May reads

May was a pretty decent reading month for me. 

GROWN-UP READS:

📖 Bible study: May was really a very weak Bible study month for me. My baby's morning routine shifted and I did NOT do a good job shifting my routine to make it work. I'm trying something different in June so we'll see how it goes!

📖 Beyond Ivy Walls (Christian, historical fiction)... This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling I enjoyed. I really like Rachel Fordham's books. I've liked two others of hers even more. 

📖 Raising Gen Alpha* (Christian, nonfiction)... This was such a fantastic read! I am Raising FOUR gen alphas and I think all the time about this very strange world that's become so foreign to me, about how to prepare them for things I don't even understand yet. This was a very helpful and very inspiring book I've been talking about and recommending to so many of the moms I know and love! 

📖 The Wings of Poppy Pendleton (Christian, historical fiction, time slip)... This was my personal fiction read and then my book club joined in. I want to be very clear that this book contained some heartbreaking situations for children but it was so well done. I was really hooked and kept feeling excited, all the way to the end, to see how it would all work out! 

📚 Plus applicable sections of Mom Heart Moments and The Wonder Weeks.

📖 I also read a little less than half of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World for book club. We all had the same feelings- we liked the message, liked the writing, but didn't finish the whole book because we felt we'd already gotten what we needed from it. 

 

YA & MIDDLE GRADE READS...
📖 Brightwing Tales: Mole's Misadventure (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... This was a well-written story with a great feel to it. I think most of my bookworms will really enjoy it. For parents, there were a few mentions of bathroom/bodily habits snd the mole smokes pipe tobacco.
📖 A Chameleon, a Boy, and a Quest (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... One of my teens adores Africa stories and is going to Love this one. *There is a brief mention of a dead dog I know might upset some children.
📖 Living Water in the Desert (Christian, middle grade, historical fiction)... A friend loaned this to us to see the Christianity side of history in Iran. My oldest and I both read it and liked it.
📖 Nothing Else But Miracles (secular, middle grade, fiction)... This is a WWII homefront story about three children living alone in NYC while their father is deployed. I believe I learned about it from Read Aloud Revival, though I could be wrong. There were a few things I didn't totally love but it was overall good, I did cry near the end, and I added it to our 7th grade list.
📖 Remarkables (secular with a lot of faith mentions, middle grade, fiction)... I really enjoyed this story. It was focused on family and friendship with a light time travel mystery thrown in. There is a heavy topic (a young man's father blames himself for a death and has turned to drug addiction to cope) but I felt that it was handled well for my 7th grader.
📖 Running Out of Time (secular with faith mentions, middle grade, fiction)... My 3rd grade teacher read this Aloud to theclass and I very much liked it. After reading Remarkables and seeing that this author is obviously a Christian, I thought I'd try this one again. I do like Remarkables a lot more but I still enjoyed this one and am fine with my 7th grader reading it. 

📖 Surprise Endings: Christy Miller book #4 (Christian, YA, fiction)... Christy drove me a lil crazy in this one but I was still generally happy with it and with the growth arc. Why are these books so compulsively readable to me at my age?!

📖 The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I thought I was going to have a problem with family dynamics in this one but I ultimately ended up fine with it. It doesn't look like a Christmas story but it is! I have decided this will be our 2026 Christmas read-aloud.
📖 Wild Times at the Bed and Biscuit (secular, chapter book, fiction)... This was book two in this animal series and I was fine with it. 

📖 Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows (secular, chapter book, fantasy, TGTB Book List)... This was cute and a fun one for animal lovers. I'll try book 2, too. 

📚 PICTURE BOOKS WE LOVED: Daddy, How Much Do You Love Me? // Eric Carle's Search and Find Vegetable Garden (this month's book from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library) // Every Heart // Lovely Beasts

Favorite read this month: Raising Gen Alpha

* I received a free copy of Raising Gen Alpha in exchange for an honest review. 

Summertime Christian Fiction

Are you a seasonal reader? I discovered recently that I am NOT. I like to read autumn and winter books in the autumn and winter... but then also in the summer to escape my hot reality 😅 But maybe you love to read summer stories in the summer and if so, this list is for you! 

🌞 All That Fills Us (contemporary, general fiction)... This one is heavily focused on an eating disorder so beware if that will not be good for you. We have a young woman walking her way across the country and you'll get to see quite a bit of nature along with quite a bit of personal reflection and development.

🌞 All That Really Matters (contemporary, general fiction)... I am generally fascinated by the concept of influencers-- the psychology of being one, the psychology of following one, the aftermath, the parasocial relationship aspect, all of it. I really enjoyed this Nicole Deese story about an influencers finding meaning and value in a charitable summer project.

🌞 Chasing the Horizon (historical fiction)... This Oregon Trail story is about a mother and daughter on the run. It's not in my normal wheelhouse but I did enjoy it.

🌞 In Search of a Prince (contemporary, general fiction)... This book is such a fun nod to The Princess Diaries- a young woman who suddenly learns she's an African princess and has to take over the throne... and also find a prince to marry!

🌞 The Key to Everything (historical fiction)... This post-WWII story is about a teenage boy traveling biking from one end of Florida to the other. I liked it, and I felt that it would be a good read for my kids as teenagers too. This one is on our high school lists.

