Summer 2017 Quick Lit

Welcome to my summer edition of Quick Lit!  This is when readers across the blogosphere give short reviews of the books they’ve read in the last month or so. See what other bloggers are reading here.

Our slow summer has continued, and it has become rather glorious, minus the interruption of a family stomach bug for the last week. (Oh summer, you bring us many things, but a stomach bug is usually somewhere in the mix…). But! We’ve got grass in our backyard, our swing set is up again, and the kids and I are luxuriating in unscheduled days (though it’s kind of driving my husband a little crazy). As far as reading goes, though, I told my dad recently it’s probably been the worst reading summer of my life. For a good month, I couldn’t find any books to get into. Everything I picked up made me think “blah.” But then Thriftbooks.com had a sale and I bought some older books on my to-read list, and suddenly this summer’s reading was totally redeemed. Lesson: older books are always the answer to my reading ruts. But there is one new-release on my list that was just what the reading doctor would have ordered if there was such a thing. I’ll start with that one:

In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowden would be a great beach read. It is not serious historical fiction by any means, but it combines a British country manor with some World War II spies and code breakers — a combination that is just right for a lighthearted but adventurous book. Similar in setting to The Summer Before the War and The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir but completely different in tone with more likable characters. Maybe it’s a little predictable, but I still enjoyed it. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris – I requested this one from the library because after reading My Mrs. Brown, I suspected the original story published in 1952 would be more to my liking than the new rendition. I liked the character of Mrs. Brown but I loooved Mrs. ‘Arris. Besides loving the main characters, the cast of characters around her, the length of the novel (shorter), and the subtle meanings laced in an out of the novel were on point. If you’re into vintage novels (and maybe even if you’re not), check this one out.

One Fine Day – I’ve had the author Mollie Panter-Downes on my to-read list for a long time. Her book that walks through the full summer day in the life of an English woman shortly after World War II did not disappoint. It’s not a plot-driven book, but a piece of art in that Panter-Downes manages to create a complete life-story of a woman based on what she thinks and does in one day. I loved the main character, the setting, and the reminder that our every days can add up to beautiful life times.

Nancy and Plum – Think A Little Princess meets The Boxcar Children. I don’t know why this book isn’t more famous. I adored it.

Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown and Betsy and Tacy Go Over The Big Hill – I didn’t read this series as a girl, I guess they just slipped through the cracks because I read lots of similar books, but I’m thoroughly enjoying them now. I love some old fashioned goodness. A full review of my take-aways from the series will be published soon!

Penny From Heaven – This was on my list of Newbery Medal winners and runners up to read. It was a little disappointing–very much a memoir of a child and not at all what I would have liked to read when I was a child myself. Still, if you like memoirs, you will probably enjoy this one. It certainly had a unique set of characters.

Love Lives Here –  Maria Goff wrote this book sort of as a “here’s what I’ve learned in life so far.” It’s a great companion to Love Does by her husband Bob Goff, since they are opposite personalities with the same goal in life – to love others well. I wouldn’t call either book great literature – neither of them are really writers – but the wisdom and the genuineness that exudes from them the Goffs makes it well worth the read. I would call them some of my faith heroes.

Atlas Girl – I’m in the middle of this one by Emily Wierenga. She writes beautifully, but I’m having a hard time getting to the reason behind the memoir. Do you ever do that? Read a memoir that’s so personal and raw and wonder why the writer felt that a journal-like account of her life and thoughts needed to be published? Probably it’s just the frame of mind I’m in that’s throwing me off. I should probably finish it before I give a final verdict.

What have you been reading this summer?