Reading

Reading, Reviews, Summer Reading

Books for Summer 2023

Posted on

I am so grateful for June. The ribbons that must make up my soul and mind get wrapped together tighter and tighter through the gloomy winter and busy spring months. And then comes June. In the fresh, hot, school-less days, I can feel the tangled ribbons loosen and iron out, straightening my thoughts and feelings. For the past two years, I have physical proof that I am healthier by June 30th. My resting heart rate is down, my insomnia is so much less, I am exercising for the joy of it. And! I remember that I have a blog and actually could think straight enough to write something!

Well, this little reading update won’t be a literary gem. But I do want to share some ideas for books you might enjoy when you find yourself with time to sink into a good read. Today, I’ll be running through some quick reviews of newer releases I have read in the last six months. In the next few days, I hope to publish another post recapping some older titles I have read (and loved because old books have my heart), and I’ve got some nonfiction titles and family reads to post about, too, so be optimistic with me and stay tuned!

New(ish) Release Recs for Your Summer TBR

Remarkably Bright Creatures – Raise your hand if you are wary of overhyped books! That’s me, too. I’m always torn between the urge to ignore overhyped books and the fear I will miss a really great one if I don’t give it a chance. I’m happy to say this one is actually worth some of the hype it received last summer. The unique narrative is what really sells it. Have you ever read a book narrated in part by a wise, old octopus? No, me neither. But it is wonderful. I also loved Tova, a no-nonsense, Scandinavian woman who is one of the main characters in the book. She gave it an A Man Call Ove vibe. I didn’t love all the main characters, mind you, and there is some adult content and language to be aware of, but overall this new release is a rare gem. 4 stars.

The Star That Always Stays – This is a lovely coming of age story, and not just because it has a most excellent title. The best way I can describe it is Eldrich’s The Birchbark House combined with Anne of Green Gables or one of the Betsy-Tacy books when Betsy is older. It’s a comfortable read but with deep questions and answers from the characters. I enjoyed it from start to finish, and gave it to my 14-year-old daughter to read when I was done. 4.5 stars.

Homecoming – If you’ve liked Kate Morton’s books up to this point, you’ll like this one, too! Morton always has a bit of a disturbing mystery centered in her plots, so fair warning on this one as well, but the rich storytelling and masterful weaving together of timelines is on point here and I always love her Australian settings. 4 stars. (Psst – my favorite Morton is still The Secret Keeper!)

Fellowship Point – Beautiful writing, and as grim as they come! The Maine setting is entrancing, and the relationship between two life-long friends so intricate and developed, but, man, is the stark New England vibe strong here. I couldn’t stop thinking about the historical Puritans and their fear of any pleasure being a set up for certain tragedy to follow as I read this book. It’s definitely worth a read if you like the style of Anne Tyler or Ann Patchett. 3 stars.

Small Things Like These – Maybe not a beach read, but add this Christmas novella to your winter read list. Set in Ireland in 1985, it is thoughtful and aching, one of those looks into the souls of humanity through the lens of a small village. 4 stars.

Beth Brower books – I got into The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion series by Beth Brower thanks to a Goodreads friend’s rave reviews and have loved it so much (thanks Dianna!). This series and Brower’s book The Q, which I also enjoyed, are included in a Kindle Unlimited Membership you can get for free for 3 months right now as a Prime member!). Emma M. Lion is perfect for fans of historical fiction with a Jane Austen vibe, and The Q is also great historical fiction in a Dickensian England. (Side note for anyone who cares, they are also very clean books, too). 4-5 stars.

And that wraps up the new release reviews from me from the last few months. I hope you are having a full summer of fun and wonderful books and that you’ll share some recommendations with me, too!

[Bonus DNF Section]

Here are two popular books that I chose not to finish and why I am okay with abandoning them after putting some time and energy to them.

