I can't believe that another month has flown by!!! I only read 4 books this past month BUT that is because I've been super busy about a new endeavor I've begun.... I joined SeneGence International as an Independent Consultant. Their flagship product is LipSense which is an amazing lip color that lasts up to 18 hours!! It is truly incredible. BUT that's not all-- their other cosmetics stay through EVERYTHING too-- swimming, sweating, sleeping-- everything! If you are interested in any of these products let me know! But... thats not what I'm writing about today. Today it is my April Books!

February Reads

March Reads

The Devil Crept In- After reading a lot of real-life (non fiction), heavy memoirs as of late, I was looking for a mindless mystery. There was a twist in this story that would normally disinterest me, but I found myself sticking it out till the end. It was pretty good!

Help Thanks Wow- I take Anne Lamott with a grain of salt, but for all her kooky thoughts on God (whom she refers to as "she"), this book on what she calls 3 essential prayers, is pretty good. I wouldn't recommend it for a newer Christian who is seeking theological truth (warning: look elsewhere, like the Bible) as some of her doctrine is definitely off, but for a discerning heart it can be encouraging and through provoking.

It Ends With Us- I didn't remember what I was expecting when I started this one, but it was different than I thought it would be. I can't really even tell you what its about because it will ruin the first part of the book! Part love story, part love triangle, part tragedy turn to triumph. This book had me up reading WAY past my bedtime and feeling all the feels.

The Guineveres- This book was on last year's summer reading list (I'm still working on it! Maybe I'll be done by this summer!) and I'm just not getting to read it. It is a novel about a group of friends-- all conveniently name Guinevere, who live in a boarding school/convent. Its their story of teen life, friendship and coming to grips with their own family situations. There is a strong catholic element, which I thought was interesting. Every other chapter had a brief converse about a particular Saint. Its hard to describe the novel, but it was good & interesting, if not a little lofty.

This Life I Live- I fell in love with Joey + Rory after Joey got cancer. I followed her fight and was in awe of Rory's selfless love for his wife. This is the story of the man behind the woman. This book is full of redemption in every sense of the word. Its a story of God's sovereignty and goodness and how He prepared Rory his whole life to love Joey. A true modern love story that is simply amazing. This is one book on a short list that actually made me cry real tears as I read. Stunningly beautiful and well written.

Hillbilly Elegy- How does a redneck hillbilly with kin from Kentucky & no family who has ever graduated high school become a successful Yale-educated lawyer? J.D. Vance expires the nuances of those who live life in the margins... the unrecognized and unacknowledged poor among us. His social commentary is something everyone should read. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency- This is the first in a series of detective novels about a woman detective in Africa. It is absolutely charming and gives a fascinating glimpse into the daily life of Africans. Its stories are witty in a grown-up Amelia Bedelia meets Nancy Drew kind of way.

So You've Been Publicly Shamed- I LOVED this book. Its a non-fiction book, written by the king of quirky books, Jon Ronson. (His previous works have included "The Psychopath Test" and "Men Who Stare At Goats") It takes a long hard close look at the reviving use of public shaming via social media. He uses real-life stories of those who've been publicly shamed-- most to their lives' extreme detriment-- and explores the when's, where's, why's and how's of how it all happened, and how (sometimes if) they were able to get their lives back together. His conclusion alone was worth reading the whole book. It will stay with me for a long time.


If you were only going to pick two books out of all of these to read, I would suggest Don't Miss It and Sound of Gravel. But since Don't Miss It is like 50 pages long, I'll throw in "So You've Been Publicly Shamed" as another must read. :)

What have you been reading?

I must have taken a subconscious cue from the fact that my favorite books of 2016 tended to be in the non-fiction category, because that is almost all that my January reads have consisted of. I've tried to get into a couple of novels, but just haven't been in the mood for them. So while on the surface, my January reads may seem as gloomy as our Indiana skies, they were actually quite enlightening and heartwarming. Just what my vitamin-D deprived self needed.



