October Book Reviews

(Photo by Jeri Renee Photography)

We celebrated Baby E's one month birthday earlier this month and have just been relishing every moment with him. I have continued to find time (mostly through audiobooks) to get some reading done this month, little at a time. It's been something that is both relaxing (when I am reading novels) and helpful (when I am reading parenting and Christian living books) so I aim to continue making it part of my day even if it is not as regular as before Baby E. 

Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II by Liza Mundy (audiobook) ★★★★☆
Unbeknownst to most Americans, more than ten thousand women were recruited from colleges and teaching positions around the country during World War II to become codebreakers for the U.S. Army and Navy. They vowed to never share the vital codes they deciphered even though many of these codes were groundbreaking and shifted the tides of the war. This is their story and it is absolutely engrossing. I love learning more about females who worked in mainly male-dominant workplaces who are finally credited with pivotal positions that they were uniquely able to perform and in which they truly excelled. This is a fascinating read for anyone who enjoys learning about WWII, especially from a unique perspective.

For fans of: Hidden Figures and Rocket Girls
Rating: G


The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay (ebook) ★★★★☆
Katherine Reay is a favorite contemporary author of mine. I know I can trust her to deliver stories that are captivating, uplifting, while also tackling tough life circumstance and situations without being crude or overindulgent in sappy romantic details or sensuality. In this latest novel, she threw a bit of a curveball by changing her narrating style from a solo narrator to three different narrators. These three perspectives really worked for this novel, whereas sometimes I can get confused with multiple voices that can detract from the overall flow of the story. The three voices are those of three women who are each battling their own challenges, insecurities, and regrets. This multi-generational cast of characters is a bit different than Reay's typically young adult protagonists. It took me about halfway through the novel to really get into it because each of the three women are a bit unlikable.  Eventually I was rooting for all three of them.  Reay created flawed yet redemptive qualities in each of the women that made them endearing and realistic. And of course I loved that the majority of the novel is set in a bookshop! 

Rating: G


El Deafo by Cece Bell (ebook) ★★★★★
An absolutely outstanding middle-grade graphic novel about the author’s challenging childhood as a deaf girl in the 1970s. I was constantly rooting for Ceci as she adjusted to the difficulties of not being able to hear and found her confident voice in the process. This was my first graphic novel and I just loved it! I would compare it to a full-length comic book. I loved peering into the life of a deaf protagonist, especially one as spunky as her.


Reminds me of: Wednesday Wars (her daydreaming and overall numerous hilarious inner dialogue) and Wonder and Out of My Mind (fun, smart middle-graders living with physical disabilities)

Rating: G


The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser (audiobook) ★★★☆☆
A fun, contemporary middle grade novel with the adventure and lovable characters that will give it staying power. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I read it with a child rather than alone as an adult  since some of the humor would have been cute to share with them. Five siblings are in distress after hearing from their parents that their long-term lease on their beloved brownstone apartment is not being renewed by their curmudgeonly landlord who seems to have something against the Vanderbeeker children. They embark on various plans to convince him to change his mind, but it seems hopeless.   Will they need to leave their home and sweet community right around Christmas or will there be a chance that their wish will come true and they'll continue to live on 141st street?

Rating: G


Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson (audiobook) ★★★★☆
An epistolary novel (written entirely in letters) between an elderly man and women that is truly endearing. A British woman initiates a correspondence with a museum curator in Denmark that starts out focusing on their common interest: the history and archeological significance of an Ice Age mummified corpse named the Tollund Man that is housed in the museum he works at. Soon, their letters become more personal, from seeking advice about their children's unorthodox life choices, to sharing in their grief over recently losing loved ones. Their friendship blossoms through their letters and becomes a lifeline when one of them endures a devastating blow. Rich in details and nastolgic of the simplicity of the timeless art of letter writing, this novel has a somewhat slow, thoughtful pace but still has a lot that happens, especially in the second half.

For fans of: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society 
Rating: G


Paths to Power by A.W. Tozer ★★★★☆
This tiny book (my version is sixty-four pages) truly packs a punch. Tozer does not mince words nor spends an inordinate length of time explaining things when he can succinctly explain them; he is to the point with no frills (or jokes or stories) attached. Tozer is convinced that as Christians, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do His will with a much greater power than most Christians are aware of. He names different paths that one can take to appropriate this power as God intended. This "effective energy" will glean more fruit for God's work in the world, protect us from the enemy, and draw us closer to God. Paths include understand God's vs our part in salvation, the importance of consistent obedience, working out doctrinal hindrances, and a unified front with other Christians. Thought-provoking and Biblically sound, this was a great reminder of the power of God that He wants to use in and through us for His purposes. 
Rating: G
(This book is part of my Unread Bookshelf Project, where I am challenging myself to read 36 books I already own in 2019)


Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren (audiobook) ★★★★★
There have been a lot of books written lately about finding a holiness in the mundane. So I initially didn't place this too high on my To-Be-Read list, but after reading several glowing reviews and seeing it available for audiobook, I downloaded it. I was curious to see if Tish had anything else to add to the conversation. I loved her literary voice, especially since her Anglican priest background affords her much knowledge on the liturgical practices by which she frames the book. She brilliantly couples everyday routines with a liturgical practice or habit that can be done to point us to God. From waking up and making the bed and brushing teeth to seemingly annoying interruptions like misplacing keys, a tiff with a spouse, and waiting in traffic, Tish finds threads in each of these moments that can weave a tapestry of worship. I did not grow up within a liturgical tradition, but in recent years have become more curious about how these contemplative practices can deepen a relationship with God and make Christians more aware of the holy in the everyday. This is a great read for anyone interested in seeing importance in the normalcy of everyday life to grow our faith in God rather than depending only on conferences, camps, mission trips, and other big events to stir our hearts towards Him.

Rating: G
Reminds me of: Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, Holy Is the Day by Carolyn Day, The Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris, A Homemade Year by Jerusalem Jackson Greer, and One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voscamp.

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (audiobook)  ★★★☆☆
Henry Fleming, often referred in the book as The Youth, is a teen boy who enlists in the Union Army in search for glory. But that dream gets shattered on the battlefield and his fear of death propels him to desert his comrades.  He struggles with his decision and hopes to redeem himself and prove he is a man of courage. I had mixed feelings about this classic because I found Henry a very unlikable, arrogant and mean-spirited protagonist. But I appreciated Crane's vivid depiction of war, especially the internal battles of the young soldiers who were hardly old enough to enlist and were placed in the front lines of battle. This was a stretch from my typical reading genres I gravitate so I cannot say I loved it, but am glad I read it. 

Rating: PG 13 (language and  war-time violence)
For fans of: The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
(This book is part of my Unread Bookshelf Project, where I am challenging myself to read 36 books I already own in 2019)

Shakespeare Saved My Life by Laura Bates (audiobook) ★★★★☆
An intriguing real life story about the unlikely friendship between an English professor and a prison inmate, brought together by a class on Shakespeare that Bates taught at the  Indiana Federal Prison for a decade.  Convicted of murder at age seventeen and placed in solitary confinement for ten years prior to meeting Bates,  he was considered one of the most notorious inmates. After attempting a prison escape prior to meeting Bates, he was feared by inmates and prison guards. He never graduated high school and had never even heard of Shakespeare but he soon found himself in various characters in Shakespeare plays.  His insight and summaries of the plays (in modern day slang) astounded Bates and inspired other inmates. What started as a project to get some recognition from her supervisors at the university she worked at soon became a journey to give prison inmates a chance at transformation through literature. This was a fascinating book that was thought-provoking about the educational resources available to inmates.

Reminded me of: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Rating: PG


The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy (audiobook)  ★★★☆☆
Michael Henchard is an angry alcoholic when he impulsively sells his wife and child to a sailor at country fair. Upon sobering up the next morning and unable to locate his family, he is devastated by his stupidity and vows to not drink for twenty-one years (to equal his age at the time). Eighteen years later, he somehow ends up becoming the mayor of a town called Casterbridge when his wife and daughter return, telling him the sailor has died. The plot only thickens more and more after that, including secondary characters such as Henchard's younger and wiser employee named Donald and Henchard's ex-girlfriend muddling things up. This was a difficult read, not because of the language of this old classic, but because unfortunate circumstances kept occurring that seemed to just add onto the drama and complications, sometimes at a cringeworthy level. Henchard is beyond unlikable; he is selfish, angry, and prideful man that repeatedly makes foolish, impulsive decisions. How he even became a mayor is beyond me. There was only one character I liked and that was the daughter, Elizabeth Jane. This was my first Thomas Hardy novel so  I am hoping future ones I read have more protagonists I can root for, since that is something I know I like in books I read.


Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (audiobook)★★★★☆
Maisie Dobbs is an English private investigator hired to uncover whether a wife is cheating on her husband. This seemingly straightforward case ends up being a lot more involved and takes her back to her painful experiences as a nurse during WWI. This was an intriguing novel with twists, turns, and suspense without being scary. I enjoyed learning a bit more about the the Great War from a nurse perspective as well as following alongside Maudie’s sleuthing adventure. It was a great blend of historical fiction, mystery, and romance. This is the first of a rather prolific series, so I may move onto the next book when I am in the mood to see how Maisie figures out the next dilemma. 

Rating: PG (some scenes with war-time violence)
Reminded me of: The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith