Tag Archives: Books

What I’ve Been Reading – November 2018

I was doing REALLY good in August and then….It’s been a struggle to read these past few months. I know the holidays are just around the corner and it’s a crap-shoot as to whether I have more or less time to read. I was thinking there’s no way I’m going to read my 35 book goal for this year, but I’m at 31….so I’m hopeful!

FAVORITE FICTION BOOK

This is always so hard! I love fiction, especially historical fiction and I managed several of them this fall. I’m going to have to be completely cheesy and say that To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was my favorite. Yes, I know. I’m rolling my eyes while typing this. The rest of the fictions I’ve read were all great and I enjoyed most of them, but ATBILB was just a goofy, girly read.

My sister and I watched the movie on Netflix and both thought it was a fun, fluffy movie…and can we just say give all the heart eyes to Noah Centineo. The writing and the story were nothing spectacular, nothing surprising, but it was just a heartwarming teen romantic comedy. Something that just struck a chord in the teen girl in each of us.

Jane of Austin was right there with ATBILB, and honestly I may have loved a bit more. I’ve loved everything I’ve read my Hillary Manton Lodge. Her stories and characters are endearing and her knack for incorporating food and recipes is exquisite, not to mention very yummy. I’ve always had great success with ANY of her recipes.

 

FAVORITE NON-FICTION BOOK

By default the Clarkson Ladies have it, The Lifegiving Home. I honestly haven’t read much by any of the Clarksons that I didn’t love, but The Lifegiving Home was a different read. Month by month Sally and Sarah go through how they make a house a home, which is perfect for this time of year.

We’ve actually been going through TLH with my Raising Generations Today mom group; it’s been a great resource for discussing our homes and what we want our homes to be for our families. It’s a slow, thoughtful read (which is sometimes hard for me), but it would be a great book to take slowly over a year and really think about what you want “home” to mean to your family.

 

THE BOOK I DIDN’T LIKE

Big Little Lies. I tried, really I did. Some of it I liked. Some of it I skipped (like the last 1/4 of it). There was just way too much and it was drawn out and I just wanted to know what had happened. I listened to it on audiobook. I seriously skipped a couple of HOURS of reading, and I didn’t miss anything.

This is the first book of Moriarty’s that I read and people have raved about it for years, especially as her BEST book. I’m thinking I probably won’t pick up another book of her’s again. It’s just not my cup of tea.

 

What have you been reading?

Keep up with what I’ve been reading on GoodReads or Instagram 

(I’ve notated books I’ve read for my book club * and F for Fiction, NF for Non-Fiction, and A if it was an Audiobook).

*This post contains affiliate links. You can read my disclosure policy here.

The Year of Living Happy {a Review}

I seem to get on a roll with reviewing books, then petering off for a while. The great thing about kids’ books is they’re a really fast review!

As Christian we kind of get caught up, sometimes, in this idea that if we’re happy and w enjoying our lives, we must be living a life that it selfish. That somehow we are allowing ourselves to pursue our own pleasures rather than God. God wants us to have a life of joy and happiness, in Him. Alli Worthington‘s new book talks about just that.

In her new book, The Year of Living Happy: Finding Contentment and Connection in a Crazy World, Alli talks about we were made to be happy, that God desires us to be happy and that in being happy we are living for Him.

“My hope for The Year of Living Happy is to bring the truth of Scripture and best of modern research together as a guide to real happiness.” ~ Alli Worthington

This book was so good and so manageable! It’s written in short 1-2 page chapters (100 of them), each of them followed with a short to-do or thoughts to mull over. There is Scripture for us to read and let pour into our hearts and mind.

Alli even digs into the times in our lives when it’s down right HARD to be happy. Maybe life is throwing some rapid fire punches, or everything is really great, but you’re struggling with being happy…there’s a whole chapter for this very real battle.

Whether you’re struggling with being happy or not, this little book has some great information and tips to help you live your happiest life!

**I received this book for free through the BookLookBloggers program….the opinions are my own. You can read my full disclosure policy here.