer. It was so good in so many ways for each one of us. It doesn’t matter what season of motherhood you are in, this book is an encouragement to – just as the title suggests – life your eyes to Christ! Scripturally based & Biblically sound, Whitney uses her real life and authentic stories to point us all as mothers back to Christ – the author and protector of our faith. The 40 devotions move through all of Psalm 121 and we as readers are encouraged to memorize this passage as well to lean on in our motherhood. I was encouraged, convicted, and strengthened in my relationship with the Lord. My book is simply covered with highlighted passages! Also, it was a JOY to do this in a small group setting and share the triumphs and struggles of motherhood together as well as spurring on one another towards love and good deeds! With beautiful watercooler illustrations (one of the girls on our group cut a page out of her book to frame,) this book looks good too!
Things We Didn’t Say by Amy Lynn Green
5 Stars: Wow! I am used to a prologue or a letter or two at the front of a historical fiction story but I was not expecting the letters to continue for the whole story. I was captivated not just by the format of this book, but also the content. It is amazing how the letters can weave the story together and how although you never hear any of these characters speak, you know their voice through their writings! I thought this WWII story was heartwarming yet relatable. Johanna isn’t exactly always lovable, but she grows so much as a person as she has to walk through hard things. Life, and even war, is not black and white and this book really challenges prejudices and assumptions, in faith, race, nationality, intelligence, you name it! What does it look like to see even our enemies through Christ’s eyes? Is is just to repay evil with evil? How do we interact with people who look different or believe differently than us? These things are always something to process – not just in the middle of a world war. Really enjoyed Peter and Jo and honestly the whole host of characters!
While the City Sleeps by Elizabeth Camden
5 Stars: I so enjoyed this story. It is a bit dramatic at points – as one would expect if you get tangled up with the mafia – but I truly enjoyed it. No one in this book is perfect, the characters grow and are challenged, crazy action happens as does boring old real life. This is the first book in a series and I am excited to continue reading the rest of the Women of Midtown!
None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different from Us by Jen Wilkin
5 Stars: This book was so good! Many of these things feel obvious but the way Jen shares them is both educational and challenging. It is beautiful to see how we really are not like him and how that is only good for us. I don’t always love her personal stories, but I do love how they always point to the Truth about God. Theologically sound and filled with Biblical references, this book opens your eyes to what may seam obviously but can also easily get twisted in our world, minds, and hearts. The audiobook is read by the author so if you love Jen Wilkin Bible Studies, you will love listening to her read this book!
The Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox
4 Stars: I didn’t know how invested I would be in this modern story about birding however, it is dual timeline! You know me and my love of dual timelines! Although sometimes the addition of a dual timeline is terribly heartbreaking when you realize people have been holding onto brokenness and bitterness for 60 years (NOT A WAY TO LIVE PEOPLE!) I am grateful for redemption but it is so very hard to see people holding onto hurt for so long. I also was surprised by how much I also enjoyed the modern storyline (usually I find these lacking) but the way the characters come together and what they experience in community is beautiful. I will say I was VERY confused for the first couple of chapters as it wasn’t clear that Ana was the granddaughter (not daughter) for sometime so I was imagining a 60-year-old Kindergarten teacher retiring from teaching and going to help her aunt – I don’t tend to read the blurb because I like being surprised, oops! Overall, I enjoyed the book but I do wish people made better choices in the past which would have prevented a lot of the drama.
The book count continues to grow … but not fast enough! As of today we sit at 45/80 books. Will I reach my goal? Maybe, maybe not. 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 AND here are my Monthly Book Review archives for all the books I’ve read this year and years before!! Always feel free to share recommendations with me – I am a big fan of word of mouth!