Summer means more reading time! There are more pockets of unscheduled time and there’s staying up late to pick up children from their job at the local ice cream diner. Most of the books I read were really interesting fiction, but there was a great book about mindfulness and another about health. I also read a book that explored who might have betrayed the hiding place of Anne Frank. Here’s what I read in June:
Perelandra is the second book in C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy series. Dr. Ranson is called by the angels to visit a different planet (Venus). On Venus, he finds life is at its beginning stages and meets its “Eve.” However, Eve has yet to meet her Adam and only has one rule to follow. She must stay on the floating islands to sleep at night and not stay on the fixed ground island. Shortly after meeting her, Dr. Ransom finds that someone else has made his way to the planet and has brought along evil intentions. The book focuses on the struggle between good and evil and what a struggle it is! I found the story greatly fascinating.
A Circle of Quiet is one of Madeleine L’Engle’s journal books. It’s written in first person and gives her thoughts on many different life events. I hadn’t even known these books existed and found this one fascinating. She really faced an uphill battle getting books published between finding time to write as a mother and having publishers give her a serious glance. If you enjoy any of L’Engle’s books, I would highly recommend reading A Circle of Quiet. I plan to read the rest of the journals she had published, too.
Ada left her home on the swamp to move with a boy she loved. When that ended, despite promising to never do so, she makes her way back to her father’s house. Her mother had died in a fire and her father was emotionally abusive to both her and her mother. But, Ada felt she had no where left to go. Eventually, things come to a head with her father, but then another girl shows up who helps Ada face the road ahead. Their lives become intertwined more than either one expected or hoped for. Fans of Where the Crawdads Sing will enjoy The Girls in the Stilt House.
Dystopian books can be and interesting blend of fascination about “what if?” and scariness about “could it really happen?” The World Made by Hand walks the line of both pretty well, although it does get to a few violent points in the book. It tells the story of one man who gets roped into becoming mayor after living a fairly peaceful existence for several years. Enforcing the law and trying to keep order leads him to a place of trouble. The book is more of a person’s story because it ends with the world still being just as dystopian as when it started.
I have loved reading Janette Oke books since my grandfather introduced me to them when I was in middle school. My daughters love watching When Calls the Heart and when I saw this series was loosely tied to that one, I knew I wanted to give Unyielding Hope a try. The book focuses on the orphans who are sent from England to Canada and two women who choose to help the children when the Home runs out of room. I enjoyed the first book and plan to read the entire series.
I heard about The Mindful Way Through Depression from a Jen Fulwiler podcast and thought it might be helpful for some people in my life so I wanted to check it out. It actually gave many good tips on how to train yourself to regain control of your brain. By focusing on taking your brain to a place where it focus on just one thing or can even change its focus to another topic can definitely help with depression and anxiety. I would recommend this book to anyone who deals with brain spirals or knows someone who does.
It Ends with Us tackles a serious subject in a fiction book – abusive relationships. She shows the human side of both the victim and the abuser, but doesn’t create room for excuses, just a bit of understanding. Hoover wrote this book because her own mother left an abusive relationship. While I found the book a bit predictable and tied up neatly in the end, I think it was an important subject for her to bravely tackle.
Imagine a conversation between C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Billy Graham. They would talk about faith and possibly try to figure out a way to cross the divide between Protestantism and Catholicism. Symbol or Substance? Does just that – creates the fictional conversation that the three might have on probably the most difficult bridge to pass between the “faiths” – is communion a symbol or the substance of God? I enjoyed reading this book and it has very interesting arguments on both sides. I highly recommend anyone of faith to read it.
AnnieLee stumbles into Nashville without a story, but with a very powerful voice. In Run Rose Run, she plays at a bar and sleeps in a park until noticed by a man who works for the country world’s most famous retired star. AnnieLee is good – real good – but her walk to fame and fortune can only happen when she’s willing to deal with her past. While a little predictable, the story was interesting and there’s a soundtrack by Dolly Parton to go along with the book. It’s part thriller/part romance/part suspense.
After spending 25 months in hiding, the Franks were arrested so close to the end of the war. The world knows the tragedy of Anne Frank, but there has always been the mystery of who and how the family was betrayed. Using cold case techniques, a crew intently solves the mystery after spending years digging. I don’t want to give the answer away, but there is tragedy involved in the betrayal, too. I highly recommend reading The Betrayal of Anne Frank if you enjoy non-fiction books.
Emma Blair changed her life when she fell in love with Jesse. She moved across the country, traveled the world and tried every new food she could find. Then, he was lost when a helicopter crashed in Alaska. Three years later, when she has moved on and fallen in love again, he’s found alive. The impossible situation places the three in uncharted territories. Can love survive years of grief? Can the other love survive an old love coming back? While the main character flat a bit flat, the storyline was interesting and had me wondering who she would end up with in One True Loves.
Set in a medieval fairy-tale world, The Beatryce Prophecy is ultimately about the power of words. Beatryce appears at a monastery without any memory of who she is, other than her name. Slowly she remembers being attacked and decides to go back to the castle to face her attacker. Along the way, she gains friends who are almost terrified that she can read and write. In that kingdom, only royalty, teachers and religious (and only men) are allowed. It’s a children’s book with a very good message.
Great motivational read on how to great a life you love to live – not just a long life, but a healthy life! The book discusses aspects of health like sleep, diet, exercise, relationships and mindfulness. If you want to know how to get the life you see yourself living in your 70s and 80s, read The Path of Intention!
What books did you read in June? Share in the comments and I might add them to my to-read list!
