October Reading

October was a month of much needed autumnal bliss. We had family visitors for a few days and a few friend dates, a few fun events/activities, lots of time outside, and a decent number of nights cozied up with a good book!

At the beginning of the month I decided to read the Sweater Weather series because of a gushing post I read on a Christian fiction blog. Courtney Walsh wrote one of the books so I didn't think to check out if they were indeed Christian. The first book used the words "boobs" and "sexy" enough times that I started to really doubt that this was actually a Christian series. I read a Christian book review and a few Goodreads reviews and decided to abandon the series. I'd still happily read Courtney Walsh's offering but hers is sadly the only one not available through my library!

GROWN-UP READS
📖 How to Study the Bible Intentionally (Christian, nonfiction)... Incredibly helpful! Ready to slide back out of my Bible study slump!
📖 The Perfect Rom-Com (Christian, but really just clean, fiction)... overall this was fine but it was really not at all what I was in the mood for. I may have liked it more if I'd read it at a different time but I can still see the cuteness objectively.
📖 The Second Story Bookshop (Christian but basically just clean, fiction)... Overall, this was a fun autumnal read. This romance featured lots of kissing and a female MC who already had a boyfriend when the sparks started to fly with the male MC but I overall liked it.
📖 The Tipping Point (secular,  nonfiction)... I've intended to read a Malcolm Gladwell book for years! I am so fascinated by social science books like this. I'll definitely read more.

📚 Plus applicable sections of The No-Cry Nap Solution // What to Expect: The First Year // The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding // The Wonder Weeks

📺 My oldest read The Hobbit so we watched all three Hobbit movies together. They're so lovely at times but good grief, so violent! I was very excited for these and kept saying I couldn't wait for our cozy autumn Hobbit parties. I snuggled in with a mug of tea and pretty quickly realized this was not going to be a sweet cozy movie 😅

YA & MIDDLE GRADE READS
📖 The Brushmaker’s Daughter (secular,  middle grade, historical fiction)... This WWII fiction focused on a Jewish young lady whose father is blind. They found refuge working in a brush factory that employed several other blind people. I really liked it! I love this author's WWII books and am always surprised that she can write so many WWII stories That all feel different to me.
📖 The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I really enjoyed this clever mystery and can't wait to see what my seventh grader thinks!
📖  Operation Grizzly Bear (secular,  middle grade, nonfiction)... This was excellent middle grade nonfiction for nature lovers! It's about Jean Craighead George's brothers and (tiny) little bits of her + her childhood are sprinkled in.
📖 Road Trip Rescue (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will pass it along to my upper middle grade children. So far one of them has read it and she loved it + asked for book 2.
📖 Puppy Pirates #1: Stowaway! (Secular, chapter book, fiction)... Cute, fine, but those who don't allow twaddle won't love it.

*I also finished a Harry Potter buddy read with one of my kids and we all worked through The Ology, Atlas Adventures, and Home Ec for Everyone in homeschool (along with our regular subjects). 

PICTURE BOOKS WE LOVED: Library Mouse: Home Sweet Home // Nightsong // A Puppy for Annie 

Bookish links- November 2025

November new releases I'm excited about: The Fault Between Us 

Who else is excited about the Christy awards?! 

Amy and her sister's bookcrawl trip is so fun! Day 1 // Day 2 // Day 3

Wind in the Willows book club  

Modern Biblical retellings

Dollhouse/diorama scenes from so many books- The Hobbit // The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe  // Little House on the Prairie // Charlotte's Web // Corduroy 

Christian historical fiction Lynn loves 

Such sweet autumn art! 

10 (Christian) novels inspired by timeless tales 

Turn board games into books 

Adorable book tea infuser 

I'm hoping to watch I Heard the Bells later this month- a movie of the true story behind A Christmas Carol! 

