Recent Reads

The Golden Bull by Marjorie Cowley (secular, middle grade, TGTB book list)... This historical fiction is set in Mesopotamia, a setting I definitely hadn't encountered in fiction yet! It wasn't my favorite setting but it was still interesting to see it on the page.

Moonlighters series by Terri Blackstock- Truth-Stained Lies // Distortion // Twisted Innocence (Christian, suspense)... I have been really into Terri Blackstock over the last year or so. I do feel that I'm all murder-ed out for a while (😂) but this was an exciting, fast-paced trilogy that held my attention and had me rooting for the family.

One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest by Jean Craighead George (Middle grade, fiction)... I liked another of this series of nature books told as fiction and liked this one, too. These are great, informative, short reads for the 5th ish grade crowd.

Plot Twist by Bethany Turner (Contemporary Christian romance)... You know these are not my usual stories but I heard this podcast episode and got super excited about it. Loved the story structure and found it all so funny and fun (you know how rarely I enjoy funny and fun books, right?)but I will give fair warnings for my fellow Christian bookworms with all kinds of preferences and standards: pretty worldly, a hair inappropriate at times, and unless I missed something there was zero faith content.

Summer Promise by Robin Jones Gunn (Christian, YA)... I had heard about the Christy Miller books so many times but never read them as a teenager. This was very faith-filled and very edgy. I really liked it but I don't think I'll pass it along to my own daughters, mostly because of all the body image stuff. I might try another book to see how Christy matures but as of book 1 I don't see her attitude and temper tantrums painting a picture of a good role model.

Take Two (Contemporary Christian fiction)... Still loving this series. Especially loving Bailey's story now. All I can say about this one is ANDI!!!!!

The Tapestry of Grace by Kim Vogel Sawyer* (Christian fiction, historical fiction)... This is a story set in 1897 Kansas, in a Mennonite community which I think will appeal to fans of Amish fiction. I really appreciated the sweetness of this book and I found it fun-yet-comforting which seems like a rare combination of adjectives for me!

Thyroid Healing (Charismatic Christian, health)... Love it, 5 stars. If you deal with any kind of autoimmune disease, cancer, chronic illness, or mystery illness I encourage you to pray about reading this Medical Medium series. Truly life changing.

Where the Waves Turn Back by Tyson Motsenbocker* (Christian, memoir)... This book made me equal parts happy and sad. It was so fascinating and creative. I didn't agree with everything the author said about faith/religion but I enjoyed taking in his perspective and being allowed to learn from his private healing journey. I liked his creative writing style and I liked exploring California through his eyes. There were multiple curse word incidences (including the F word more than once) that I wish hadn't been there at all.

*I received a free copy of The Tapestry of Grace and Where the Waves Turn Back in exchange for an honest review.