I set a goal to read six books each month this year, and instead in January I read eight. Does your reading happen consistently, a little each day? Sometimes I fall into a story and binge it every available minute until it ends. Other times all my ‘on hold’ library books come up at once and I decide what to read next based on when books are due. And sometimes it happens that I just get caught up in life and don’t read as much. This month turned out to be a pretty good reading month, with only one book that was kind of meh (How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LaPera – fine, but not life-changing).
Book titles link to Amazon for more info + easy purchasing. Please note: As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases.
The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What will change the world? “Love, and also stories” (192).
Kate DiCamillo does it again with a captivating story filled with humorous and relatable characters who each have their own stories. The power of stories and love shines forth brilliantly.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love a story within a story, especially when both stories contain strong and unique characters. This one was a fun historical mystery, with twists that were there from the beginning and still offered surprises, that led to our contemporary character’s discovery that happiness and fulfillment aren’t always the same and that seeking fulfillment might lead to even greater happiness.
The Comfort Book by Matt Haig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“Nothing is stronger than a small hope that doesn’t give up.”
Don’t we all need a little comfort as the pandemic hits the two year mark? Most of us need comfort most days anyway. At times this book felt like a no-big-deal stream of consciousness, yet turn the page and I’d find something I’d need to read several times through. I have a few writing prompts I want to play with based on things he wrote. He makes writing look deceptively easy…
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I knew about the Pack Horse Librarians from having read The Giver of Stars (which seems to have cherry picked details from this book which was published first: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/…). I had never heard of the blue people of Kentucky, however. I imagined characters from Avatar as I read – so off-putting! – & yet the portrayal Cussy Mary’s as a genuinely kind woman won me over. The book is a little slow, but then, it’s set in 1936 in Kentucky. The novel was thoroughly researched, and at times the historical evidence felt more important than the story. Still, it’s a sweet story well worth reading. And it made me feel grateful for my life & not the harsh reality of a 19yo living through the Depression in the hollers of KY.
On Animals by Susan Orlean
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“All of these creatures serve a purpose, even if that purpose is to have no real purpose other than to give a warm, wonderful, unpredictable texture to my life every day. I wouldn’t have it any other way” (14).
Absolutely brilliant writing. She makes the most ordinary animals fascinating & balances the facts with a generous sense of humor. 100% recommend this book to any animal lover.
A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Beautiful writing and a story that carried me away. I could not put this book down, until in the end it left me slightly flat – hence 4 stars and not 5.
Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Though it doesn’t square with my theology, this lovely book about death has a lot to teach us about how to live.
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