Luggage and Literature

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. - St. Augustine

June 2018 Reading List

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Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. And this year I’m participating in the 2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge, so I’m also going to be listing which category my books fulfill. If you want to join in on the fun, you can check out the list of categories here! This is my June 2018 Reading List, my brief reviews and book recommendations for June 2018. Hopefully I’ll provide you with some inspiration for your future reading as well!

Books Finished:

Gods in Color: Polychromy in the Ancient World by Vinzenz Brinkmann, Renee Dreyfus, and Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann

You can only purchase this book in hardcover, and it’s a large coffee-table sized book. The photographs are stunning. And it’s quite informative about the use of color in art throughout the ages and in different cultures. Spoiler alert: there was a lot more color than modern viewers would think from looking at plain white marble.

All in All Journaling Devotional: Loving God Wherever You Are by Sophie Hudson

I really enjoyed the format of this book with its short daily topics. The book is written geared toward young women, high school and college primarily, but there was still a lot that is applicable to adult women as well. This book was a nice change of pace from some of the other devotional or spiritual books that I’ve read recently.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book with a time of day in the title

This book is so fantastic, with such weird people. I loved it! Seriously, if you’ve not read it, you should. It feels a bit like peering into the lives of interesting people and situations in Savannah, Georgia. And in the process, it feels as if you learn to understand the city a bit more.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

2018 PopSugar Challenge: an allegory

I listened to this on audio, and am glad that I did. It’s beautifully written, with short poetic chapters that tells a bit about the life of the author. I recommend this very highly, and absolutely recommend it on audio.

The Stargazing Companion by James K. Blum

I’m a tiny bit of an amateur astronomer, and found this gem in the Friends of the Library book sale. I found it interesting, but not over my head. A great little book for other wannabe astronomers.

Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom

I loved The Kitchen House, and after finishing it, immediately added Glory Over Everything to my TBR list. And this did not disappoint. The story follows African-Americans prior to the Emancipation, and is exciting and heartbreaking and heartwarming. Wonderful.

In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen

I picked this book up thinking it was simply historical fiction, which I love. But it was a mix of historical fiction and mystery, which made it more exciting. The mystery is examined from the perspectives of the different characters and their experiences and quite a page turner. If you want something a bit different from your normal historical fiction or mystery book, this is a great combination of the two.

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

This book is so, so good. It is a novel based on the true stories of one Jewish family trying to survive the Holocaust and find one another again. As the title implies, the family has an extraordinary level of luck. Read this book. You won’t be sorry.

The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepistall

My book club book for June, this novel is fun and funny, and a bit heartbreaking all at the same time. It is the story of a girl, Willow, and her mom, and old age, and cancer. It wasn’t anything at all that I expected, but was a great break from some of the more serious things I’ve been reading lately.

 

Books in Progress:

Twelve Women of the Bible by Lysa TerKeurst (My bible study just started working through this book and the associated videos)

Life by Keith Richards and James Fox

Testament of Youth: An Autobiographical Study Of The Years 1900-1925 by Vera Brittain

Mischling by Affinity Kovar

Inside the Mind of BTK: The True Story Behind the Thirty-Year Hunt for the Notorious Wichita Serial Killer by John Douglas and Johnny Dodd
2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book by two authors

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t by Simon Sinek (My overdrive checkout expired on this, so I’m waiting for my new hold to come up on it so that I can finish it.)

 

Books Abandoned:

None.

July 2018 Reading List

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Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. And this year I’m participating in the 2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge, so I’m also going to be listing which category my books fulfill. If you want to join in on the fun, you can check out the list of categories here! This is my July 2018 Reading List, my brief reviews and book recommendations for July 2018. Hopefully I’ll provide you with some inspiration for your future reading as well!

Books Finished:

Mischling by Affinity Kovar

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book with characters who are twins

The fictional story of twins in one of Mengele’s camps, I thought that this book would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, I just didn’t connect with the characters like I thought that I would. The story was horrifying and heartbreaking. But I just didn’t love it quite like I expected.

Inside the Mind of BTK: The True Story Behind the Thirty-Year Hunt for the Notorious Wichita Serial Killer by John Douglas and Johnny Dodd

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book by two authors

I listened to this in audio, as my husband is a huge fan of true crime and had already purchased it from Audible. I’ve read John Douglas previously, and do enjoy his books. This book was very, very good. But the narrator is not good. He mispronounces words, and doesn’t have an engaging voice. So I recommend the book, but not on Audible.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book about mental health

This book reminds me so, so much of The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, but with a female protagonist. The story is told from the perspective of a woman with serious mental illness. It is haunting.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book you meant to read in 2017 but didn’t get to

The structure of the book, telling essentially short unrelated stories that peripherally deal with Olive Kitteridge, threw me off at first. But the pieces tied together to paint a beautiful picture of a flawed but good woman. I just can’t recommend this book high enough.

