37- The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny 5/5 (audio/library) ★★★
I didn't hate it, didn't love it. I listened to this one on audio. People love the Louise Penny books and I feel like I should too but I just don't. I have heard that the series picks up a bit after the 4th book (this is the 3rd). So maybe I'll keep going. One thing that bugs me is there seems like too many characters and their names to similar for me to keep straight.
Didn’t anyone die a normal death in Three Pines? And even their murders weren’t normal. Couldn’t they just haul off and stab each other, or use a gun or a bat? No. It was always something convoluted. Complicated. Very unQuĂ©bĂ©cois. The QuĂ©bĂ©cois were straightforward, clear. If they liked you they hugged. When they murdered you they just whacked you over the head. Boom, done. Convicted. Next.
Our secrets make us sick because they separate us from other people. Keep us alone. Turn us into fearful, angry, bitter people. Turn us against others, and finally against ourselves. A murder almost always began with a secret. Murder was a secret spread over time.
38- The Hidden Flame (Acts of Faith, #2) by Davis Bunn, Janette Oke 5/9 (ebook/hoopla)★★★
This was the 2nd book in the Acts of Faith series, we read the first for book club last month. I loved it and immediately began the 2 book. It picks up right after the ending of the first book but switches to different main characters and also we meet a couple more actual Bible characters in this book. I liked it fine, not quite as much as the first but still good.
You simply need to trust, take each next step by faith. You will know what is right when the time comes.
“when our Christ was taken, Peter failed to stand with him. He denied him, Abigail. It broke his heart. But it also perhaps made him into the man he is today. “But Peter also warns us, continually, that we are not able to stand in our own strength. We need God’s presence with us. We must pray that God will keep us strong for whatever lies ahead and faithful to the end. And we must encourage one another. Daily.”
“But the teacher they follow is dead.” “Is he? Are you so certain of that?” Gamaliel’s eyes carried a piercing quality. “Have you bothered to hear what they are saying? They spoke their news again yesterday, standing before the group that had threatened them with death. They follow a messiah who departed so that the Spirit of God could breathe upon them all, a messiah who lives within.”
39- The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom 5/11 (kindle/library)
Someone in my book club mentioned this book to me. Honestly I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It was intriguing and thought provoking.
“The distance between death and life is not as great as you imagine.” “Really?” Yannis turned his way. “Then why don’t people come back to Earth after they die?” The stranger smiled. “Why would they want to?”
“...the stories we tell ourselves long enough become our truths.”
40- The Optimist's Guide to Letting Go by Amy E. Reichert 5/13 (print/library) ★★★★
A mother daughter tale covering three generations. Gina owns a grilled cheese food truck and is dealing with the death of her husband. Her teenage daughter May floundering herself, disconnected from her mom and reeling from the death of her father. The matriarch, Lorraine suffers a stroke leaving her unable to speak. Gina uncovers a huge secret in going through her mother's papers. the story is told from each of these three points of view. As the secret and layers are sifted through they find they are not as different as they thought and outward appearances are not always what they seem.
Gina finished up the sandwiches, handed them off to people who'd been waiting, and immediately started three of her Classic grilled cheeses, a combination of Colby-Jack, American, and provolone on fresh Italian bread with a lot of butter, crisp and golden. She'd learned long ago to grill both slices of bread for each sandwich at the same time, topping them with shredded cheese, and bringing them together at the end to complete it. It took half the time and was just as delicious.
She had always viewed her mother as someone to placate, keep happy, try to please. She never thought of her as someone she wanted to know. But for the first time, she did want to know her mother. It was time to ask some questions.
41- The Love Letter by Rachel Hauck 5/19 (kindle/library)
This one was brought to my attention again by the Christian Bookworm Podcast. She mentioned a Revolutionary war time slip that immediately grabbed my attention. I have so far loved every book I have read by this author. I love how this story shows God seeking relationship with his people. I loved this one so much I made it our next book club selection.