First up, a Did-Not-Finish Manifesto – I fully believe that if you are reading fiction for enjoyment and/or personal edification, you must reserve the right to quit a book at any point when you’re non-negotiables arise. Those are different for every reader, but I have seen over and over again that when people go into reading with the mindset that they have to finish every book they start, they end up watching TV instead. To expect yourself to finish every book is a heavy contract between you and the book, a promise that you will let whatever the book holds in to your mind and soul. Yes, I firmly believe that, too, that we guard our souls by guarding our minds. Start a book to try it out, but quit if it doesn’t meet your criteria, no matter who recommended it to you (even me! haha). Again, everyone has different non-negotiables, and that is fully up to you, but let me encourage you to approach fiction with respect for yourself and what you want to allow in your life, because this is the power of stories – they become alive in you. That’s a truth we have to take seriously. Okay, heartfelt plea over.

A World of Curiosities – It saddens me to tell you I did not finish this Inspector Gamache book. I adore the characters in this series; I want to believe they are actually living in this world in Three Pines right this minute (but I have to tell everyone that the series isn’t all that great til book three or four and you have to stick with book one til about a third of the one in to really like it (and the audiobooks are so good)). The content in the latest installment, about child abuse and pornography, was too much for me this time. I believe Louise Penney included these topics in her series to take a stand against them, but the book was not for me.

Demon Copperhead – I read several of Kingsolver’s books for college classes and learned then she is a brilliant writer. This book won the Pulitzer prize for Fiction in 2023, but I have to admit, I quit about halfway through. The child abuse, drug abuse, treatment of women in conversation and in subject matter, and generally much of the content left me feeling icky every time I picked it up. There are important ideas raised on Appalachian poverty and the foster care system and oxycontin, among other huge and hard themes, but I prefer Hillbilly Elegy or All the Pretty Things for similar subject matter.

Children's Books, Homeschooling, Quick Lit, Reading, Reviews, Young Adult

Reading Recap – Read-Alouds Up First!

Posted on

Hi, bookish friends! It’s time for a reading recap. As promised in my last post, I’m starting off with the books we have read aloud so far this school year. For context, my kids I read to are 13, 11, 8, and 5. Below are books I have read myself in the last couple of months and some I’m in the middle of now.

Sweep – Most recently, we finished Sweep: A Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier, and wow, what a wonderful book. I loved the Victorian London setting, the perfect balance of magical realism, and the delightful characters. It is a little bit hard on the emotions, with child labor and terrible living conditions a very big part of the story, so ideally I’d recommend for eight or nine and up unless your younger children are used to drama and some sadness.

Half Magic and Magic by the Lake – We started the school year with these two books by Edward Eager and they were big hits. We particularly like this series for the old fashioned yet not dated settings and fun filled adventures, and also that the stories are about a brother and three sisters, which is the family dynamic we had going until 2020, and still feels very relatable since our little toddler brother isn’t part of all the fun and games around here quite yet. Recommend for all ages, with a content warning of a bit of cartoonish violence in book one.

The Moffats – Another family story but less magic adventure and more true to life in 1930s America, we loved being a part of the Moffats’ and getting to know their beloved yellow house and all the ups and downs of life inside it.

For the rest of the year, I am reading aloud selections of the 2-week curriculum Christmas Around the World by A Gentle Feast and doing some of the videos and crafts included instead of most of our normal school. I still have to pick a read-aloud for the coming New Year, so suggestions are very welcome!

_________________

As for my own reading, I am currently in the middle of The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry, The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama, The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard, and The Dean’s Watch by Elizabeth Goudge. Reading four books at a time is pretty normal for me. I rotate them like this: early morning reading, Willard; after Willard, a bit of Goudge; then in the evening, a little bit of Obama, and then the Uriah Heep book for as long as I can keep my eyes open, which can be quite a while with such a page turner, much to my morning self’s chagrin. I get up about an hour or an hour and a half before my kids and spend way too much time in books to accomplish all the things I should, but there it is. Winter is for reading, amiright? ; )

A few others I finished since the last update:

The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Five stars! Not sure how I missed out on this as a kid or teen, maybe because it has “witch” in the title and that was not a popular topic at my house, but this Newberry winning book is amazing. I read that it is the only book to receive an unanimous vote for the medal. It’s assigned reading for my two oldest kids this spring at our homeschool academy, so it was high time I read this classic.

