Recent Reads

I’ve been blowing through books, which often happens when my life feels out of control. But two of the three kids are settled now and the college student is home for just this week before heading back. And I expect that means my reading will dwindle a bit this fall as I hope to get writing again. Here are a few titles I’ve enjoyed lately:

Ah, Cornwall. If you are as enamored of Cornwall as I am right now (thanks to Poldark and Doc Martin), then you will love this series by Laurie Alice Eakes. A Stranger’s Secret is a great follow up to A Lady’s Honor. As usual with Laurie Alice, there are great characters who have a great story. And plenty of romance, too!

It was apropos that I began this book set in Washington D.C. on our trip to D.C. And since we visited both the Capitol and the Library of Congress on that trip, it was fun to read about those places in an earlier time period. Elizabeth’s story and characters didn’t disappoint, either.

I’d never read one of Beth’s books until I met her last year. And oh how quickly she’s become one of my favorites! This novella was wonderful–with me in tears (happy ones!) at the end. Can’t wait to read all the coming Destination Wedding books!

A Memory of Violets was a fascinating read. It went back and forth between two time periods, both historical. I confess it took me longer to get into one POV than the other, but in the end, I loved it. And I loved that while it was fully fiction, one character in particular was based on a real person and his efforts to help the flower sellers.

This book has been on my to read list for years, especially after I found a used copy for $1, but it kept getting shoved to the side. When I finally picked it up, I loved it from the beginning. (There are some difficult, though not graphic, scenes near the start, but I’m glad I persevered!) The characters were fascinating and the twists and turns kept me buried in the pages. I enjoyed the gothic, eerie, Rebecca-esque (Daphne du Maurier) feel of the story.

Another title long on my to read list. An honest and interesting look at the church’s need to embrace introverts and their God-given gifts and personalities and to allow them to act in ways that are more natural to them. And yet the author also encourages us introverts not to use our personality type as an excuse to refrain from stepping out of our comfort zones and letting Jesus be the strength in our weakness–and that extroverts should do the same in confronting their weak spots. I love that his overarching idea was that in order for the church to be what it was intended to be we need both introverts and extroverts working together, complimenting and encouraging one another.

So that’s a few of my recent reads. Anything you’ve read lately that you want to tell the world about?