July was a hot month and it felt busier than the past few months. I enjoyed more activities outside with my family, which left me more tired at night. That meant fewer pages read before I closed my eyes and slept. However, I did read several very good books this month. Here are the books I read in July:
Shortly after the release of Before We Were Yours, Lisa Wingate started getting emails from families who were affected by the adoption scandal. They saw their family member in the historical fiction story Wingate had created. One of the women, Connie, suggests a reunion at the dedication of a monument in Memphis to the hundreds of children who died in Tann’s care. Wingate agrees and brings her journalist friend Judy Christie along on the journey to record the stories of the survivors for posterity. These are compiled in Before and After.
Jenilee Lane saw the tornado rip through the nearby town, wondering why she is spared in Good Hope Road. She can see damage to the neighbor’s farm house and takes her father’s tractor to see if anyone needs help. She knows he’ll be mad about it when he and her brother get back from Kansas City, but she feels she had to check. She hears a cat mewing when she gets there and discovers a girl and her grandmother trapped in the cellar and rescues them. This small act of defiance to her father’s wishes at the age of 21 sends her life down a different path than it was headed.
The Silver Star is a book about two sisters who try their best to take care of themselves when their mother disappears for days at a time. Bean and Liz leave California when the police start nosing around and travel to visit their uncle in Virginia. There, they find family history but learn lessons about how deep grudges can run in a small town. The fiction story shows how sometimes a dysfunctional family can find its way to a functional one.
We are all striving to be successful in one way or another. Success is often touted as being a result of talent and hard work, but there are many other factors that can play into a person’s success. In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell examines several of the key factors that have led many people to success. However, it’s not as simple as following a few steps. When you were born, how many hours you put into your craft, your cultural heritage and where you live can all greatly affect your success – or lack of it.
It’s a day many remember down to the very last detail – Dec. 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor was attacked the Japanese, costing almost 2,500 American lives. The events that led up to the attack have been scrutinized many ways trying to place blame. However, sometimes in war, you are surprised and America was surprised that day. Jeff Shaara makes the events leading up to Pearl Harbor come to life in this historically accurate novel, To Wake The Giant, where one of the main characters is a young man from Florida who enlists in the Navy.
Bailey is back for a final important mission. Safe and loved in the afterlife, CJ tells him he has to go back and is sent to Ethan’s great grandson, Burke. Burke was born a paraplegic and needs a dog to help him get around. He trains Cooper, Bailey’s new name, to do steady, assist and pull. Yet, one day Burke can have a surgery that can help him walk and Cooper is no longer needed. Cooper does meet the love of his life, though, and has puppies with Lacey in A Dog’s Promise.
I read through The Couple Next Door in just three days. It’s a thriller about a couple who attend a dinner party next door, leaving their baby at home. They check on her every 30 minutes and have a monitor, but when they get home, she is gone. Just when you think you may know what has happened, you find out another truth about the characters that leads you down another trail. The ending surprised even me.
My husband and I often read a book together and we just finished The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. When we started, we didn’t realize it was the third book in the Sherlock Holmes series, but each story can stand alone, so we weren’t missing much except for the relationship between Watson and Holmes. We’re going to go back and start reading the first book in the series next. It was fun to try and guess the mystery each time.
I’m trying to read a writing craft book a month to work on becoming a better writer. The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing is a great resource for writers as it covers a multitude of topics related to writing. I enjoyed the chapters on organizing a plot and creating dialogue. I would encourage all writers to have a copy on their bookshelf – I plan to buy a hard copy.
Aleja feels the pull of adventure, but she is just supposed to be satisfied helping work at her family’s tavern. She sneaks out at night to explore their city, Seville, but then also breaks into the library. She borrows books and spends the night reading them before hiding them under her bed. She’s supposed to be content, not searching for knowledge and wanting to see the ships that come into port. However, one night at the library, she discovers a hidden compartment with a book labeled with a famous explorer. On her way home, she makes a stop at the port to see the newest ship – The Ship of Shadows. Fate looks down on her and by picking up some dropped coins, she is suddenly hunted for having counterfeit money. She is offered refuge on the new ship, which is made up of a woman-only crew.
Learn to Love by Thomas Jordan
Learn to Love is a great summary of the common pitfalls found in love relationships. The author explores how family of origin relationships can impact what you search for in adult love relationships. He brings up specific categories and lets the reader identify them in his or her life. Then, he gives a roadmap of how to recognize them so you can choose a different, healthier path. By sharing his own story, he gives credence to how this can successfully help people have more fulfilling relationships. This would be a great read for every adult.
Mental health is all to important in today’s world. The Balance Between Life and Death shows what can happen when a family legacy of mental health is not dealt with. When Ana finally seeks help for dealing with her father’s suicide 10 years after his death, she starts to realize she can open up to others. She has to be able to deal with the hurt that love can bring, though. There’s a lot of power to this short novella.
What did you read in July? Share your books in the comments!
