Reading

Quick Lit, Reading, Reviews

Summer Reading 2021 Wrap Up

Posted on

It’s September, so I guess that means summer reading is officially over? As a grown up out of the school timeframe, maybe the seasons don’t change our reading habits much. Now I’m curious! Do you reach for a different kind of book based on seasons? I don’t think I consciously reach for different books based on the time of year other, but publishers’ timing affects what I read in the new release category. Anyway, here’s the recap of the fiction I read this summer!

New Books

At the end of my last post I mentioned I was really excited about three new books releasing in July. These were books by authors I’ve read before and really enjoyed. So how did I like the new books?

The Light Through the Leaves – While I still think that Glendy Vanderah is an amazing writer in style and compelling storytelling, I just couldn’t like this book. The content was both disturbing and bizarre. Beginning with a mother accidentally leaving an infant in a parking lot and moving on to more sadnesses, with an attempt at some closure that still left me firmly in the “this is too strange and tragic” camp, this was certainly not the book for me and not one I’d recommend. Though my main complaint is the content and story elements, it doesn’t help that the world views expressed differ very widely from my own. 2 stars.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars – I was unintentionally two for two in July in the Books About Babies Being Kidnapped category. Believe me when I say I would never have picked up books on this topic intentionally. Happily, I liked this one much better than The Light Through the Leaves. It took some time for me to get really pulled into the story…partly because the main characters are a little off-putting at first…but the plot picks up a few chapters in and the history this book is based on is intensely interesting. I found some of the relationship details highly unlikely based on the characters backgrounds, so that took my review down a notch. However, Hammel based some of her story on true events in Poland during WWII. The research is astounding. If you read it, be sure to read the author’s note at the end! 3 stars.

Radar Girls – I’m still waiting for this one to come up in my holds at the library!

Yours Cheerfully – I was excited to get this book from the library so quickly after its release! I’m halfway through, and it is pleasant, though a little bit….dare I say…boring at this point. I don’t really want anything bad to happen to the delightful characters, though, so maybe I should be glad it’s not more riveting? I’ll let you know my full review when I’m finished!

New Girl in Little Cove – The characters and setting were charming and I missed them when the book was over. I enjoyed the book, though it was fairly predictable. Predictable often translates into “pleasant” and that’s what a person needs in a book sometimes in this crazy world. More importantly, every character felt real to me. And I loved the dialect introduced in the book! My one big caveat is the treatment of religion in the book. The setting is in a Catholic school in the midst of a wholly Catholic community. The perspective throughout the book on Catholicism and its beliefs was fairly negative. I wonder if the people of the town the book was set in, if it were a real town (which it isn’t though it is based off of real places), would have felt that it was treated with enough weight or respect in this book. I am not Catholic, but the tone the main character took towards the village’s beliefs did not sit well with me. Other than that, I really liked this book and want to go back to Little Cove. 4 stars. Thanks to Memories from Books for recommending this one!

Old Books

Rainbow Cottage – A comforting, old-fashioned read published in 1939 by the prolific Grace Livingston Hill. 3.5 stars.

The Shellseekers – I’m halfway through this thick hardback my mother-in-law pulled out of a free book bin. I am way late to Rosamund Pilcher’s books, but I know so many love them! So far, I love the setting. I find myself really wishing I could see the fictional art that inspired the title to this book. And I’m also dreaming myself straight into the cozy cottage ( where one of the main characters live.

Sugar Candy Cottage – Not my fave Elizabeth Cadell book. 2 stars.

Books on My Kindle I Haven’t Started

Malibu Rising – This one has gotten a lot of buzz on “bookstagram” this summer, so I approach it with high expectations and much trepidation. I meant to read this and the following book below at the beach last week, but couldn’t bring myself to it, haha. {Update – Didn’t get further than the first ten pages – Way too much “adult content” for my liking}

People We Meet on Vacation – Buzzy summer book #2 on the list {Update – Also a no-go for me – officially burned by too many buzzy books – going back to obscure books now! Not really, I love a good best seller – if it really is a good best seller, and this one had some good elements, but too many that I didn’t like that tipped the balance to “meh, not going to read this.”}

Red Sky Over Hawaii – I did not realize I had missed a release from Sara Ackerman in the last few years, so while waiting for Radar Girls, I’m going to check this one out.

