I have been totally horrible about blogging since I came back from my little break, I know. I just have not been able to find a schedule that works for me, partly because of our various summer activities and partly due to some contract work that I have taken on. And I haven’t done a very good job of getting that done either!
I’m hoping to settle into a routine again, at least by the time school starts if not before. Of course, I am always reading something no matter what, so here’s a few of the books I have read this month:
Accidental Happiness by Jean Reynolds Page – I found this quite captivating. It is written from the perspectives of the two main characters in alternating chapters, which adds to the sense of being a little off-balance the entire time. I could never predict what the next turn would be, and I really liked that about it.
The Alphabet Sisters by Monica McInerney – Very good book about three sisters who have been estranged and are forced to be together for their grandmother’s 80th birthday. Lola, the grandmother, is an especially fun character, although there are definitely some heart wrenching moments in the book.
The Note II: Taking a Chance on Love by Angela Hunt – Interestingly enough, this book is not a straight sequel to “The Note” because some of the details had been changed when it was made into a movie (which I haven’t seen). I like this author immensely, so enjoyed this book, but it wasn’t as complex or as long as I normally prefer.
Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber – An enjoyable installment to her series set in downtown Seattle and centering on a yarn shop. Even though I don’t knit, I have greatly enjoyed all of the books so far and found this one to be no exception. My personal recommendation would be to start with the first one, The Shop on Blossom Street, and work your way through so you don’t miss any of the story!
For more of what other people are reading, visit 5 Minutes for Books.
I missed posting for What’s On Your Nightstand from 5 Minutes for Books in June, and that’s the first time I’ve not participated since they started the feature last July. So I thought I would take a moment to catch up on what I’ve been reading lately.
I also just realized that one of my recent reads was prompted by a review by Melissa at 5MFB and that they had their quarterly I Read It! carnival at the end of June. This is my first time participating in that carnival, so better late than never, I guess. 
Journey to the Well by Diana Wallis Taylor is a fictional account of the life of the woman at the well from the Bible. I generally enjoy this type of fiction and was very interested to see how the author would handle this woman’s story.
I found this book to be very well-written with engaging characters and a good sense of the culture and traditions of the time. It was a bit difficult for me to relax and let the story unfold, simply because I knew the basic structure of her life (having had five husbands and then living with a man who was not her husband). As each part of the story unfolded, my mind would race ahead to try to figure out how this relationship would end.
Even so, this book was definitely worth the time to read, especially for the last couple of chapters where she meets Jesus at the well and he ministers to her and later to the entire town. It was such a wonderful picture of how God both forgives and restores those who trust in Him.
Some other books I’ve read recently:
- Oxygen by Carol Cassella – fascinating novel about an anesthesiologist facing a malpractice suit after the death of a patient
- The Widow’s Season by Laura Brodie – a bit disturbing but interesting novel about a woman who begins seeing her husband after he has died in a flash flood
What’s on my nightstand right now:
What are you reading right now?
I don’t really have anything that stood out from the last month, so no reviews this time, but here’s what’s lined up to be read next:
My list doesn’t include the non-fiction stuff I said I was going to read for the Spring Reading Thing and haven’t even touched, of course! Not sure if I’ll get to any of them; it was probably wishful thinking that I could make myself read them all just by writing them down on the list.
Visit 5 Minutes for Books for more What’s On Your Nightstand? posts.
Okay, I know this is a day early, but for this month’s Nightstand post, I wanted to share about the rest of the novels on my original Spring Reading Thing list. I still haven’t made any progress on the nonfiction books I planned to read, unfortunately, but there’s still time.
This is a brilliant story with a modern day fable woven throughout, and it completely pulls you in to the mystery of what really happened forty years before in Vietnam and how it is affecting two daughters now.
I don’t really want to give away any of the story, but just wanted to say that this is definitely worth the read.
When I was done reading this book, I looked for more and was surprised to learn that this is actually Johnson’s first novel. The Sweet By and By is a compelling story of the friendships among five women from different generations–two who are living out their last days in a nursing home, their nurse, her daughter, and a hairdresser.
Each of the characters has been through different struggles and sorrows in her life. As the relationships between the women develop, you see the real power of friendship as they share what they have learned with each other.
