It's already the last day of August and I've only read 3 books.😞
Despite going on TWO trips this month (one that required a plane ride), I didn't read as much as I thought I would. Oh well. However... I did do something NEW this month. I read FICTION!
If you know me at all, you know that I typically lean towards non-fiction or biography type books and the only fiction I read is aloud to my kids.
Well, I read two fiction books (both on vacation) and truth be told, I wasn't blown away by either.
The first book I read this month however, I really enjoyed and that was Imagine Heaven.
For a long time, I've wanted to read a book about heaven. Other than what the bible says about our eternal home, I didn't think I had much information about the place where I'M GOING TO BE SPENDING FOREVER. I was very careful in selecting a book (because I feel like there are some that would lead you astray). This book did exactly what I was hoping it would. It pointed back to God's promises and the heaven of the bible, it gave me an overwhelming excitement for heaven, and it reminded me of God's grace and just how much God loves me.
John Burke compares more than 100 gripping stories of near death experiences to what scripture says about our biggest questions about heaven: Will I be myself? Will I see friends and loved ones? What will heaven look like? What is God like? What will we do forever? What about children and pets?
If you are curious about heaven (or hell), I highly recommend this book.
The next book I read and took on vacation with me was One True Loves.
This book was recommended by some other bloggers as one of their all time favorite books. Like I said, I'm not usually into fiction or romances but I thought I'd give it a try.
This was a quick read. I think I read it in less than 2 days (which is fast for me).
One True Loves tells the story of Emma Blair. In her twenties, she marries her high school sweetheart Jesse, and together, they make a life for themselves that involves all sorts of spontaneous adventures. It is on their first anniversary when Emma’s life changes forever – because Jesse goes missing on a trip for work. In an effort to regroup, Emma quits her job and moves back home where she begins working at her family’s bookstore. It is there she runs into an old friend, Sam, and she finds herself doing the impossible: falling in love a second time. But when Jesse is found alive, Emma now has to face an impossible choice. Which one is her true love?
This book is rated PG-13. It's definitely a summer beach read and a chic-lit type of book. I'm new to that genre and I'm not sure it's my favorite, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. You know, it was OK. The story kept me interested and it moved fast but was it my all time favorite read? No. It's definitely one that keeps you interested without much thinking involved. Sometimes that's what we need and that's perfectly OK, too.
I purposely left this book in our beach condo so someone else could read it.
Lastly, I also read Counting by 7's on vacation. This is a middle school novel but I really wanted to pre-read this before I let the girls read it. Counting by 7's is a book about 12 year old, Willow Chance. She's a genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions. She finds comfort in counting by 7's. At the beginning of the book, Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. Then comes a cast of characters who ultimately end up being her endearing new family. I found this book to be a little slow. Although the characters were well developed because I could totally picture them. This book was supposed to be uplifting I think, but I didn't find it that way. It was kind of dull. The best part was that the story took place in Bakersfield, CA and every time it was mentioned,
I would ask Morgan if certain places and streets were actually there (most were). All in all, I thought this was more of an adult novel about a quirky and sad middle-schooler. It was clean though so I'm letting the girls read it but after my review, they are in no hurry.
So that's it. I dabbled into fiction this month and I'm willing to try it again. It gave me the freedom to just read for enjoyment and it didn't require me to ponder deep thoughts. We start school next week so I'm not sure how much reading I'll get in next month but I'm up to 32 books for the year and that's WAY MORE than I thought I'd be reading this year. 😊
