February 15, 2018

What I’ve been Reading Lately: February 2018

Today I’m sharing short and sweet reviews of the six books I’ve finished in the past month.  
What have you been reading lately? I’m always looking for recommendations!

The Ocean At the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

This book had a very A Wrinkle In Time feel for me.  Kids and unexplained magic. Bizarrely creepy, but not over-the-line scary (for my sensitive soul) as only Neil Gaiman can be.  I wanted to finish the book to see how everything turned out, but it was certainly not my favorite.  My favorites of his, that I’ve read so far, would be Stardust and Neverwhere.

The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson

This was the first book I’ve read by Joshilyn Jackson.  I loved it! It was perfect airplane reading for our recent trip to Egypt.  Light enough to keep me interested with a lot going on around me, but it delves into some deeper topics (racism, parenting, love) as well.  Warning: very strong language at times.




The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

I have been meaning to read this book for years, and I’m so glad I finally got to it.  It was more interesting and engaging than I was expecting.  Such a fascinating look at how we can improve our lives and ourselves by better understanding our habits and the triggers than lead us to poor decisions.

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Mistborn has been recommended to me by so many people, but I didn’t pick it up until recently. I must admit to judging this book by its cover (the first edition cover was really awful, the one shown above is worlds better) and thought that to enjoy it I’d have to be very into sci-fi (I’m not).  I’m glad that the new cover does the book justice.  The characters are well developed, the plot is intriguing, the take on magic is fascinating.  In this world, Magic operates logically, with well-established rules and structure.  Very well don and I’m sad I waited so long to try it. 

 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I can’t imagine this book needs any introduction.  I’ve read the first 3 Harry Potter books multiple times over the years.  And I read the later books eagerly as they came out, but I haven’t been back to revisit them since.  I’m not much of a re-reader, but I felt it was time to enjoy the later part of this series again.  It has been about 18 years since I read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire the first time (HOW is that possible?!). I listened to Jim Dale’s recording of the audiobook (we’re thoroughly devoted to Jim Dale around here) and loved it.  There was even a major plot point that I’d completely forgotten about so it was like I was reading part of the ending for the first time.  I’m going to slowly make my way through the last 3 books over the next little while; a little treat for my nerdy heart.  


One of my main goals for the year is to read the Old Testament and gain a love for it.  It’s been many years since I’ve studied it and I’m finding such joy from diving deep into the lessons and stories it contains.  One way I’m gaining more understanding for it is through beautiful books.  Written on Our Hearts is one such book.  Emily Freeman does such a wonderful job of applying scripture to her personal, everyday life.  I slowly savored this book, wrote down many quotes, and gained so much insight from it.
Head to Modern Mrs. Darcy for more short and sweet book reviews.
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Heidi Hillman
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