August's Reads: Young Adult

So, August's genre was supposed to be Young Adult. And, though I don't read a lot of that particular genre, I did have several books planned for it. Unfortunately, I don't actually own all those books, and my library was not terribly helpful. Thus, I didn't end up reading all of them. My month became a little random as a result.

I did start the month with a young adult re-read, Prophet by R.J. Larson. It's the first title in her Books of the Infinite Series.

(From Christianbook.com)

Ela Roeh of Parne doesn't understand why her beloved Creator, the Infinite, wants her to become His prophet. She's undignified and bad-tempered, and at age seventeen she's much too young. In addition, no prophet of Parne has ever been a girl. Worst of all, as Parne's elders often warn, if she agrees to become the Infinite's prophet, Ela knows she will die young.

Yet she can't imagine living without Him. Determined to hear the Infinite's voice, Ela accepts the sacred vinewood branch and is sent to bring the Infinite's word to a nation torn apart by war. There she meets a young ambassador determined to bring his own justice for his oppressed people. As they form an unlikely partnership, Ela battles how to balance the leading of her heart with the leading of the Infinite.

It's been a long time since I read this one, but I remembered liking it. And it holds up! Ela Roeh and Kien Lantec, the two main characters of this story, are very compelling characters. Ela in particular draws you in immediately. The world and story are somewhat based on the Old Testament, but the fantasy setting takes on a life of its own that makes it feel unique. I've never gotten ahold of the next two books in the series, Judge and King, but this time I'm determined to. I look forward to finishing this series!

Next, I read Jupiter Storm by C.J. Darlington. This is the second book in her Jupiter Winds series, so, as to avoid spoilers, I'll give you the description for the first book instead. 

(From Barnes and Noble)

Ever since Grey Alexander’s parents disappeared five years ago, she’s had one goal—to keep herself and her younger sister Rin alive. But surviving in the North American Wildlife Preserve isn’t easy, especially for the unconnected who can be shot on sight by border patrol robot drones. Through the guidance of their eccentric old neighbor Mrs. March, Grey and Rin get through by smuggling contraband into the Mazdaar government’s city zones.

But when Grey is captured by the merciless General Evangeline Yurkutz and is forced to become bait for her mother and father, she questions everything she thought she knew about her life in the Preserve, her missing parents, and God. Is it possible Jupiter isn’t uninhabitable? And could this planet, whose sky swirls with orange vapors and where extinct-on-Earth creatures roam free, hold the key to reuniting her family?

I read Jupiter Winds a while ago, and for some reason, when I first tried to read Jupiter Storm, I couldn't get into it. This time around, I didn't have that problem. I found the setting really interesting - both the zones and Wildlife Preserve on Earth and the military settlement on Jupiter. The science fiction elements feel reasonably solid, the characters are interesting, and the plot is fast-paced and logical. This second book does feel a little more rushed. The end of Jupiter Storm also doesn't feel like it wraps everything up, so I don't know if it was meant to be the last book in the series or not. It came out in 2011, and there are no more books. So I don't know what to make of that. 

After that, I deviated back into Robin Jones Gunn books. None of these are technically young adult, but they are continuations of her Christy Miller Series, which is more specifically that genre. 

I bought and read, in succession, three Christy Miller books - Forever with You, Home of Our Hearts, and One More Wish. I really loved these books and highly recommend them. I also read Peculiar Treasures, the first book focusing on Christy's best friend, Katie Weldon. Katie is a very quirky, fun personality, and her story is equally compelling. I'm hoping to read the rest of her series soon. 

I then veered back into young adult by re-reading Inkheart by Cornelia Funke.

(From Cornelia's website)

After a nightly visit by the mysterious Dustfinger, bookbinder Mo and his daughter Meggie leave their home in a hurry, carrying with them a precious but dangerous book.

Meggie loves stories, but her book-binding father, Mo, hasn't read aloud to her since her mother mysteriously disappeared some years ago.