Miss Clare Remembers – Book 4 in the Fairacre Series by Miss Read was…a bit gloomy. I felt like impending doom settled into my thoughts during the duration of this reading. But, the strength of characters wins out, making it worth the read in the series; my longing for pictures of steadfastness and faithful hearts in literature is staying put!

That’s all for now! I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading lately, and hope you and yours have a very Christmas.

Reading, Reviews

Autumn Catch Up

Posted on

Hi, reading friends! Are you enjoying all things fallish where you are? I am always resistant to the dying of summer, but the sweetness of a new season is breaking through. My children are pumped about Trick or Treating and pumpkins on the front porch, and that is the cozy and fun kind of stuff I can delight in. Anything spookier than It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! and I’m out! =) Chillier weather and darker evenings mean we’re getting into the best time of the year for reading and reading and reading. You know I’m okay with that! In my fall reading wrap up I have one new mystery that I can highly recommend to anyone who likes to keep things on the light side when it comes to eeriness (or really, anyone, these books are hugely popular!), along with a couple more new releases that somehow tempted me out of my “old books only!” pursuit, but then I eagerly returned to the vintage books that have my heart. Those reviews are at the end of this post.

New Releases

The Bullet That Missed ~ First up, the light mystery I promised! This is the third installment of the Thursday Murder Club series, my current number one recommendation for light mysteries. I love all the characters and wrestle between speeding through the books to find out what happens and savoring my time with Joyce, Ron, Ibrahaim, and Elizabeth (my favorite character). This third book doesn’t quite hit the mark that the first two did, largely because it focuses on a few side characters that aren’t as enjoyable and the setting is less in the retirement village that is so quaint and inviting (are you getting worried that I am looking forward to senior citizenship in my thirties? Never fear, if you read the books, you’ll understand the appeal of this particular setting). Still, a top notch fun series with another book to come next fall. (Note – PG-13 content rating)

The Librarian Spy – Though quite different from Martin’s The Last Bookshop in London, which was just the kind of book I love – totally absorbing, set in one place, focused on one character, and a WWII home front story – many historical fiction fans will love The Librarian Spy. Set half in occupied WWII France and half in Lisbon, it falls into the wrenching “for fans of The Nightingale” category. The Lisbon half was gorgeous, and though I generally dislike split/alternating storylines, I can see the contrast of the two settings as critical to the story. The main characters took a while to care for, and I confess I had a hard time separating the main character in this book with the one in The Last Bookshop in London, but the second half of the novel was riveting. Violent elements in this wartime story would make it rated R on a movie rating scale, but the language and other adult content are on the PG level. Martin’s end notes about her research were one of my favorite parts of the whole book.

A Sky Painted Gold – When an author manages to write a book that lives up to the back cover claim of “I Capture the Castle meets Gatsby,” she is on the new favorite author list immediately! Laura Wood’s 2018 novel gets five stars from me. I was pleasantly surprised with the symbolism woven throughout the book, and almost every bit of this novel was a lighthearted joy. I’m now on a quest to track down all her subsequent novels. (Side note – I love, love the book I Capture the Castle but if you are only familiar with the 2003 movie, please try to erase that from your mind and read the book instead!).

Finding Freedom: A Cook’s Story; Remaking a Life From Scratch – The Maine setting and writing style of this memoir was surprisingly gripping, keeping me, a person who does not love cooking, rapidly turning pages. Finding Freedom, was an inspiring read in an American Dream, pull yourself up by your bootstraps kind of way, but felt a little empty by the end. Content warning for lots of language.

The Wedding Dress Circle – This newest release from Jennifer Ryan follows the trend of The Kitchen Front as a nice, light British home front story in WWII, though a tiny bit on the too sweet, predictable side. I still like The Spies of Shilling Lane best of all her novels.

