I say this every month, but I’m really not sure how the month is already over? Didn’t I just write my reading list post for May?
As always, reading has been one of the things that has kept me grounded and helped me through some of the crazy transitions we have had this month. I only finished four books this month, but they were some of the best books I’ve read this year!
I always get asked how I have so much time to read, and the answer is that I make time to read. With a husband who works until midnight, I spend most of the evening hours after the kids have gone to bed reading. I also spent a week with my parents in which I had two extra people to help me with my kids, so I found a little extra time for reading during those days. Remember, there are so many tiny minutes during the day that are available for reading a few pages here and there. I’m known to always have a book on hand and you can find me reading if there is a lull in when someone needs. I might not have a perfectly immaculate house and I’m most likely behind on the latest shows, but I would never be found without a book!
Unafraid
***
The first book I read this month was Unafraid. Throughout the book, Hamilton discusses how our culture approaches fear. He talks through the things that we tend to fear the most (job loss, failure, death) and gives Biblical reasoning and very, very practical reasoning for why we should not be afraid. I thought it was a really interesting book and enjoyed reading it- it had a lot of great factual information while still being Biblically grounded. However, I would say that it didn’t approach the emotional/irrational side of fear as much as I would have liked. Sure, I know that logically the tree behind my house is not going to fall on my kid’s bedroom tonight, but combatting that fear another story. In conclusion, if you are someone who struggles with fear of many different things, I highly recommend this book, as I would imagine it would really help tamper down some of the things that you may struggle with in your mind.
The Identicals
***
Last year, I said I was not going to read another Elin Hilderbrand book. I have read a few and I’m just not impressed with the content- too many sex scenes. However, I do love the plots and the breezy way I can just read through the books when I don’t want something very heavy to read. This book came up as a book club pick, so I decided to give her one more try- and I’m glad I did. Although there was some R rated content throughout, it was much, much less than any of her other books I’ve read. Once again, I enjoyed the plot- twin girls separated on purpose when their parents marriage falls apart. One lives on Martha’s Vineyard, the other one on Natucket. Throughout the book, we learn about their past and why they never speak any longer. Throw in a wayward daughter, and the death of their beloved father and the plot thickens, causing the two sisters to have to come to terms with one another. I did NOT like the ending of this book, as it didn’t feel like a conclusion. It felt like…the author rushed through and left it way too open-ended. I even looked to see if there is a sequel. Still, I enjoyed the book as a whole.
Victoria: The Queen
****
I don’t know how this book snuck onto my TBR list, but I picked it up from the library and began on this huge and heavy book- I was hooked from the beginning, and was FASCINATED throughout. This is all about Queen Victoria, who was the longest ruling monarch in England until just a few years ago when Queen Elizabeth took that title. Queen Victoria was a fascinating woman who loved fiercely and loyally, but made plenty of mistakes in her time. She ruled England during a period where women were barely more than servants in households, and she was both a family woman (NINE children. NINE) and a monarch. This book did put me to sleep a couple times, and it took me a good ten days to read through the 500 pages, but it was fascinating! Now that I’ve finished it, Theo and I are watching The Crown on Netflix. I feel like I learned so much about the royal family and their customs and traditions.
Educated
*****
If this book is not yet in your hands, on your hold list at the library or at the very least on your TBR list, it needs to be RIGHT NOW. I didn’t pick up this book for the longest time because I thought that it was going to be about the American education system. Spoiler alert: It’s not AT ALL. It’s a memoir, about a young girl named Tara who is raised on the side of a mountain junkyard in Idaho. Her parents are extreme Mormons and believe that anything associated with the government is sinful and terrible. They drive without seatbelt, they refuse any type of medical treatment, and they claim to “homeschool”- which means they keep their kids out of school and do absolutely nothing educationally. Tara lives in this home environment for years, not knowing that there is another way of looking at the world out there. After suffering emotional, spiritual and physical abuse, Tara decides to leave the side of the mountain and pursue an education for herself. Another spoiler alert: She eventually receives a PhD from Harvard. BOOM. Go read this book NOW. I also hope that there is a sequel to this book, because I felt like there were still loose ends that need to be tied up- mainly the way Tara faces relationships. After living for most of her childhood with extremely unhealthy relationships, I would love to know that as an adult she is able to work through those past hurts and build healthy relationships.
And that is my list for June! What are you reading lately? Do you find that you get more or less reading done in the summer?