I fell like this month's books have helped me to gain understanding and appreciation for those around me who are in different circumstances. Tolerance, division, equal rights and societal differences are hot-button issues right now. While I am not one to play into those things, I do think it is important to not be ignorant of the world around me. Reading these books, particularly Homegoing, have helped me to gain a broader world-view. Other books like Lucky and Where The Light Gets In have increased my compassion and the sense that others need grace. I need to be extending grace to those around me, for as the old adage says, "Be kind to one another, for you do not know what battles they are facing" rings true. Above all, love. Love all. Serve all. Seek to find commonalities despite our differences and fight to find the beauty in what is foreign. 

I have loved reading this year. If you haven’t heard me say it before, I will say it again now: Kindle reading has changed my life. Sean gifted me a Kindle for Mother’s day almost 3 years ago. At first, I didn’t think I would use it. But then I discovered the e-book lending program through our public library and I was hooked. I could not request and devour books fast enough! I always thought I’d be partial to the real deal, but I have no problem saying, I am a sell-out when it comes to reading. Convenience has won out and I’m into the e-book, hook, line and sinker. (That said, I still LOVE the real deal. It just takes me longer to read the real deal. Though I am still teaching my kids that there is nothing like the smell of a new book. Gia already totally gets this!)

So, I read 63 books this year, surpassing my goal by 1 book. I’ve read what seems to be a lot of series or sequels, which I’m ok with. Continuing a book I loved is like getting a whole new season of Parenthood after I thought it was over. I also discovered a couple of authors that I found I really enjoy, for different yet equally challenging and moving reasons. (See below.) I only read one book that I wound up really, really disliking though I think that has more to do with my policy of no- shame-in-tossing-aside-a-book-I-don’t-like than it has to do with my staying power to muscle through a miserable read. I read a wide range of subject matter, though surprisingly, most of my favorite overall books hangout in the non-fiction category. So here’s my year of books, in review.

Series & SequelsIn 2015 I began a series by Nancy E Turner called “These Is My Words.” It is a 3 part anthology following the life of a woman named Sarah Agnes Prine. It takes place in the late 1800’s in the western territory of what came to be known as Arizona, and it follows Sarah from childhood all the way through adulthood and old age. This year I finished the last two books in the trilogy, Sarah’s Quilt and The Star Garden. I loved them all dearly and still, almost a year later, find myself thinking about Ms. Prine. The first book is difficult to read as it is written more as a journal, but if you can power through that to get to the other two books, they are written in a much more conventional and readable manner. SO GOOD.

Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)’s Cormoran Strike mystery series. There are three books so far in this series of mysteries that follow a washed up, miserable but lovable private detective, Cormoran Strike. They are The Cuckoo’s Calling, Silkworm and Career of Evil. Well written (duh) and an all around good mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.

You may also have noticed I’ve started reading The Babysitters Club series again. (I say again because I read them in my youth.) There is a fantastic podcast called The Babysitter’s Club Club where two 30-something guys read through each of the books and discuss them. It sounds lame, but it is actually incredible. You just have to listen to it to see what I mean. Its even better if you read the book first then listen to the corresponding episode. Trust me. Just do it. 

I read the first book in a couple of other series (Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series and Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series) but to be honest, I was reading a lot of mysteries in succession and they all kind of melted together. So I’ve put them off for a bit and will read them one series at a time in the future. 

I was so excited to read the sequel to my favorite 2015 book, The Kitchen House. It is called “Glory Over Everything” by Kathleen Grissom and continues the stories of the character in The Kitchen House, though its not quite so obvious how the characters are connected in the beginning. It was everything I’d hoped it would be and more. 

Hot Books of 2016I read quite a few of the “hot books” for 2016. You know, books that had really good press and hype surrounding them. Most lived up to the hoopla, though a few were just OK. The good ones stand out as June, The Wonder, Murder House, All the Missing Girls and Girls in the Garden. Just OK were Girls and The Mothers.


Authors I Loved This Year

I started reading Ann Leary’s The Good House because I had heard a lot of good things about her book The Children. But, it wasn’t available through my library yet (I was 19th in line) so I looked for other books by her. The Good House is a classic New England tale about a (sort of) recovering alcoholic who is a realtor in an idyllic town who really just needs a friend. If I were to pick the perfect setting for a book, it would be some idyllic small town in New England (think Dawson’s Creek). So I immediately loved this book. As I read more and more of it, I began to wonder to myself, “Am I an alcoholic?” Now, pause that thought and fast forward to me reading Leary’s book The Children. It is about the complicated life of a blended family as the navigate life after death and illness. One of the main characters has classic bipolar disorder and as I was reading that book, I thought to myself “Am I bipolar?” That’s when it dawned on me that Leary’s writing is just that good— she drew me in to the characters in such a way that I identified with them to the point of questioning my own sanity! Now that was a first in my reading life, an occurrence with which I was highly impressed. I will be reading more of her this new year.

