Books for Breakfast

I'm catching up!  If you create a goal in Goodreads, they keep you updated on your progress. They'll tell you how many books you've read towards that goal, and how many books you are behind or ahead of schedule. I've been behind schedule for a few months now, but I'm catching back up :) All in all I read 6 books in June; not bad. My genres varied as expected: mostly mystery, with non-fiction, contemporary, and romance thrown in.  Cotillion by Georgette Heyer was my last read of the month. This was my second novel by her, and while it didn't end up being what I expected, I enjoyed it nonetheless. I was expecting a regency romance characteristic of Heyer. What I got instead was a humorous narrative of 1800's London, with a dash of romance. I'm looking forward to my next read by this author! The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie is written in the style of my favorite mysteries: a whodunnit. A review I read of this title claimed that you would never...

I think I rather prefer recapping my thoughts on multiple books instead of doing individual reviews. I tend to review books in a unique way: instead of summarizing the book, I get right down to the nitty-gritty. Truth be told, I've never been confident in summarizing the books I read. I either tend to give away the whole plot or end up with a really vague paraphrase that doesn't do it justice. I'll leave it to the people who write the blurbs that go on the dust jackets :)  The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim was introduced to me by my reading-buddy friend. We discussed this one after I finished it and agreed that this title was one we would not have appreciated as younger readers. I think if I had read this even a year ago I would either have abandoned it after the first chapter or trudged my way through it, bored the whole time. Arnim is one of those authors that writes the scenery in such a way you feel you are literally standing there as one of the characters. Ita...

So... I've been slacking on my blog posts. May was a bummer month for me in terms of reading and so I chose to not do a wrap-up. As always, I keep a running list of what I read so if you are curious as to what titles I completed during May, feel free to check out the page at the top of my blog.  Instead of doing individual reviews for the books I've read since I last blogged, I thought I would do a kind of conglomerate post summing them up and any thoughts I had.  Matilda by Roald Dahl was my last read in May. This was a re-read for me; Goodreads says I've read it twice, but I know I read it over and over again as a child. Dahl is one of my favorite children's authors; the way he incorporates measures of fantasy and whimsy into his stories is uncanny. He has such a special place in my heart that I wrote a lesson plan around his novel, The BFG , for my summer course.  Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot was my first read of June. I purchased this book for myself nearl...

Read It And Weep is the fifth installment in the Library Lover's Series by Jenn McKinlay. They are cozy mysteries set in a small town on the east coast. I love reading these kinds of books because they are the ones I don't have to pay too much attention to. The plot is simple and engaging, very much a whodunnit type of setting, and they are just fast-paced enough to keep my attention but not so fast that my heart pounds in my chest :) I tend to use these books as palate cleansers when I find myself in a bit of a book slump or have just finished reading a more intense story. I can get done with them fairly quickly and move on to the next title in my TBR pile... something that is ever-growing. I will say that I did not enjoy this one as much as its predecessors. The author inserted a love triangle into the mix, a trope that I will never feel drawn to. Plus, I found myself irritated through the majority of the book because the main characters refused to communicate. I kept thi...

I've had Eight Perfect Murders on my TBR shelf for a few months now; the synopsis instantly intrigued me because it evoked images of Agatha Christie. The idea of someone committing murders based on a list of "perfect" fictional murders was unique and intriguing. The novel itself, however, ended up falling flat for me. The whole plot ended up feeling like one convoluted story; I was constantly tripping up on names and the various fictional stories mentioned throughout. The main plot regarding the murders intermingled with past histories in a way that ultimately left me feeling confused and lost. Had the information been delivered in a more systematic way, I think the interconnected lives would have made more sense and come across in a creepier way, as I assume it was intended to. The narrator, Malcom Kershaw, was of the unreliable nature. I don't generally enjoy those, but I'm told it makes for more entertaining twists and turns :) There were certain aspects th...

Amish fiction is a niche genre that I enjoy reading very much. The Amish way of life is something of a fascination for me; years ago when I first started reading it, I often wished that I had been born into it. There's just something about the simplicity. I can't quite explain it, but with every book I read, I find myself drawn more and more to it. Someday I would love to go to Pennsylvania and visit the Amish townships there, and pick up an authentic quilt :) The benefits of this genre are that it inspires and convicts me. How can I serve my family better? How can I draw closer to the Lord, simply and sweetly? How can I practice forgiveness more? Usually, the Amish fiction novel contains some kind of romance and that's the kind I enjoy; clean, sweet, and endearing.  The Amish Outsider was a random find on Libby. After a quick perusal, I discovered that unfortunately, I won't be able to feed my habit much without the benefits of a library hold on physical books. ...

