I was reading definitely going down certain paths with my reading in July. I read three books set in Paris, two books by C.S. Lewis and three memoirs, along with three other books. The most profound book I finished in July was 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory by Matthew Kelly. Here’s what I read in July:
Read this book! I don’t know how I came across Remedies for Sorrow, but I’m so glad I did. Megan Nix is a mother who lives in Colorado and Alaska and has a child who was born with congenital CMV. I had never heard of it, but it’s one of the most common ways a baby has developmental delays and disabilities. It can be easily prevented with good hygiene, but pregnant women are often not even told about it! Read this book! Or, at the very least, look up information about congenital CMV!
I saw Becoming Marie Antoinette at the souvenir shop at Versailles when we were in Paris (see the blog for more details on that trip!). I put it on my to-read list and it soon became available to check out. It is part of a trilogy and covers Marie Antoinette’s life from childhood until her husband is crowned king. While it’s historical fiction, the book is highly researched and it was fascinating to read about how she grew up. She was groomed to marry royalty to save their country with alliances. Both her and Louis XVI are young when they are wed and the marriage is not consummated for almost 3 years. She is bated into gossip and has to learn many lessons about France after leaving Austria. I plan to read the entire series.
Elizabeth Elliot was the widow of a famous missionary who was killed by natives who thought he and his fellow missionaries were cannibals. She then later went to the same tribe and worked with them, offering her forgiveness. Suffering is Never for Nothing is a series of her talks on the subject of suffering. She also lost her second husband to cancer. However, her faith kept her focused on the important things day to day. If I found myself facing a trying situation, I would pick this book back up to remind me that God can work through suffering.
It Wasn’t Roaring, It Was Weeping is a memoir by a woman who grew up in South Africa during apartheid. She came to the U.S. for college and found herself facing the same demons she experienced with her father when she was a little girl – uncontrollable anger. She takes a deep dive into her story – going back to her father and his father. Living in a setting that makes racism a national identity had an affect even on the white Christians who wanted to live in a way where they could treat people with equal respect. It was a fascinating memoir and, in the end, it is her faith and her father’s faith that make all the difference.
Set in modern day Paris, Paris in the Present Tense is about a 74-year-old musician who just wants a better life for his daughter, her husband and their child. The child is sick and needs better medical care. Amidst dealing with that, the Jewish family is hiding their identity in public due to the hatred by some immigrants toward Jews. Jules himself was in hiding with his parents for the first four years of his life during WWII only to have his parents killed in front of him days before liberation. Just when he runs out of ideas on how to help his grandson, a gift wrapped up as a death sentence falls into his lap. I really enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it.
In the year of Eucharistic Revival for the Catholic Church, Matthew Kelly wrote a book to make a consecration to the Eucharist. In a 33-day devotional, Kelly packs in daily spiritual lessons that will cause the reader to really think about what he or she believes about his or her faith and the Eucharist. One of the points that really struck me was thinking about how if the mass I’m about to attend is the last one I’ll ever attend. (It’s not hard to imagine with just recently having churches closed for COVID.) I highly recommend this 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory to every Catholic.
When I finished Till We Have Faces, I looked up what mythological story the book was based on – Cupid and Psyche. Psyche is a main character, but Cupid is not mentioned. I’m sure those more familiar with mythology would have known. Psyche is the oldest of three daughters born to the king. The mother died after the second child was born and the third daughter is from another wife. Psyche is ugly, the youngest is beautiful and the middle child is overlooked. They all yearn for love under an emotionally and physically abusive father, but when the local god calls up the youngest to be sacrificed, their worlds get turned upside down. I enjoyed reading this book and am still pondering over its messages.
A book about Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass should be fascinating. They were both alive at the same time during a historic time in America. The President and the Freedom Fighter started out telling the origin stories of both men and I was fascinated. However, once it got into the Civil War, there were a lot of side stories and I lost a lot of interest. I would say that history buffs would probably enjoy the entire book. I did learn many new things about both men.
I re-read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as part of a summer book study by a podcast I listen to – Abiding Together. I enjoyed sitting down on Sundays and reading a few chapters of a delightful book. Then, on Mondays, they would discuss those chapters on their podcast. Their insights into how the book shows our true human nature and how it seeks God really forced me to process the book in a whole different way. I really enjoyed doing this and would highly recommend everyone explore doing this with their podcast.
Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow is book two in a trilogy about Marie Antoinette. It continues the story of the Queen as she finally has two children and deals with an unhappy people. A lot of focus is put on how misrepresented she is by the people in pamphlets that are printed possibly at Versailles. She has also found a man who really understands her, but unfortunately, he is not the King. I’m enjoying reading the books and I am hoping the author has a section at the end of the trilogy explaining what she added and what is true to history.
After learning what David Goggins has gone through and achieved in his life, I could not pass up any book written by him. Never Finished focuses on how he is approaching life past 45 with the mindset of never stopping – never finishing. After beating his body up so much with so many high impact running events, he has to have surgery to repair his knees. The first one goes awry and after a second one, he ignores his doctors resting timeline so he can train to be a smokejumper. While the book is inspiring and motivating, I do wonder what his body will let him do in his 60s and 70s versus someone who went after life, but took better care of his or her body.
What good books have you read lately? Share in the comments!
