Life in our world started to feel more “normal” in June. We had appointments, school sports practices and took a weekend vacation just a few hours away. I feel like my reading was more on a “normal” level, too. Here are the books I read in June:
It seemed innocent at first – two young girls exploring the gypsy camp in the nearby woods. However, when the older sister discovers their father’s secret, she is threatened to behave or else. Her father threatens to send her to the House of Mercy where girls of bad moral character are “reformed.” Effie wakes up one morning and her sister is gone, but her mother distracts her with a day out shopping and tells her Luella is with their father. When they get home and Luella is nowhere to be seen, Effie just knows she has been sent to the House of Mercy in The Girls With No Names.
Edward is the sole survivor of a plane crash. His family was moving from New York City to Los Angeles. Being left behind and bearing the weight of wondering why he lived and the others perished is a lot for a 12-year-old boy. Edward ends up in the care of his aunt and uncle, who could never have children of their own, even though they tried. They are lost at how to help him deal with his new reality. Hope arrives from next door in a 12-year-old girl names Shay in Dear Edward.
Everyone could use a therapist at some times … even a therapist. Lisa shares her story about a time when she couldn’t get past a sudden breakup and went to see a therapist. In true therapy fashion, what she thinks her issues are might actually just the tip of the iceberg and she finally digs deep to figure out how to break out of her self-imposed cell. The lessons she learns are not just from her therapist but also from the patients who come to see her and open up their lives to her in Maybe You Should Talk To Someone.
Priska, Anka and Rachel were all barely pregnant when they were sent to concentration camps in the summer and fall of 1944. Even though Dr. Mengle had a keen eye at rooting out the pregnant women for his experiments, they all managed to hide their condition. The timing of their pregnancies saved their babies lives as they each gave birth just days before liberation. However, the months they spent took a toll on their bodies and minds and they barely had strength to keep them and their babies alive. Their stories are told in Born Survivors.
With Kate on maternity leave and her husband able to work remotely, they are asked to go back to the farm and look after Grandma. She had a stroke and almost set the house on fire. Her two children are planning to put her in a home after a last Christmas at the family farm. However, as Kate gets closer to her grandmother and learns more family history, she starts to see what is truly important in life in Tending Roses.
North Carolina lawyer Scott Ellis finds himself in the case of his life when a local teenager is charged with shooting at a crowd during a church baptism. While the motivation is most likely racism, Ellis has to defend him. In the midst of this hard case, he runs into his high school sweetheart who is now a high school teacher. They work together on the school’s mock trial team. In this Christian legal thriller, all stories intertwine in The Sacrifice.
I did some craft reading this month as I’m going to be leading some local writing groups. Just Write is about the writing process and the writing life. The book gives a good overview for someone who is just starting to write a book. He advocates for taking time to create a good summary of the book before starting.
Another craft book I read was Beginnings, Middles and Ends. Kress talks about each section of the book that being written and gives good exercises to enhance those sections. She talks about character, plot and structure. She also gives very good tips about how to edit a draft manuscript.
Parenting is not an easy task and most parents can use any help they get. For parents of girls, Bringing Up Girls is a must-read. Today’s society can be a tough place for girls, especially with the Internet and social media. Bringing Up Girls addresses those topics, along with self-image, how they relate to mothers and fathers separately, modesty, religious beliefs and what girls crave for their hearts. A Christian author writes the book and while there are religious views in the book, it has great tips for anyone who has daughters of any age!
C.S. Lewis is well-known for certain books – The Chronicles of Narnia, A Grief Observed and Mere Christianity. However, his list of books is very long and includes several studies of other works. Lewis enjoyed looking at themes in medieval literature and seeing what themes authors presented. In The Neglected C.S. Lewis, the author looks at several of Lewis’ less well-known books and writings. I was part of the lauch team for The Neglected C.S. Lewis and was given a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review. I had high hopes for this book as I really like C.S. Lewis, but it ended up being very academic. The author looks at both what Lewis wrote and what the author Lewis is examining wrote. I think it would be a good book for someone taking a class or writing a paper on Lewis.
What should you do when you see justice not being served in your town? Two men take drastic measures after the killer of one of their daughters walks free. A man lied about his alibi and they feel both men should pay. In their search for justice, they decide to create their own prison. The cells are places where there is no escape, no human interaction and just basic meals. After they catch these two men, they decide to pursue other cases and become vigilantes. However, when Jim is captured and realizes he is being targeted for his father’s crime of providing the alibi, he fights their system. Can he figure out a way to free the men captured in the cells? Cells is a quick but interesting read about justice. The plot moves along quickly and had me guessing as to how the book would end. Is it right for any one man to decide another’s fate?
What did you read in June? Share on the blog! I’m always looking for good book recommendations!
