Everyday Life, Nonfiction, Quick Lit, Reading, Reviews

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

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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

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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.

Quick Lit, Reading, Reviews

A Quick Book Catch Up

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Hey friends! How’s 2022 treating you so far? To be honest, January smote me. We could not hit a homeschooling groove, the weather was very cold for where we live, my toddler became a climber extraordinaire, and the shiny, fresh new year vibes were simply not there. Our family of seven capped off January with our first case of Covid-19. All of February felt like trying to run through quick sand. Now it’s March, it’s spring where I live, and glimmers of hope shimmer in the corners of my vision. I’m happy to see the bend and the road and the new season ahead. Today, I’m jumping in for a few quick book reviews from this past season. I hope you’ll see a book that sparks your attention and would love to know what you’ve been reading to start 2022!

Winter Reads 2022

New Release Literary Novel – The Lincoln Highway – I wanted this to be more like A Gentleman in Moscow, and it wasn’t, but the writing was still splendid. In this book, Amor Towles delivers a classic American Dream on the road novel set in the 1950s that combines Huckleberry Finn and The Odyssey in a strangely adventurous, humorous, philosophical way. Throw in lots of Shakespeare references and it’s hard to believe this could be a page turner, but it was! Not quite as much as this next book on the list, though…

New Release Page Turner – Finlay Donovan is Killing It – I think of this as an adventure rom-com book (if that’s a thing). A seemingly average single mom finds herself accidentally involved in a mafia as the hit woman she never meant to be, and adventure ensues. I imagine Sandra Bullock in the lead role for this novel that reads like a movie. Yes, you have to suspend reality as you read, but as a light and fun read, it checks all the boxes. (Side note – def a PG-13 rating on this one) The sequel is a little cringier at the beginning but rights itself by the end to become almost as fun as Book One.

Vintage Novel – A Town Like Alice – I’m so glad I read this well written novel of one woman’s journey across three continents during and after World War II. The characters were strong in hard circumstances, yet still remained believable and human. It was originally published in 1948, and there are some politically incorrect terms I would love to see edited in a new edition, but setting those aside, I found it to be one of those stories that inspires strength in my own life.

Warm Blanket Book – Miss Read’s Fairacre series, books 1-3 – Not sure how I made it this far into a life filled with tons of British literature without reading Miss Read, but that is now remedied. Her books are very character driven, not a whole lot of action, but insightful when it comes to human nature and community, and so cozy and wholesome. I wish I were Miss Read’s neighbor.

Read Aloud with the Kids – The Wind in the Willows – We laughed a lot through this book, and enjoyed knowing this was what C.S. Lewis chose to read in bed after an illness. We could see some similarities in his Narnia books to this novel about a set of animal friends who live like humans and have strong characters. There were some chapters that were more enjoyable than others, but for the most part, we really liked this book. Now we’re at loose ends for a new read-aloud to start and taking all suggestions!

Nonfiction – Adorning the Dark – This book is rich and thought provoking, though my brain sure would have like each chapter to be a little more obviously connected and chronologically laid out in the grand theme of the book. Still, as a collection of essays about the creative life of a Christian, it’s a great book. I was particularly drawn to the ideas about longing for a home and a place to belong, and might start looking for rocks on the side of the road like the author if I’m not careful!

Parenting book – Why Motherhood Matters – I heard September McCarthy on a podcast years ago, and then saw this book a few weeks ago at the library and snatched it up. It was a timely refocus at the beginning of the year on purposeful parenting. If you’ve read any of Sally Clarkson’s books, the parenting ideas and approach are very similar, but I appreciated the direct and succinct presentation of the author’s parenting principles. Sometimes books on the ideals of motherhood can leave me feeling weighed down with a feeling that I’ll never achieve anything, but this book instead reminded me that as a parent, you have the ability to direct certain things in life and it’s never to late to start new ways.

Everyday Life, Parenting, Quick Lit, Reading, Reviews

Thirty Minute Days and Bookends and Books

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Hey friends! What have you been reading lately? I have to admit, my reading life has been quiet lately. I do have a few good book recs for you below, but only a few right now. I was talking to a friend in a similar stage of life -parenting and homeschooling big kids, while also parenting babies and preschoolers, taking our big kids to various sports, attempting to maintain healthy relationships – and we agreed, we have a grand total of about thirty minutes of “free time” a day. That’s all the time there is right now that doesn’t involve a home task like folding laundry or a parenting moment like reading to children.

Thirty whole minutes.

Thirty minutes to exercise, reply to texts and emails, shop for anything we need online, take a shower, work on a project, or do any other thing that doesn’t involve the care and keeping of home and family. Thirty minutes to do all that is required to be the healthy, put-together, accomplished modern women we’re supposed to be. Thirty minutes to decide what’s worthwhile.

“Yep, thirty minutes,” we nodded and ruefully smiled in solidarity.

