Bookish Links- September 2025

September new releases I'm excited about: The Women of Oak Ridge 

15 September picture books 

Fall-themed morning basket 

Fall books Toni Shiloh loves 

5 Charlotte Mason tips 

Two cookbooks that look so fun this autumn- Purely Pumpkin and The Pumpkin Cookbook 

Love this bulletin board idea for teachers! 

Christian cozy mysteries 

Lovely library murals in Alaska // Arizona // Idaho // Iowa // Illinois // Mississippi // Nebraska 

Little Free Library tour of the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia! 

This is such a cute Berenstain Bears backpack! 

Which Baxter family daughter are you? 

I've been obsessed with home decor diys lately and found a fun mod podge blog full of fun crafts! A few bookish delights: baseball bookends // book safe // fabric bookcase backing // faux leather journal // cute book crate 

Did you know there was a Boxcar Children Cookbook? 

65 clean YA fantasy books 

DIY hanging fabric book display 

On that note- cute bookish fabrics... Sweet Bookish Dreams // flowery books and tea // childhood classics // fall book club // Hundred Acre Wood // classic books and tea 

Kindle readers, are you using the X-ray function? 

This author sent me the book trailer for her memoir and it sounds so powerful and inspiring! 

Love these cozy cottage vibe shorts! 🥰 Brambly Hedge kitchen // finding comfort in tea + books // Hobbit tea party 

Have you ever heard of Peter Rabbit Barbie? I had not, but she's adorable! 1997 // 100 Year Celebration 

Um, there's a Nintendo Switch game where you design and run a mobile bookstore! Tiny Bookshop! Hobbit fans might also be interested in Tales of the Shire. 

One simple trick for reading more 

Clean romance books for Christian girls 

9 ways to not have a reading slump 

Christy Award finalists will be revealed September 19th! 

Janssen released another adorable reading log! 

Most anticipated Christian fiction books this fall 

This is the coolest story, about a storybook theme park in Oregon!  

Such a cute puzzle! 

Dollhouse miniature fun... home library // reading nook 

I'm still enjoying YouTube shorts as a fun creative pursuit. I've realized recently that comparison / awareness that other people are more skilled or talented has held me back for years but in reality I'm a very creative person who is constantly inspired to make things... art, stories, poetry, scrapbooks, clothes, home decor, now videos. If you struggle too, just go for it! Create! 

Christian fiction set in a college/university

I thought some of you might be in the mood for some collegiate reads as we move into the back-to-school season. We've got students and professors here so hopefully you'll find something just right for you!

The Baxters series... Many of these family drama books take place in a college setting as Luke Baxter starts out as a student and we later follow family friends Bailey Flanigan and Andi Ellis into their dorm and classes.

The Bridge... This Christmas romance takes place primarily in a bookstore but there is plenty of college talk since that's where our protagonists meet. This one has also been made into a Christmas movie I hope to watch this year.

Dear Mr Knightley... This epistolary novel is a modern-day retelling of My Daddy Longlegs. A journalism major gets a scholarship which requires frequent letters to her anonymous benefactor to update her progress... so much fun!

I'll Be Seeing You...  This family drama timeslip is kicked off by a college student interviewing her grandmother as a class project.

Lost Loves series... This is a romance duology centered around a college student finding her biological parents. We explore her parents ' teenage relationship in the first and her own young relationship in the second. These stories include some intense military scenes (plus very conservative military views) that may not work for everyone. I'm a sensitive reader and I made it through but I did feel very upset at times.

The Lost Manuscript... This second chance romance is such a cozy read! I'd like to sum it up in sentence fragments- Missing historian grandma. Professor spouses divorcing but still in love. English castle. Tea. Riddles and clues. *I do want you to know that our female protagonist suffered an off-page miscarriage before the story began and it comes up many times.

Once Upon a Wardrobe... This historical fiction focuses on the student of Professor CS Lewis and her dying little brother's obsession with Narnia. This one was also very cozy in feel.

Someday Home... Ah, something different- in this one our college student is in her 50s and starting a new chapter in her life.

When Twilight Breaks... This WWII story follows Peter, a linguistics grad student in Germany, and a female American correspondent. 

