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 2017 Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenges, 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 September 2017 Reading List, my brief reviews and book recommendations for September 2017. Hopefully I’ll provide you with some inspiration for your future reading as well!
Books Finished:
The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief
I really liked this book, and found it to be a very easy and engaging read. It follows the story of the author’s family whilst seeking to adopt a girl from Ukraine. The author contrasts the encounters with the secularist anti-religious Ukraine with the United States, and discusses how the grace of God is the thing that defines and sets Christianity apart from other organized religions. I found it to be quite a powerful story and argument.
Private
I listened to this book on Audible on a drive back from Rapid City, and really, really enjoyed it. The focus is of a Marine veteran who takes over his father’s private investigation firm, and the others who work with him. The story is of the cases open in the firm, including a murder, NFL game fixing, and the mafia.
The Sun Also Rises
2017 MMD Reading Challenge: a book published before you were born
For me, Hemingway’s books are not of a type that I can read with distractions, which is why this book has taken me so long to finish. I actually really enjoyed it, once I had the opportunity to sit down and read it in a quiet room without distractions. Reading Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife
The Sociopath Next Door
I listened to this book from Audible, and picked it up as a BOGO sale. I found it to be extremely engaging, and a very interesting concept, especially considering that my line of work (attorney) In my work as a criminal defense attorney, I come into contact with more sociopaths than the average person probably does. In fact, after listening to the book, I can think of at least 2-3 that I am probably dealing with in cases at the present time. The book was insightful in terms of learning how to deal with those that have no conscience.
The Bean Trees
After reading, and enjoying Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible
The Kitchen House
Prior to Grissom going on the What Should I Read Next podcast, I’d never heard of her or this book. Her description of her writing process (which you can find in the back of the book as well as on the podcast) struck me as so interesting, that I immediately put The Kitchen House on my To Be Read list. And then when I was able to pick up the book at the local Friends of the Library book sale, I was sold. This book is a page turner from the very beginning, as it follows the stories of two women thrown together in unlikely circumstances. Lavinia is an Irish indentured servant who goes to work on a plantation in the kitchen house with Belle, a white-looking black slave and her family. I loved this book so, so much, and know that many others will as well.
The Awakening
2017 MMD Reading Challenge: a book you’ve already read
This was my book club’s pick for September. As I first read this book while in high school, I felt that I had more insight this time. It sparked some really great discussion among out book club members. If you want to read a classic, but are concerned about a lengthy commitment, this one is quite short, and therefore a great option. I really like this book, as it gives me a lot to think on, but some find the subject matter and message difficult.
Books in Progress:
Invisible Man
New Enlarged Anthology of Robert Frost’s Poems
2017 MMD Reading Challenge: a book of poetry, a play, or an essay collection
Raising a Secure Child: How Circle of Security Parenting Can Help You Nurture Your Child’s Attachment, Emotional Resilience, and Freedom to Explore
The Passage
The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person
My Brilliant Friend (Book One of the Neapolitan Novels)
Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic
Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God is Speaking
Books Abandoned:
None.
by Blake Crouch
by Bruce Springsteen
by Warren Zanes, but I still really enjoyed it. Springsteen is quite a good writer, and his love of language comes through in the book. I would have liked a bit more about the why and the background for individual songs and albums, but it was still well done.
by Elizabeth Laing Thompson
by Gabriella Coleman
by Amy Engel
by Fannie Flagg
by Frances Mayes
by Gretchen Rubin
by Roger Lea MacBride
. In fact these are among the few books in my life that have warranted a re-read. In addition to the series of books about Laura, I also had the second book in the Rose series, 
. For some reason though, I never had the first book in the Rose series, this one. I was visiting with my mom about it, and we can’t figure out exactly how this happened. Anyway, I decided to finally purchase (in the same edition as Ozarks) this book to fill out my collection a little more. I loved it just as much as the rest of the books. Frankly, these books just make my heart happy. But now I feel as though I need to purchase the rest of The Rose Years series…and then maybe the books about Laura’s mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. I may be in Little House books for the rest of my life. 🙂