I finished three books in July and started, but didn’t finish, another three. I’m looking to read more in-depth books and series so I can spend more time with a story. Here’s what I read in July:

Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

Hannah Coulter reads like a memoir, although it is a fiction story. Berry set up a whole small town full of characters and has different novels that feature different people. Hannah’s story is about learning to love after loss. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it for anyone wanting a solid novel.

This is Happiness by Niall Williams

Set in Ireland right before a small village gets electricity, This is Happiness explores how one young man sees the world as he comes home from leaving seminary. As he is finding out what his new path should be, he encounters his grandparents’ boarder who is helping install the electric lines. The boarder is on a mission of forgiveness and it opens the man’s eyes up to how people should connect. It was an interesting story.

Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

What does it take to have the No. 1 restaurant in the world? It took something so ordinary that it’s extraordinary – paying attention. Unreasonable Hospitality is about seeing people, identifying what could make their experience better and then doing that. While it focuses on lessons for the business world, the takeaways from the book can apply to every day life as well. Pay attention and then act to make someone else’s moment brighter.

I also picked up and read a bit of The Astral Library by Kate Quinn, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett and The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor but I put them all back down for various reasons. I will probably pick the O’Connor book up again at some point, but not the others.

What have you read recently? Share in the comments!