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 2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge, 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 January 2018 Reading List, my brief reviews and book recommendations for January 2018. Hopefully I’ll provide you with some inspiration for your future reading as well!

Books Finished:

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge: A book with your favorite color in the title

This will be our March book club pick, but my Overdrive hold came up, so I thought I’d go ahead and read it early. This is a historical fictional novel set during World War II and told from the perspective of three women a German, a Polish, and an American woman. It was riveting, although at times difficult to read. I am really looking forward to discussing this with my bookish friends!

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

The true stories of various individuals experienced the sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-boat during World War I. I’d never previously read any of Erik Larson’s books, but intend to now. He makes real events come alive on the page and actually mean something, by telling the stories of those who experienced it and were affected by it. A great book by a great author.

The Racketeer by John Grisham

I really, really liked this book! It kept me guessing from the start to the finish. The main character is a lawyer who was wrongfully convicted in a financial scam, and is sent to federal prison. While there he gets information about a murder, and the story takes off from there. If you’re a Grisham fan, you’ll enjoy this one.

The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift

I picked this up from a discount book bin. It is set in the 1600s with two sisters who run away from their poverty-stricken life in the English countryside. This was a time period that I’d not read much about previously, so I enjoyed that element of the book in particular. But the characters were engaging, and the story moved along. I’ll have to look for more by Deborah Swift.

Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays by Joan Didion

After reading The Year of Magical Thinking last year, I’ve become an admirer of Didion’s writing. A series of essays published in Didion’s early career in the 1960s, the book was like traveling through time and space to when and where she was writing.

The Whole Town’s Talking by Fannie Flagg

The story of the birth of a town in the Midwest, and the souls who populate that town through the years, this book was sweet and emotionally satisfying in the way that Fannie Flagg’s writing simply is. If you’ve never picked up one of her books, I would recommend checking one out. There are several more that I’ve not yet read, but intend to.

Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood

This is a children’s book, but I was completely taken by the cover and had to read it. The Bliss family runs a magical bakery, but the magical element of their pastries is a secret. When the parents are called out-of-town on an emergency, the children run the bakery in their absence. But when an unknown relative comes to help, Rosemary Bliss is suspicious. This is a quick and fun little book.

Books in Progress: 

It looks like I have quite a few going, and might need to finish some of these up in February!

Jesus, the One and Only by Beth Moore

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead by David Browne

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)

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

Testament of Youth: An Autobiographical Study Of The Years 1900-1925 by Vera Brittain

Six Stories: A Thriller by Matt Wesolowski

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Books I’ve Abandoned:

Empire Falls by Richard Russo