For this month's post of reads, I am linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy for her Quick Lit. Check out what she's been reading as well as what books other bloggers are enjoying!
Check out my post, When Books Collide, for the unique link I discovered between this book and The Knockoff. Always Pack a Party Dress was a lovely insight into the fashion world and made me truly rethink my style, my wardrobe purchases, and my purges of seemingly out of date clothes. This is a great light hearted non-fiction for evenings and lunch breaks.
Beth Moore is among one of the few authors whose works have influenced me greatly time and time again. God has consistently used her writing in my life to refresh and challenged me in new ways. This book was no different. Some of the topics that had me hooked were - listening to the Holy Spirit, overflows of God's love, and seasons where you're not sure what to do next. As usual with a Moore read, I laughed, cried, and thought so hard my brain hurt. Beth reads this one in the audiobook version.
I loved this book as a poolside read. It had all the right elements; multiple countries, alternating time periods and settings, love triangles, heartbreak, and restoration.
Author, John Palfrey is the founding board chair of the Digital Public Library of America. His book is not about why we need digital libraries, but why we still need physical libraries in the age of the digital. I hope that's enough to get you hooked, but if not, don't worry. A longer post on this book is soon to come.
I read this book so you don't have to, unless of course you really really want to pick it up. In this modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, Curtis Sittenfeld removed everything I loved about Pride and Prejudice, except for the witty dialogue. The word play is the one thing that kept me reading his modern rendition. This book included a slightly altered The Bachelor show, spiders, Cincinnati, New York, and lots of un-Austen relationship scenarios.
Lucy Maud Montgomery struck again in this final installment of the Emily Starr trilogy. This was by far my favorite of all three as Emily becomes an adult and there is full resolution of all things. I thought that Emily's person and character are built the most in this book.
I continue to ponder this book and how well it was written. The author is a currently a professor at Duke and her ability to weave a personal story well is astounding. Lauren F. Winner chronicles her journey through Judaism and to becoming a Christian. She talks about unexpected difficulties along the way, the added layers of meaning that the Jewish customs now have to her as a Christian, how her relationships changed as her faith grew, and her thought processes through it all. I couldn't put this book down because I was simultaneously drawn in by her experiences and story and felt as though I was being taught things I never knew.
This was by far the cleverest book I've read this year. Sykes and Piazza do a wonderful job blending the world of fashion and technology, while humorously and accurately painting a picture of the differences and tensions between Generation X & Millennial. I laughed, cringed, and repeatedly read sections of this book out loud to my husband, friends, and honestly whoever would listen.
I am starting to think that everything that could possibly be said about the Inspector Gamache books has already been said and I feel that I am reduplicating everyone else's words when I tell you that it was simply amazing. I want to call this book the first in a series of Modern Sherlock books, except that it isn't quite the same as Sherlock, and yet in some ways it feels similar. If you like lighthearted murder mysteries, with twisting stories and intriguing characters, this is a great book to pick up.
I am so intrigued by the Marie Kondo method and I was excited to discover that she had written a sequel. While the first book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, depicts a method to be applied in detail to every day life, this one is more of a manual with step by steps, pictures, and less ideology. I think they are both written to two different personality types and implementation structures and that most people probably only need to read one of the two books.
I picked this other Beth Moore book up this month when I felt like I needed a book that would hug me - for those of you non - readers, yes, that's a thing. Through essays, poems, and short chapters, Beth shares about difficult seasons in her life and what it looked like to trust God through them.
I read this book three months ago and I still find myself thinking about whether my actions or thoughts in certain situations demonstrate the wild or free half of this title. Authors Jess Connolly and Haley Morgan trade off writing chapters in their book that is much needed by American Christian women. I was blown away by the theology that these ladies incorporated as they shared their thoughts regarding the fact that Christian women should be able to live a life that is Wild and Free because their identity is rooted in Christ.
Abandoned Books
I abandoned Wednesday is Indigo Blue because of Library timing restrictions but fully intend to pick it back up. I also abandoned the novel Hip to be Square because I felt like I was dragging myself through it. Jamie B Golden of the Popcast gave a raving review of this book on the What Should I Read Next Podcast that makes me think I will eventually pick this one up again as well.
What have you been reading this summer? I would love to hear about your favorites and the books you chose to walk away from!