So that was summer, but now it’s time to dive into Fall reading, whatever that looks like for you! Let me know what books you’re looking forward to? Thanks and happy reading!

Reading, Reviews

Summer Reads for You

Posted on

How’s your summer reading going? I’m still looking for some great books for this season, which is why I was recently so excited to get an email from book blogger extraordinaire Sarah Mackenzie about her own favorite books. She has flawless taste, as many of you already know. I eagerly opened up the email, clicked on “Sarah’s Favorite Adult Reads” and…oh no…all but one of them, I had already read! Talk about dismay! But it’s delightful to know she and I like the same books. =) Now, my search continues.

If you, too, are still searching for the perfect book for your beach/pool/living-room-in-front-of-a-fan reading, I am here to (hopefully) help! Below are my favorite books I’ve read in the past six months, from historical fiction, nonfiction, middle grade novels, a couple of vintage finds, and three books releasing this summer that I’m really looking forward to.

Happy summer reading!

Historical Fiction

The Last Bookshop in London – Better than The Kitchen Front but in the same vein, with more Guernsey Literary themes and similarities. I loved it, even if I have read way too many WWII novels.

Finding Dorothy – A fascinating novel set during the making of the The Wizard of Oz movie that centers on Frank Baum’s wife and her experiences.

Fantasy

Piranesi – Did I totally understand this book? No. But sometimes it’s nice to read a book you ponder for weeks, and this one was quite the page turner after about 30% of the way through. I really enjoyed it.

Middle Grade for All Ages

Pie – I loved this book so much! I read it on my own and a week later started reading it aloud to my kids, ages 4-12, and every single one of them begs for another chapter when I say it’s time to stop. The characters are so well done, and the writing portrays every scene as if it were playing out like a movie in front of your eyes. The book begins with a death, though not a violent one, so you may wonder, “is this going to be too sad and heavy for my young readers?” but I really do not think it is.

The Mother Daughter Book Club and Much Ado About Anne – I walked by these books on the library shelf many times before I decided to pick them up, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed them! I’d recommend these for girls ages 12 and up, or grown up women who like a good coming-of-age story centered on mother-daughter relationships and great literature.

Non-Fiction

This Beautiful Truth – Newly released book that deserves a post of its own soon! It’s amazing, beautifully written to communicate how the world around us, though broken, is still such a gift.

The Life You Long For – Should this have been grammatically correctly titled The Life For Which You Long? …either way, it’s an excellent book that goes well beyond popular self help books but remains very readable. It was my favorite book in my latest Quick Lit post.

Don’t Overthink It – Read it even if you think you’re not an overthinker! I didn’t think I was, but it’s such an enjoyable read, and showed me some ways I was spinning my wheels daily in making decisions.

Vintage Fiction

(Who am I kidding, I liked the vintage novels the best!)

The Lark – Who knew that E. Nesbit of The Railway Children wrote books for adults? Not I! And I am so excited to discover this one! It is just lovely, light and well written with arch and snappy dialogue and the perfect amount of narrator interjection that Nesbit is so good at. Bonus- it’s only $2.99 on Kindle.

Home is If You Find It – This book from 1947 is so obscure, I had to add it to Goodreads. Yikes. But Thriftbooks still had it! I went on a hunt for it when my dad told me it was so funny, he’d read it several times (Dad, I know you would’ve lent me yours but I like old books on my shelves and who knows what would’ve happened to your copy in this crazy house…). It has not disappointed, and the illustrations sprinkled throughout are done by the legendary Paul Galdone.

July 2021 Releases I Can’t Wait For!

These three books are by authors whose work I have already read and loved. I highly recommend Where the Forest Meets the Stars, The Book of Lost Names, and Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers.

The Light Through the Leaves (as of right now, only $1.99 on Kindle!)

The Forest of Vanishing Stars

Radar Girls

Actually, my copy of The Light Through the Leaves just came in from the library, so I’m off to read it…

I’d love to hear if you read any of these and what you think, or what you’ve been reading this summer!

