Saturday, July 2, 2016

June Book Recap

June Books

Books Read

The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau was also acquired this month.  It came from Blogging for Books and you can read my review of it here.

The Essence of His Presence by Lloyd John Ogilvie took me much longer to read than it should have.  It was so deep that I kept getting tired while reading, but it was actually a god read.  When reading about how as Christians, our lives should display love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control, I realized how lacking I am in all those areas. 

The Gift of the Red Bird by Paula D'Arcy is nonfiction and a pretty quick read.  The author writes about her spiritual journey after the death of her husband and young daughter after being hit by a drunk driver.  Paula survived the accident and a few months later, gave birth to the daughter she was pregnant with at the time of the accident.  I read this book after The Sparrow and it was a nice follow up.  It also gave me a lot to think about, and I think I'll be keeping this book, instead of passing it on as I normally do.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is hard to describe.  It's fiction.  It involves space travel, aliens, priests, and yet still managed to stick with me more than any book I've read this year.  I was going to devote a separate post to it, but it's so multi layered, has so many characters, and left me with more questions than answers.  If you want to read a story about aliens, I think you'll enjoy it, but don't be surprised if it lingers with you and makes you think through what you think about many issues.

The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester took me over a year to get around to finishing, and you know what, I really didn't enjoy it.  I felt like it was supposed to be this look at how these two were similar even though they were in totally different situations along with how the Oxford English Dictionary was assembled.  I found the dictionary part interesting, but I really didn't care about the professor- James Murray, or the madman- Dr. W.C. Minor.  It's nonficion, so there's only so much of a story you can spin, but really, my life wouldn't have felt any less full if I'd never read this one.

Books Acquired

The Happiness of Pursuit- see above

Grace (Eventually) Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott.  I can never pass up Anne Lamott, especially when  it's half price at Goodwill

You're Already Amazing by Holly Gerth.  I think this book has been on my Bookmooch wishlist since it came out.  I'm kind of interested to read it.

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown.  Ever since I heard Brene Brown in a TED Talk, I've been interested in reading this book.

The Terror by Dan Simmons.  This is fiction, but it's based on the real story of three ships trying to find a passage through Canada in the 1840s.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows.  My mom picked this up and thought it looked like something I'd be interested in.  We'll see.

The Fox was Ever The Hunter by Herta Muller.  I won this book from Guiltless Reading and it involves friendship and mystery.  I think it'll be a good read.

2016 Totals

Books Read: 22
Books Acquired: 27

7 comments:

  1. I don't know how good The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is, but I work at a library and it seems to circulate quite a bit, plus we've had it on our book club (books that a book club might pick to read) list for awhile. I will be interested to see what you think about it, also what it's about. I haven't read it.

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement, WW. I always cringe a little when someone picks to books for me, unless it's one off my wishlist. I'll go into it with an open mind.

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  2. Rule #1 - life is too short to read books which don't capture your interest. If nothing else, set it aside and come back to see if it was just your mood. Rule #2 - There are too many books out there not to apply Rule #1. Took me too many years to realize those rules.

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    1. I know you're right Judy, but I always feel like it may get better and then I'll love it. Although I have yet to have this occur. If I'm halfway through and it hasn't hooked me yet, it ain't gonna happen, right?

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  3. I loved the Guernsey Library and Potato Peel Society. If you like historical fiction I think you will enjoy it.

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    1. I had seen it at used bookshops and passed it by without even reading the back But, I'm glad to hear you loved it. I do enjoy historical fiction, so that's a good sign.

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  4. The Happiness of Pursuit sounds really interesting!

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