Off The Bookshelf

Over the past many months, I have read some books. I'm overdue for one of these posts.

First off, a few books that I read last year. That's how long it's been since I've posted about books!

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

I really enjoyed this fictional novel that follows 2 storylines: Molly, a youth in foster care, current time, and Niamh, an orphaned Irish immigrant beginning in 1929. The stories, of course, become intertwined. Because of my interest in orphan and foster care, I found it to be a fascinating book.

 Surprised By Motherhood by Lisa-Jo Baker

My sister-in-law sent this to me and I gobbled it up. I hadn't heard of Lisa-Jo before but now she's one of my favorite writers. She's so real and down to earth, with a solid spiritual base. I also liked the international flair (she's from South Africa, though lives in Maryland now). The Christ-centered book was a drink of water when I was feeling parched.

More recently, I've read...

Meet Me At The Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan

I almost didn't include this, because it wasn't great, but I did finish it. Thirty-something woman follows her dreams and opens a cafe in London. Reads like a chick flick. Predictable. A beach read.

The House Girl by Tara Conklin

I LOVED this novel. Similar to The Orphan Train, the novel takes place in real time and in the past. The real-time character, Lina, is a lawyer who begins to research the art that may have been created by a slave girl, Josephine, in 1852.  The art has always been attributed to the plantation owner's wife, Lu Anne Bell, and Lina's detective work and the intriguing storyline of Josephine as she runs to freedom make the book hard to put down. There are sad moments, as books about slavery will have, but I recommend this novel for sure.

Everyone Is Beautiful by Katherine Center

This is another novel I liked a lot. It's about a mother of 3 young boys who moves to a new city for her husband's career, and her personal path to change. I liked it for it's honesty about how we can feel as mothers- tired and worn out and ready to make something beautiful again. (Spoiler alert): I was also glad it had a happy ending regarding her marriage and how she fights for that. She doesn't run from her husband, kids, or life, but instead works hard finding her own gifts and use them to help make change in her life.

Longing For Paris by Sarah Mae

I'm almost finished with the easy read by Sarah Mae. I really liked her book (co-authored by Sally Clarkson), Desperate, so I decided to get my hands on this book, too. Although it hasn't totally blown me away, Sarah is a dreamer and I am a dreamer and so the book has really spoken to me. She does a great job emphasizing how our dreams are God-given and we should pursue them: it just might look different than we want right now because right now we may be in a season of motherhood that doesn't allow for all that. Her dream is to go to Paris, even live there. While I've never been drawn to Paris, I do love to travel, so that resonated with me. I'm eager to finish the book, and feeling revived by it.

I am hoping to read more, going back to some classics. I want us to be a "less screens and more books" house and I realize I can really be the one to steer us in that direction.

Read on!