Children's Books, Quick Lit, Reading, Reviews

Spring Quick Lit Update 2021

Posted on

It’s spring, it’s spring! We’re drinking in greenness and azaleas and sunshine and yellow pine pollen (unintentionally) and books, books, books!

Today I’m doing a quick lit recap of what I’ve been reading lately. Let’s start with fiction.

Still Life – I know I’m really late to this party of readers who are crazy about Louise Penny’s novels, but now I am here and loving it. I have fallen deep into Louise Penny’s Three Pines series, featuring the kind, wise, fatherly Inspector Gamache. Penny is a splendid writer and her books are transporting and thoughtful, despite the murder mysteries they revolve around. I am on number 7, listening to most of them on audio. Because they’re set in Quebec, it is nice to hear the proper pronunciation of the French words and names sprinkled throughout the books. 5 stars for the series.

The Kitchen Front – While I promised myself I would not read another WWII book set in continental Europe for a loooong time, I will never be able to resist a book about the English home front during the war. This book had an appealing plot but, sadly, was a bit saccharine. The character development was rushed, and it was very much a character driven novel. I liked Jennifer Ryan’s other two books much better. 2.5-3ish stars.

Mr. Dickens and His Carol – This is a lovely book that transported me right into Victorian London. I read it shortly after Christmas, and can’t recommend it as a December read more, especially if you’re a fan of Dickens. 4 stars.

How the Penguin’s Saved Veronica – I had a hard time getting through this book. Hazel Prior’s debut novel, Ellie and the Harpmaker, was beautifully written, but maybe I’m just not an animal lover enough to enjoy all the info about penguins, or a cold weather lover enough to enjoy the Antarctic setting in her latest book. [But I don’t know…I did like Where’d You Go, Bernadette?] The characters didn’t quite seem developed or nuanced enough to seem like real people you’re getting to know as you read, either. 2.5 stars.

Jack – I am ashamed to say I had to return this to the library before I could finish it. I blame Louise Penny. Up to this point, I have been mesmerized by all of Robinson’s writing, and expected to soak in her beautiful thoughts and words as usual when I picked up her newest book. Yes, the wording of the conversation between the two main characters was exquisite, but it was extremely hard to get through more than two pages at a time. I plan to try again someday to finish it.

I’m currently reading Across Five Aprils for the first time at the recommendation of my mom. I generally avoid Civil War stories because, well, the time period makes me cringe. But this book with its thoughtful characters and setting on the border of North and South is timeless and beautiful.

Non-Fiction

Don’t Overthink It – Though I’ve read Anne Bogel’s blog for many years, I’ve never picked up one of her books until this past winter. I love her writing style! She has a conversational approach and explains her topics in clear but enjoyable English. I wouldn’t call myself an overthinker in general, but after reading this book, I can see how anyone can fall into an overthinking trap about various facets of life. I’m not in the middle of Bogel’s Reading People.

The Life You Long For: Learning to Live from a Heart of Rest – This is the best book I’ve read this year. Christy Nockels writes a thoughtful and loving book urging us to understand who we are as God’s beloved and then live from that place of understanding, instead of striving. It’s hard to describe how great this book is, how both deeply meaningful and practical it is, but I hope you’ll pick it up.

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz – Wow, this book blew me away. Not only did it read like a novel, I was pulled back in time by it, reliving it as if I didn’t know how the story ends. I had never understood how much of an underdog England was at the start of WWII, or what dire situations Churchill faced in being completely unready for a war. When I finished it, my husband picked it up to read and is enjoying it, too.

Read Alouds

I read aloud every day to my kids, ages 11, 9, 6, and 4. In this past spring semester, we’ve read The Prairie Thief and Red Sails to Capri. My six-year-old loved The Prairie Thief but the rest of us weren’t as enthused about it…we found the story to repeat itself a good bit and stall out in the first half. We are all loving Red Sails to Capri, with its historical setting on an island near Italy, humorous and real characters, and adventure. Next I am thinking about reading aloud a book I loved when I was a girl, Jane Flory’s The Golden Venture. I checked it out from the library many times and then one day, it was on the free pile at the front door! We’ll end our history studies this year on The California Gold Rush and this book made that time period seem real to me when I was a kid; I’m hoping it will do the same for my own kids!

What have you been reading lately? I’m always searching for more great books!

Quick Lit, Reading, Reviews

A New Favorite Author -December 2020 Quick Lit

Posted on

Merry Christmas, readers! Today, I’m bringing you my new favorite author and a few other quick lit reviews. But first, apologies for the long moment of silence on the blog! It was for a good cause:

While holding this little guy day and night (especially at night!) I loaded some books on my Kindle. A friend told me months ago to try a book by Lauren Wolk. I’d heard of her, but hadn’t picked up anything by her yet. The book my friend (who has flawless reading taste) recommended had a wait list on the library app, but Wolk’s first book was available, so I checked out Wolf Hollow and began to read. After I inhaled the first chapter like a person starved for air, I was in love with the whole thing – the setting, the characters, but most of all, the writing style. It was amazing all the way through. Wolf Hollow is one of those exquisite, poetic, moving books marked by publishers as Middle Grade, or for grades 4-8, but it is a mistake! Here’s why: (1) the book will be well loved by any adults and older teens who read it and (2) there are very mature themes. I would never hand it to a fourth grader, but because of its length (not very long), and because it does not contain terribly graphic descriptions of hard subjects, it is middle grade.

I dearly loved Wolf Hollow and after drinking it down in huge gulps, immediately downloaded Wolk’s latest book, Echo Mountain. Again, I found all the same good things in another beautifully written book! And again, man was it too heavy for young childrem, but perfectly moving and a worthy read for 7-12th graders and any adults who like good literature. I’m eagerly waiting for my turn to read Wolk’s Beyond the Bright Sea. In fact, I’m buying the Kindle version today.

[Side note: there are an awful lot of books marked Middle Grade that are excellent literature for adults. Some that come to mind are The War that Saved my Life and Jacob Have I Loved. If you haven’t yet, I highly encourage you to pick up a highly praised middle grade in 2021 and see for yourself!]

In other reading news, I can’t wax ecstatic about any of the other books I picked up lately, but I can give you a few quick reviews!

The Green Ember – I’m reading this aloud to the kids right now, and while I can see the appeal of the story and a few of its characters, I’m not a fan of the writing style. If any of my kids want to continue the series, they can read them on their own, and I think they’ll enjoy that more, actually, because it’s a very plot driven book and reading it quickly is probably the best way to go through it.

Finding Dorothy – Both enjoyable and educational. And it made me want to re-watch The Wizard of Oz. 3.5 stars

Stepping Heavenward – Boring. I am shocked at myself for finding it so, as many readers I respect like it. The fault is, I’m sure, in me. 2 stars

American Royals and Majesty – An intriguing premise that devolves into too much interpersonal drama – 2.5 stars, but I read both of them, didn’t I, so who am I to complain?

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse – Beautiful. I wanted to take a picture of several pages. 4 stars

The Book of Lost Names – Very good, even though I thought it was going to be predictable and trite when I picked it up. It would probably be even better to a reader who hasn’t read way too many books set in Europe in World War II. 4 stars.

Mexican Gothic – This is one of those books I read without knowing what it’s about. Lo and behold, for the first time in my life, I’ve read the winner of the Horror category in the Goodreads Awards. Unless you’re into that genre, I certainly do not recommend it. There’s a good reason Edgar Allen Poe wrote this kind of thing in short doses! However, I thought the writing was very good.

And it’s not a book but because it has pages, I’m going to tell you how in love I am with my new calendar by Katie Daisy.

That’s it for this recap but I’d love to know what you’re reading. Tell me what I should read in 2021 in the comments!

Children's Books, Quick Lit, Reading, Reviews

A Summer of Espionage {Quick Lit August, 2020}

Posted on

Hey friends! Time for an update on summer reading! And, a confession: I got sucked into a TV show this summer. If you know me, you know I watch TV pretty much never (sports excluded). But this summer has been weird for everyone, and I’m no exception. The strangeness of this summer in a pandemic during an uncomfortable pregnancy is probably what led me to All Espionage All The Time in my entertainment choices. I can see now that I’ve been looking for an escape from the mundane and unpleasant. Plus, sports were cancelled. So, below you’ll find what I’ve read lately, the TV show that I watched all five seasons of since May (insert horrified expression on my own face here), and what we’ve been reading in our family. Bonus at the end – the nonfiction I hope to read this fall.

Novels

Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook – I’m right in the middle of this one and it’s showing lots of promise! Edith Graham seems like an ordinary spinster school teacher in 1948, but when she decides to head to Germany to help rebuild the school system there, she’s recruited to use her position as a front for hunting out former Nazi officers. Her code to let the Office of Strategic Services know about her progress is her recounting of recipes. So far, I really like this book!

The Black Swan of Paris – Quite a page turner about a glittering star who flies under the radar and, mostly against her will at first, uses her talent to aid The Resistance in Paris during World War II. Perfect if you’re having trouble focusing on a book but you would love to be in the middle of one (we all have those seasons of life, don’t we?). Four stars.

My espionage reading started further back this summer with Code Name Helene, a more gritty novel than the other two featured this month but very compelling. [At the time of my review of this book, I felt the language too strong, but the writer actually explained her choice words usage at the end of the novel, and her reasoning made sense.] 3.5 stars.

The Vanishing Half – Not about espionage, though definitely about a missing person. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it — violence, betrayal, lies, gender identity issues, substance abuse… it was all very dark and built on an already very weighty topic in a heavy time — but I read it because I wanted to dig in further to the racial strain my country is under right now and the healing we’d like to move toward. Literature helps me think through issues. 2.5 Stars.

TV

Alias – There. I said it. I watched all five seasons of a show from twenty years ago this summer. Watching Alias started out as a way to distract myself on the treadmill, but then the plot gripped me and the Bristows and friends/enemies kept me company on the couch elevating my legs (circulation issues during pregnancy are the pits!), in the kitchen, during laundry…I had to know what happened next! All the seasons are on Amazon Prime right now, don’t say I didn’t warn you about the whole story grip thing. Also, it’s not rated G. I watched it when the kids were otherwise occupied.

What We’re Reading Aloud

The kids and I are now halfway through Mrs. Frisby and The Rats of Nimh, and it’s sloooow going. We want to know what’s going to happen to Mrs. Frisby and her family, but it’s taking so long to even find out who the rats are and we still don’t know what Nimh is! But we’re committed and should be finished in the next two weeks. Next up we’re doing either Harriet the Spy or Little Lord Fauntleroy. Votes for which I should pick?

Jeremiah is reading The Last Battle at bedtime to the whole family and wow, I have not re-read this book in forever. It’s like it’s brand new to me. All Narnia books are a delight.

What the Kids Are Reading

Isaac (9) has become a huge fan of the Redwall Series by Brian Jacques. Parents take heart – this kid wanted nothing to do with letters or numbers when he entered kindergarten! Ella (11) is loving Nancy Drew books and The Rose Legacy Series by Jessica Day George. Violet (6) and Lydia (3) want to read and re-read The Princess in Black Series by Shannon Hale, and even though the books seem so long, they’re actually very enjoyable read-alouds for one sitting. I love LeUyen Pham’s illustrations.

What My Husband’s Been Reading

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates – I picked this up for my husband, who is a reader without the time to browse around for books, and he liked it but thought it a bit drawn out. 3 stars.

Nonfiction I’m Reading/Plan to Read

The Call of the Wild + Free: Reclaiming Wonder in Your Child’s Education and Wild + Free Handcrafts – I’m still in the middle of these books because I am a slow nonfiction absorber, but I’m enjoying the reminders of how kids and parents can learn together in harmony and without checklists. As for the handcrafts, most of them look beyond me, but they also look so beautiful, I’m willing to try them even though I’ll probably go crazy in the process!

The Lazy Genius Way – I’m pumped to read Kendra Adachi’s first book. I’ve been a big fan of her podcast for a few years now, and if her book is as full of practical and clear headed ideas as her podcast is, it will be a winner.

That’s all for this update! What’s on your fall reading list?