My Top 10 Books: Summer Reading
Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul. -Joyce Carol Oates
Have you read any good books lately? This summer has been a good one for reading, and I’ve been taking notes so I could share with you. In this post, I’ve listed the ten books I’ve read since I last posted my spring book reviews. I enjoy writing these posts so I think I’m going to make it a quarterly tradition on the blog. I hope you’ll find them useful!
Below, you’ll find a wide variety of genres from non-fiction and fiction. Some, but not all of the titles were given to me by publishers for review purposes—but all opinions are my own.
By the way, I’m on Goodreads. Are you too? If so, let’s connect over there too!
Note…Amazon affiliate links may be used throughout this post. If you click on a link and buy a book, I receive a small portion of the proceeds at no additional cost to you. Thank you! For full disclosure, click HERE
Fiction Favorites
Ticket to Tomorrow by Carol Cox | Historical Romance
About: Annie Trenton has two goals when she travels to the dazzling White City...
First and foremost, she is determined to see her late husband Will's genius recognized by displaying his last invention, a horseless carriage, at the great exposition. She arrives in Chicago with Will's absent-minded partner, Silas Crockett, thrilled at the idea that millions of fairgoers will be able to see and admire their innovative creation.
Secondly, she hopes to heal the breach between herself and her in-laws. Sorrow over being the reason for the estrangement between Will and his parents has haunted her ever since his death.
Her plans never included feeling an attraction to Nick Rutherford--Silas's handsome nephew who is a performer with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show...
...or learning that her in-laws are scheming to steal the rights to Will's invention...
...or an innocent mix-up at the station that will throw her, Nick, and Silas into a world of deceptions, conspiracies, and danger.
When Annie's keen powers of observation threaten to expose a devious international plot to gain Cuba's independence, more than her exhibition plans hang in the balance. Will Annie be able to uncover the truth before disaster strikes ?
Ticket to Tomorrow is the first book in Carol Cox's A FAIR TO REMEMBER, a three-book series set during an extraordinary moment in American history.
Step into the beauty, wonder...and danger of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
My Review: The Columbian Exposition in Chicago is such a fun setting for this exciting book. I loved the intrigue and historical details. The author obviously did a lot of research, and it was a sweet love story with some excitement, all of which made this book super enjoyable.
You Again by Amanda Waters | Contemporary Romance
About: The summer before her senior year of high school, Rosalee fell in love with George. By the next summer, George had broken her heart, and Rosalee was sure she'd never see him again.
Forty years and a lifetime later, Rosalee's quiet, predictable life is turned upside down when she runs into George at a restaurant and discovers he's moved to town. George wants to reconnect, and while Rosalee's head isn't so sure that's a good idea, her heart is saying something different.
It's a story about first love and second chances, family, friendship, and living life to the fullest.
My Review: You Again is a late-in-life romance that is incredibly sweet, while also feeling very real. I loved the character of Rosalee. The story goes back and forth between the past and the present in a way that's very well done. This story was like a warm hug. I highly recommend it.
The Trouble With Love by Toni Shiloh | Contemporary Romance
About: I, Holiday Brown, have it all. A platinum record. Multi-million dollar home in Manhattan that I share with my two best friends. Life is looking fantastic until my roommate’s brother decides to bunk in our guestroom while his house gets renovated.
W. Emmett Bell has always been the bane of my existence. He’s annoying, stubborn, a know it all, and just might be the most gorgeous man I’ve ever laid eyes on. But I refuse to fall for him. But when his sister’s threatened by a stalker, dynamics change. His unwavering faith isn’t quite as self-righteous as I’d always thought, and maybe he has a good side I’ve overlooked all these years.
Or maybe it’s all too much trouble.
The Trouble With Love is the first book in the Christian Chick Lit series: Faith & Fortune.
My Review: Holiday Brown is a character that's extremely endearing. She had me rooting for her throughout the whole book. I loved the humor, the glamor, and the romance of this story. I also loved how God was included as a real and loving presence, in a completely natural and non-religious way. It was refreshing. I highly recommend this book and I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series.