Vintage Reads

Parnassus on Wheels – This sweet and snappy book published in 1917 about a farm woman who one day abruptly decides to leave her writer/farmer brother on a whim and go on a journey for a change was just lovely. The illustrations were so perfect, I highly recommend a paper copy over Kindle if you decide to read this. Also, definitely read the introduction in order to understand some of the dated pop culture references. I probably would’ve never heard of this book if it hadn’t been mentioned a few times in Sarah Clarkson’s Book Girl, which I highly recommend.

The Foolish Gentlewoman – Margery Sharp 1940s books are a dose of peppery British aristocratic fun with a margin of social criticism that is present but doesn’t overwhelm the story. Her characters are always slightly unexpected, likable though flawed. Sharp’s tendency to leave the situations in her novels not quite to the reader’s satisfaction keep her books from falling into the romance category and more in the comedy category. I can’t quite pin her genre down, but I always enjoy it. =)

The Half Crown House – Don’t you just love a book that happens entirely in one day? I can get into that kind of slow unroll of characters and settings, because by midway through the novel, you can’t help but feel you’re right there in that day with the characters. A one-day-book proves the truth that our lives our made of minutes and our minutes are all connected so deeply to and built upon all the other minutes that have happened to us and our ancestors over years and years. Helen Ashton is an artist I’ve never read, and I loved her detailed writing style about the history of a British estate and its family, and her ability to weave a story of a whole family together in an old house in the course of one of its days. Fans of The Remains of the Day or One Find Day should check out this book.

Winona’s Pony Cart and Carney’s House Party – I love all Maud Hart Lovelace’s books and these did not disappoint. I have officially read everything she has written at least once now! Somehow, I didn’t discover Betsy-Tacy and the rest of Lovelace’s series until I had little girls of my own, but even as an adult I totally enjoy everything she wrote. My oldest daughter (13) finished all the Betsy books this summer and also highly recommends them. If you’re a fan of the Anne of Green Gables series, dive into Lovelace as soon as you can.

Jayber Crow – This 2000 novel really doesn’t count as vintage, but it is old world and firmly in the classic category, so I’m putting it here. I didn’t love Jayber Crow as a character as much as I adored Hannah Coulter, but who can read Berry’s insightful work without being changed somehow? I will never go down an interstate without mulling over how its arrival split neighbor from neighbor again, and that was just a side note to the story that contained so many thoughts on the changes in a post WWII Kentucky community during Jayber’s lifetime spent in a small town. Berry’s work always makes me ache inside at the rush and steam rolling modern age we live in now, and wish for untouched woods and fields and a paradise lost.

And a confession: I re-read Anne of Avonlea, for maybe the tenth time, maybe the 20th, who’s counting. There’s nothing like a good friendly book for end-of-the-day recovery from the stressful pace of modern life.

And that’s it for this reading round up! Next week, I’ll post the read-alouds we’ve done so far this school year. Until then, happy reading!

Everyday Life, Nonfiction, Quick Lit, Reading, Reviews

A Longing for Faithfulness and A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

Posted on

If you read my last reading update, you know I blitzed through a bunch of new releases in the first half of the summer, some good, many not. I walked into the second half of summer with deep longing for what one might flippantly call old fashioned. I was done with the FOMO kind of reading that I get when I see exciting “Summer Reading Guides” or buzzy posts about beach reads. I was craving characters, stories, or nonfiction deeply rooted in the idea of faithfulness.

Faithfulness is the word of my heart right now. Celebrating the legacy of my husband’s grandmother this summer cemented this idea for me, giving me a word for what was a growing idea in my mind. I would love to be known as half as faithful to God, my family, and my every day work as she was. (And I should add that joyful faithfulness is really the longing here, for she was no browbeaten woman, but warm and sharp and capable and kind). There is a lot more anyone who knew her could say about her legacy, but to stay to the point of why this matters in my reading life, I realized that what I am yearning for in my thought life is a kind of mentality that doesn’t thrive in the current age. A courageous perseverance in steadily loving and caring for people, all kinds of people, without chasing after fame and followers, that commitment to something good and true over the long haul whether it’s trending or not is not popular in books, movies, or much of anything right now.

