Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Read Any Good Books Lately?

I love to read!  In elementary school, I would have several chapter books going at once.  In my adult life, I tend to go in spurts, because reading can distract me from my real job of keeping my family fed and clothed.  I won’t read anything for quite a while and then when I can’t stand it any longer I head to the library and get a stack of books.

I’ve been in “on” mode lately, so I thought I ‘d share with you what I’ve been reading.

Christian fiction has been on my nightstand a lot.  Sometimes (as with any genre, I guess) that can be hit or miss. But none of the books I’ve read lately have been preachy, and they’ve all had good foundational stories.  By that I mean that the author told a good story that contained Christian elements; it didn’t feel like they created a subpar story to try to fit the Christian message they wanted to get across.

In the last couple of months I’ve read the first two books of the “Kinship and Courage” series by Jane Kirkpatrick.  It’s about a group of women who make the journey from the east to California during the time of the gold rush.  Honestly, it took me a while to get in to the first book.  The story was good, but the characters weren’t particularly likeable.  Even so, I did enjoy the book overall, and by the end and into the second book, I felt like I understood them better.  There’s one more book in the series that I’ll read after a while.  I’ve learned my lesson about reading a whole series one right after the other (read about that here)!

kirkpatrick

 

Another new-to-me Christian author is Robin Lee Hatcher.  I’ve recently read The Perfect Life and Return to Me.  I enjoyed both of these books, particularly the former, although in both cases it did kind of feel like the story was full of conflict that resolved a little too easily and quickly at the end.  Also, I didn’t realize until now that Return to Me is the second book in a series.  I didn’t feel like I was missing out on any vital information, though.

 

hatcher

 

On the non-Christian chick-lit side, The Pregnancy Test by Erin McCarthy was a fun read, but I must warn you that there were a couple very graphic and pages-long s*x scenes, which I felt could have been toned down quite a bit without doing any damage to the story.

I’m currently reading Practically Perfect by Katie Fforde (does anybody else want to pronounce that fuh-ford, or just me?).  I’m only a few chapters in, but so far so good.  Plus, it’s about a young woman who is rehabbing an English cottage to flip it for a profit, so it’s got a kind of HGTV thing going on too.

fforde

 

What’s been on your nightstand recently?

11 comments:

Kelly M. said...

Finished The Help recently-- was excellent. Although not new, I really enjoy the Cape Light series by Thomas Kinkade. Happy reading :-).

Kari said...

I usually have 2-4 books at a time...kinda' crazy, but that's how I roll. And when I'm really into a book, nothing gets done. I take the book with me everywhere I go, and don't count on me for conversation. Sad, I know.

Alicia said...

I just finished a book with a Christian slant which I'm going to be reviewing on my blog today or tomorrow. It's Abby Rike's story from The Biggest Loser. Great book, highly recommend it, very inspirational although a tiny, wee, little bit preachy at times.

Currently reading Jennifer Weiner's Goodnight Nobody. I'm enjoying it so far. Love book reviews that way I know which authors to keep an eye out for.

Jessica said...

My favorite Christian fiction author is Jamie Langston Turner. She has such a great sense of humor, and I end up laughing really hard everytime, although her books deal with difficult topics at the same time.

Currently, I just finished reading the second, and most recent novel in Beverly Lewis's "Rose Trilogy".
It was very good, but leaves you hanging. ha

Sarah @ Modern Country Style said...

I'm often a bit dubious about Christian iction. I'm not sure how successful it is writing God's bit for Him to act out!! Do you know what I mean? Maybe I've not read enough good uns yet!!

I like the sound of Practically Perfect. I might hunt that down!!

I've kust finished Rooom, which is aaaaaaawesome. Really, really great.

Sarahx

Emily said...

New here, but finished Heaven is for Real! Great read!!!

laughwithusblog said...

I bought a set of books at the Christian bookstore thinking my daughter might like them, but I wanted to read them first. They are "Dragons in our Midst." I am really enjoying them though I think they are a little old yet for my daughter...maybe in a couple of years.

Carolyn S. said...

Non-Christian (Loved the Hunger Games trilogy). On the Christian books, I read One-Thousand Gifts which was beautifully written but too poetic for me. Currently, I'm reading Heaven is for Real.

Daniele said...

Some of my favorites:
A Thousand Spendid Suns/ Hosseini
The Book of Bright Ideas/ Kring
Carry Me Home/ Kring
Whistling In the Dark/ Kagen
Me and Emma/ Flock
The Book Thief/ Zusak
Everyone is Beautiful/ Center
The Glass Castle/ Walls
The Forgotten Garden/ Morton
Elegance/ Tessaro
The Help/ Stockett


Happy Reading!

Heather at Happy Chippy Junk said...

Favorite series by far ever...and I read a lot. Red River of the North. By Snelling!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/568952.An_Untamed_Land

Anonymous said...

Regarding Christian lit...I've just started reading books by Denise Hunter. She writes good stories without being preachy. I've just finished "Surrender Bay" and "Saving Grace" and would recommend them.
Other books I've loved have been:
"The Kitchen House"
"Girl in Translation"
"Unbroken"
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks"
"Saving CeeCee Honeycutt"
"Sara's Key"
"Out Stealing Horses"
"Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet"
I'm like you..I love to have 2 or 3 books going at once!
Vonnie in MN