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Happy December, friends! How it is December already is beyond me. This year has absolutely flown by. As I always do on the 1st Monday of the month, I’m sharing what I read the month before. This past month I reached my book goal of 2016, plus some! My goal was to read 45 books, and I’ve currently read 48. I’m hoping I can get two more in in December to round it out to an even 50 😉 I read some winners this month, so read on to see what I read!
You’ve Got This by Elise Hahl
3 stars. See full review here.
In The Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
In 1987, Miri Ammerman returns to her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, to attend a commemoration of the worst year of her life. Thirty-five years earlier, when Miri was fifteen, and in love for the first time, a succession of airplanes fell from the sky, leaving a community reeling. Against this backdrop of actual events that Blume experienced in the early 1950s, when airline travel was new and exciting and everyone dreamed of going somewhere, Judy Blume imagines and weaves together a haunting story of three generations of families, friends, and strangers, whose lives are profoundly changed by these disasters. She paints a vivid portrait of a particular time and place — Nat King Cole singing “Unforgettable,” Elizabeth Taylor haircuts, young (and not-so-young) love, explosive friendships, A-bomb hysteria, rumors of Communist threat. And a young journalist who makes his name reporting tragedy. Through it all, one generation reminds another that life goes on.
I wanted to like this book. I wanted to like it so badly. But it took me for-ev-er to get through. Like I racked up a huge amount of library fines forever. It just didn’t grab me like I expected it to, and there were SO MANY characters. I usually really enjoy books that have different point of views, but this was too excessive for me. That said, it was an interesting read. Am I glad I read it? Eh, sure. Would I recommend it? No.
3 stars.
Fervent by Priscilla Shirer
You have an enemy . . . and he’s dead set on destroying all you hold dear and keeping you from experiencing abundant life in Christ. What’s more, his approach to disrupting your life and discrediting your faith isn’t general or generic, not a one-size-fits-all. It’s specific. Personalized. Targeted. So this book is your chance to strike back. With prayer. With a weapon that really works. Each chapter will guide you in crafting prayer strategies that hit the enemy where it hurts, letting him know you’re on to him and that you won’t back down. Because with every new strategy you build, you’re turning the fiercest battles of life into precise strikes against him and his handiwork, each one infused with the power of God’s Spirit.
I knew, of course, that I was going to be sharing what I read with you this month, and this is one I was/am so excited to share with you! I picked up this book almost a year ago, but finally got around to reading it this fall, and oh my, it was so good. Prayer is one of my favorite aspects of the gospel to read and think about anyway, and this book did not disappoint. My copy is underlined and has post-it notes sticking out of it, and I will definitely be re-reading it. Prayer really is such a tool, and Priscilla guides us through the different ways to utilize prayer so beautifully. I highly recommend this book, to any Christian, regards of denomination.
4 stars.
Faith and a Life Jacket by Ben Bernards
4 stars. See full review here.
The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Anderson
4 stars. See full review here.
*The Shack by William Paul Young
Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his “Great Sadness,” Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him.
I’ve heard of this book, but I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to read it, because of the things I had heard and read. However, I got the chance to recieve in exchange for a review, and I’m glad I did. I want to say I DO NOT agree with some (most) of the theology in this book. I personally believe that the Godhead are 3 distint persons (see more of my belief on this in this post). However, this is still a beautiful book with a simple, but profound message: God is love. And if we let Him, He will heal us. If you can look past the theology that you may or may not agree with, I would pick it up and give it a try. God truly does love His children and will transform our pain into beauty.
4 stars.
The Book of Mormon
5 stars. I finished my yearly reading of this book a couple of weeks ago, and so had to include it. This book is an additional book of scripture that the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints read and study (alongside the Bible). We believe it was translated by the prophet, Joseph Smith, in the 1800’s, and that it is the story of a family that left Jerusalem in approximately 600 BC, and came to the Americas, and their descendants. It truly is another testimony of Jesus Christ. It has many beautiful truths contained in it. I highly recommend it to all of my friends, LDS, or not. Even if you do not believe that it is scripture, I would still love you to read it, and maybe approach it like it is a book about Christ and the Gospel, written by a favorite pastor or leader. I just want you to be able to read the beautiful words contained in it. All it does is testify of Christ, and I love it so much. If I could only share one book in my what I read posts with you, this would be the winner. Always.
Receive a free copy here. (Or you can message me and I will be happy to send you one personally!)
Currently reading: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (a re-read, but just as captivating as ever).
Currently on my bookshelf: Make It Happen by Lara Casey, Choose Joy by Sara Frankl, and Curious Faith by Logan Wolfram.
Thanks for letting me share what I read with you! What did you read in October? Any must-reads for me? Let me know below! And let me know if you’d like me to make any changes to the posts when I share what I read with you!
*I received free product from Faith Words in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