I promptly texted my friend "what the crap!" after finishing The Hand on The Wall . The journey through the Truly Devious series has been quite the ride. No doubt if COVID had not happened, I would have devoured the whole trilogy in the span of 2 weeks. Kindle holds are a thing, though, so I had to wait like a peasant (and practice patience) and instead finished the series in a span of several months... no big deal, I guess. It made the enjoyment last longer :) The series surprised me in so many ways and gave me some hope for the ever-expanding YA genre. The Hand on The Wall  was probably my least favorite in the trilogy, a-la Mockingjay style (if you know, you know). I genuinely feel like this last installment could have been parcelled out in such a way that the series could have been a duology. The first half trudged a little because it was basically a litany of Stevie's thoughts. Don't get me wrong, I like getting inside her mind because she is a fascinating char...

This book was an absolute delight; it was like a cup of tea and a warm blanket wrapped up in pages and bound in leather. Except of course, that I read a Kindle edition of this story and not a physical copy... but that's neither here nor there. I read the predecessor, The Bookshop on The Corner , last year and at first blush had no interest in reading the second book. I'll admit, I have a sort of bias towards books that center around an adult woman with a child and relationship problems; it's just not where I'm at in my own life and so I find it hard to relate and thus remain interested. However, I saw this book floating around on Goodreads and decided to give it a try. When my Libby hold finally came in after a couple weeks, I was able to dive headfirst into Scotland and the Loch Ness. This is one of the reasons I adore reading: I can visit new places without even leaving my home. Today, I was able to experience Scotland and London. While it took me several days to com...

And I thought February was hard... This month has been difficult and I pretty much lost all interest in reading about halfway through. So I'd say it's a feat that I managed to read 5 books. I've got my reading mojo back now; I'm still deep in Gone With The Wind and need to get back to regularly reading it. I also started reading Pride and Prejudice again as a comfort read and I'm enjoying it so much. Here's to hoping May is a good month for reading goals! There's not much to say except to list the stats for this month. Since I didn't read that much, I don't have many strong feelings about any of the titles I did read. (Except for In The Woods ; check out my review for it if you want to read some intense feelings...). April Stats 5 total books 4 total authors 2,184 pages read Longest Book: HP and The Goblet of Fire (734 pages) Shortest Book: The Penderwicks (262 pages) Favorite Read: The Penderwicks Least Favorite Read: Mr...

There's nothing quite like finishing a good book on a warm (not quite summer) day. The sun is slowly setting, the birds are happily chirping, and the breeze is cooling the weather down. I can't think of a better story to wrap up than The Penderwicks on Gardam Street. There will be some exciting changes happening in my life this week; exciting but slightly scary! This continues my comfort read-a-thon and it was just what I needed. I loved this continuing storyline of the four Penderwick sisters. Even though the original Penderwick novel will always be near and dear to my heart, the follow-up was just as sweet and endearing. Each sister got their time to shine and the storyline involving their father was well fleshed-out and relatable. I think Birdsall was really able to expand on each sister's personality in this story, and we get glimpses of where she might take them next. I can't really say much more, except please read this sweet story! Stats: Completed: Apr...

 There is comfort in friendship. The Lord has led me to many different ones over the years, some discouraging, but many uplifting. I am so grateful for the friends He has blessed me with now. The ones I can pour my heart out to; the ones that listen with an attentive ear and speak with a quiet wisdom. One of these friends, in particular, is my reading buddy. She is one that I have had many conversations with regarding books, from George Elliot to Jane Austen. I trust her book recommendations and have enjoyed many stories as her suggestion. She has a quiet and steadfast demeanor that is soothing and I am so blessed that she is in my life. This particular season of life has been difficult, not just because of the current world climate. She showed up at my door today with a little care package and my soul felt comforted. It's funny the ways God comforts us; sometimes He does it directly through His peace and sometimes He does it through other people. In the bag were two books: s...