When a stranger who knows her father knocks at their door, Mo is forced to reveal an extraordinary secret – when he reads aloud, words come alive, and dangerous characters step out of the pages.

Suddenly, Meggie is living the kind of adventure she has only read about in books, but this one will change her life for ever.

Though this book is technically considered middle grade, I really have never thought that appropriate, since it's got a bid of mild language in it. Regardless, it's such a richly developed world, filled with compelling characters. I really appreciate the flaws in her characters; they don't always make good choices, but their choices always feel like the one that they would of course make. The plot is so interesting, and you can't help but keep reading. I'm currently partway through the second book of the series, Inkspell. Also, if you've never seen the movie with Brendan Fraser, I recommend it! As most movies do, it leaves out a lot. But I think it's a good rendering of the story, and it's very entertaining!

I finished the month with the final book of Linda Byler's Lancaster Burning Series,
The Witnesses. I've struggled a bit with this series, because, while it's been interesting enough for me to keep reading, the writing sometimes takes me out of the story. This third book was a decent ending to the series. But, while the barn fires that form the "suspense" portion of the "suspenseful romance" were never really the main focus of this series, they are nonetheless resolved really early on in this book and without a lot of fanfare. I don't know. I didn't dislike the book necessarily. It just didn't really excite me. 

Thoughts from 1 Corinthians

In my continued study of Paul's letters in the Bible, I went through the book of 1 Corinthians next. As this study is from the Bible Project, it began with their overview of the book, which is really interesting. I didn't know that Paul actually wrote four letters to the church at Corinth, but two of them are lost to us. Thus, 1 Corinthians is actually his second letter, and it's a distinct teaching about church practices and Christian living that has a lot of applicability to us today. Here are some of my favorite verses and thoughts from the book:

1 Cor 1:10 "I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought."

Obviously, we are all human, and so we will always have differences of opinion. And God did not make robots; He made human beings with opinions and personalities. Our differences can make us stronger, as long as we are unified in love and focused on the important things. 

1 Cor 1:27-29 "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him."

I think I'm pretty hot stuff sometimes. I'm fairly intelligent, I can sing, I'm a decent writer. Yet what is any of that in light of my sin? Absolutely nothing! I am worth nothing on my own merit. Yet the love of God and the saving blood of Christ makes me worthy, chosen, and accepted.

1 Cor 2:9-10 (Paraphrasing Isaiah 64 and 65) "However, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived' - the things God has prepared for those who love Him - these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit."

We have hope for tomorrow because God has told us what awaits. We can persevere in hope of a future with God.

1 Cor 6:9-11 "... Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolators nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

I like how Paul starts this with the "big" sins like theft and sexual immorality, but then he also includes things like greed (we have all been greedy at one time or another) and slander (we have definitely said unkind or untrue things behind someone's back). They are all equal sins; everyone is guilty and separated from God. But then Paul points to the Gospel. We have all sinned, but God makes us righteous.

1 Cor 8:1-3 "... We know that 'We all possess knowledge.' But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they out to know. But whoever loves God is known by God."

I love this wording - "knowledge puffs up while love builds up." Knowledge in and of itself is not bad. It's good to learn and study and grow. But knowing things has a tendency to make us proud and believe that we're better than others. Jesus' greatest command wasn't to know things. It was to love God and people. When we truly love, we will gain knowledge of God and of our fellow Man.

1 Cor 9:24 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." 

The Christian life is not some leisurely sprint that we can casually participate in. It is an endurance race. It is long, and at times it is very hard. But the prize we are racing for is more than we can even truly imagine - eternal life with Jesus. That is a prize worth running for. 

I don't want to be lazy. I don't want to look back at my day like I so often do and wonder what in the world happened. I want to approach my life with purpose - my faith with intention, my marriage with intention, my relationship with my daughter with intention, my home with intention, and my friendships with intention. I can't do it on my own, but I want to devote everything to God, Who makes all things new.