I was looking for a cute tea/teapot print for my tea hutch and came across two bookish options I thought I'd show you! Books & Tea // Whimsical Tea Party 

I also thought these Ash Elizabeth prints were so sweet- Li-Bear-Ian // Mouse Reading Under Mushroom 

This article made me think so much about how different generations have shaped trends in Christian fiction! (For example, think about how much WWII fiction came out in just a few years' time, all the time slip that hit the market in a few years' time, how Christian YA is almost exclusively fantasy now, etc) 

I love the idea of this Christian book subscription service (like Book of the Month, but Christian!), especially when I saw that it can be paused. 

I pove this cozy Hobbit quote/print about home! 

If my child sees me on my Kindle will they know I'm reading? 

100% cotton Paddington Bear pajamas! 

A friend did this Christmas hymn study with her kids last year and recommended it so we'll be giving it a try! 

A Christian picture book that explains foster care to kids 

How to read 50 books a year 

Leadership books for kids and teens  

How to teach reading with strategies that actually work 

I always love Faith's Christian nonfiction reading vlogs! 

Autumn bucket list

I really enjoy making seasonal bucket lists with my family. In my family, there are five seasons.

Winter: January 1st- March 20th
Spring: March 20th-June 20th
Summer: June 20th-September 20th
Fall: September 20th- Thanksgiving night
Christmas: Thanksgiving night - New Year's Eve

I'm aware and unconcerned that this is not societally accurate.

I think a good bucket list should include at least one thing in each of these categories:

Book
Craft
Movie or show
Nature activity
Outing
Recipe

Autumn Bucket List (to be completed by Thanksgiving night!)

- Bake an autumn treat from our Sweet Indulgence cookbook
- Buy an autumn picture book we used to love and Sweet Home Alaska
- Create a photo collage for over our tea hutch... I'm using only photos of my people with a mug in their hands. ☕️
- Explore a new-to-us town. Walk downtown and admire their autumn decor.
✔️ - Fall foliage hike
- Make pumpkin pasta sauce, probably using this recipe
✔️ - Read books set in autumn and play my autumn book bingo sheet (Spoiler: so far I am hating this. I am in the mood to read deeper fiction right now and paying attention to book bingo is pulling me out of the story... but I'm an obliger and already shared my plan online so quitting feels even worse than perseverance. Im trying to find some historical fiction set in autumn for November) 
✔️- Try maple candy (only ingredient is maple syrup)
- Watch Over the Garden Wall as a family
- Begin working on a Christmas story for my kids (I've written Christmas stories for them in the past but this one is a graphic novel AND a fantasy so I'm going to be very much out of my element!) 

Christy list 2025

I like to update my Christy Award list after the finalists are announced. I'm usually excited about many finalists and would miss out if I only checked out the winners! 

Here's an update to my list of winners + finalists I most want to read, mostly for my own reference! This is only a list of the ones that interest me, not an exhaustive list.  Asterisks are just for myself to see which list items I already own on my TBR shelf. 

