Sunday, November 3, 2019

October 2019 Reading Log


Fiction    
Anne of Windy Poplars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 
Chances Are⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️     
Falling Are⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Sea Keeper’s Daughter ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Map of Salt and Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Perennials⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Middle Grade
The  Penderwicks⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sounder⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

It’s that time of the month again, October Reading Wrap Up. Is it just me or do you feel the same way,
the month just flies by?  I guess it is a good thing that I have so many things to keep me busy. I am
working hard to finish up the Hope By The Book Reading Challenge and Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading
Challenge as well.  I have three books left to finish up both challenges and I hope to do that in November.
I have two very large books to read and finish, Middlemarch and The Forgotten Garden.  I have been reading one section of Middlemarch each week and I am half way through.  

My favorite book this month is The Map of Salt and Stars
I loved reading about Nour and her journey through Syria.  It was fascinating reading and trying to understand
how a young girl from New York City
had to navigate her way through hostile unknown countries.   


“ I love you because you have made me laugh every day...I love you because you let me be me,
and you have from the start. I love you for saying 'please' and 'thank you' and for kissing me good morning and
good night. I love you for treating each day together as if it were a gift, not a curse...I love you for building me up and for
never tearing me down. for seeing my flaws and forgiving them all. For finding the good in me, especially when I struggle
to see it in myself. And for showing...how a woman should be treated with dignity and kindness and equal respect...I love you
for knowing when to take a stand and when to take a knee. And for always holding the door for me. Always…”
J. Cantrell

Could you ask for a more beautiful way for someone to say I love you.   Perennials by Julie Cantrell has been on my list of books
to read for a looong time.  I picked the book for its cover, no surprise there. I love the cover and the title of the book.   

The story is about Lovey a successful career woman who struggles with the memories of her childhood.  She grew up in a
southern family with her loving parents who didn’t quite seem to tune into Lovey’s needs.   Her father avoided confrontation
and her mother was preoccupied with presenting a “ideal” role model to everyone.   

When Lovey’s sister turns mean girl on her nobody does anything about it.  Lovey finds herself running from her family, friends
and the town she loves just to get away from her sister’s hurtful words.  

But now as her parents celebrate their 50th Anniversary, Lovey is struggling between being there for her family or doing her job.
She realizes how much time she missed with her parents, niece and nephew, and Fisher her high school sweetheart.   But she
had always dependent on herself financially and her biggest account needs attention now.  

Her dad wants her to help create a memory garden for her mother as part of the anniversary gift.  Fisher is the landscaper, so she
ends up spending a lot of time with him. Working in the garden Lovey begins to see/re-evaluate her life choices and she discovers
she wants more in her life to be with her family.  But how can she make that work with her job?

This book has love, loss, family drama, and a lot of garden references.  I really enjoyed this story. I liked the relationship between

Lovey and her Dad.   He really listened to her and valued her thoughts. This is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star book.  


“Living, really living, wasn’t about clinging to control but about giving it away.” — L. Wingate

This week I read, The Sea Keeper’s Daughters by Lisa Wingate, another Christian historical
fiction/romance book.  The story is about Whitney Monroe a struggling restaurant owner who is
trying to save her two restaurants and keep her employees working.  However she is called to take
care of her stepfather, who she never talks to in North Carolina.  

There Whitney begins to go through her family history and heirlooms. She is hoping to find things to
sell to save the restaurants.  But instead she found a fascinating story of her Great Aunt who worked
as a writer for the government who was assigned to document the history of the people of North
Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and a group of unlikely friends.  

This story explores three different generations of the Benoit Family.   This is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star book
to me, although I found the audio version annoying.  The voice of Whitney sounded wrong for the
character. The story itself was fascinating.   I was interested in what was going to happen to Whitney
and I loved the story of her Aunt Alice and what she was learning about the people living in the mountains.  

This is a Christian book about having faith in God’s path for you but that is it.   I read this for Hope by
the Book Reading Challenge, I have now completed the “voracious readers” level.  