Speed Girl: Janet Guthrie and the Race That Changed Sports Forever [Kindle in Motion] by Stephan Talty

I’m a fan of drag racing, and there are few (but more all the time) female racers. So the opportunity to read about the first woman racer in NASCAR and INDYCAR. The struggles and sexism that she faced were shocking. But her perseverance and grit are inspiring.

The Rooster Bar by John Grisham

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book involving a heist

I really didn’t like this book at all, which is surprising because I’m a big fan of Grisham. It is the story of law students who were not qualified to attend law school, and paid way too much money to get into the only school that would take them. They then decide to rip off a company to try to ‘make it right’ after practicing law without law licenses or even law degrees. But the characters struck me as naive and whiny. I borrowed money to go to law school, and finished at the height of the downturn in the legal economy. This meant essentially no jobs for my husband or for me. But we were practical and chose to go to law schools that didn’t require borrowing six-figures. And we worked hard after law school to get our careers where we wanted them to be. And we both practice criminal law, so the story just struck me as self-centered, false, and immature. I didn’t like it.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

I’ve been meaning to read this for quite some time, but wasn’t ever sure that I was ready for it. It’s such an amazing true story of God’s work in hard, terrible situations. I’m so glad that Corrie survived World War II and the concentration camps to tell it.

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book from a celebrity book club (Reese’s Book Club)

The story of female spies in World War I and II, and the story of a lost young woman right after World War II, this book is fantastic. I loved every minute of it, and trying to figure out exactly how the pieces fit together. I definitely understand why Reese Witherspoon picked it for her book club…hopefully she’ll turn it into a movie.

Chu’s First Day of School by Neil Gaiman

This short little children’s story is about a panda who is nervous for his first day of school. It’s sweet and adorable. The audio version is performed by Neil Gaiman, who is a fantastic narrator (in addition to his stellar writing).

The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection (including The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, The Wolves in the Walls, Cinnamon, and Crazy Hair) by Neil Gaiman

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book with an animal in the title

Also performed by Neil Gaiman this collection of short stories is fantastic. I enjoyed them all, and they were a great way to pass the time while I was driving this month. I recommend listening to all of them.

Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks by Annie Spence

This is a series of letters from a librarian to the books and bookshelves in her life. It is sweet and sassy and fun and serious. And it is easy to read, or listen to, in small chunks of time. I really liked this book, even though (or perhaps because) it added a few titles to my To Be Read List.

Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a bestseller from the year you graduated high school

I graduated from high school in 2002, and this short little book appears on Amazon’s best seller list from that year. This little book is a parable, and a classic, and has been on my To Be Read List for quite some time. I listened to it on audiobook, and it didn’t take long. I’m glad that I read it, and recommend it for others, especially those who are business owners or thinking of starting a business.

 

Books in Progress:

Twelve Women of the Bible by Lysa TerKeurst (My bible study just started working through this book and the associated videos)

Life by Keith Richards and James Fox

Testament of Youth: An Autobiographical Study Of The Years 1900-1925 by Vera Brittain

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t by Simon Sinek (My overdrive checkout expired on this, so I’m waiting for my new hold to come up on it so that I can finish it.)

Flawed Convictions: “Shaken Baby Syndrome” and the Inertia of Injustice by Deborah Tuerkheimer

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

 

Books Abandoned:

Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen

May 2018 Reading List

by //

Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. And this year I’m participating in the 2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge, so I’m also going to be listing which category my books fulfill. If you want to join in on the fun, you can check out the list of categories here! This is my May 2018 Reading List, my brief reviews and book recommendations for May 2018. Hopefully I’ll provide you with some inspiration for your future reading as well!

Books Finished:

Plastic Donuts: Giving That Delights the Heart of the Father by Jeff Anderson

My church recommended that the parishioners read this book as we contemplated what level of giving was most appropriate in an upcoming capital campaign. It’s very short, and I finished it in one day. I appreciated that he looked at what the bible does and does not say about giving and that we should give in a way that will be pleasing to the Lord. But I also appreciated that this book isn’t a guilt trip, and recognized that sometimes other things (such as paying off debt before giving) are where the Lord is leading us.

