I Can Do Hard Things with God (Ganel-Lyn Condie)

Why I have this book: I recently purchased it because it looked good.

I really liked this book. I admit the first story had a part that was difficult for me to read (although others might not be bothered by it), but I tried to put it into a frame that I could understand and that helped.

Each chapter was written by a different author, and each described their journey through a particular trial and how their relationship with God sustained them.

I liked that most of them didn't sugar coat how difficult it was. I liked that they pointed out the things that people said that weren't helpful. One author was somewhat sarcastic, and I liked that, too. It was good to hear the honest emotions behind the "I'm fine" and the distance we often keep when we are hurting.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants some perspective on life and anyone who wants to read about hope in action.

Clean.

Lost Melody (Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith)

Why I have this book: It was deep in the archives on my Kindle. I'm guessing I got it when it was up on a discount (or maybe even free.)

I felt compelled to keep reading this book to find out what big thing was going to happen. I knew it was coming and I was curious to know what happened. Then it happened and I was like, "Oh."

But "curious" is different than really caring, and I never really cared that much about anyone in the book, except maybe the mom and grandma. I even read the alternate ending on the website, because I was curious again. Haha. The ending that was published was much better, but either way, I'm still not sure the point of the story. The whole "dream" stuff was just weird to me, especially because I just don't see the moral of the story.

Anyway, that's about all I can say.

Clean.

Francesca's Kitchen (Peter Pezzelli)

Why I have this book: It had been on my Wish List for quite a while, then it came up on Book Bub. I bought it for only $2.51. :)

I really enjoyed this book about a widowed Italian grandma who takes on a nanny/babysitter position. It was kind of predictable at the end, but it was such a fun read along the way. I thought Mr. Pezzelli did a great job being the voice of the women in this novel.

This is the second book by the author that I've read. I'll read more, for sure.

Clean, although the characters use the Lord's name on occasion as an exclamation of emotion. There is a scene where it is implied that an unmarried couple spends the night together.

A Spool of Blue Thread (Anne Tyler)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library… mostly because I liked the cover. You might think it ties into a quilting series, kind of like, say, "Cobble Court Quilts," but you would be wrong. There is no quilting in this book. There's not even much sewing.

In any case, I'm not sure what to say. I liked it, and it kept my interest… but I'm not really sure what it was about. I mean, it was about a family, but it didn't seem to have a specific storyline. And I really was perplexed and a little bothered by the ending.

But Anne Tyler books tend to be a little on the quirky side, so if you like her other books, you would probably like this one, too.

There was some occasional swearing and one couple in the book had some risqué moments... but nothing graphic and those parts were mostly awkward-like. Haha...

The Year of the Book (Andrea Cheng)

Why I have this book: It was one of the books on Book Bub… I thought it sounded cute and it was only $1.99…

I did enjoy it. I was reminded of books I read in elementary school, which is the target audience with this one, so…

It ended a bit abruptly, but it's first in a series, so I could continue on if I want to. I might wait and see if my daughter likes it (in a year or two, when this will be her reading level) and then we'll see if she wants the other books in the series.

One thing I found perplexing is that twice in the book, kids walking home from school were kicking a "sweet gum ball" as they walked. The first time, I didn't think anything of it… just figured there was a gum ball on the sidewalk and the girl was kicking it. But then it happened again later, and that confused me. Why are there gum balls on the street? Or do the kids bring gum balls, just to drop on the sidewalk to kick as they walk? I didn't get it.

All in all, though, I enjoyed the book. I especially liked that the protagonist loved to read and the book talked about which books she was reading. It would give young readers some ideas on what to read next. :)

Clean.

Painting Kisses (Melanie Jacobson)

Why I have this book: One of our book club members chose it for this month's book.

I'll be honest… I had a hard time getting into this story for about the first 1/4 of the book.

I've read two other books by this author and I consider them mindless beach reads. Escape books. You know what I mean. I think this one ended up with more depth than the other two I've read, so that's a plus.

Still, there were parts of the story that were pretty predictable, and I'm never that impressed when being wealthy is a part of the appeal of a character. It wasn't played that way, but maybe because that doesn't attract me, I think it shouldn't come into play at all. But that's just me. ;)

Anyway, once I got past that first 25% of the book and felt a little more invested, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I still would call it an escape book… in fact, I had a migraine all day today and was still able to read it… so see, it's that kind of a book. A light, mindless read… but with just a touch more depth than I expected.

Clean.

It Was Me All Along (Andie Mitchell)

Why I have this book: I heard about it somewhere and had added it to my Wish List… then a friend mentioned she had read it and really liked it, so I took the jump and bought it. :)

I really liked this memoir, which is some ways reminded me of The Glass Castle, only maybe not quite as traumatic. And once the childhood trauma was over, the rest of the book was about the author's struggle with food and weight.

The author is a popular blogger, from what I gather. And if I'm remembering correctly, she has authored a food blog and maybe also a weight loss blog? I'm not sure on what the blog (or blogs) have been about, exactly. And I obviously haven't taken the time to go see…

In any case, I enjoyed her story a lot. It was an interesting glimpse into the mind games we play as we go through life and it's challenges. I also enjoyed her writing style… it was easy to get into.

There was a handful of swear words, including the F-word once or twice.