Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham

My guilty pleasure TV series is Gilmore Girls.  I love and adore it, and I’m just starting to share it with my own teenage daughter.  It’s magical.  I loved learning about Lauren Graham’s rise to stardom. Her hard work and dedication to her art is inspiring.  Her storytelling is light and funny, her writing excellent. I’m not ashamed to admit that I got a little teary over her descriptions of returning to the Gilmore Girls set.  A fun, quick read, especially for fans of the show.

The Lola Quartet by Emily St John Mandel

This story of a group of high school friends and how their lives diverge and intertwine in their adult lives was engrossing.  (Side note: as a Utahn, I found it super fun to have Utah mentioned so frequently throughout the book, even though it was the scene of the major conflict in the story.  For some reason I was just delighted that our little state was referred to repeatedly).  There is a thread of melancholy that runs throughout this book, a sense that the characters’ lives could have turned out very differently, much more happily, if not for a few decisions they made along the way.

The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich

Walking on Water by Madeline L’Engle

Each morning I read a few pages from an inspirational book.  (My requirements for “inspirational” are very broad.  Mostly just something non-fiction that makes me think, deepens my faith, helps me want to be a better person.  I slowly worked my way through Walking on Water, pausing to re-read many passages, to mull over L’Engle’s beautiful words.  Some of the book is a bit outdated, but her observations of life and creativity and faith were spot on.  I loved this book.

Old Testament Made Easier (Vol 1 and Vol 2)

I’m studying the Old Testament this year, using The Your Study of the Old Testament made easier series.  I slowly plug away at it each day and I’ve learned so much over the past several months.  I finished book one months ago but realized I didn’t include it in my book reviews at the time.  This month I finished book two and moved on to the third and final book. I love the insights the author includes.  I really feel like I’m understanding the Old Testament better than I ever have.

Son by Lois Lowry

The conclusion to The Giver series.  At times I felt like this book was dragging a bit; it tends to include long conversations that aren’t important to the story in any way.  I was still interested in the story, but wished it moved just a little faster in places.  This was such a great series!  I loved seeing all the characters and plot lines come together in the final book.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

This was a fun book to listen to.  Neil Gaiman reads it himself and does a fantastic job.  His voice for Thor sounds exactly like I think it should.  The book is understatedly funny and a little outlandish. Which, is to be expected since it re-tellings of the Norse Myths.  It’s different from a lot of other Neil Gaiman books I’ve read, or tried to read.  (I tend to be extreme with his books; either I really like them or I really don’t.  Some are just too strange for me)

Chasing Slow by Erin Loechner

I heard about this book while listening to The Simple Show podcast.  I’m always on a mission to slow down and have more time for the things/people/places/activities I love.  I enjoyed reading Erin’s story. Her writing is beautiful and it launched me into a binge of her HGTV.com series about their fixer upper. In the end I was a little underwhelmed by this book.  I finished it, but I didn’t love it.

The Spirit of God Illustrated Bible

Have you seen this beautiful children’s bible? Take a look inside here. The illustrations are absolutely stunning and the stories are simple and powerful.  I’ve loved reading through it with my little people.  Enter to win a copy of this book, plus several other beautiful children’s books.

See more of my monthly book review series here.