1 Cor 10:12-13 "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

This passage begins with a warning and ends with a promise. None of us is infallible. It is all too easy to think we're doing so well and that everything is in its place, that we've got it all figured out. And, in our pride, that is where the devil strikes hard. We need a constant spirit of humility that returns us daily to the feet of Jesus.

We will face temptations in this life, but we are no longer slaves to sin. We have the Spirit of God inside us, and that Spirit gives us the power to say, "No." The devil will try to make us think we are all alone in our struggles, that other Christians don't have these issues. He uses this to make me feel like a bad wife and mother sometimes. But the Spirit says that I'm not alone, that God has made a way out, that I don't have to live under that weight. Praise the Lord!

1 Cor 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

1 Cor 12:4-6 "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone is the same God at work."

I think God smiles at variety. Just look at Creation: the different animals, incredible scenery and crazy plants all speak to His love of variety. And then there are humans, different in so many ways from each other. God doesn't desire sameness; He created us for unity in our differences. Thus, we each have different gifts, skills and interests. And that's a good thing as long as we use them in love. Not every believer we meet will be our best friend, but we should experience a kinship, a unity of spirit, because the same Spirit lives within us.

1 Cor 13:13 "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

I kept wanting to write down everything as I read this chapter. It's all so good! There's a reason we had the entire chapter read at our wedding. Even with that, though, I did not have a full understanding. It's incredible to read this in context of the previous chapters. Paul talks about the spiritual gifts and their equality with each other, and then he says it's all pointless without love. Without God's holy, perfect love, all our gifts mean absolutely nothing. We become a "resounding gong or a clanging symbol," annoying and loud and unedifying. 

My study note says, "Faith is the foundation and content of God's message; hope is the attitude and focus; love is action." These are the things we should desire above all gifts, because without them gifts mean nothing.

1 Cor 14:15 "So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding."

Worship should unite all parts of me - body, mind, heart, and spirit. If I am just blindly singing because it makes me feel good, then my mind isn't engaged, and I'm not really being edified. But a faith that is purely intellectual is barren of warmth. Neither extreme is good, especially in corporate worship.

1 Cor 15:51, 52, 55 "Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed... 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?'"

1 Cor 16:13-14 "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love."

Paul has this tendency to stick these dense nuggets of wisdom in places like his final greetings. In this case, these words act as a coda to the book as a whole. 1 Corinthians itself is a remarkably dense book, full of all kinds of practical information for the church. And, for the most part, it flows very logically from one concept to another, building on and affirming each one. 

First, Paul affirms the supremacy of Christ and the Gospel and chastises the Corinthians for letting petty divisions make them lose sight of that. He urges them to seek unity in the church: unity of purpose, unity in worship. He explains that everyone's gifts work in concert with each other for the edification of the church. He then explains that it's all pointless without true, godly love. This love should promote order in worship, and our hope flows from the resurrection of the dead.

This verse, then, warns us to be on our guard against temptation, to stand firm on the Truth, to embrace counter-cultural living and the power of the Holy Spirit, and to live every moment in love.

July's Reads: Contemporary Fiction

At the end of every month, as I look toward the next month's reading genre (you can find out about the reading challenge I'm doing here), I always scan my physical and Kindle bookshelves to see what I already own that fits that genre. For July, I was supposed to read contemporary fiction. The first thing I hit on was my Karen Kingsbury section of books. From there, I finished a series I started a while ago, read a couple new books, and revisited a beloved series from my teenage years. 

I started July reading Where Yesterday Lives by Karen Kingsbury. 

(From Karen's website)

Ellen Barrett, thirty-one, is a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist with an uncertain marriage, a forgotten faith, and haunting memories of her picturesque hometown and the love she left behind. The eldest of five siblings, Ellen longs for the time, long ago, when they were happy—when they were a family. 

Then tragedy strikes. Now Ellen’s beloved father is dead, and she must leave Miami and return to her childhood home on the shores of Little Traverse Bay in Petoskey, Michigan. 

