HAPPY READING

I think I said I wanted to do a book post once a month.  I see that I made it one month in a row. 🤦🏻‍♀️ February sort of chewed me up, and March has already been a bit of a wild ride.  🤷🏻‍♀️ I also haven't been able to read as much a normal, though I am starting to gain momentum in 2019, which feels good.  These are books I read in the later half of last year, and they are a lighter crop on the whole, though I am including one non-fiction read that is the opposite of light.

Several years ago, I started reading the Chief Inspector Gamache Series by Louise Penny.  There are currently 14 books, and they should be read in order.  I LOVE this series and want to move to the fictional Canadian village where they are mostly set.  It seems like a wonderful place except for the murder rate.  Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy talks about these all the time, and she sums it up by saying that the first one is a little slow, 2 and 3 are kind of weird murders, and 4 is where is the series really hits its stride.  I love the characters, and the writing is compelling on several levels.

A super light, breezy read that I enjoyed is When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandy Menon.  This is young adult, and I appreciated the themes of identity and family woven throughout this love story and found it interesting to learn a bit more about the Indian culture in America.  And sometimes it is nice to read something without feeling like you need to scrub your brain from all the trauma throughout.

Another slightly more YA book that I loved was Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson.  This one starts with some grief and that theme carries throughout, because the main character has just lost her father.  It feels like an accurate representation of what that loss entails as well as a story of learning to love in the midst of that.  I also really liked the road trip component and their first trip to a Chick-fil-A.

This is What Happy Looks Like - with a title like that, you better believe it has some happiness woven throughout, which I appreciated.  Another YA book - I didn't even realize that I had chosen three in a row until I started writing this post - this is a love story between a movie star and a small town girl that starts up unexpectedly through email.  That sounds like a cheesy premise, but the exchanges are witty, hopeful and heartbreaking.  This book kept me entertained and engaged throughout!

For something totally different, you might try The Night Circus.  I had a hard time getting into this book the first time I tried, but I went back to it, because it was narrated by the same person who read the Harry Potter audiobooks, for which I have an undying affection.  When I revisited it, I fell in love with the characters (magicians), the unique setting (a fantastical circus) and the mystery surrounding what would happen.  It takes your imagination on a journey and let's you picture beautiful concepts all along the way.  I ended up loving it!

For my final pick this round, I highly recommend A Grace Disguised.  I think this is the best book I've ever read that addresses grief and loss.  In one car accident, the author loses his mother, his wife and his young daughter and is left as a widower to raise his remaining three children.  These are his reflections written about 3 years after the accident, and it is beautifully full of trust in the Lord in the midst of horrific pain.  It was a challenging read for me, because I am pain averse, but my counselor recommended this, and it turned out to be one of my most meaningful reads of 2018.

So that's my latest round up!  Mostly happy with a giant dose of sad there at the end.  Let me know your latest favorites!