The story goes back and forth between current day and the revolutionary war period. Jesse writes a screenplay inspired by a love letter written by his many times great-grandfather Hamilton. He writes the screenplay to give Hamilton and Esther the happily ever after they never got. Chloe is the actress who plays Esther in his movie.
“Tell you what, just open your Bible,” he once challenged her. “Read and pray. You’ll find treasure. Trust me. Your heart will change.”
42- Book Lovers by Emily Henry 5/20 (print/own) ★★★★
I really loved this book. The story is about sisters, small town adventures, bookstores, publishing, starting over...oh- and falling in love. I really enjoyed Emily Henry's previous two books and was very excited to read this one. Just thinking about it now and reading some of the quotes makes me want to pick it up and read it again!
Is there anything better than iced coffee and a bookstore on a sunny day? I mean, aside from hot coffee and a bookstore on a rainy day.
That’s life. You’re always making decisions, taking paths that lead you away from the rest before you can see where they end. Maybe that’s why we as a species love stories so much. All those chances for do-overs, opportunities to live the lives we’ll never have.
43- Water's Edge by Robert Whitlow 5/25 (print/library) ★★★★
I picked this for our book club read based on having read one of this author's book years ago in another book club. I was not disappointed. All the ladies said they could not put it down!
Tom Crane returns to his hometown to close down his late father's law practice. After arriving he discovers the circumstance around his father's death are questionable. His uncle also sets him on the path to encounter God.
"Hearing you is meat to my soul and drink to my spirit," the old man replied. "I'm doing my best not to shout."
As he tromped across the field, Tom thought about his life. Relying on himself and doing what he wanted to do had left him with no job, no inheritance, no girlfriend, an uncertain future, and stubborn issues to short out in shutting down his father's practice. But for the first time in his life, he was under a greater influence than his circumstances--an inner peace based on a reality outside himself.
Elias cut another bite of steak. "I'll give you my opinion about one thing," he said raising his fork to his lips. "When God is moving in your life, you should enjoy the adventure."
I stumbled across this book on our last trip to Barnes and Noble. Of course that cover caught my attention! It takes place in England and is a group of ladies running through cancer treatment. Kiera, is diagnosed with breast cancer in the opening chapters. While waiting on the bench outside the clinic she meets Tamsin who is running by and later sees in the halls of the hospital, Tamsin encourages Keira to lace up her trainers and join her some morning.
The author had breast cancer in 2017 and wanted to read a book about cancer that wasn't depressing- so she wrote one. It is delightful and heartwarming. This will be a re-read and one I am glad is part of my personal collection. I find myself still thinking about the characters, wondering how they are doing now. <3
45- Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau 5/31 (print/own) ★★★★
This was a fun read. A rom/com where actor Ryan Kwok stumbles into a bakery one morning knocking a plate of specialty donuts to the floor. He later hires the baker Lindsay to help him learn the basics of baking before going on the Celebrity Baking Fails show. Very entertaining- also quite open door. Also the donut description have me wanting to make/eat all the donuts ;-)
46- All Along Your Were Blooming by Morgan Harper Nichols 5/31 (print/own) ★★★★★
I purchased this book in 2020 when my One Word for the year was BLOOM. It sat neglected on my shelf for quite awhile. Once I picked it up though I thoroughly enjoyed it! Uplifting and inspiring poems. I have bought several copies as gifts.
You may not have chosen your surroundings,
but you can choose to find life in them
Choosing to have joy
is not naively thinking
everything
will be easy.
It is courageously
believing
that there is
still hope,
even when
things get hard.
Total: 10 2022: 46
Kindle/Ebook: 3 Print: 6 Audio: 1
Library: 6 Owned: 4 Borrowed: 0
Unread Shelf: 3 Purchased: 1
Favorite: Book Lovers, closely followed by The Bright Side Running Club