🌞 I Really Do Miss Your Smile and Take a Chance on Me (contemporary,  general fiction, romantic fiction)... I love the Christiansens and these two, the prequel and book 1, take place firmly in the summertime by a lake in Minnesota.

🌞 Pocketful of Pinecones (historical fiction, fictionalized homeschool how-to)... This one, which actually covers each season, will likely only appeal to homeschool moms or nature lovers. This is a fictionalized example of how to do nature study with your children, but it's also about marriage and motherhood in the 1930s. I have the next book on my shelf and look forward to reading it, too. This was written as diary entries.

🌞 Summer of Yes (contemporary, general fiction)... I judged this book by its cover and expected it to be light-hearted fluff (which I don't really like) but I ended up loving some depth and richness I hadn't expected. This one feels extra summery to me since it's a road trip story.

🌞 Tacos for Two (contemporary, general  fiction, romance)... This Texas taco truck story had major You've Got Mail vibes and I really liked it. I feel like I've recommended this book Way too many times but oh, well. I loved it!

🌞 What Happens Next (contemporary, general fiction,  mystery)... Christina Suzann Nelson books hold my attention so well. I love her writing! This one is about a popular podcaster, so kinda fits into my influencer fascination, but it's also about a Missing child from the 80s. That part makes this book a hard one to stomach at times, at least for my sensitive mama heart, but I did finish it and I did love it. 

Bookish links- June 2026

June New releases I'm excited about: Parable Port #2: The Captain's Clue // The Girl from Tomorrow's Town // Twenty Something Else (so, so excited for these last two... a circus book and a kind of amnesia trope?! Yes, please!!!) 

10 Spiritual warfare novels  

How to write books kids can't put down 

Kate's 2025 nonfiction reads 

Lovely watercolor bookmark tutorial 

American Girl has collaborated with Tea Collection, a brand we know for lots of 100% cotton dresses for girls.  

6 exciting reads for the summer // Must-read novels by 12 experts in their fields 

I LOVE this Green Ember party! 

10 faith-filled books that will shape and sustain the class of 2026 

I couldn't spend this much but this cute little felted mouse reader makes my heart squeal with awwww! 

Cute (free) summer reading log downloads from The Good and the Beautiful 

One of the books I read last month took me down a rabbit trail learning about a real literary crisis happening in America right now, so many of our kids and teens are unable to read or write. This is terrifying! These are our future nurses, for example. We've got to do better! Please, read to/with the children in your life 💙 

This Peanuts storybook corner is so cute, Snoopy fans! 

Amy's sister coffee date posts always make me wish I had a sister. And liked coffee 😆 

2026 summer reading programs 

7 Christian books and Bible studies for this summer 

Recently I had a great prayer time where I feel that God revealed to me that I am still very much a writer, just not publishing in this season. So I was thinking a lot about my Christian books and wanted to take a moment to share them (in a no pressure way) if you are interested. For the Love of Marriage // Blessed by Birth 

Non-book favorites last month: This song // flowy dresses // playing quick rounds of GUESS WHO with my younger children // Long walks while the weather is still tolerable // working on YouTube videos along with my physical creative projects // building a non-addictive Android phone using this tutorial // savoring. Remembering that I don't have to get it all done and just savoring peaceful moments with the people I love // this Christian version of a show like Laguna Beach / The Hills, brought a smile to my millennial heart but in a much more edifying way :)

Bookish weekend fun

This was quite a fun, bookish weekend for my family!

Up first, Friday: my Bible study morning time as usual, a few homeschool electives, and then errands in a bigger city which included a Target run. We only bought the necessities but we of course enjoyed browsing! 

We later popped into a game store and I saw so many cute bookish/ perfect-for-homeschool games! 

Saturday: morning Bible study, posted a book review blog post, cleaned and took care of some chores, and all of us were feeling a bit funny so we relaxed with our respective books for a while before lunch. The rest of our day was typical and task-heavy, then I ended the night with a chapter of The Wings of Poppy Pendleton (this was my personal read but is now my book club read, too) and a chapter of To Love a Lady (my buddy read with my mom). 

Sunday: church (we studied church history in Sunday school and Romans 13 in the main service), lunch, and a cozy family day. At bedtime my husband and I watched a show while I skimmed (and approved) House of Sixty Fathers for my kids' older middle grade shelves.  

Three new books for parents

I have been given the opportunity to read and review some really great new books this month. I want to speak specifically to parents and other adults in child-supporting roles today, about a nonfiction for you and some picture books for the children you love.

Daddy, How Much Do You Love Me?... This sweet picture book, written by the president of Awana, is such a sweet look at the love of a father and the even greater love of our heavenly father. I found it very touching and enjoyed thr illustrations, too. This will make for a perfect Father's day read. 

-Every Heart... This rhyming picture book, a good follow-up to Every Neighbor, has such a lovely message. The takeaway is that God has put a unique heart into each of us and we all have a purpose, our own beautiful gifts to share. I look forward to reading this one to my youngest again and again 🥰 

This on releases August 4th. 

Raising Gen Alpha... This was such a fantastic read! I am Raising FOUR gen alphas and I think all the time about this very strange world that's become so foreign to me, about how to prepare them for things I don't even understand yet. This was a very helpful and very inspiring book I've been talking about and recommending to so many of the moms I know and love!

* I received a free copy of each of these books in exchange for an honest review.