As she returns to a world that was, an avalanche of memories is unleashed. And so Ellen’s quest begins—a quest to make peace with the people who still live there, with the losses and changes that time has wrought, and with the future God has set before her.

I had bought this one a while back but hadn't read it yet. And, to be honest, it wasn't my favorite. I've read a decent number of Karen Kingsbury books, and I generally enjoy them. I didn't not enjoy this - I just didn't have that full feeling when I finished it that comes after reading a really good book. That being said, this isn't a bad book. It's got interesting characters and focuses on the really difficult task of dealing with grief and learning to let go of the past. In the end, I think it has a lot of good things to say; it just wasn't my particular cup of tea this go around.

From that standalone book, I jumped back into Kingsbury's Redemption Series. If you are familiar with her books at all (and she has written an incredible number of them!), this is the original Baxter Family series. I have read the first book, Redemption, but I don't own it. Since I remembered it well enough, I jumped into the one I do own, Remember. 

(From Karen's website)

Convinced she could make it on her own, Ashley Baxter has kept the most important people in her life at a distance--her family, the man who loves her, and the God she is sure can never forgive her.

Now, just as she begins to open her heart, the events of September 11 rip into Ashley's world and she is led to heartbreaking and hope-filled decisions that will forever change her life.

I'll be honest: I cannot read or watch anything about the September 11th terrorist attacks without getting emotional. I'm just incapable of it. Kingsbury has another series of books more specifically about that, and those books absolutely wrecked me.

This book does coalesce around September 11th; it's a huge part of the story, and it is devastating. I forgot that I had read this one before as well, so I was getting little snippets of deja vu constantly. I went on to get the other books in the series from the library, which I had not done the last time around. So, Return, Rejoice, and Reunion were all new to me. Each one of these books, like much of Kingsbury's fiction, deals with tragic, painful circumstances, and they can be really emotionally gripping. Her characters - the now-iconic Baxter family - each deal with struggle and have to come to grips with their faith in different ways. Rejoice was the hardest for me to deal with, but its message is in some ways the most incredible. I always get on Kingsbury kicks when I read her books, so I'm eager to move on to the next Baxter Family series, which I have read the first book of but haven't finished. 

After reading Remember but while waiting on the rest of the books, I re-read Robin Jones Gunn's series Christy and Todd: The College Years. I first started reading her original Christy Miller series when I was 14, just a year or so younger than Christy is in that first book. And I absolutely loved those books when I was in high school. I own The College Years and one of the other collections, so I decided to dive back in. And they are every bit as good as I remember. 

The plot descriptions of these books - Until Tomorrow, As You Wish, and I Promise - are slightly spoilery, since it's not really the beginning of the series. So I'll just say this. The Christy Miller series documents the life of a young woman as she moves to California from the Midwest, meeting God, navigating highschool, and making lifelong friends along the way. Christy is one of the most relatable young adult characters I have ever read, and all of the other characters are really fun, too. And the lessons learned along the way sink deep as you read. I highly recommend these books. I'm also sensing some investment into more books in the future, because the library is kind of spotty on the rest of the books in this series and the related ones about Christy's friends. Which is quite terrible, as I've got to finish them!

I finished the month off by finishing the series I read in February - the Bradford Sisters books by Becky Wade. There are a couple of novellas in this series that I didn't know about, so I'll have to get around to those at some point. But the last main book is Sweet on You. 

(From Becky's website)

Britt Bradford and Zander Ford have been the best of friends since they met thirteen years ago. Unbeknown to Britt, Zander has been in love with her for just as long.

Independent and adventurous Britt channels her talent into creating chocolates at her hometown shop. Zander is a bestselling author who’s spent the past eighteen months traveling the world. He’s achieved a great deal but still lacks the only thing that ever truly mattered to him–Britt’s heart.

