Oops.
Did y’all see my post back in March about what I read that month? And how I was embarrassed because it was late April before I even posted it? And how I said that hopefully it wouldn’t be June before I posted my April reads?
Again I say, oops.
Every month that came I thought about how I needed to do a blog post of what I’d been reading. And then somehow before I knew it that month would disappear and the next would arrive and I still hadn’t blogged. I was just telling my husband earlier today that there are like 10 more weeks till Christmas. Sheesh. I honestly feel like it should still be May.
So, I have been reading. Not quite as much as I did the first few months of the year but still, more than I have in recent years. I’ve also not quite stuck to my fiction/non-fiction reading plan but again, at least I’m reading.
So here we are. Let’s do this and get caught up! Since this is so late it will be just a bit condensed.
April 2014
1000 Gifts: Courtney (by book reading buddy) said she was going to read this book and I already had it so I decided to read it with her. I had it because I had signed up for an online Bible study with the book and then never followed through with that particular study. Hmmmm, sounds a lot like my blogging doesn’t it? While I did really enjoy this book and the idea, I struggled just a little bit with the extreme “sing-songy” writing of the author. Don’t get me wrong, it was beautifully written. I’m just a bit more “real” with the way that I speak and so it seemed to read like an ice cream sundae with syrup and whip cream and sprinkles and cherries and too much sugar on top. Courtney did buy us each a little notebook so that we could track our own 1000 gifts and that has been really neat to have. (Note to self – dig out 1000 gifts notebook from purse and add to it.)
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children: I picked this book up because I saw that it was a bit of mystery and a bit of photographs and since I love both of those things I figured I would enjoy it. I was right. Probably geared more towards the teen genre but I’ve learned that I’m a teen at heart. Whatev. Part mystery, part time travel, part make believe…it’s definitely worth reading. Plus, there is another book that comes after this. PLUS, I just saw that it’s being made into a movie. YES!
Wild: Warning. If you’re anything like me then reading this book will make you want to pack everything up and hike across the country. Everything always sounds better when you aren’t actually doing it. This is a memoir about the authors 1100 mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail in order to “find herself”. She accomplished that and so much more. I really enjoyed this one a lot. It’s the kind of non-fiction that doesn’t make me want to scratch my eyes out.
Redeeming Love: My daughter Madilee has been telling me to read this one for quite some time as it’s her favorite book. Every time we chatted and I mentioned I was reading she’d say, “Have you read my favorite book of all time yet?” I can finally say yes to that question. And I must agree, it’s an amazing story. This is an historical romance novel set in the 1850s Gold Rush in California. The story is inspired by the book of Hosea from the Bible. Its central theme is the redeeming love of God towards sinners. Haven’t read it yet? Do it. You can thank me later.
May 2014
Nothing. Nada. Zilch. I didn’t read a single book this month. It is, however, possibly the busiest month of the year with school ending.
June 2014
Out Of My Mind: After finishing my last book and being in a bit of a Redeeming Love hangover, I wanted something easy to read. My youngest daughter Teagan had a book lying around that I figured would fit that bill. It’s like a 4th grade reading level but was SO good. It’s the story of a young woman with cerebral palsy who has a photographic memory. Eye opening and real. Go read it.
Gone Girl: This is another one from the list of books to read before they come to the theater. Courtney read it quite a while ago and suggested that I do it so that we could watch the movie together. It was another one of those books that I read non-stop and couldn’t put down. I think I texted Courtney at the beginning of each chapter with speculation and questions and just FRUSTRATION. Also, I think I dropped my jaw about halfway through the book and it was still hanging wide open by the time I finished it. How many twists and turns can an author put in a book? Apparently a lot.
July 2014
Paper Towns: Sadie and I were in Tulsa one day for a dance competition. During an especially long break we went to Target and looked around. Obviously, we ended up in the book section and Sadie picked up a couple books and I got this one because I had really enjoyed The Fault In Our Stars by the same author a few months before. I mean, really? Positives of the book? It had a character named Margo and I enjoyed the overall theme of the story. My issue? Language. TFIOS had a few really bad words but I didn’t mind them because they totally fit. I’m not a fan of foul language but I get that sometimes it drives home a point. In Paper Towns, it just didn’t. There was a lot of crude teenage boy humor and just unnecessary foul language that I was definitely not a fan of. My biggest issue was that the author is specifically a teen genre author. I wouldn’t let either of my teen daughters read this book.
Whistling Past The Graveyard: LOVED this book. This was another one of Madilee’s books that she thought I should read. The story of a 9 year old sweet little girl that is searching for so much in a time when things just weren’t fair, this book will leave you giggling, frustrated, and down right livid all in the same chapter. “My Daddy says that when you do somethin’ to distract you from your worstest fears, it’s like whistlin’ past the graveyard. You know, making a racket to keep the scaredness and the ghosts away. He says that’s how we get by sometimes. But it’s not weak, like hidin’…it’s strong. It means you’re able to go on.” This book is right up there on my favorite books of all time. I’m thinking I need to find some more books from this author.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: This was different, but I enjoyed it. A bit like Out Of My Mind with the story being told by someone with difficulties. This time it’s a 15 year old boy who suffers from possible aspergers or a form of autism. After finding the body of his neighbors dog, he starts a search to solve the crime and in doing so, discovers so much more.
August 2014
The Giver: Yep, that’s right. I’m just now reading this one. Prompted by the movie coming to theaters soon I grabbed it from our family book shelf and dove right in. Loved it. Feeling like a ding dong for not having read it until now.
Looking For Alaska: Remember that time Sadie and I went to Target and I got Paper Towns and she got a couple books? Well, I let her get two books because this was one of them and was also on my reading list. It’s been a few months since we bought it and I had forgotten about it so I asked her if she ever finished it. For the record, Sadie is 14. When I asked her about it she said, “Um, yeah. I didn’t finish it. It was bad. Like, porn bad.” First of all, how does my daughter know what porn is? Secondly, if it was bad enough that she felt she shouldn’t be reading it then it must be pretty bad. It was. I started the book and thought maybe the heavy petting was what she was referring to as porn. Then I got more into it and read the oral sex between high school students. Skip this book friends. People rave about this author but if this is what is being sold to our teens then I’m really worried. SO bad.
The Noticer: I don’t know. I didn’t love this. It was a little bit 1000 Gifts and a little bit Love Language. Motivational speaking that was just a little bit over the top for me. I’d skip this one. Especially if it’s between this and Whistling Past The Graveyard. Completely different books I realize but really, skip this one.
September 2014
Bellweather Rhapsody: A friend tipped me off to this late one night when I was searching for something to read. It’s like Glee meets Agatha Christie with characters who don’t seem related who all of the sudden have a lot more in common. One of my favorite types of books, where everything seems to come full circle. A good, fast, easy read. Very enjoyable.
Half a year of books in one blog post. I’m not sure what the next few months will bring. It’s nearly November and I’ve yet to finish a book this month. In the end though, I’ve enjoyed bringing books back into my life. I just really do love reading. As always, if you have any books that you think I’d enjoy please leave them in the comments. Thanks friends!