As in much of Christian fiction, this book involves a young woman, Elle, who falls in love with someone who is not a good match for her and later meets someone else with whom she makes a real connection.
But Love Starts With Elle has a lot more to do with her growing relationship with the Lord than with her romantic future or even her career. She joins an older woman from her church in prayer every morning and learns how to be intimate with God and hear His voice, and from that foundation she is able to make the right decisions in the other areas of her life.
A few other books I’ve read recently are:
The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble – I recently after I got this home from the library that I had read it before, but ended up reading it again because I didn’t really remember a lot of the details.
Healing Stones by Nancy Rue & Stephen Arterburn – This is actually the book that came before Healing Waters, which I wrote about in my last Spring Reading Thing update.
Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos – Although I usually get most of the books I read from the library, I actually bought this one because I enjoyed Love Walked In so much.
Visit 5 Minutes for Books for more What’s On Your Nightstand? and Callapidder Days for more Spring Reading Thing 2009.
I have to admit I don’t comment very much at 5 Minutes for Books, although I do read the posts. But I really enjoy participating in this meme and sharing a little bit of what I have been reading with other people. You can join in a lot of different ways, even if you just post a picture of your actual nightstand!
I got smart this month and made myself write down my thoughts about the books I liked as soon as I finished them – and before they had to go back to the library. So here’s a couple of good reads I found recently:
Chronicling the lives of three sisters emigrating from Sweden to America in 1897, Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin is one of the better examples of Christian historical fiction that I have read recently. I enjoyed seeing the different personalities of the three main characters and watching them grow as they interact with the various people they meet along the way.
Of course, each of the girls meets a love interest or two along the way, and what romance doesn’t need a happy ending or three? If you’re looking for a light read and are a fan of this style, this would be a good choice.
Moving from Christian fiction to a book where the main character is not a believer but writes Christian romance novels to make money, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Thank You For All Things by Sandra Kring. I was pleasantly surprised to find a complex story that delves deeply into the issues of healing and forgiveness and into how we can let our past hold us back from experiencing love (of any kind) in the present.
This book is a journey for both a mother and a daughter, as they each seek answers about their fathers: one for a father who was there but caused immense pain, and the other for a father she never knew, not even by name. With a strong supporting cast of characters and a writing theme, this was a very engaging book for me.
Coming up for me in the next couple of weeks:
Rex: A Mother, Her Autistic Child, and the Music that Transformed Their Lives – I was asked to review this for Thomas Nelson and love what I have read so far.
Search Engine Optimization for Dummies – I’m a complete novice and have gotten asked to take on a project at work related to this topic. I am looking forward to learning about it but not enjoying the feeling of being in over my head!
So, what’s on your nightstand?
I have been reading a lot this month (more than usual, anyway) and thought I would just list a few of the books that have come across my bedside table:
- The Other Side of Darkness, a fascinating novel by Melody Carlson in which she tackles two difficult subjects – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and cults. A disturbing but interesting read.
- Another novel, The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher by Rob Stennet, is a quirky look at modern megachurches.
- On the nonfiction side, there’s The Waiter Rant by the Waiter, an insider look at working in food service in America. While I found this interesting, it definitely has its depressing side as well.
- Within the last week, I picked up Jenny McCarthy’s new book Mother Warriors: A Nation of Mothers Healing Autism Against All Odds and devoured it within 24 hours. In it, she tells her story from when she started speaking out after writing her first book and also shares the stories of several different families who have seen biomedical interventions make a huge difference for their children. Very inspiring!
So that’s what sticks out in my mind from the last few weeks. If you have a suggestion for my November reading list, feel free to let me know in the comments!
I’m a couple of days late for the carnival, but I have been wanting to share about a wonderful book I read last week called Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos.
The story centers on Cornelia Brown and Clare Hobbs, who don’t know each other at the beginning of the story, but who, when they meet, change each other’s lives forever. I was completely enchanted by De Los Santos’ writing and her characters, by Cornelia’s constant references to classic films, and by her observations about love and family.
I may never have seen this book, except that a coworker who is moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, brought in a pile of books that she didn’t want to pack and move with her. A bunch of us in the office are going to circulate them around, so I picked out just a few to start. Here are some of the other titles I grabbed:
To check out what other people are reading and post your own, visit What’s On Your Nightstand? Enjoy!