Window on the Bay by Debbie Macomber | Contemporary Romance
About: Jenna Boltz’s life is at a crossroads. After a messy divorce from her surgeon husband nearly twenty years ago, she raised her two children on her own, juggling motherhood with her beloved job as a Seattle intensive-care nurse. Now that Paul and Allie have gone to college and moved out, Jenna can’t help but wonder what her future holds.
Her best friend, Maureen, is excited for Jenna’s newfound independence. Now is the perfect time to finally book the trip to Paris they’ve been dreaming of since their college days. But when it comes to life’s other great adventure—dating—Jenna still isn’t sure she’s ready to let love in . . . until an unexpected encounter begins to change her mind.
When Jenna’s elderly mother breaks her hip, Dr. Rowan Lancaster saves the day. Despite his silent, stoic exterior, Rowan is immediately smitten with Jenna. And even though Jenna is hesitant about becoming involved with another surgeon, she has to admit that she’s more than a little intrigued. But when Jenna’s children approach her with shocking news, she realizes that she needs to have faith in love and embrace the unexpected—before the life she has always dreamed of passes her by.
My Review: I loved the strong sense of place this book had. Seattle is my hometown, and it was fun reading about familiar places. This was a sweet story--not just a romance, but also about family, forgiveness, and trust. I highly recommend it.
Far Side of the Sea by Kate Breslin | Historical Romance
About: In spring 1918, Lieutenant Colin Mabry, a British soldier working with MI8 after suffering injuries on the front, receives a message by carrier pigeon. It is from Jewel Reyer, the woman he once loved and who saved his life--a woman he believed to be dead. Traveling to France to answer her urgent summons, he desperately hopes this mission will ease his guilt and restore the courage he lost on the battlefield.
Colin is stunned, however, to discover the message came from Jewel's half sister, Johanna. Johanna, who works at a dovecote for French Army Intelligence, found Jewel's diary and believes her sister is alive in the custody of a German agent. With spies everywhere, Colin is skeptical of Johanna, but as they travel across France and Spain, a tentative trust begins to grow between them.
My Review: Far Side of the Sea: Far Side of the Sea is a delightful story full of adventure, mystery, and romance. I loved the characters and I enjoyed the fast pace that kept me turning the pages. There are also some sweet spiritual truths that weave their way into the plot. I was surprised and happy with the ending and I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.
Non-Fiction Favorites
Generations: The History of America’s Future by William Strauss and Neil Howe | Social Science
About: Hailed by national leaders as politically diverse as former Vice President Al Gore and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Generations has been heralded by reviewers as a brilliant, if somewhat unsettling, reassessment of where America is heading.
William Strauss and Neil Howe posit the history of America as a succession of generational biographies, beginning in 1584 and encompassing every-one through the children of today. Their bold theory is that each generation belongs to one of four types, and that these types repeat sequentially in a fixed pattern. The vision of Generations allows us to plot a recurring cycle in American history -- a cycle of spiritual awakenings and secular crises -- from the founding colonists through the present day and well into this millenium.
Generations is at once a refreshing historical narrative and a thrilling intuitive leap that reorders not only our history books but also our expectations for the twenty-first century.
My Review: This book was written in 1991 and its’ predictions about the future (which are now our present) are remarkably accurate. I devoured this book, and couldn't put it down for the few days that it took me to read. It explains so much about human behavior and history by picking up on repeating generational patterns. I highly recommend it.
The Strawberry Statement: Notes of a College Revolutionary by James Simon Kunen | Memoir
About: The student rebellions of the 1960s caught through the eyes of a Columbia College undergraduate during the spring of 1968. A classic that sold 35,000 copies in hardcover, The Strawberry Statement retains its appeal to college students sensitive to the world's injustices while confronting their own adult future.
My Review: As a reader in 2020, I found this book about the 1968 Columbia riots quite interesting. It seemed as if it could have been written today to describe current events with the racial justice protests. James Kunen writes in an engaging fashion and includes many humorous moments. I appreciated the look into the thinking of a college revolutionary from a time in the past. It showed that history has a way of repeating itself.