When Zander’s uncle dies of mysterious causes, he returns to Merryweather, Washington, to investigate, and Britt is immediately there to help. Although this throws them into close proximity, both understand that an attempt at romance could jeopardize their once-in-a-lifetime friendship. But while Britt is determined to resist any change in their relationship, Zander finds it increasingly difficult to keep his feelings hidden.

As they work together to uncover his uncle’s tangled past, will the truth of what lies between them also, finally, come to light?

Like the previous two books, this one was such fun! It's got a great mystery at its heart and characters that you get attached to quickly. Britt is very different from her sisters in her determination to keep it all together for everyone else's sake, and it has stunted her emotionally. That plays a very important part in this book, and I think it's a valuable arc. I absolutely loved this finale to the series and highly recommend! 

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So, those are my reads from July. Have you read any of these books? What have you been reading lately? I'd love to talk about it in the comments! 

Thoughts from the Book of Romans

About a month ago, I started a Bible reading plan that is taking me through the letters of Paul. This is the specific plan, if you're interested - Paul's Letters. All this year, I have been working on studying God's Word more consistently - it's a habit I had really let myself get out of, and I've suffered for it. At first, all I could manage was a quick daily devotional. Then I did a two-week study on the Holy Spirit, and now I'm doing this. Eventually, I'd like to get back into reading the Psalms, as well. But, for now, this is enough. Usually, it's a couple chapters a day. The only thing I don't like about YouVersion is that it adds specific dates to each day, but I just ignore those if I miss a day (or on Sunday, when I don't typically do a personal devotional/study). 

I just finished Romans with this plan. And I will admit, it took me much longer than the plan has it taking, but that's okay. I can't remember the last time I read Romans all the way through; I'm not actually sure I ever have. So it's been a good experience. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of my favorite verses and the thoughts I wrote down for them. 

Each new book has its own overview from the Bible Project. Romans had two - Chapters 1-4 and Chapters 5-16

Romans 2:28-29 "A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code."

Circumcision set God's people apart in the Old Testament. And it was done in obedience to God. But circumcision in and of itself cannot save anyone. God is looking to circumcise our hearts through the work of the Holy Spirit and make us clean.

Romans 4:23-24 "The words 'it was credited to him [Abraham]' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness."

The study note for these verses talks about the exchange we make - we give God our sin, and He gives us justification and righteousness. Generally, an exchange includes things of somewhat equal value. But that is the exact opposite in this case! We give God something dirty and shameful, and He gives us His perfect righteousness. There's nothing equal about that! How incredible that God gives us this gift!

Romans 5:3-4 "... but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

This is an important verse to me, and it has been for a while. When we encounter trials and difficulties here on earth, it's sometimes really hard to keep going. Sometimes these are huge trials, like persecution in places like China. But other times it's the daily grind. In my case, that's parenting a toddler, and it can be incredibly overwhelming sometimes. Yet I know that what feels insurmountable some days is not the end. When we can keep going through suffering and trial, we are persevering. And, as we persevere, God is creating character in us, which results in a hope that does not go out. We have a hope of eternal life; we know that this is not all there is, and that's a tremendous encouragement to me on days that feel exhausting. 

Romans 7:21-23 "So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind..."

Every day, I am at war with sin - in the form of disobedience and rebellion in my small child, and very definitely in myself. I don't want to be angry and snap, yet I do. I don't want to be resentful, yet sometimes I am. This is the work of sin in me. Yet I am not a slave to sin - I do not have to obey Satan. "Do not offer any part of yourself to sin... offer every part of yourself to [God]." (6:13) I don't want any part of me acting in the service of the Devil - not my mouth, in particular, which is what I struggle with the most. Instead, I want God to have everything.

Romans 11:36 "For from him and through Him and for Him are all things."

I cannot fully understand God's methods, because I am not God. But I trust Him. This verse is at the close of the chapter in this lovely doxology that essentially says God is above our understanding. It very much reminds me of the questioning chapter in Job. God is so far above our human understanding. We cannot fathom the mind of God. Yet He is holding all things together, and He loves us beyond our ability to fully grasp. 

