Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. And this year I’m doing things just a little bit differently than in the past. Since I decided to participate in the 2016 PopSugar Reading Challenge, 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 What I Read in April 2016, my brief book reviews and recommendations. 

Books Finished:

The Light Years (The Cazalet Chronicles Book 1) by Elizabeth Jane Howard

2016 PopSugar Challenge: a book recommended by someone you just met

An advance copy of this book was given to me to read and honestly review by an editor that I’ve not previously dealt with. So I’m counting it for this category. They recommended it to me because of how much I liked the Montmaray Journals series, and in particular The FitzOsbornes at War, as this book is also set in World War II. And although it was a bit slow to get into, because of the number of different characters and the fact that the perspective jumps between the characters, I really, really liked this book. I liked it enough that I’ve already purchased the second book in The Cazalet Chronicles, Marking Time.

If you’re interested in the book, it was just released as an e-book on April 27, so you can now read The Light Years, and the other books in the series, as well.

The Golden Road by Lucy Maud Montgomery

This book follows the same characters as The Story Girl. It ranks among my favorites by Montgomery. It was a sweet ending to the story of the King children. I just really find Montgomery’s books to be such sweet and easy to read books, that I like to pick them up after reading really difficult (because of subject matter or writing style) books.

C.S. Lewis: A Life Inspired by Christopher Gordon

I read and loved Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series. And I’ve downloaded a couple of his other books onto my Kindle, and just haven’t read them yet. So I was excited to learn a bit about Lewis.  And The Life Inspired series is a wonderful way to get a picture of a person. C.S. Lewis’s journey from atheist to Christian is fascinating.

Paradise by Toni Morrison

2016 PopSugar Challenge: a book from Oprah’s Book Club

To be honest, I’m not a huge Oprah fan. So I really had no idea what books she recommends. I googled to find a list, and happened to see this one on the list. I’d previously bought the book from my local library at their annual book fair. It’s always a great opportunity to pick up some literature from all genres at great prices, and is fundraiser for the library to boot. And it meant not buying a new book to knock out one of my PopSugar categories. Win, win!

In any event, this book is unusual, but worth sticking it out for. The sections are each told by different characters. It was a good book, but it was one that I had trouble staying with and getting through.

WordPress: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide! by Andrew Johansen

and

WordPress Made Super Simple by Jack Davies

I picked both of these books up for free on Kindle when I was getting ready to convert my site to a new theme. I wanted to make sure that I at least understand the basics of WordPress and websites. These books are great for absolute beginners. I picked up a few tips for them, but they aren’t really for anyone who has been using WordPress for any length of time. Good starter books though.

Waiting on God by Andrew Murray

This devotional is a daily devotional, with short chapters. I listened to each entry in the morning while driving to court in other counties. The book was published in the 19th century, but the teachings and challenges met in the book are equally applicable today.

Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind by Anne Charnock

2016 PopSugar Challenge: a romance set in the future

I delayed writing about this novel because I don’t quite know what to say about it. The book jumps between three stories set in three different time periods. I thought that they might be tied together and unified, but it just never happened. And essentially the book just ends, there seems to be no overarching theme or plot. It just baffled me. But the characters were strong females, and were written well. I just don’t know where this was supposed to go or why. I counted it for the challenge because there is an element of romance set in the future.

The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen

This book was not tough to read, but it was tough to keep reading. What I mean by that is the subject matter was depressing and confusing, not because it was poorly written (it isn’t) but because it’s told from the perspective of a child confused about his strange world and trying to make sense of it. The story becomes more positive and uplifting at the end, but only after it travels through some really dark territory. And the characters never do totally redeem themselves because of their tendency toward sacrificing the daughter for the sons. Troubling to me. But worth a read nonetheless.

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay 

I absolutely loved this novel, and can’t wait to read more by Katherine Reay! This book was recommended by Crystal Paine over at Money Saving Mom, and even listed as one of her favorite books of 2015, but some of the reviews turned me off from purchasing it months ago. But my friend Carrie raved about how much she enjoyed it, so I hopped on it when it went on sale on Amazon. And I am so glad that I did.

It is written as a series of letters from bibliophile Sam to her anonymous scholarship benefactor, Mr. Knightley. You can see her growth as a person from insecure child trying to push everyone away, into a strong young woman wanting the most out of life. It’s inspiring, and a definite feel-good novel. And it gave me some great recommendations for further reading, through Sam’s references to them throughout the book. In particular, look for Oliver Twist in next month’s reviews.

Florence Nightingale: A Life Inspired by Lynn M. Hamilton 

These books work great to listen to while I’m driving. They’re engaging, with short chapters and I always learn something about an interesting individual. I had obviously heard of Florence Nightingale, but hearing of her was about as far as my knowledge of her went. She was a real pioneer in nursing and sanitation, as well as a thought-leader in her generation, feats even more impressive as she was a woman. I recommend this book, and all of the Life Inspired books. They are very well written. 

Stars Upside Down by Jennie Goutet

2016 PopSugar Challenge: an autobiography

Part travelogue, part faith journey, part autobiography, this book was great! The way that the author tells her story, I could definitely relate to her, even though she’s gone through some extreme hardships and unusual circumstances in her life. I enjoyed it enough that I started following her blog, and would likely read more of her books.

 

Books Abandoned:

None.