Looking back at my reading in September, it was a mixed bag. On one hand, I read 16 books, which is more than I read in August. But more than one-third of the books I read were 2- or 3-star books, and that makes me sad. I don’t usually have that many lower-rated books because I have no problem with abandoning a book if I’m not enjoying it. I pressed through on all of these, though, for various reasons that I’ll talk about below. On the other hand, more than a third of the books I read were five star reads! As I said, a mixed bag. Sometimes you have to wade through the muck to get to the good stuff.
The Best Book I Read
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I forget who recommended this book, but I’m so glad I tried it. I feel the need to give the same disclaimer to this book as I have given to Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt: The book opens with an animal that seems to be more human than animal, making you think the book will end up being a different kind of book. But the human-like animal is an anomaly and ends up being a lovely aspect of the book.
The characters in this book are all full-fledged and wonderfully developed. They also change over the course of the book in ways that are realistic and beautiful. There are several laugh out loud moments, which is rare for me when listening to a book. I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you enjoy character-centered books driven by a deeply morbid sense of humor, this is your book.
Disclaimer: There is a LOT of death in this book. Not only the characters remembering past deaths, but also people actively dying (in sudden and unexpected ways) throughout the course of the book. There is also mention of child abuse and self-harm. Proceed with caution. (But also, if at all possible, READ IT!)
The Worst Book I Read
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
My rating: ⭐⭐
I still remember my visceral reaction to reading Gone Girl. The plot twist in the book shocked me, and I still remember it, over a decade later. AS a result, I was excited to read another book by the same author, especially after I heard it referenced in a nonfiction book I also read this month. Sadly, this book does not exist in the same universe as Gone Girl. I hated the narrator. It had sexual content that was overly graphic, was borderline inappropriate, and did not, in my opinion, serve the story.1 If you still want to read it, here’s the premise: A journalist returns to her hometown to write a store on a murder that appears to have been committed by a serial killer. She has a complicated relationship with her mom. As she learns more about the crime, details of her past begin to emerge. There is a major plot twist. I think the biggest problem for me was that I didn’t like any of the characters at all.
Spiritual Books
The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I read this book almost 20 years ago and hadn’t revisited it since. This version is so easy to read and would be perfect for teens or even reading aloud to younger kids. Christian got a bunch of copies to give away at the free resource table at church and they have been going like hotcakes.
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book is a must-read for every Christian. I thought I had already read it, but if I did, I very much needed to be reminded of what was in its pages. I was challenged and encouraged by every chapter in this book and took so many notes of things I’d like to do to enhance not just my specific quiet time each day but also things I’d like to incorporate throughout my day to seek the Lord better.
Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed by Donald S. Whitney
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book is not just an abridged version of the previous book, although there is a good bit of overlap. I wanted to read this one to see if it would be a good book to recommend. It has almost 100 1-2 page ideas of ways to simplify your spiritual life. I read many pages each day, but if you are in a season of discouragement, you could just read one idea every few days and attempt to put them into practice, and I think you’d find yourself encouraged and refreshed.
Fiction Books
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Many people loved this book. This book was fine. As fiction books go, I’d widely recommend it. It’s essentially a murder mystery set in Scotland with a scientist trying to help reintroduce wolves back into the wild. Unfortunately, it has some very unrealistic scenarios that made it hard for me to enjoy.
Never Flinch by Stephen King
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
I have loved all of King’s book that feature Holly, and so I was really excited about this one. I was disappointed. The premise of the plot was interesting. It was very clear King was trying to make a political statement about gender, women’s rights, and abortion with this book, and I’m fine with that, but it just felt extremely heavy-handed. I also found the ending more contrived than King’s books usually are. I really feel like you could omit this book from the Holly repertoire and not be missing anything.
Thinner by Richard Bachman/Stephen King
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
This is a lesser known Stephen King book, probably because he wrote it under his pen name. It was available on Libby when I wanted to read a fiction book so I went for it. This book was a total slog. It’s very Stephen King, and I usually enjoy his writing, but I didn’t enjoy this one. My husband said that it was turned into a movie that is also very bad.