Naming that to a friend and stating it here now is simply sharing this piece of my life. It’s not to complain or to say, “someone, tell me how to squeeze out of my life more usable time for my own pursuits!” The reality is simple: that thirty minutes of free time is all I expect in a typical day. I’m learning to sit more comfortably with that reality. When I take on a project, be it writing or home improvement or anything, I know that thirty minute time slot per day is all that project is going to get in this season.

I keep on using the phrase “in this season” because I am aware that it won’t always be like this. Someday my small children won’t require my full attention in their every waking moment (side note: my 12-month-old is my biggest handful yet, y’all), because they won’t be small, and that fact catches at my heart and compels me to cherish the season for what it is. Rest assured, that’s what I’m doing. But it’s impossible to ignore this: right alongside being happily present in the glorious life season I’m in is learning to be okay in the Thirty Minute Days reality.

So for now, I do a lot of things less than I used to. Yes, I even read less than I used to. But I still read. I still breathe. The two go hand-in-hand in a way I can’t explain. Some of you know what I mean. I read a nonfiction book for a few minutes every morning before the kids get up. I read a fiction book every night before I fall asleep. I literally bookend my days. And I stay sane. Another hand-in-hand fact that I can’t explain but that is absolutely true. Bookending my days with actual books keeps me a feeling like an actual person. Sure, I wish I had more time and mental space for writing my own stuff. Someday I’ll even watch a TV series or something outside of my current norm, but for now, book ending my days and living with the fact that between those bookends, I will only have thirty minutes to pursue all the other things is alright. My prayers in these Thirty Minute Days often are only an incoherent “oh, help.” But what I’m really saying is “Please. Help me seek and share delight and love in this day without wishing anything away, help me to be wise in all these minutes, help me to live the life You called me to live with joy.”

The Books I’ve Read in October/November

The Thursday Murder Club – This is one of those books whose characters you instantly fall in love with and whose pages you can’t turn fast enough. The pace of the plot was perfect, the setting so real, and the writing both humorous and thoughtful. I wouldn’t call myself a big mystery lover, but if I am going to like a mystery, it’s gotta’ have a lot of good literary elements around it. Five stars. (Just got the sequel on my Kindle from the library — squee!)

The Last Chance Library – A novel that’s an ode to local libraries and the people who love them, as well as a delayed coming of age narrative that’s becoming more common in modern storytelling. I liked the setting, the writing style, and most of the characters (the main character was a bit exasperating, but that’s part of the plot). I sure did want to go to my local library simply to be there every time I picked up this book! Four stars.

The Pearl Thief – I have waited far too long to pick up this prequel to Code Name Verity and I hereby swear to read everything by Elizabeth Wien as quickly as possible. Her two books I’ve read so far are a unique combination of quality characters navigating the new postmodern world after WWI and into WWII with fabulous settings and plenty of action to keep readers absolutely enthralled.

Gentle and Lowly – I started this in September on the recommendation (and as a gift from) my parents and have since realized lots and lots of people are reading this book right now and that is a very good thing. It’s full of the kind of truths churched people need to hear as much as unchurched people about who God is and how God really loves us all. I have to admit, I don’t always love the writing style – when you read as many Puritan writers as Dane Ortlund, that probably tends to affect your own writing a bit – but the content is profound. Simple, but profound, and profoundly lost in my own reading of the Bible often. I always take my time with nonfiction (I mean, I give it about ten minutes a day so yeah, that’s going to take a while), but this is a book I’m going through even more slowly than my usual pace, taking it in each short chapter in a morning and thinking it over for a few days between. I’ve got two more chapters to go. Five stars.

Wonderland – Not my favorite middle grade novel I’ve read lately. Too rushed, too heavy, too many characters left undeveloped. 2 stars.

Honey – A short and light story by the author of Pie, my favorite middle grade novel I read this year. I’m thinking of reading it aloud to my kids in the next few weeks. Honey doesn’t have as compelling a mystery or fully developed characters as Pie, but it’s a solid book just the same. 3.5 Stars.

A Place to Hang the Moon – I already read this beautiful, moving book by myself earlier this year. Now, one of my children is studying this time period in school, so it didn’t bother me at all to read this one again, this time aloud to my kids. They are enjoying it and asking lots of good questions about the historical time period (they’re ages 12, 10, 7, and 4). I don’t know that I would pick it to read aloud to just my 7-year-old or 4-year-old, it’s really more geared towards the 8 and above group, but it’s the kind of quality literature that everyone can get something out of. (Psst – I did skip parts of the “rat catching” chapter since I knew that one is kind of graphic for the little ones and largely unnecessary for the plot).

I’ve also got a lot of books piling up on my To-Be-Read shelf (aka my nightstand) but as you can imagine, lines from the song “Let It Be” play in my mind pretty constantly in these days. You know, in these Thirty Minute Days I keep going on about…they go by in about thirty minutes, too, it seems, so the name has double meaning! But the books will still be there when I get to them, won’t they?

Until then, happy reading and here’s to living joyfully in whatever season you find yourself in today.

Much love to you,

Mia/Alana

Quick Lit, Reading, Reviews

Summer Reading 2021 Wrap Up

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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!