✔ 12 Days at Bleakly Manor by Michelle Griep 

✔ Aftermath by Terri Blackstock 

✔ All the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes 

All That is Secret by Patricia Raybon 

✔️ All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese 

All We Thought We Knew* 

✔ The Alliance by Jolina Petersheim 

All That it Takes by Nicole Deese 

Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry

✔ The Amish Midwife by Mindy Starks Clark and Leslie Gould 

The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert 

✔ The Barrister and the Letter of Marque by Todd M Johnson  

Ben Washington is the Newbie on the Block 

Between the Sound and Sea 

✔️ Bitter and Sweet 

✔ Bookshop by the Sea by Denise Hunter 

Borders of the Heart by Chris Fabry 

Born of Gilded Mountains 

A Broken Kind of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert 

By Reason of Insanity by Randy Singer 

Candle in the Darkness by Lynn Austin 

✔ Catching Christmas by Terri Blackstock 

✔ Catching the Wind by Melanie Dobson 

✔ The Chair by James L Rubart 

Chaos Grid 

✔ Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin 

Child of the Mountains by Marilyn Sue Shank 

The Color of Justice by Ace Collins 

✔ Dark Justice by Brandilyn Collins 

Darkfell 

By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson 

The Day the Angels Fell by Shawn Smucker 

✔ Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay 

✔ The Delusion by Laura Gallier 

✔ Dust by Kara Swanson 

Echo Nova 

✔ The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox 

✔ Eli by Bill Myers 

Extinction Island by Janice Boekhoff 

False Pretense by Heather Day Gilbert 

Firefly Island by Lisa Wingate

Forbidden by Ted Dekker 

Freedom's Ring by Heidi Chiavaroli 

A Gentle Tyranny by Jess Corban 

✔ The Girl from the Train by Irma Joubert 

The Great Divide by T Davis Bunn  

✔ The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson 

Hidden Current by Sharon Hinck  

Hope Between the Pages by Pepper Basham 

The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall 

✔ If I Run by Terri Blackstock  

Indigo Isle by TI Lowe 

✔ The Italian Ballerina by Kristy Cambron 

Jake Rogers' Planet 

Larkspur Cove by Lisa Wingate 

The Last Exchange by Charles Martin 

The Last Plea Bargain by Randy Singer 

The Letter Keeper by Charles Martin 

✔ Life After by Katie Ganshert 

✔ A Long Time Comin' by Robin W Pearson 

Long Way Gone by Charles Martin 

Lowcountry Lost 

The Man He Never Was by James L Rubart 

Many Sparrows by Lori Benton 

The Means That Make Us Strangers by Christine Kindberg 

The Medallion by Cathy Gohlke 

✔ The Meeting Place by Janette Oke 

✔ The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson 

✔ Missing Isaac by Valerie Fraser Luesse 

✔ The Mitford series by Jan Karon 

Motorcycles, Sushi, and One Strange Book by Nancy Rue 

Mr. Nicholas by Christopher de Vinck 

No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert 

A Noble Calling by Rhona Weaver 

✔ North! Or be Eaten by Andrew Peterson 

Not in the Heart by Chris Fabry 

On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni 

Once a Queen by Sarah Arthur 

✔ Over the Edge by Brandilyn Collins 

✔ The Pawn by Steven James- DNF, too much for me!  

Plague Maker by Tim Downs 

✔ The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate 

Predator by Teri Blackstock 

✔ The Promise of Jesse Woods by Chris Fabry 

Protector

Recorder by Cathy McCrumb 

✔️ The Roads We Follow 

✔ Roots of Wood and Stone by Amanda Wen 

Rule of Law by Randy Singer 

✔ The Seakeeper's Daughters by Lisa Wingate 

✔ The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck 

Secrets She Kept by Cathy Gohlke 

✔ Set the Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes 

✔ Shadow by Kara Swanson 

✔ Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen 

Shadowcast by Crystal D Grant 

Sky of Seven Colors by Rachelle Nelson 

Soon by Jerry B Jenkins 

The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin 

The Space Between Words by Michele Phoenix 

The Story Peddler by Lindsay A Franklin 

✔ The Storykeeper by Lisa Wingate 

Sugar Birds by Cheryl Gray Bostrom 

✔ A Texas Christmas Carol by Karen Witemeyer 

The Thing About Home by Rhonda McKnight 

✔ A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes 

A Time to Seek by Tracy Higley 

✔️ A Time to Stand by Robert Whitlow 

The Trial by Robert Whitlow 

True to You by Becky Wade 

Under the Magnolias by T.I. Lowe 

✔ Under the Tulip Tree by Michelle Shocklee 

✔ Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin 

Vanish by Tom Pawlik 

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt 

Washington's Lady by Nancy Moser 

The Way Back 

Wedded to War by Jocelyn Green 

The Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauck 

✔ When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin 

The White Rose Resists by Amanda Barratt 

✔ Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes 

Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert 

Wishtress by Nadine Brandes 

The Wonderland Trials by Sara Ella 

Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin 

The Year of Jubilee by Cindy Morgan 

You Don't Know Me by Susan May Warren  

Yours is the Night by Amanda Dykes 

September Reads

September was a big month for me with travel + moving. I finished a few books started in August near the beginning of the month.