Nonfiction Books
Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Carpool Detectives: A True Story of Four Moms, Two Bodies, and One Mysterious Cold Case by Chuck Hogan
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I read an article about the women in this book and knew I’d want to read about their work. I could easily see myself and a few close friends getting sucked into a case in the same way they did (although I’m not sure we have the skills and background to do the kind of work they did). I could relate so well to these moms trying to fit this work in around parenting responsibilities as well as why they felt compelled to do something so intellectually stimulating amid the often mundane aspects of motherhood. I also enjoyed seeing how they managed to get information out of people when those in the criminal justice system (who were almost all men) couldn’t.
What’s on Her Mind: The Mental Workload of Family Life by Allison Daminger
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was probably my second-favorite nonfiction book this month. It is an academic book with lots of research language but I found it highly accessible. It was affirming to read someone writing about how the way we use our minds to manage our homes and kids is just as tiring as the way we use our bodies. While the author did find that more women than men carry the mental load in marriages with children, this is not an anti-man book. She also has a lot of great thoughts on what to do if you’re not happy with how the cognitive load is divided in your marriage.
Anatomy of a Con Artist: The 14 Red Flags to Spot Scammers, Grifters, and Thieves by Johnathan Walton
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
On one hand, this book has a lot of great information in it. However, I listened to the audiobook, which was read by the author, and I did not enjoy the narration at all. The author, who is also one of the creators of Shark Tank, is open about how he was duped by a con artist himself but also seems to “think more highly of himself than he ought to think.” I found him obnoxious, and I found the book highly repetitive throughout. It’s possible the print book is not as repetitive and that his seemingly constant references to other parts of the book was only added for the audiobook. For this one, I’d say that if you’ve ever been conned, this is an encouraging book, but read the print version.
The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy by Andrea Dunlop
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Before I had even finished this book I had shared it with my two friends who are in what I refer to as my “book cult.”3 I knew they would love it and they both did, as did I. The three stories in this book—all about mothers who made their own children, and in some cases themselves, sick on purpose—are absolutely bananas.
Blood in the Water: The Untold Story of a Family Tragedy by Casey Sherman
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
I love a good true crime book and this looked like a solid read. It was fine. It tells the story of a family for whom the term dysfunctional is a great understatement. Many trigger warnings come along with it.
Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show by Bethany Joy Lenz
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I never watched One Tree Hill, but I remember when it was on. You don’t have to have watched the show to be sucked into the drama of Lenz’s story of being ensnared by a small religious cult. I consider myself a bit of an autodidact when it comes to learning about cults and this is one of the best cult memoirs I’ve ever read. My favorite part was at the end of the book when she reflects on her experience and says that the best way to know if your community is a cult is to consider what happens when you ask questions. While I’ve never been involved in a cult, we have been part of toxic church cultures where asking questions about leadership decisions had negative repercussions (in one case, Christian getting fired).
The Book on Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well by Paula LaRocque
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I read this book in college when I was studying journalism. I still have it, along with several other writing books. I have wanted to dive into some of these books as I’ve been working on writing this Substack, and this book was one of the books I tried to finish this summer. I didn’t get all the way through it this summer, but I did manage to finish it this month. I found each chapter to either stretch my skills or just remind me of things I already knew. If you are someone who wants to write better, this book will help!
As always, I’d love to hear what you read this month. Anything you loved? Anything you hated? Reply to the email or let me know in the comments!
I’ve said this elsewhere, but I don’t mind sexual content in a book as long as it makes sense in the context of the story. People have sex in real life, so it’s not surprising that they have sex in books. But I don’t need it to be overly graphic and I do need to understand why the sex scene is included. I avoid books that use sexual scenes as a means of entertainment.
One of the great things about being a Christian who also believes in using my brain is that I am not afraid to read books by people who I don’t fully agree with.
My book cult consists of me and two friends and consists of me telling them periodically about books they should read and hoping they also like the books.
I love your mixed bag!! Great collection-several I probably won't read, but some I will. Thank you!
Girl, you got a gift! It is fascinating how quickly you can read and regurgitate. Way to use your passion and gifting to give back to the world. Love ya, sis!