Why the Sky Is Blue by Susan Meissner

A Christian woman is sexually assaulted and ends up pregnant from the assault. What options does she have? This book was painful and heartwarming. I cried while reading it, but enjoyed it very much.

Exit Row: The True Story of an Emergency Volunteer, a Miraculous Survivor and the Crash of Flight 965 by Tammy Kling

This book is probably not one that you’ll want to read if you have a flight coming up soon, as it is about a plane crash. The book is written by a former airline employee who is on the airline’s emergency response team. She does tasks both mundane and emotionally trying. The book was informative and easy to read, but could have used a bit more editing (the last few chapters were off-topic, and there was an undercurrent about the author’s dysfunctional family that was completely unrelated).

The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

2018 PopSugar Challenge: your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges (2017—a book that’s more than 800 pages) A Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

I loved The Name of the Wind so much last month, that I jumped right into this…all 1000 pages! And I loved this book even more than the first. Now I’m impatiently waiting for the release of the third book telling Kvothe’s story. I’m not going to talk more about this book, as I don’t want to spoil anything if you’ve not yet read The Name of the Wind. But it is best categorized as an epic fantasy.

Scuba Confidential: An Insider’s Guide to Becoming a Better Diver by Simon Pridmore

I listened to this on Audible, as it was in Mike’s library (which we recently learned how to share). It has a lot of really good information, and prompts readers to think differently about things like gear configuration, choosing a dive buddy, and preparing for potential emergencies. Highly recommended for all scuba divers.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book set in a country that fascinates you

This book is the story of two sisters and their mother, and their mother’s secrets given to the girls as a fairy tale. Part of the book takes place in Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution, which is incredibly heartbreaking and poignant.

TIME The Magic of Harry Potter Special Edition

It’s no secret that I’m a huge Harry Potter fan, so when I saw this at the store, I had to pick it up to relive some of the glory of the series, as well as to find out what’s on the horizon. Although this is technically a magazine, it’s a long-form issue all on the same topic, and I’ve shelved it with my Harry Potter books, so I thought I’d include it here.

The Last Town by Blake Crouch

I finally finished up this series, and am not sure why I waited so long, as I’ve had this on my Kindle for several months. This is the third book in the Wayward Pines trilogy. It was probably my least favorite of the three books, but still had an impressive Blake Crouch ending. His writing really is superb in terms of catching you off-guard just when you think that you have everything figured out.

The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift

I borrowed this from the library after reading and thoroughly enjoying The War That Saved My Life which was a Newbery Honor Book. I liked this one, but not quite as much as the first. It is the story of a little girl who has been evacuated from London and an abusive mother and is living in the country during World War II.

Short Stories (Dover Thrift Editions) by Edith Wharton (including Expiation, The Dilettante, The Muse’s Tragedy, The Pelican, Souls Belated, Xingu, and The Other Two)

I previously read Ethan Frome and didn’t care for it, which made me think that I didn’t like Edith Wharton’s writing. Earlier this year, we read The Old Maid, which made me reconsider Wharton’s writing, as I really liked it. I’d picked this up by mistake when looking for The Old Maid, so I thought I’d dive into this short story collection for a broader taste of Wharton, and am glad that I did. These short stories were realistic, with complex character portrayals despite their short length. I’m now firmly in the Edith Wharton fan club after exposure to more of her writing. If you’re not sure about her, start with a short story collection such as this one and see for yourself.

 

Books in Progress:

All in All Journaling Devotional: Loving God Wherever You Are by Sophie Hudson (I’ve been working my way through this book over the last couple of months, but forgot to list it. Oops!)

Twelve Women of the Bible by Lysa TerKeurst (My bible study just started working through this book and the associated videos)

Life by Keith Richards and James Fox

Testament of Youth: An Autobiographical Study Of The Years 1900-1925 by Vera Brittain

Mischling by Affinity Kovar

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

Inside the Mind of BTK: The True Story Behind the Thirty-Year Hunt for the Notorious Wichita Serial Killer by John Douglas and Johnny Dodd
2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book by two authors

Gods in Color: Polychromy in the Ancient World by Vinzenz Brinkmann, Renee Dreyfus, and Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t by Simon Sinek (My overdrive checkout expired on this, so I’m waiting for my new hold to come up on it so that I can finish it.)

 

Books Abandoned:

None.

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