Romans 12:3 "...Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you."

There is nothing about me inherently that makes me better than anyone else. I need to remind myself of that sometimes. But in Christ, I am worthy, accepted, and loved. That is where I find my value.

Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

This whole section describes Christian living, but this verse is a succinct roadmap of perseverance. We have in Christ a hope that never dies, so we can be joyful. We can hold on through trials, knowing they will end. And we can keep praying, knowing that God hears every word.

Romans 13:12 "The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light."

I love this picture of time - that the night of our suffering and loneliness and fear is ending, and the day of Jesus' return is so very close. 

Romans 15:5-6, 30 "May the God Who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me."

God desires first obedience and then, above all else, unity. There should not be petty squabbling over differences of opinion in the church of Christ. Discussions about different interpretations of Scripture are healthy and good. But judgment and arguments over "disputable matters" are not. God gives different convictions to each of us, and Paul makes it clear that do ignore your convictions is sin. But that doesn't mean God has given someone else the same convictions, and it would be wrong me for to judge them for that. 

The final verse speaks to the importance of prayer. Too often, I treat prayer as an afterthought. In reality, though, it is a mighty weapon, and it's one of the ways we can unite with Christians around the globe. 

June's Reads: Thriller

 II have definitely read far more books this year than I did last year, and I’m very much enjoying it. Halfway through the year, I’ve read about 23 books, which is a huge improvement on last year. I had really missed reading. So this reading challenge has been a good thing for me. And it’s making me think at least a little bit outside of the box.

June’s genre was thriller, and, I’ll be honest, I don’t really own any thrillers. Since the other purpose of this challenge was for me to read through my bookshelves, that did present a bit of a problem. So I had to think a little beyond the “thriller” concept.

I chose to read a book I’ve owned for quite a while but had never made the time to read, Fire in the Night by Linda Byler. It’s billed as a “suspenseful romance,” which I would say is fitting.

(From publisher website)

The Amish community of Lancaster is being terrorized by barn fires. David and Malinda Beiler's barn was the first to go… Sarah, David and Malinda's daughter, observes her parents' agony. Not only is she afraid, and wishing she could protect her parents, she's entranced by the flirtatious Matthew Stoltzfus. He's dating her friend, Rose, but when he tenderly bandages Sarah's hand after she burned it at the barn raising, she wonders who he's really interested in.

When a second Amish barn burns for suspicious reasons, the Amish grow more restless…Seriously considering police protection, the increasingly tense community questions their traditional nonresistant approach to violence. Sarah now finds herself at odds with her mother over her choice of boyfriends and uncertain about how to respond to the attention of Lee, a newcomer to Lancaster. Not only that, she wonders if her dad is a wise enough leader as her community reels from within and without.

I enjoyed this book, the first in Byler’s Lancaster Burning series, enough to read the second one. And I’m currently trying to get ahold of the third and final book. It’s a pretty slow burn (pardon the pun), with much of the book focused on Sarah’s daily life and her fixation with her neighbor, Matthew. But ever-present under the surface is the mystery of the barn fires and who is setting them.

The writing style takes a little getting used to – Byler uses a lot of Pennsylvania Dutch, which is a German dialect typically used amongst the Amish, and translates in parentheses. It's really jarring, and I’m still not 100% sure that I like it, but it does theoretically help ground you in the setting. Some of her word and sentence choices are a little awkward for me, too – that may be just a writer sensitivity, though. Overall, the story and characters are interesting - even if I do want to scream at Sarah from time to time - and I am invested in seeing how this series finishes up.

I also finished John Grisham’s middle grade Theodore Boone legal thriller series. His Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer is followed by The Abduction, The Accused, The Activist, The Fugitive, and The Scandal. He must have run out of “A” names halfway through or something.