So coming into this second half of the summer, I was tempted to give myself a firm reading line, like, “No books published after 1960!” That would be ridiculous; I know by experience there are good and noble books published here and now. Even so, it’s the old books calling to me now. For fun reading, I’ve been enjoying Margery Sharpe (The Foolish Gentlewoman), Maud Hart Lovelace (my youngest girls and I read the first four Betsy-Tacy books over the school year last year, and now my oldest daughter and I have been collecting and reading all the rest of the Deep Valley books this summer), D.E. Stevenson (always), Frances Hodgson Burnett, and much more obscure titles that I have sitting on shelves all around my house, waiting for me to remember picking them up in thrift stores and book sales and come back to read them finally. There’s a measure of satisfaction I find right now even in just the act of being faithful to go back and read a book I’ve long been meaning to read.

And then I heard this title in a book group setting: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. Oh! The very title is soul-filling. Published by Eugene Peterson in 1980, and revised in 2000, it’s a book on what it discipleship, or following the way of Jesus, over a lifetime looks like. It isn’t soul-crushing in its expectations for people or a lecture on what not to do at all, but a look at the way the Psalms of Ascent lead followers of God into understanding and dedication in the Christian life. It’s beautiful and clear, and I can’t recommend it more highly. I don’t know why I haven’t heard of it before, but I tend to think it all comes down to my ears perking up to that title because now is the time I should be reading it.

I also picked up Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World. It was a good wake up call for me to remember how important it is to be intentional in our decisions, not in a confrontational way, but in a guiding and focused way with our kids. Most parents want their kids to be aware of needs around them and generous and loving towards others, and also to have a resilience to face hard things as they grow up and become their own independent people in this world, but we don’t always connect how our parenting can instead make them feel a sense of entitlement that carries them right into unending self-centeredness. This book has a lot of good tips and insights for getting away from entitlement and toward generosity and thankfulness.

I’m planning to pick up a recommended mystery novel soon on audio, finish Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart (but it’s a little eerier than I expected….hoping I can stick with it), also finish Jayber Crow because I need more Wendell Berry in my life, and get back to some Gene Stratton Porter books I’ve been meaning to read for ages. As always, I would love your recommendations and hope you are finding some awesome books to carry you through the end of summer and into the back to school/back to fall season.

Faithfully,

Mia The Reader

P.S. If you’re ever curious, please see the About page for an explanation on my online nom de plume!

Quick Lit, Reading, Reviews

Quick Lit Reviews – July 2022

Posted on

It’s high time for catching up on some book reviews here! We’re in the height of summer, reading for fun but about to buckle down and get our summer reading assignments read and book reports written. I’ve picked up a lot of books lately, but as I sit here now reviewing my recent reads, I find myself a little soul sick with new releases, longing for strong, faithful characters from days long ago. However, I’ve found some gems along the way. If you haven’t hit on that perfect summer read, maybe you’ll find something here. [Not mentioned below are the vintage books I love by D.E. Stevenson that I keep turning to and can’t recommend enough]

The Hits

My Own Lightning – This sequel to Lauren Wolk’s Wolf Hollow is so wonderful. It takes readers back to the beautiful farm and family of Annabelle, introduces some new characters, and says a lot about forgiveness and healing without being preachy or sappy. The writing is absolutely beautiful, as usual. Wolk is one of my very favorite current authors. When I am done with one of her books, I want to cry that it’s over. Everything Wolk writes is worth reading. Five Stars.

The Last Thing He Told Me – I am a little leery of books that get a lot of attention from celebrity book clubs just based on past reading experiences, so I avoided this one for a long time, but I shouldn’t have. It was a page turner without the explicit content so often in thrillers, and very well written. Four Stars.