Inspired Mama by Sez Kristiansen | Self-Help/Motherhood
About: Inspired Mama is the ultimate mind, body, and lifestyle guide for women seeking to live their best life in motherhood. As mothers, women tend to give up on their personal dreams and emotional self-care in order to take care of their families. Too often, we end up giving in to social pressures and external expectations rather than living the life we dream about, a life of freedom and inspiration.The truth is freedom is the highest vibrational element that every woman must embody to live an extraordinary life, but it’s harder than ever to embody freedom as a mother. Inspired Mama empowers women to align with their best life through self-reflection, intentional manifestation, and wanderlust, so you can heal yourself and your family through your own spiritual self-care. In this book, you’ll discover how to free your mind, body, and spirit so you can live an authentic lifestyle customized for the amazing woman you are.
My Review: Inspired Mama encourages the reader to listen to their intuition in the path toward finding the life they want. The author tells her story of how she didn't settle, but actively sought out a life that aligned with her core emotions and goals (after hitting a low point). I appreciated the advice in this book--as evidenced by how many many pages I have marked and notes in the margins. It's called Inspired Mama, but I would recommend it for not just mamas, but anyone who wants to live a more intentional life of purpose. The author is not writing from a Christian worldview, and she did make some statements that are in opposition to my own Christian beliefs, but I was able to leave what I didn’t agree with and take the rest.
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch | Nutrition/Self-Help
About: When it was first published, Intuitive Eating was revolutionary in its anti-dieting approach. The authors, both prominent health professionals in the field of nutrition and eating disorders, urge readers to embrace the goal of developing body positivity and reconnecting with one’s internal wisdom about eating―to unlearn everything they were taught about calorie-counting and other aspects of diet culture and to learn about the harm of weight stigma. Today, their message is more relevant and pressing than ever. With this updated edition of the classic bestseller, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch teach readers how to:
• Follow the ten principles of Intuitive Eating to achieve a new and trusting relationship with food
• Fight against diet culture and reject diet mentality forever
• Find satisfaction in their food choices
• Exercise kindness toward their feelings, their bodies, and themselves
• Prevent or heal the wounds of an eating disorder
• Respect their bodies and make peace with food―at any age, weight, or stage of development
• Follow body positive feeds for inspiration and validation
. . . and more easy-to-follow suggestions that can lead readers to integrate Intuitive Eating into their everyday lives and feel the freedom that comes with trusting their inner wisdom―for life.
My Review: This is a book that teaches the reader to take a counter-cultural approach to their relationship with food. No more dieting. No guilt. Trust your body's signals. I'll admit, I had a hard time with this idea at first, but the author presented a clear case and backed it up with studies and evidence. I have been applying the principles and appreciate the new outlook I've gained. I've become more accepting and gentle with myself. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has a complicated relationship with food.
Too Good to Be False by Tom Gilson | Christian Apologetics
About: What if we take the story of Jesus seriously—as a story? Skeptics urge us to do that—it’s “only a story,” they say, a legend just like many other god-stories from ancient days. Why do we treat it as anything more than that? Too Good To Be False takes up that question with an approach no author has taken in close to a century. This book shows that although the skeptics’ question may be a fine one, the answer they give is as far from truth as it could be. Jesus’ character is unlike any other. No other hero—whether of history, myth, imagination, or legend—has loved as he loved, led as he led, cared as he cared, or understood himself as Jesus understood himself. Christians reading this book will encounter Jesus in fresh, worshipful new ways, and skeptics may discover his character is too unique, too consistent, and entirely too good to be false. Includes a study guide for small group discussion.
My Review: Too Good to be False is a Christian apologetics book that's rigorous in its' intellectual approach to the author's stated purpose: to show how Jesus' character proves he is God. The arguments stay true to logic and the author brings out several points that I hadn't thought about in quite the same way before. I appreciated this deep dive into the character of Jesus and I closed the book with a greater sense of awe and love for who he is. For both Christians and skeptics, I highly recommend this book.
Thank you for taking a look at my list. Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
Now, please let me know if you have any book recommendations!
