Books I Read in May 2024
Books I Read in May 2024
Each month I love to share with you what I’m reading. Although I love reading the Bible, I read other books too! I read a combination of fiction and nonfiction. I read poetry, fiction, nonfiction, horror (sometimes), and our family is especially fond of listening to audiobooks in the car!
As a way to help me keep track of what I read each month I’ll be making this list and linking to those books on Amazon. I am also excited to utilize Goodreads. Find me here to get a more up to date list of what I’m currently reading and have read.
Click here and request to be my friend! I’ll add you!
You can read what I reviewed in these previous months:
I provide an honest review of those books and if It is less than three stars, I won’t link it! I’ve read plenty of books I wouldn’t recommend so I want to keep track of those books as well. Some of these books I might have started last month and finished this month.
One of my goals for this path month has been to put down my phone and pick a book more often. Instead of going to bed and scrolling for 15-20 minutes, I’ve picked up my book. I also have added reading a chapter or two to my daily quiet time routine.
I’ve also been reading more fiction right before bed. I have to be careful not to read a depressing or sad story because it will keep me awake or give me bad dreams. I can’t wait to give an update on this month’s books!
One of the major books I finished, actually, it was finished on April 30 so technically last month, was the Return of the King. I wanted to leave my review because I wanted to write my impression of reading the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy again. You can read the entire post here.
Books I Read May 2024
The God of the Garden by Andrew Peterson (audio)
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My review:
I wept several times while listening to this book. I listened to the entire thing in two days. I’ve been to many Adnrew Peterson concerts, so some of these stories I had heard, but most of them were new to me. He talked a lot about his childhood, growing up, and how God reformed his memories of those times. Although I thought it would be a book about the creative process, and it does mention some things related to that, it is mostly about how God is using our stories to bring us close to Him. I love that Peterson always points us back to the truth that our stories and our lives matter. It was something my heart very much needed.
Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson (audio)
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My review:
I’ve read this book before, but after reading “The God in the Garden”, I realized I had this on audiobook too. So I listened to it again. It took me only a week to listen to. Even my children enjoyed it in the car. His stories and imagery were all so practical and relevant to me. He has read and watched many of the same books and movies I have, so the references I got. This book is more about the creative process and how writing informs our life and how life can be a reflection of God’s work in our life when we put pen to paper. I really enjoyed listening to him read this aloud and will probably revisit this book again when writing feels hard. I felt like it gave me just the right motivation to keep writing and creating.
Demon Copperhead by Barabra Kingsolver
⭐⭐⭐
Warning: Lot’s of language and very adult themes. I would not recommend it for teens or children.
My review:
I only gave it three stars. But that was only because of the language and adult themes. I cannot highly recommend this book as a Christian in good conscience. I pray that you will seek the Lord’s wisdom when it comes to whether you should read it. But warning – there is a lot of bad language and adult themes.
As for the story, this story was amazingly and painfully beautiful. The characters and events were deeply impactful. It tells the story of one boy, born in poverty in the hills of Appalachia. The setting was particularly moving for me because it is set in the very area of the country where I’ve grown up and lived for forty years. The way she describes the landscape and the people are spot on. It was both heartbreaking and poignant. It chronicles his life in and out of foster care, addiction, and more.
The author is not a Christian and although the end of the book felt upwards there wasn’t true hope, which is found in Christ. But I felt the story was one I see all of the time in the people and faces of children, teens, and adults. It opens your eyes to the plight of so many children in our country today.
I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My review:
I loved Virgil Wander and Peace Like a River, so I knew I would like this book and I did. I would say this is my first 5-star book of the year! Of course The Lord of the Rings is also a 5-star, but this new book by Leif Enger was so powerful. I read it in three days. This is a record for me lately! I read it during my day, which rarely happens. The story is set in a not-so-distant future when the world is harsher and possibly post-apocalyptic. It follows the story of one man, named Rainy. I don’t want to give too much away. These are the types of books I don’t read the synopsis because I want the story to carry me. And it did.
This story carried me to the edge of grief, and I wept for a character in the first third of the book. It reminds me so much of music and the words and sentences flow like a musical progression. What I love about all of Enger’s books is that you know there is nothing in there that will be embarrassing or any curse words. The books are clean but incredibly written. I put that book down and wished in my heart I could one day write a book as beautiful as this one.
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