Station Eleven, The Glass Hotel, and The Sea of Tranquility – I dove deep into acclaimed writer Emily St. John Mandel’s work this spring and summer. When I read them, I hear the soundtrack from the movie Inception in my mind, because her writing sucks you in like that dreamworld in the movie where everything seems absolutely real. Though her genre is Sci-Fi, I think anyone who appreciates engrossing characters and plot can get into Mandel’s books. The settings are earth or earth-like so you don’t have to worry about all kinds of alien worlds or names (!) to get acquainted with and deep themes of humanity are explored throughout each of the novels I’ve read. Highly recommend. But boy am I glad I didn’t read Station Eleven (published in 2011) until now, with its global pandemic! The eerie similarities between the book and all of 2020 would have been a little much. As a side note, if you’re interested in reading these books, I’d say just go ahead and give them a shot without reading the confusing publisher’s blurbs. If you need permission to quit halfway through because you don’t like it, here you go. Permission granted. ; ) Four to five stars.

The Midnight Library – Though I don’t agree with the some of the worldviews presented in this novel, it is one that I loved because it was both enjoyable and made me think hard. It is one of those that asks a question, this time “What do you regret?,” and explores the issue in a mind blowing sort of way. Imagine if you were on the brink of death and got into a limbo that was a library, with each book a story of your life if you had made a different choice at some point along the way. Yes, the Loki timeline plot will come to mind. The main character in this book gets to experience countless versions of her own life, and comes away with a perfect conclusion. It took a few chapters for me to stop disliking the main character, so if you pick it up and don’t immediately love it, maybe push through a bit and then decide if you hate it or not. =) Four stars.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret – I read this gorgeous, 517-page book in a day, and enjoyed the reading experience so much, I think because the book slides between the genres of picture book, chapter book, and wordless book effortlessly, without sacrificing any part of good writing or illustrating. The story and the history behind the story is fascinating in and of itself, but the design of the book takes it to a whole new level. Published fifteen years ago, it is a true gem. Five stars.

I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet – Niequist is a lovely voice in this world of doubting faith writers, a person who can ask questions without throwing the baby out with the bathwater. However, this book is absolutely not all butterflies and roses. It is a series of essays on what Niequist has learned about, well, still having a lot to learn in life, and her pursuit to handle that with grace and hope. The book made me remember that it is more important to be humble than to look like you know what you’re doing all the time. Four stars.

The Misses

These are books I finished but wish I had passed on. I’ll just give a few words next to each title to sum up why I think they miss the mark.

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance – Oh so depressing and a hard read if you have sisters

Very Sincerely Yours – Like a Netflix chick flick – they have their place and aren’t all bad, but you just can’t recommend them =) (this one also had too much PG-13 content for me)

French Braid – Yes, the writing is high, high quality, but the soul of this book, the tangled threads of misunderstanding in a family, is so ensnared with selfishness. Sometimes novels reveal things about our current state of humanity that are hard to face, and in this exceptional piece of writing it is clear that our culture is so very selfish. Walked away feeling a little crushed.

Mary Jane – Someone told me this book, about a 14-year old Presbyterian girl nannying for an unconventional family in 1975, was great for understanding how un-churched people see churched people and why they don’t get along. I say, there has got to be a better book to read for this that is not rated R. Hard pass.

The Inbetweens – Three Star reads

The Fitting Room – Good thoughts, but not very memorable.

A Duet For Home – Kind of rushed and emotionally charged, but a good book to read about homelessness for kids. By the author of the excellent Vanderbeeker series.

The Enchanted Castle – Fun for the first half as a read aloud, but lost its charm for us about halfway through. Very outdated language. The Railway Children is much better!

The Well-Watered Woman

The Cross of Lead

And that sums up the books I’ve read from that last few months! Now I’m ready for some old books, some classic nonfiction, stuff rooted in truth and wisdom. Recommendations always welcome!

*Absolutely no affiliate links included – buy your books anywhere! I love Thriftbooks.