Overall, I enjoyed each book separately. They each follow the setup of the first book – a smart, generally good kid who knows more about the law than anyone else his age and dreams of being a great lawyer gets himself in the middle of trouble that he doesn’t cause but nonetheless helps solve. Each story is interesting on its own, but you definitely feel the targeted age group when you read them all quickly – they’re very repetitive with the details of Theo’s life, and they run together after a while. That being said, the highlight of most of the books is Theo’s stop in Animal Court on behalf of one friend or another, where, thanks to lax rules, he gets to truly act like a lawyer. It’s a fun series; they were all quick reads and something out of the norm for me.

I also read Thief of Corinth by Tessa Afshar, which is not at all a thriller, though it has some suspense elements to it. It’s biblical fiction that I highly enjoyed and definitely recommend.

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So, overall, I’d say I didn’t dive too deep into true thrillers this month. But I did read, and I read things that are little different than I usually do. So I consider that a success. What have you been reading lately? 

April & May's Reads

I'll start with an apology. I had this post written when it was supposed to go up, but then I had some technical issues that I just didn't get around to solving. So, I apologize for missing a month. This post will technically cover two months, April and May. I'll get the latter out of the way quickly. May's genre was History and Biography, which I love, but it does make for some slow reading. So, unfortunately, I didn't actually finish any books this month. I'm about 3/4 of the way through Letters to America: Courageous Voices from the Past by Tom Blair. It's a collection of fictionalized letters from ordinary people throughout America's history. I'm really enjoying it. I'm not honestly sure why it's taking me so long to finish; I'll blame it on the spectacular sunshine we've been having. Anyway, with that out of the way, I'll focus on April's reads, which fell under the Mystery genre. 

So, when April began, I quickly realized that I don’t actually own a lot of mystery books. It’s just not a genre that I typically dip into much. I don’t necessarily dislike mysteries – I just don’t usually read them.

So, I started with what I own (turns out it was really only one book) and went from there.

The mystery novel I own and have actually read before was Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering. This is the first book in her Drew Farthering series.

(From Julianna’s website)

From his black Homburg hat to the crease in his stylish cheviot trousers, Drew Farthering is the epitome of the well-bred English gentleman of 1932, but things at Farthering Place are not quite so ideal.

There’s been a murder at the old manor house. With the help of the alluring Madeline Parker, Drew sets out to solve the crime and save the family fortune. Before long, he realizes no one at Farthering Place is who he appears to be – not the blackmailer, not the adulterer, not the embezzler and not even Drew himself.

As I said, I’ve read this one before, and I enjoyed reading it again. I then proceeded to read the rest of the series, getting what I could at the library and buying what I couldn’t: Death by the Book, Murder at the Mikado, Dressed for Death, and Murder on the Moor. There’s one more book in the series, Death at Thorburn Hall, but I didn’t get to that before the end of the month.

So, since I read almost the entire series, I’ll give my general impressions without specific spoilers. All the books have engaging characters and interesting mysteries. The first book introduces the main characters very well, although I found the romance a little bit rushed. That being said, I really like Drew and Madeline, and his interactions with his best friend Nick are hilarious and extremely entertaining. I like the way Deering utilizes faith in the books – it’s never preachy, and it feels more organic as the series goes on. All mysteries, in my opinion, have an element of sadness to them, because they center on people’s mistakes and sins. Book #4 in this series, Dressed for Death, is the saddest of the bunch. The others strike a good balance. I enjoyed #3, Murder at the Mikado, and #5, Murder on the Moor, the most.

After starting that series and while waiting for the rest of the books to come in at the library, I re-read a book my sister owns – Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham.

I don’t read many Grisham novels – outside of this one, I’m not sure if I ever have. As the name suggests, it’s kind of middle grade or young adult fiction, but it held my attention just fine (and I really don’t like most young adult books). I picked it up remembering it as a mystery, but it’s really more of a legal thriller.

