Happy Thursday! I feel like this month flew by! I read four very different books this month. I loved one of them and really liked the other three.
Sadie
I try to read young adult books occasionally, so I can recommend them to students. We have an awesome librarian at our school who is very enthusiastic with her book talks. She recommended this book during a book talk with one of my classes, so I added it to my list!
Sadie and her sister Mattie had a difficult childhood. When Mattie is killed, Sadie sets out to find her sister’s killer. A radio personality becomes interested in the story and discusses it on his podcast as he tries to find Sadie.
I really enjoyed the format of the book with Sadie’s point of view alternating with the podcast. This was a quick and easy read with a good ending!
Ask Again, Yes
This was a book suggested for my book club. I knew the wait would be long to check it out from the library, so I ordered it for my kindle. I loved this book. So. So. Much.!! I was immediately intrigued by the neighborly relationship of the Stanhopes and the Gleesons. The plot continued to build piece by piece with a traumatic event between the neighbors. My heart ached for one of the main characters, Peter, as he had to navigate life on his own after his parents let him down, each in their own way. Of course, there’s love in the story along with agony and major life decisions and battles. The timeline of events and character relationships are interwoven together in such a way that, as a reader, you are very invested in the plot. I couldn’t put this book down. Loved it.
The Other Woman
This is the first book I’ve read by Sandie Jones, and I liked it. The main characters, Emily and Adam, are in a relationship that is complicated in a variety of ways including dealing with Adam’s mother. There are lies, betrayal, and tense moments between all of the main characters. While it was pretty clear who “the other woman” is, there’s more to it than that, and I certainly wasn’t expecting the ending. This is in the “thriller” genre, but I didn’t necessarily think it read that way to me. I enjoyed this book, and it was a quick read…but I’ve certainly read more suspenseful books.
If Only You Knew
I listen to Jamie Ivey’s podcast, The Happy Hour, every once in awhile, and I enjoy listening to her. She’s full of wisdom and a woman of deep faith but doesn’t take herself too seriously. She’s a mom and wife as well as podcast host, author, and motivational speaker.
If Only You Knew focuses on moments in life that you aren’t necessarily proud of or moments that others don’t know about because they didn’t know you in the past. Jamie lets her guard down while sharing her struggles, her ups and downs in life, and her failures, but encouraging her readers to know that there’s no such thing as perfection and that we are on a constant journey as people to be the best versions of ourselves. Since I read this on my kindle, it was easy to highlight some of my favorite passages. So many quotes resonated with me, and some of my favorites include:
- “I often hear people repeat that every wound and scar in your life becomes part of your story, and as humans, we spend too much time covering our scars instead of using them as an opportunity to tell our story.”
- “When seen through the eyes of the gospel, our stories are not obstacles to our freedom; they are actually the key to unlocking it.”
- In reference to those who start attending church once they have kids (hits home with me), she says, “I see them as sweet parents who want something better for their children. They sense this yearning inside of them (hello, God yearning!) to build a foundation of faith that, even if they’re not so sure they believe in it for themselves, they do believe in it for their kids. It’s so amazing to see God put desires in parents that could only come from Him. On their own, they couldn’t even begin to dream up such a desire.”
- “I had no concept of church as a place where broken people could show up, be their real selves, and still receive love.
- And many other quotes…I could go on and on…
I feel that sometimes we read a book at just the right time in our life…and that’s how I felt about this book. Like Bread and Wine, I see this being a book I turn to occasionally when I need a reminder or two about growing as a person, accepting failures, and celebrating successes.
I hope you find a book or two that you enjoy from this list. Fingers crossed I can keep my reading streak alive this month…but November is always so hectic that my goal is to read at least two books!
See you back here tomorrow for a fun Flashback Friday.
Have a great day,
Jen
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