what i read : january 2016

Love Walked In by Maris de los Santos – I read this for postal book club, and it was a super sweet story. It totally lifted my spirits. There were some definite eye-rolly descriptions of characters that kept coming up but, I still really liked it. (4 stars)

Wild in the Hollow by Amber C. Haines – I’ve been following Amber for a long time because I met her way back when I was in high school. I had heard that her first book was excellent and I finally got it from the library. Well, it was. It’s a short memoir of her life and how she was pursued by God despite all her brokenness. It was like poetry and also like going to therapy. Amber and I have very different personalities, but underneath where it matters we are the same. As I read, I cried and I felt loved by God and hope for this life. (5 stars)

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick – The best thing about this book was the thought experiment of what the world would be like if WW2 had turned out differently. There were some aspects I really appreciated, like the language and how it kept me thinking. There was also a subtle theme of finding meaning and joy in the small things, of trying to make what difference you can, even if the greater world seems to be falling apart or destined for destruction and I definitely responded to that. Overall, though, I don’t think the author picked a strong story to carry his world. It just wasn’t interesting enough and the characters weren’t great, so I didn’t love it. I do, however, recommend it for book club reading because I think there will be a lot to talk about. And since it’s now a mini-series, if you’re interested in the idea you might just want to watch that instead. (2 stars)

Right now I’m in the middle of the abridged version of Les Miserables (I had very mixed feelings about going with the abridged, but ultimately decided it’s best for me right now) and also listening to The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. What good books did you read this month?