“He loved her without reservations. Without keeping a record of her wrongs. As far as the east is
from the west, that's how far He'd removed her sins from her. 
He loved her. And He forgave her.”  B. Wade

Corbin and Willow find themselves in the same small town after breaking up four years before. 
Corbin is determined to make Willow fall in love with him again. Willow does not think she can
trust Corbin and her list for what her future husband needs to be is nothing less than perfect. 
Corbin already failed her once. 

Corbin turns on the charm and gives his heart to Willow but is Willow willing to do the same?  

Falling for You by Becky Wade fulfilled the requirement for INSPY Award Winning Book for the
Hope By The Book Challenge.  This book was heavy with Christian Faith references. It was a
basic romance book and I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.   

“Every place you go becomes a part of you. But none more so than home.”
Z. Joukhadar

The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar is an amazing story of courage and survival. 
Nour is a young girl from New York City, who speaks English primarily, who finds herself in living Syria
after the death of her father.  

Throughout the story, Nour, is retelling a favorite story her father told of a mapmaker's apprentice. 
The young heroine Rawiya, in the story must be brave in order to go on this extraordinary journey. 

In Nour’s life her journey begins when her Syrian house is bombed and her mom and sisters must travel
across seven countries of the Middle East and North Africa, the same path as in her favorite story, to find safety. 
Nour’s journey becomes very dangerous and is filled with life and death decisions. For a time Nour must travel with
her big sister alone because one sister is too sick to travel. The girls must find there way to safety on their own.   

This is a very powerful ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star  story of bravery and perverseness. The book shows the depths
refugees are willing to go through and risk to get their families into a safe country.  I thank @annebogel for her
reading challenge. The challenge has stretched me as a reader to take on books I normally might not read. This is
also my blue photo for @lollipopsandlyrics photo challenge of the week. 


“Nobody is ever too old to dream. And dreams never grow old.”
L.M. Montgomery

I was able to go back into Anne Shirley’s world this month.  I am on book four of the series and
Anne was the principal at the school in Windy Poplars for three years.   She met many new people
there and she continued to try to help the people in the town. She wrote many letters to Gilbert as
he was away at medical school.   I love how Anne takes the time to know her students and invites
them into her life.  

I took my photo at Poplar Creek.  I drive by the little creek everyday on the way to the gym.   I never
thought about it before and now it reminds me of the book.  I can imagine Anne daydreaming and
walking by this creek on her way to school.  

“Take a walk, clear your head.”  J. Birdsall

It took me forever to get motivated to read this story. I finally had to put together a strict reading
schedule for each morning.  The story itself is cute but my interests were elsewhere.   

The book is about four little sisters and their dad who go on a summer vacation at a cottage for
three weeks.   The family is still dealing with the death of the mother. There the girls meet a lonely
boy who becomes an honorary family member. He is also the son of Mrs. Tifton their landlord.  She
does not like the girls and believes they are a bad influence on her son. The children seem to find
themselves in a lot of unexpected trouble.   

It is a sweet story about friendship, family and courage.  It is an easy middle grade read.  


“One day might be different from another, but there ain't much
difference when they're put together.” 
W. Armstrong

This is an amazing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book based on a true story.  Sounder belongs to an
African American family living in the South just after the Civil War.   Sounder is a very loyal
hunting dog and when his master is arrested, Sounder jumps in to defend him.  He is injured
and is just not the same but he hangs in there waiting for his master to come home. This historical
fiction story depicts the hardships and injustice that many families faced during this time in history.   

This is a very short middle grade read.   I highly recommend it.  


Chances Are by Richard Russo is the book my friends picked for book club this month.  
It was picked because it is a story that is a little different than what we usually read, it has
males as the main characters.  But really it was not that different from what we read. Three
college friends get together 40 years after graduation. Lincoln is struggling with his commercial
real estate business.  Teddy, a publisher, is struggling with anxiety attacks. Mickey, is a musician
but something seems off with him. They each hold a forty year old secret, they were all in love
with the same girl, Jacky.  But whatever happened to her after that last weekend they spent together???  

This was a quick and interesting read for me. I’d say this is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star book.  

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