YAY! I've hit 30 books! April has been a really slow month for me. Due to a family tragedy, my interest in reading plummeted. I have not wanted to touch a book for the past couple of weeks. This month has been hard. So when I did decide I wanted to pick up a book again, I wanted something comforting. Comfort reads, for me, are familiar and usually re-reads. I already know what's going to happen, so I'm not surprised or blind-sided. My comfort read this time just so happened to be a childhood favorite, The Penderwicks. I can't tell you how many times I have read this over the years. It's actually a series, with 5 books I think, but I have only read the first two. I think there was just something about the original book that touched my heart and kept me coming back, over and over again. The Penderwicks reminds me of Little Women  in a way. Four sisters, an absent parent, and a boy that becomes a close friend. Each sister has a fully developed character and story...

I have owned this book for approximately 5 years and have only just now read it in its entirety. I would like to use this book to make the case that timing matters when it comes to reading. A novel you read 10 years ago and absolutely abhorred might shine in a different light were you to read it now. In the same way, a book you adored 10 years ago might not hold the same appeal to you now. We change and evolve; our tastes and interests take many paths, and while certain stories might hold sentimental value to us, the reading process will always change. I can't tell you how many times over the years I have picked up Mr. Penumbra ; each time, I get a little farther in the reading, but ultimately put it down out of boredom, disinterest, or simple ambivalence. This weekend, it finally clicked for me. I felt myself in a mini-book slump. I had started Voyage of The Dawn Treader , but really wasn't in the mood to read it. I'm still 30% deep in Gone With The Wind , but again, ...

via weheartit Harry Potter is back for another year of Hogwarts, and this one might be the most exciting yet. The Triwizard Tournament is coming to his school, and with it, comes students from two other magical academies. When his name is put into the Goblet of Fire, declaring him a Hogwarts Champion, alongside three other students, he quickly realizes someone has it out for him... again. I looked forward to diving into Goblet of Fire because the movie was such a fun ride; mazes and mermaids and dragons, oh my! I was curious to see how Rowling would tell the adventurous story of Harry competing in the Tournament. Man, this book was a CHUNK! And it's not even the longest one :) I think this was the first book where I read significant portions that were not included in the movie. I mean, I can't blame the movie writers; like I said, the book is enormous, something had to be cut. Despite the excitement of the plot in this installment, I felt like the story really dragg...

I feel that I should begin this review with two things: first, a spoiler warning; in order for me to fully discuss my thoughts and feelings regarding this book, I gotta drop some big spoilers. Sorry, not sorry :) Second, I would like to share, word for word, the review I left on Goodreads immediately after finishing In The Woods ... "This book MESSED. ME. UP. That is all." After reading so many books in March, it feels like kind of a let down to have only finished one book in what is now the ending of the first week of April. However, I am in the middle of some rather large books; I might be a fast reader, but there is no way I can tear through the 700-page behemoth that is Goblet of Fire  in two days. That being said, my Kindle hold for In The Woods  came in on Sunday, and I felt the complete urge to drop everything I was reading and read it... hey, you only get 14 days! The premise of the book is this: three children go missing in the Knocknaree woods of Ireland. La...

March has been crazy, scary, and confusing; let's be honest! The whole month has been fraught with uncertainty and I'm kinda glad it's over, but reading-wise, it ended up being a banner month for me. I felt like I was transported back when I was a homeschool kid with nothing better to do after finishing her lessons than to curl up on the couch and read for a few hours. On a tangent, my mom used to do this reading program with my sister and I during our summers. It kind of cracks me up now to think about it because in no way did my sister and I need any encouragement to read more than we already did, but I imagine it was a way to keep us focused on more academic things, and away from the T.V. all of the time, even when we were on break. The goal was to read at least a certain number of books between the months of June and August... I want to say it was 60 books but I honestly can't remember. We kept track much like I do right now... a running list of the title, autho...

10 people are invited to a remote island, and one by one, they are killed. The crime seems impossible... could it be that there is a murderer in their midst? Or is there someone else on this island with them?  I managed to squeeze in one more book in the month of March and boy, was it a doozy. All hail the queen of mysteries, Agatha Christie. I've heard that And Then There Were None is one of her finest works. I myself cannot attest to that as this is only my second Christie read, but I can agree that she is a master of complex plots. I devoured this one over the course of 24 hours; I was immediately pulled in and from the start, I found myself guessing on every page as to how the story would play out. The more I read, the more my heart would pound. It was almost like I was on that island with these characters; hunted, alone, and scared. The scariest part of this book, I believe, is the element of humanity. Think about it: when we find ourselves in a tense or stressful situat...

I sped through the last 20% this morning because I literally could not stop reading, it was that wild of a ride. The Vanishing Stair got off a little slower than it's predecessor Truly Devious did, but I'm willing to look past it for the rest of the heart-pounding pages. I literally got to the last page, turned it expecting to get another chapter, and all I got were the "acknowledgments." I looked at the page, flipped back to make sure I hadn't skipped anything, whispered "no," yelled "are you kidding me," and flung my kindle onto the couch... my family can attest to this. But seriously though... what did I just read? Mysteries were solved, new ones arose, David went crazy... so many things happened! This is another case of my kindle riding in on a white horse and saving the day; if I hadn't been able to rent this as an ebook, I would have waited for weeks in utter misery until our library opened up again. The magic of technology! ...

I feel like I should give some credit to this isolation-situation for giving me my reading mojo back. I haven't been able to read a book in two days for a long time... it feels so weird, but also so great because I used to go through books so much faster and now I'm finally getting back to that. The Prisoner of Azkaban might be my favorite HP so far; the story moved so quickly and contained this hype that kept my heart pounding and pushed me to read just one more page ! It was cool to compare the book to the movie and see what they changed and chose to not include. I'm in the group that insists the book is always better than the movie; this book, in particular, did something the movie was not able to do, and that was show the deep relationship between the characters. This ended up being a five-star read for me, but I also didn't come away from it with any really strong thoughts or feelings. I'm enjoying the journey through the HP books for sure, but I think my s...

My Kindle has become a lifesaver to me during this crazy time, let me tell you. Of course, the problem is now everyone and their mother is checking out ebooks because they can't get to a library, so it's slim pickings. Thank goodness for holds; just my luck all the books I want already have holds on them... Anyways, to the review ---> I picked up Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death on my Kindle because I had recently discovered the TV series Grantchester on Amazon (the show is based on the book, FYI). The book is told in a short-story format, I believe there were 6 stories in total? Sidney is a priest in the 1950's, post-war England, living in the small town of Grantchester. James Runcie, the author, has a very simple and straightforward writing style and in the beginning, I found it to be compulsively readable; it was so easy to get through that I could sit still for a good chunk of time and blaze through a story. Once I finished, though, the book ended up be...

(Just a warning, reader, this review might be a little disorganized)... I am not even sure how to efficiently review this book that took me over a month to read! Mere Christianity turned out to be different than I was expecting; I am so glad I buddy-read this with my friend because I don't know that I would have pushed myself to finish it otherwise. Her being a highly intelligent and extremely wise woman of the Lord was the added benefit because I was able to discuss certain aspects of the book with her. I realize I have started off with a clearly negative tone, so I think I should make it clear that I didn't dislike this book; on the contrary, Lewis delivered quite a few "mic-drops" that really hit me hard. However, there was quite a few parts of the book that made me shake my head in disagreement, and in the end, I found his general non-fiction writing style to be a bit grating (more on that later). As a side-note, I think it was perfectly acceptable that I dis...

please enjoy this photo of my squishy, sleepy kitty  Something wicked  devious this way comes...  What did I just read... If someone were to write a book about me, I feel that I could be perceived as equal parts Hermione, Belle (from Beauty and the Beast), and now Stevie Bell. From the very first pages, I found myself identifying with Stevie (except I've got wonderful parents whom I love and tend to agree with on most things...). I have loved mysteries since I devoured the Nancy Drew books as a girl and my interest in that genre has only expanded as I've gotten older, especially when it comes to crime shows and true-crime cases.  I could empathize with Stevie when she described how she felt like no one understood her; like she was an outsider because of this fascination with something that the rest of the world perceives as "morbid." When Stevie would say something awkward or feel like she didn't know how to respond to certain social situations, I wan...

 I am officially done with re-reading the HP books I have already read... all two of them :) But I'm feeling more motivated to continue on with the series so my hopes are high that I will have read the entire series by the end of this year. I have to say, I liked Sorcerer's Stone better; the story seemed to move quicker and I was more engaged with the storyline. I find it funny because in my opinion, the second book is usually better than the first (case in point: Catching Fire vs. Hunger Games). That's not to say I disliked Chamber of Secrets , on the contrary, I enjoyed the level of mystery in this book. I thought Rowling injected a kind of whodunnit air to the story with the integral question "who is Slytherin's heir and who opened the Chamber of Secrets." I think this was the main motivator that kept me moving through the pages. On the other hand, I feel like some scenes kind of dragged in places. Sometimes I put myself in Harry's shoes and thi...