Another author I loved this year was Lois Lowry. You may remember her from your youth— we had to read Number the Stars in 6th grade and it has stuck with me ever since. Same with her book The Giver (a series I read last year). I started by rereading Number the Stars when I was in a funk of “what should I read next.” I found that it was not just some childish tale that I could read in my sleep, but an engaging and thought-provoking work of art that kept me thinking long after its 150 pages were over. When I was reflecting on the book after I was finished, I was awed at the breadth and depth of Lowry’s storytelling in such few pages. Realizing that is an area where I need improvement (brevity of thought does not come naturally to me) I decided to read more of her works, to learn her ways and hopefully better my own writing. I read Gossamer followed by A Summer to Die and with each quick read, I was floored at the power of Lowry’s storytelling. Next, I read an autobiography that was fascinating… she took snippets of her personal life and wove them in with quotes and inspiration from her novels. I have loved every one of her books and plan to read more this year. I’ve found that they are the perfect palate cleanser when I am in need of something to read when I’ve just finished a heavy or lengthy book.

FavoritesAnd finally, my favorites.


5. Mischling- The story of two Jewish twins who survived the torturous experiments of Mengele at Auschwitz. The story is fiction but inspired by true events. After reading this novel, I read the real-life account from which much of this book was derived and was struck with the weight of history. We must not forget, just because something is horrific and painful to think about. History is important and cannot be erased, though many people try.





4. The Life We Bury- This is a novel about college student, Joe Talbert, who has to write a biography of an older person in order to fulfill an english class assignment. With no family nearby, he seeks someone out at a nursing home. It turns out most of the patients there have alzhiemers or dementia, but a nurse points him in the direction of one man in their care who is in full capacity of his wits: a convicted murderer, Carl, who has been released to the nursing home because he is in his final days of pancreatic cancer. Carl agrees to be interviewed for the assignment, promising all honesty and declaring his innocence. Joe begins to believe that perhaps this man is innocent of the heinous crimes he has been accused and rushes against death to exonerate Carl before he dies. I liked the writing on this and the story fit together perfectly.

3. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End- This is a non-fiction book by surgeon Atul Gawande. He fearlessly reveals the struggles of  his profession and examines its ultimate limitations and failures as life draws to a close. He uses real-life stories from patients as well as his own father’s last days. He follows a hospice nurse on her rounds, a geriatrician in his clinic and reformers turning nursing homes upside down. He finds people who show us how to have the hard conversations and how to ensure we never sacrifice what people really care about. This book helped me to realize that when it comes to dealing with illnesses in our loved ones, perhaps prolonging their lives with us is not what matters most, but preserving their dignity and being able to love and live well until the end is most important. A great read for anyone and everyone— especially those of us who have parents who are still living and healthy. Its easier to have the hard conversations now than it will be later.


2. Roots & Sky: A Journey Home in Four Season- This was almost a tie for first place but Columbine pulled ahead just by a hair, only because of the insane grit and research that went into Columbine. In many ways, Roots & Sky is the exact opposite— it is a simple memoir of a woman and her family’s first year in an old farmhouse called Maplehurst. It begins when they came home to a house but it describes a journey home. I am a homebody through and through and have long been obsessed with the concept of Home (both here and Heavenward). As the author Christie Purifoy herself describes the book, “Roots and Sky is a book for anyone who longs for home but worries we can never come home on this side of heaven. Roots and Sky is about all the ways heaven comes to us. Today. In this place.” I’ve long believed that anything good on this earth is but a glimpse of the greater good God has in store for us when we are with him in Heaven. That pertains to feelings as well, and to think that this feeling of “home” that so comforts me here is but a mere glimmer of the fullness God has for me— well, it takes my breath away! This book is beautiful and if you’ve ever felt that way, then it is right up your alley, too. And, just for what its worth, I have recommended this book and gifted this book more than any other on my list.



1. Columbine- I was a Junior on April 20, 1999. Perhaps that’s why Columbine and all that surrounds this tragedy is so strongly etched in my memory. In many ways, Columbine was the turning point of a generation. It was the first time we saw a consistent police presence at our schools, and certainly the first time that police office was ever armed. Author Dave Cullen spent 10 years researching this book. Cullen is a journalist by trade and his investigative instincts and research tactics served his writing well in this book. This book dispelled many of the myths that surrounded the massacre for nearly a decade. For instance, did you know that it had nothing to do with school bullying, jocks, the gothic subculture, Marilyn Manson or the so-called Trench Coat Mafia? And that it was intended primarily as a bombing- a terrorist attack- rather than a school shooting? And did you also know that there was, in fact, no dying declaration of faith from Cassie Bernall? The book as two main storylines, told in alternating chapters: the ‘before’ story of the killers’ evolution toward murder, and the ‘after’ story of the survivors. There are also shorter ’during’ accounts of the attack, dispersed though the book. The amount of material and supporting research and data collected in this book is staggering and helps paint a clear picture on an event in history that for more than 15 years has been clouded by myth and misconception. This was by far my favorite book of the year for many reasons: The writing is fantastic. Cullen knows how to tell a story. The story is completely factual and there are personal interviews, eye-witness accounts, and video taped recordings that support the evidence. This is a story of survivors. While many people lost their lives at Columbine, Cullen does a great job of bringing the heroes to the forefront, not the killers. If you were a child of the 90’s or have interest in true crime, this book should be first on your list for 2017.

So there you have it! My books of 2016. Whew! Now, to get on to reading for 2017. What books are you going to read? Do any of these look interesting?

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Its been a long time since I've done a general update on things. Mostly because I don't make the time to write much anymore, which is something I am really working to change. This has been a great summer and I cannot believe it is pretty much over. School starts early around us in Indiana, and the past few weeks have brought much cooler weather. However, we're supposed to get a bit of a warm up for this last week of August so maybe we'll make it to the pool one more time before the official end of Summer.

"People tell boring lies about politics, God, and love. You know everything you need to know about a person from the answer to the question, What is your favorite book?" 

"A place is not really a place without a bookstore." 

"We agree to be disappointed sometimes so that we can be exhilarated every now and again." 

"And the longer I do this (bookselling, yes, of course, but also living if that isn't too awfully sentimental), the more I believe that this is what the point of it all is. To connect, my dear little nerd. Only connect."

"We are not quite novels. The analogy he disliking for is almost there. We are not quite short stories. At this point, his life is seeming closest to that. In the end, we are collected works."

So yes, you should absolutely read this book. Then tell me what you think. I absolutely adored it. 6/5

Fever 1793... 4/5


 Beautiful Ruins... This has been on my reading list for a long time. Since last summer, I think. Its set in a beautiful Italian coastal town- what's not to love about that? Overall pretty good. 4/5

Nobody's Cuter Than You... This was my first introduction to Melanie Shankle. She is as hilarious as she is down to earth. I heard her on a podcast with Kat Lee a while back and knew I had to get my hands on some of her books. This book is for you if you have a friend, have ever had a friend, if you want a friend or if you are a friend. I love the way she talks about the different kinds of friends she has had in her life. Each one reminded me of a friend or friends that I've had in my life who have shaped me into the woman I am today. Great book. 4/5

The Antelope in the Living Room... After finishing Nobody's Cuter Than You, I had to read another one of her books. This book contains collections of her thoughts on marriage. Again, I loved it and found much to relate with in her stories. 4/5

After Her...This was a really good book. Its a mystery of sorts, but also the story of two sisters growing up in California with a detective Father and out-of-it Mother during a time when a serial killer was running lose in the woods behind their home. Ok, that sounds pretty horrible. But it is pretty good. 4/5

Whew! Ok, so did you add some new books to your list? What should I be reading? What should be on my list?

I love books that take the truth of the Bible and filter them through a child’s lens. Notice I didn’t say they water down the stories of the Bible or the Biblical truths! As a mom, I appreciate a well-written book of Bible stories and scriptural truths. Something that goes beyond the Sunday School gloss-overs of Noah’s Ark and David & Goliath. I have found very few books/Bible storybooks that are both interesting to children while maintaining the truth and “grit” of the actual Bible events.