I might not have read a ton of books this month, but all three that I did manage to read were wonderful in their own way. One narrative nonfiction, one classic, one literary fiction. A perfect reading month for me! The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown – The subtitle is Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and what a story. I listened to this amazing narration by Edward Hermann, and for the first half I didn’t get any extended listening time so it was harder to get into. But then I got a good few chunks of time to listen and I was utterly absorbed. I’m not sure there is anything I…
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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…
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I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate, and that you continue to enjoy this winter holiday season! We had a lovely weekend and I am looking forward to the fresh start of the new year. Today and tomorrow I’m talking books: in December I only read a few (hello holidays) but they were good ones! All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – Here is another acclaimed book that totally lived up to the hype for me. I was about halfway through it when I had to put it aside for a few months in order to read book club books and library holds. But when I picked it back up, the details seemed as fresh…
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I read some excellent books recently. I haven’t been moving too fast in my reading, but at least I’m choosing good stuff! The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce – This was the only book I managed to complete during October, for my book club. I expected it to be light and funny, and although it did have some silly parts to it, overall it was a more serious read. I found it quite sad and heavy in parts, but it was also extremely sweet and it left me feeling like it’s never too late to make a change for the better. (4 stars) Making Sense of the Bible by Adam Hamilton – I read this for our church small…
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I combined the last two months for this post because I only read one book in August! Because of different book clubs and library holds I ended up reading several books at a time that month so I didn’t get through very many. And I still only made it through three in September, but anyway, here’s what I read the past two months! The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje – This had been on my to-read list since it first came out in 2011 and I heard an interview with the author, so I was very happy when our book club chose it. The author is best known for writing The English Patient which was turned into an Academy Award…
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