Archives for September 2017

Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. And this year I’m participating in the 2017 Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenges, so I’m also going to be listing which category my books fulfill. If you want to join in on the fun, you can check out the list of categories here! This is my September 2017 Reading List, my brief reviews and book recommendations for September 2017. Hopefully I’ll provide you with some inspiration for your future reading as well!

Books Finished:

The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief by Larry Alex Taunton

I really liked this book, and found it to be a very easy and engaging read. It follows the story of the author’s family whilst seeking to adopt a girl from Ukraine. The author contrasts the encounters with the secularist anti-religious Ukraine with the United States, and discusses how the grace of God is the thing that defines and sets Christianity apart from other organized religions. I found it to be quite a powerful story and argument.

Private by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

I listened to this book on Audible on a drive back from Rapid City, and really, really enjoyed it. The focus is of a Marine veteran who takes over his father’s private investigation firm, and the others who work with him. The story is of the cases open in the firm, including a murder, NFL game fixing, and the mafia.

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

2017 MMD Reading Challenge: a book published before you were born

For me, Hemingway’s books are not of a type that I can read with distractions, which is why this book has taken me so long to finish. I actually really enjoyed it, once I had the opportunity to sit down and read it in a quiet room without distractions. Reading Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife, which is a fictional account of Hemingway’s first wife (whom he was married to at the time that The Sun Also Rises was written) put the book into context for me. This book is beautifully, if sparsely, written. It strikes me as melancholy, but a wonderful book, deserving of its status as a classic.

The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout

I listened to this book from Audible, and picked it up as a BOGO sale. I found it to be extremely engaging, and a very interesting concept, especially considering that my line of work (attorney) In my work as a criminal defense attorney, I come into contact with more sociopaths than the average person probably does. In fact, after listening to the book, I can think of at least 2-3 that I am probably dealing with in cases at the present time. The book was insightful in terms of learning how to deal with those that have no conscience.

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

After reading, and enjoying Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, I didn’t hesitate to pick up two of her other books at the Friends of the Library book sale. This one is much shorter than The Poisonwood Bible, clocking in at only 232 pages. It follows the story of a girl from Kentucky who decides to move far away in search of a new and more exciting life than she can find in her small and predictable town. In her travels, she finds more than she bargained for. I found the characters to be lovely and likeable. I would recommend this book to others, probably even before I would recommend The Poisonwood Bible.

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

Prior to Grissom going on the What Should I Read Next podcast, I’d never heard of her or this book. Her description of her writing process (which you can find in the back of the book as well as on the podcast) struck me as so interesting, that I immediately put The Kitchen House on my To Be Read list. And then when I was able to pick up the book at the local Friends of the Library book sale, I was sold. This book is a page turner from the very beginning, as it follows the stories of two women thrown together in unlikely circumstances. Lavinia is an Irish indentured servant who goes to work on a plantation in the kitchen house with Belle, a white-looking black slave and her family. I loved this book so, so much, and know that many others will as well.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

2017 MMD Reading Challenge: a book you’ve already read

This was my book club’s pick for September. As I first read this book while in high school, I felt that I had more insight this time. It sparked some really great discussion among out book club members. If you want to read a classic, but are concerned about a lengthy commitment, this one is quite short, and therefore a great option. I really like this book, as it gives me a lot to think on, but some find the subject matter and message difficult.

 

Books in Progress:

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (I’m listening to this on Audible, and it’s quite long. And I’ve had a few books that I really wanted to listen to more than this one while driving lately.)

New Enlarged Anthology of Robert Frost’s Poems by Robert Frost (I’m taking my time working through this, rather than just flying through it and not enjoying it)

2017 MMD Reading Challenge: a book of poetry, a play, or an essay collection

Raising a Secure Child: How Circle of Security Parenting Can Help You Nurture Your Child’s Attachment, Emotional Resilience, and Freedom to Explore by Kent Hoffman, Glen Cooper, and Bert Powell (this was recommended to be by some therapists that I work with regularly on my cases, as it is the background for the Circle of Security Parenting curriculum that we often have parents go through as part of their case plans)

The Passage by Justin Cronin

The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person by Judith S. Beck

My Brilliant Friend (Book One of the Neapolitan Novels) by Elena Ferrante

Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones

Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God is Speaking by Priscilla Shirer

 

Books Abandoned:

None.