What to Read Edition

 

I feel kind of embarrassed. I haven't read as many books as I would have liked this year.  I really do enjoy reading, but by the end of the day, it is sometimes easier to watch something on Netflix or Hulu than pick up a book because when I do, I often fall asleep.  The second problem is that I enjoy reading so much that I have difficulty putting it down once I start, which is not good when you have children; you have to get up for the next day. Over the summer, though, I was able to get some reading done.  The first book I read was Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah.  This story is about a psychiatrist who questions her abilities after a difficult season with her work and moves home to her home state of Washington.  Hoping to get some rest, she is called in by local authorities to evaluate the girl who seems to have appeared out of nowhere.  The girl has limited verbal skills, and it is the main character's job to figure out who she is and how she got to this small community.  The story was well written, and while it doesn't have you contemplating the meaning of life, it is entertaining. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid was certainly not what I expected it to be about.  While this book is controversial in the Christian world for its discussion of Homosexuality, the book certainly gets you thinking about how, as a society, we treat this community and what they do to protect themselves.  As a Christian, I felt conflicted reading this book, but I rarely finish it once I start reading it.  Erring on the side that it is not my place to judge others' sexuality, I did like the book because it still has me thinking about the subject months later. 

The next book, Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis, is just a fun, easy read! The story is about two friends who have now grown up and are finding their paths taking them in different directions.  Do they hold on or do they move apart?  The book is sweet! As I said, an easy read. The next book, while not a poorly written story, upset the author because I felt the story was way too familiar with the JFK Jr story. While the author of Meant to Be did change things around, it wasn't enough to not recognize the original true story.  She even admits to pulling her inspiration from his story.  As a reader, I felt cheated because I had spent so many hours reading a story I was already familiar with; however, this book may be more for the 20-something young woman who has no memory of this historical figure and his new bride. Nicholas Sparks always offers a good read, and didn't disappoint in his book The Wish.  What would you wish for if you were going to pass away?   If you are familiar with his stories they tend to fall in the pattern of one book happy ending, and a one-year sad ending.  I would say this one falls in the category of in-between.

Last but not least, Jo Jo Mayes's story The Giver of Stars is historical fiction about early mobile book services in the United States and, in this case, Kentucky. These early mobile book services brought education through reading to rural and remote areas and brought the outside world into areas that were very cut off from the rest of the world. It's a very engaging story!

Well, if I am lucky, I can squeeze another two books in before the end of the year.  What is on your reading list?