GROWN-UP READS
📖 Bible study: Philippians.  Part of Romans... Really slumped in my Bible study this month, just wasn't feeling it. It was strange because I felt close to God and deeply spiritual, yet wildly uninterested in self-directed Bible study. I'm ready to find a guided Bible study again. 

📖 Cottagecore Simplified (secular,  nonfiction)... It was recently brought to my attention that "cottagecore" describes me just as well as "hygge." Some of my girls and I enjoyed this book and the one listed below, but I admit I'm a bit confused... I like these things because I already AM these things. But why do other people feel the need to read a book that teaches them to be someone they aren't? It makes me a bit sad to imagine.
📖  Fierce Hearted (Christian, nonfiction)... I started this book strong, slumped a little,  then finished strong. I think Holley Gerth is an author for me to keep watching.
📖 From the Start (Christian, fiction)... I wanted an autumnal read and this one's cover sold it to me. This is the first book in another family series,  The Walker Family. I didn't realize that's what I was getting myself into but I'm so happy to have discovered it! It feels very similar to the Christiansen family books though so I may wait to revisit the Walkers after I've finished all the Christiansen Family novels. I did enjoy this one which felt like a combo of Baxters and Christiansens to me.
📖 The Little Book of Cottagecore (secular,  nonfiction)... We enjoyed this cottagecore book, too. I don't think any of us liked one more than the other.
📖 The Lost Manuscript (Christian, fiction)... This was such a great read! It felt a lot like a cozy mystery, but with depth. I really liked it but I do want to warn that there's an off-page miscarriage before the book begins and it comes back up pretty constantly, all the way to the end. 

📖 To Love a Beast (Christian,  historical fiction)... I picked this one because it's set in Texas and I traveled to Texas this month. It's not my normal style but I do enjoy a fairytale retelling from time to time so I enjoyed it. 

📚 Plus applicable sections of The No-Cry Nap Solution // What to Expect: The First Year // The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding // The Wonder Weeks 

📖 I did also spend a good chunk of the month on Echoes Among the Stones (Christian, time slip, fiction) but it was ultimately a DNF for me. She's a great writer and it was very well done but, alas, a bit too well done for my sensitive heart. I picked it up for the dollhouse element but gosh, dollhouses are cozy and the pain of a beloved sister's unsolved murder is not. 

YA & MIDDLE GRADE READS
📖 Cress Watercress (secular,  middle grade, fiction)... I recently realized I love anthropomorphic middle grade novels (EB White books are probably what kicked it off) and especially those of cute woodland creatures. I love the cover of this one so thought I'd give it a try. I liked it fine but it wasn't a favorite. 

📖  Mars Diaries: Oxygen Level Zero (Christian,  middle grade, science fiction)... I was fully prepared to hate this book because it's not my normal genre preference but foind myself surprisingly into it. My oldest is going to love this one! 

📖 The Princess, the Knight, and the Lost God (secular,  middle grade, fantasy)... I never feel great about books featuring gods and goddesses but this was overall fine. I appreciated that overall rudeness from one character was redeemed in the end. 

 📖  There's a Spaceship in my Tree (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... I didn't love s smidgen of brattiness at the beginning of this lower middle grade read but it ended up fine in the end. I don't plan to read book 2.

*I also did a Harry Potter buddy read with two of my kids and we worked through The Ology, Atlas Adventures, and Home Ec for Everyone in homeschool (along with our regular subjects).  

PICTURE BOOKS WE LOVED: Baby Beluga // Miss Rumphius // Mushroom Lullaby