What I’m Reading This Month: July Bookmarks
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As a farmer’s wife, the idea of summer reading programs always makes me laugh. Summer on the farm rarely has anything remotely resembling leisure time. And since a certain little person is sleeping so many hours at night, I don’t have much middle-of-the-night reading time either (you won’t hear me complaining about that). But thanks to the Kindle app on my phone, I’ve still been able to squeeze in a few books this summer, in those in-between moments while waiting for an appointment, waiting for my husband to get home from work, or waiting for the last little person to drift off to sleep. Here’s a peak into my Kindle carousel this month (excluding the projects I’m previewing which I can’t wait to tell you about soon!).
The Rosary by Florence L. Barclay
It’s one of those story lines that could be so very cliche and predictable. Except, Florence L. Barclay brings you right into the lives of these fictional characters so that you’re living the agony of love and art right along with them. Written in 1909, The Rosary is Christian fiction in the truest sense of the phrase: it is fiction written by someone who loves Jesus (Florence was, in fact, the sister of Salvation Army leader Maud Ballington Booth). Not a single transcribed sermon or ill-timed moral is to be found within its pages, but the imperfect lives of the characters could humbly illustrate many a sermon.
At first, one almost feels like you’ve landed in a P.G. Wodehouse novel with an eccentric aunt front stage. But then you meet her niece–slightly reminiscent of Wodehouse’s able-bodied Honoria Glossop–who is transformed as you listen to her sing “The Rosary”. The tale that follows is as beautiful as it is unforgettable. It’s the beauty of Gene Stratton Porter with the depth of Elizabeth Prentiss.
(Read The Rosary for free on Kindle or from Forgotten Books, if you don’t want a reprinted paperback and are not fortunate enough to find a vintage copy.)
The Black Star of Kingston by S.D. Smith
Our beloved The Green Ember is dotted with references to Whitson Mariner and The Black Star of Kingston. In this first of the Tales of Old Natalia, S.D. Smith tells the story behind the story. Digging into the deep history of our favorite characters in The Green Ember, we get to hear of Fleck, Galt, Prince Lander, and the Battle of Ayman Lake.
A short, heartwarming read with absolutely enchanting illustrations, The Black Star of Kingston belongs on the shelf of every fan of The Green Ember. “My place beside you…”
Anchored by Kayla Aimee
I was prepared to cry buckets when I read Anchored, the story of a micro premie. But Kayla Aimee’s almost sarcastic sense of humor keeps the tale of her daughter’s birth from getting too difficult to read. Anchored provides a unique glimpse into the heartache and tears of the NICU (via the path of infertility). Unafraid to ask the hard questions, Kayla Aimee doesn’t try to provide all the answers. Instead, she chronicles her own journey to finding hope in the unexpected.
While this book was filled with references to television shows (for which I have no frame of reference) and at times even the presence of all-caps type (a personal pet peeve), I had little trouble overlooking those annoyances to appreciate the story for its own sake. Anchored is heartbreakingly honest yet hopeful and heartwarming at the very same time.
Disclosure: I received a galley copy of Anchored in exchange for an honest review.
P.S. What are you reading this month?
Up next for August:
- HearthLand by Chautona Havig
- The Hawk and the Dove by Penelope Wilcock
- Miss Buncle Married by D.E. Stevenson
You write really well girl and a husband and baby its marvelous! Im a novice blogger and luckily single so I keep on lurking and learning around the internet to get tips and tricks from pro bloggers like you. Thumbs up 馃檪
Hi Gretchen,
This is Bethany Davis here. For this month, I am reading a book called “Killing Lincoln” by a man named, Bill O’Reilley. The title sounds graphic, I know. It’s primarily about all the events leading up to Lincoln’s death. There are so many things I didn’t know until reading this book. I am not quite half way through it yet. Before that, I was reading “Unbroken” which I finished in February. Then I read “Killing Patton” also by Bill O’Reilley that I read through the spring.
Anyway, that’s what I’m reading this month. “Killing Lincoln” will still be on my primary reading this in August.
In Christ,
Bethany