(From the author’s website)

In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he’s only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he’s one of them. Theo knows every judge, policeman, court clerk—and a lot about the law. He dreams of being a great trial lawyer, of a life in the courtroom. But Theo finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much—maybe too much—he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth. The stakes are high, but Theo won’t stop until justice is served.

The book has a bit of a slow build, and it ends in a cliffhanger. But Theo is a particularly likeable main character, and he’s surrounded by an eclectic bunch of people, including his parents, both lawyers; his uncle, a disgraced lawyer; an important judge; and a host of school friends who come to Theo for legal advice. There are six more books in the series, so I’ll need to fit those in around the rest of my reading.

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June's genre is Thriller, another one I don't read much. I will probably end up trying to finish the Theodore Boone books. So, what have you been reading? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

March’s Reads: Fantasy

Ah, fantasy. So much harder to get through than romances, no matter how interesting you may be. (If you haven’t seen my post from my February readings, click here.)

As I noted last month, I started Lord of the Rings. I haven’t finished it yet, and I’ve got quite a ways to go still. It’s just not a book you can rush. But it is, in my opinion, worth all the time it takes to read. If you’ve never actually read the book, I highly recommend it. It’s a classic for a reason.

As for what I actually started and finished in March, there are three books:

Songkeeper by Gillian Bronte Adams is the second book in her Songkeeper Chronicles series.

(From Gillian’s website)

WAR RAVAGES LEIRA AND THE SONG HAS FALLEN SILENT.

Freed from the hold of a slave ship, Birdie, the young Songkeeper, and Ky, a street-wise thief, emerge to a world at war. Hordes of dark soldiers march across Leira, shadowed by whispers of plague and massacres, prompting Ky to return to his besieged home city in hopes of leading his fellow runners to safety.

Desperate to end the fighting, Birdie embarks on a dangerous mission into the heart of the Takhran’s fortress. Legend speaks of a mythical spring buried within and the Songkeeper who will one day unleash it to achieve victory. Everyone believes Birdie is the one, but the elusive nature of the Song and rumors of other gifted individuals lead her to doubt her role. Unleashing the spring could defeat the Takhran once and for all, but can she truly be the Songkeeper when the Song no longer answers her call?

I definitely should have reread the first book, Orphan’s Song, before I got into this one. I remembered enough that I thought I’d be fine, but there were some details that I couldn’t quite place that would have helped. Despite that, though, I really enjoyed this book and the third one, Song of Leira. For the sake of spoilers, I won’t describe that one. But it’s a great series, full of interesting characters and deep conflicts. Highly recommend these books.

After finishing those two, I moved on to a book I own but wasn’t particularly familiar with, Fatemarked by David Estes.

(Adapted from the back cover)

Four Kingdoms. A century-old war. One prophecy that could change everything.

They’re called different things – tatooya, sinmarks, fatemarks. But for each of the few people born with these runes upon their skin, they are set apart. Some are worshipped, some hunted. All have powers, though some do not fully understand them. But as kings begin to die and an ancient prophecy looks to be coming true, four kingdoms constantly at war may be reborn in blood, and the fatemarked will have a role to play.

Overall, I did quite enjoy this book. The world Estes built is really interesting, the “magic” system he’s created with his fatemarks is intriguing, and he balances a diverse cast of characters who are all interesting to follow. However, there is some content that makes me a bit hesitant to continue with the series.

It’s got some really dark undertones that I can only imagine would get stronger throughout the series. And there is a brief homosexual moment that I'm concerned will be expanded upon in subsequent books. If my library had the series, I would probably get the next one to see if I enjoy the rest. But since it doesn’t, I don’t think I’m comfortable enough to buy any of the other books. So I will probably just have to be miserable without reading the rest.

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So, I ended up reading three books in March, and I’m still working through Lord of the Rings. April’s genre is Mystery, which is not something I read much of. So I’ll have to comb through my bookshelves and see what I’ve got.

What did you read in March? Let me know in the comments!