Into the Uncut Grass

I recently read and teared up at Into the Uncut Grass. I found it so delightful I promptly made my children read it. 

None of them loved it as much as I did but someday they'll have children of their own and it'll mean much more to them. 

July reads

I am still prioritizing middle grade reads and had a good reading month.

GROWN-UP READS
📖 Bible study: 1 John, 2 John, 3 John (I really appreciate the John's being so short and making me look so productive 😆), Isaiah. 
📖 Bomber Mafia (secular,  nonfiction,  history)... well-written,  engaging WWII nonfiction  so of course I enjoyed it.
📖 Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right (secular, nonfiction, health)... So much gold in this one! I have recommended it to so many people and ordered my own physical copy.
📖  The Hawaiian Quilt (Christian, fiction, Amish)... I listened to this audio book because one of my reading goals this year was to read a book set in a place not yet on my location list and this one is set in Hawaii. Also Indiana. It was cute but not an overall favorite. I think I like but don't love Amish fiction.
📖 The Pursuit of God (Christian, nonfiction)... This book was so full of gems for me. I highlighted it so much! (See image above). I will absolutely try more Tozer.

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

YA & MIDDLE GRADE READS
📖 And They Found Dragons, books 2 & 3 (Christian,  middle grade, fiction,  fantasy)... Not our favorite but we did enjoy it.
📖 The Bug Bandits (Christian,  middle grade, fiction)... One of my kids loves bugs and a couple love mysteries so this was a good hit. It wasn't really Christian so much as just clean. It talked a lot about the movie Home Alone, which my kids have never seen, but I asked them and none of them felt lost/confused by that.
📖 David Macaulay architecture books- Castle // Cathedral // Mill // Mosque (secular,  nonfiction)... I am so fascinated by architecture and loved these!
📖 Her Own Two Feet (secular, middle grade, nonfiction, TGTB book list)... this was such a beautiful story and made me think so much! I can't wait to pass it along to my kids.
📖 Indescribable Atlas Adventures (Christian, nonfiction)... I absolutely loved this one and bought a copy for our social studies & geography this year.
📖 Into the Uncut Grass (secular,  very short middle grade, fiction)... I loved this one and was so excited to hear what my kids thought! They thought 'Meh.' I guess it means more to mamas.
📖 Left Behind: The Kids, 13, 14, 15 (Christian, YA, fiction)... My oldest is loving these books! I'm enjoying them less that I previously was. But still enough to keep trying.
📖 Little Christmas Carol (secular, fiction)... love this version for 6th-ish grade! Love the illustrations,  too.
📖  Ly-Lan and the New Class Mix-Up (Christian, chapter book, fiction)... I liked this one for 3rd-ish-grade and so did my girls. We'll watch for the sequel.
📖  One Long Line (secular, nonfiction,  middle grade, science/nature)... This was a short and interesting read about caterpillars and a scientist who studied them.
📖  The Ology (Christian)... I ended up buying a copy of this one, too. We'll read this every few days as part of our morning basket time.
📖 Rolling Warrior (secular,  middle grade, nonfiction, TGTB book list)... I loved this one! I find polio/post-polio stories quite compelling but this one
📖 School's Out (Christian,  middle grade, Amish fiction)... Some of my girls love Amish stories. They liked this one but prefer Life With Lily.
📖 The Tree Book (secular,  nonfiction)... Beautiful and incredibly informative!
📖 The Tuttle Twins Guide to Logical Fallacies (Secular, YA, nonfiction)... Good, informative,  easily understood read.

PICTURE BOOKS WE LOVED: Because Barbara // A Book, Too, Can be a Star // Grateful for You // Jumper (spider) // Luminous // More Than a Little // Night Walk to the Sea // Out of School and Into Nature // Painting Wonder

Amish and Mennonite fiction I have enjoyed

One of my daughters has adored the Life With Lily books and asked me to find more Amish fiction for her. She then loved Amish Christmas and School's Out. I thought I'd share my list of grown-up Amish fiction with all of you.

The Alliance + The Divide

The Amish Midwife 

The Hawaiian Quilt 

Naomi's Gift

The Midwife

Missing

The Shunning trilogy

The Tinderbox