May was a very full month! I had another child graduate high school! I also weeded all of our flower beds and gardens, planted a garden, put out the hummingbird feeder and took a family vacation to Tampa. Nights and Sundays were full of reading when we were home and a lot of it out on our back deck. The temperatures have been great and I’m enjoying it before it gets too hot. Here’s what I read in May:
Oh No, Not “The Home” by Peggy Rowe
Peggy Rowe has done it again. She’s written a book filled with anecdotes of her life that had me laughing out loud. Oh No, Not “The Home” is about her and her husband’s move into an assisted living facility, where they have their own apartment. She meets all sorts of interesting people who all have a story to share. I would highly recommend her books.
Into the Deep by Abigail Rine Favale
Abigail Favale shares her story of conversion to Catholicism as an adult in Into the Deep. She dives deep not only into her own story, but into the theology she studies along the way. She was a strong feminist for a long time
Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate
Lisa Wingate is an author known to tackle tough topics. Shelterwood is about the abuse of young Native Americans after the U.S. government allotted each family land in Oklahoma in the early 1900s. To get the land, people would take custody of the children or marry widows and then abandon them after getting the land. Shelterwood goes back and forth between the story of some young children running away from home to find safety and a present day female ranger trying to uncover the truth of the land’s past.
A Bakery in Paris by Aimie K. Runyan
A Bakery in Paris is a generational story set during the Franco-Prussian War and WWII. Two women fight hard to find their life’s path and love through a bakery in Montmartre (Paris). Lisette flees from her family’s life of luxury to live and serve among the common people. Generations later, her lineage yields Micheline who is raising her two younger sisters after their mother disappears during the war. They all have to make hard decisions, as women often do in dire situations.
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
I’m still working my way through the Narnia series and just finished The Horse and His Boy. Young Shasta encounters a talking horse and they both help each other flee situations where they are not being treated well. On their way to Narnia, they meet another talking horse who is helping a young girl get to Narnia as well. They end up finding out about a planned attack on a city near Narnia and work their best to try and stop it, both finding surprises along the way.
Our Narrow Hiding Places by Kristopher Jansma
In Our Narrow Hiding Places, Mieke was a child during WW2 in Holland. Now, as an elderly woman living in America, she starts facing her past as her now-grown grandson starts asking questions. She dealt with the cold and hunger as a child, but didn’t quite understand all that was going on with the people in her village and the family who lived with them until she was older. Sometimes going through something hard can only be explained to someone else who is going through something hard.
Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
I listened to Joan of Arc on audiobook over a few months. When I first had it checked out, I didn’t have time to finish before it needed to be returned. Mark Twain does a superb job of telling the story of Joan of Arc from childhood to martyrdom. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has any interest in learning about Joan of Arc.
Secrets of Adulthood by Gretchen Rubin
Secrets of Adulthood is a short book of aphorisms collected on a series of topics related to adulthood. I got through it in one sitting. It would make for a cute gift or coffee table book, but it’s not life-changing.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
Rich Dad, Poor Dad explores the concepts of using money and debt to create more income and wealth. There are ways to invest money, such as in real estate, that require taking on debt, but actually provide income. It is a different philosophy than Dave Ramsey, but one worth exploring.
A Song for Nagasaki by Paul Glynn
Fr. Mike Schmitz recently did a sermon series where he mentioned parts of A Song for Nagasaki in the sermons. While he covered the majority of the story of Nagai, the book gives much greater detail into not just Nagai’s story, but the story of Catholics in Nagasaki over the centuries. Nagai is a survivor of the bombing of Nagasaki. It’s a very profound book.
Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown
In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Mary is awaiting her husband’s return with soldiers to protect their village when Indians attack at dawn. Setting the settlement on fire, the Indians kill or capture everyone. Mary is taken with her three children, but her youngest and she are injured. They are then enslaved to different Indian families and Mary no longer knows where her two other children are. Tragedy after tragedy strike but as Mary experiences the reality of slavery, she also experiences some freedoms that she never had a wife of a Puritan minister. Flight of the Sparrow is a captivating novel.
The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck
The Moon is Down has been sitting in my to-read pile for a while. It’s a piece of WW2 propaganda written to show how the masses who have freedom in mind can always find a way to overcome tyranny. It’s a very interesting tale and a quick read.
What’s the most interesting book you’ve read recently? Share in the comments!
