(This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure.)

I’m going to pretend that it is a sign of a balanced literary diet for the list of books I’ve been reading this month to be entirely eclectic. There’s not a bit of rhyme or reason to the titles below except that I’ve enjoyed them lately. (And their colors coordinate beautifully. A fact I just noticed.) I’m afraid I’m random like that sometimes.

But without further ado, here are the books I’ve been reading, beginning with a title releasing today from a favorite author.

Jack by Chautona Havig

It’s hard to beat a good Western. But make the cowboy a Christian gentleman and add a bit of inimitable Chautona flair to the tale, and you have a Western novel you’ll love and be willing to share with your daughters or sisters.

Jack is a man with a past. He is determined to right as many of his offenses as he can. But he’s not willing to let anyone into the personal hurts that are part of his story. Until a banker’s pretty daughter exercises a gentle determination he can’t ignore.

“Every man has his flaws. You need to make certain that you can live with the flaws in the man you give your heart to.”
–Jack by Chautona Havig

Restitution and forgiveness, faithfulness and patience. Jack is about a good man, a strong woman, the friends who wish them well, and the enemies who have set a trap in an effort to destroy their happiness.

Shakespeare aficionados will enjoy the hints of Much Ado About Nothing within the storyline, while everyone else will get a kick out of the “merry  war” between two certain friends of our hero and heroine.

Order Jack Now!

Confessions of a De-Cluttering Junkie by Chautona Havig

Nothing like January  to bring out the books on clutter and organization, right?! But seriously, this bit of fiction is as fun as it is inspiring. This story is told in a unique style, as it moves from Kaye speaking at a women’s conference to the story she’s telling and then back again. But as Kaye worked through her attitude toward clutter, her home, and her family, I found my heart convicted and my house almost automatically de-cluttering itself. (Almost.) Oh, I should also note that there is a cat in this book. You’ve been forewarned.

The Long Awakening by Lindsey O’Connor

I’d never heard of the author, but her memoir came with stellar reviews and sounded like a fascinating storyline, so I grabbed it on a whim. I haven’t been disappointed. But neither was I prepared for it to be such an emotional read (I should have expected it, after my own high-risk delivery last spring). The line, “You know, some women still die in childbirth” undid me, and I’ve  read the rest with tears often spilling over.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

You know those books that everyone says you should read but you only ever got tiny bits of in some high school literature anthology? My husband and I have been visiting some of those titles lately thanks to Librivox and Loyal Books. And our latest  is Uncle Tom’s Cabin. We’re not through it yet, so no spoilers, please. But I’ve been absolutely captivated by the characters while at the same time being deeply impressed by the discussions within the pages.

Up Next:

I just pre-ordered Valerie Comer’s Berry on Top because I just have to find out how the Farm-Fresh Romance Series ends (Valerie writes a great love story, peoples). Meanwhile, I may turn to the last episodes of Chautona Havig’s Hearthland. In all honesty, I’ve been saving them because I’m quite loathe to say goodbye to all the characters I’ve come to love (I feel like I know Chautona’s characters and would recognize them in any coffee shop)! I also have two beautiful new L.M. Montgomery books to read on some of these long sleety afternoons (can you believe I’ve never read Jane of Lantern Hill nor A Tangled Web?!).

P.S. If you prefer a more themed book list, check out my post at Club31Women for this month: 12 Books for a Fresh Start. It has a theme, I promise.

Disclosure: I received a free review copy  of Jack. Opinions are my own!