April reads

April was a good reading month for sure. I keep getting excited about grown-up books and reading/listening to lots but I really need to focus more heavily on middle grade in May. I'll still enjoy adult books too, just not as many.

GROWN-UP READS:

📖 Bible study: Matthew. I really floundered a bit with this... I wanted to take an old testament break and get into Matthew but I also hated that my Bible study notes wouldn't be going in order. I actually flitted back and forth for a week before settling into Matthew. 

📖 26 Below (Christian, fiction, suspense)... This was a fast-paced, Alaska-set story about what I would call cyber terrorism. It was a good story but I don't think I'll probably read the next two in the series as they start over with different characters.
📖 The All-American (Christian, historical fiction)... I Really enjoyed this baseball-themed coming-pf-age story and added it to our high school list!
📖 All She Ever Wanted (Christian, fiction, time slip)... This family story is heavy in nature and heavy on the sin + consequences. I recognize it would be too depressing for most people but oh my goodness, it was a 5-star read for me!
📖 Chasing the Horizon (Christian, historical fiction)... This is the first Oregon trail story I've read in a long time despite it being such a source of fascination for me for so many years in my childhood. I did enjoy it for the most part but I don't currently intend to continue the series.
📖 Digital Minimalism (Secular, nonfiction)... Loved this great book! Anyone who wants to get more done in a day should read it. It wasn't lost on me that I was listening to the audio version on my phone 😅 

📖 Long Way Gone (Christian, fiction)... This Prodigal son retelling was a good, very emotionally moving book. My one problem with the audio version was that it usually took me a few seconds to figure out if we were in the past or present storyline. I always prefer single timeline audio books if I can help it. 

📖 Rescue at the Reef (Christian, nonfiction, memoir)... Whew, this was a hard but good/inspiring read by the parents of a young boy who was attacked by a shark but showed remarkable faith.
📖 Restoration series # 3 True Light and #4 Dawn's Light (Christian, fiction, Speculative)... I finished the series. Book 4 involves a child's brutal attack and was very, very hard on me. I was sorrowful from about halfway through it through the end + after. I don't see myself being up for suspense anymore for a while. If you recall, I found this series on a list great for Christian teens but I am absolutely not going to give it to my kids or recommend it for others. 

 📖 The Wonder of You (Christian, fiction)... This is book 5 in the Christiansen Family books, this one about the youngest daughter Amelia. I think I was less excited about this storyline than any others but I did still enjoy it. I am always bothered by a story about dating two people at once (Amelia) but I am invested in this series + wanted to see how things would play out for a different sibling couple as well as orphaned Yulia. I am looking forward to the next one! 

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

YA & MIDDLE GRADE READS... 

📖 The Blue Door (Christian, YA, fiction)... This is the first book in a series about angels. It felt a little more feminine than I think my oldest will really get into but I guess we'll see!
📖 Catherine's War (secular, middle grade, historical fiction, graphic novel)... This WWII graphic novel was a recommendation by Gretchen Louise. It says "Load of B.S." early on but was a good story I enjoyed.
📖 The City of Ember (secular, fiction, dystopian)... This dystopian middle grade novel was recommended to me by another mom at a birthday party! I agree with her assessment that it was clean. I didn't find it super compelling but I think my oldest will enjoy it.
📖 Emmaline and the Bunny (secular, fiction)... This is cute, nothing super deep but a fun read with sweet bunny illustrations my daughter enjoyed.
📖 Glimmer & Shine: 365 Devotions to Inspire (Christian, middle grade, nonfiction)... My girls loved the Glimmer Girls series and were very excited for this devotional, too.
📖 Isabel: My Journal (secular, middle grade, fiction)... Last month I read the 1999 American Girl journal of Nicki and this month I read her twin sister's journal. It was the same story from a different perspective and I found it appropriate + nostalgically fun. 

 📖 A Nest for Celeste (secular, middle grade, fiction)... This was a cute read for nature lovers but there were a few things sensitive kids may struggle with. Audubon repeatedly killing birds so he could illustrate them, for example. 

📖 Parable Port #1: The Sower's Secret (Christian, fiction)... This one is inspired by the parable of the sower and I really liked it. I added it to our sixth grade list and look forward to trying book 2. 

📖 The Puffin Keeper (secular, middle grade, fiction, TGTB book list)... I liked this one and thought the illustrations and story paired together wonderfully. I expect one of my kids to love this story and the rest to just like it okay. 

📖 Ratscalibur (secular, middle grade, fantasy fiction)... This was a cute little animal version of the story of King Arthur. Squirrelin instead or Merlin, a sport in the scone instead of sword in the stone, etc. I am guessing all four of my oldest kids will enjoy it. 

📖 Tambika and the Shield of Wisdom (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... This is the second Lightgliders Origin installment and I think I liked it even more than the first! I look forward to seeing what my oldest thinks. 

📖 Yours Forever (Christian, YA, fiction, Christy Miller #3)... These Christy Miller books are so compulsively readable! I read something about Christy being a great role model for teens and decided to give it one more chance. I could see a good shift in her in this book and have decided to keep going with the series.