I've been in the mood for a classic whodunnit style mystery and Murder on The Orient Express fit the bill quite nicely. Agatha Christie is an author that has been on my TBR list for a while, especially after watching the movie adaptation of this mystery. I actually didn't know that the movie was based on her novel when I initially saw the trailer for it and I am even more excited to learn that they are filming another Hercule Poirot movie to be released in November of this year. Since I had watched the movie, I already knew the basic plot and conclusion to this story, but as we all know, the books are better. It was interesting to reflect back on the movie as I read, particularly because there was at least one character in the movie that was not in the book. (Why do they do things like this, I wonder? The cast of characters was already perfect...). Christie's writing is so much easier to read than I expected. That fact alone is pretty much the only reason I have stayed ...

via Pinterest Here I am again, about to read my way through the HP series. I've been in this place before, but I never made it past book two. I intended to just continue on with Prisoner of Azkaban but my sister, as self-proclaimed HP lover, insisted that I should go back to the beginning and re-read the first two books since it had been so long since I first read them. Well, don't let it ever be said that I don't take advice from other readers!  The first time I read The Sorcerer's Stone , I was on a camping trip with my family. I spent quite a few hours curled up in a camping chair by the fire devouring it. I quickly made my way through The Chamber of Secrets as well, but something made me stop there, and I can't quite remember what. It probably wasn't anything significant, other than the fact that I am an incredibly moody reader and I moved on to something else. For some reason, the mood struck again right now and I'm plodding along again.  I...

My goal is to finish the Chronicles of Narnia series this year, but preferably within the next few months because they are so small. In this case, I read Prince Caspian in a little over a day. I was able to steal chunks of time here and there, especially when my sister and I went shopping downtown. We hit up a book sale and a couple bookstores and then planned on going to dinner afterward. We got done with our shopping a little too early to go straight to dinner, so we chilled in a coffee shop and each read the respective books we had brought or bought. I can't tell you how many times I have been saved from boredom because I thought to bring a book... and I can't tell you how many times I wanted to die from boredom because when I left the house that day I didn't bring a book, thinking I wouldn't need it. I swear this is how people read 20 books a month... or they just have a lot of free time on their hands :) (And as a side-note, I was very good  and only bought one ...

The more books I read through my Kindle, the more I find myself actually... liking it (gasp). Never would I ever have thought I, Rachel, would be enjoying reading books on an e-reader. I have been staunch in by support of "real books" and high in my judgment of those who read e-books. I'll eat my words and enjoy them, because miracle of miracles, I've been converted. I will still continue to call paper and ink books "real books," but I no longer feel as though that is my only option now. One of the reasons I love Kindle books is because it makes long books easier to tackle. I get to hold something in my hands that is less than an inch thick, versus holding a 3-inch tome. Instead of feeling overwhelmed as to how many pages I have left, I find it easier to simply focus on the page I'm at. I plan to read books like Gone With The Wind and Middlemarch in this way. Another advantage of e-readers, as is the case with my latest read, you can often grab a cop...

 New month, new look! I decided to give this little blog a facelift and I'm really liking the new layout. I've got big plans for this month, mainly getting ready for graduation, commencement, and applying to a teaching credential program. But my big plans also involve big reading plans, and to kick that off, here is my review for my first book read in March. The Mysterious Benedict Society was a re-read for me. I read this years ago, probably when I was 12... maybe 13? I remember absolutely loving it but never finishing the series. All of a sudden this month I was struck with the desire to read this series, and I'm so glad I followed through. This book sucks you in; from the very beginning when we meet Reynie Muldoon and read all about these... well, mysterious , tests he takes. I found myself flipping past page after page, not even registering just how much I had read until much later. I love those kinds of books. The pace does slow down a little in the middle in my ...

February kind of stunk... even with the extra day this year it felt so short and just flew by. There was also some other stuff going on in my life and all that combined meant I only read 6 books this month. I'm still struggling with the distraction; I want to read, but I often get side-tracked by other things and it gets left for last. So my priority this month is to really spend those free minutes reading instead of vegging on something else. Here are my wrap up stats for the month of February. Here's to hoping March is more full! 6 total books 6 total authors 1,244 pages read Longest Book: Caraval @ 407 pages Shortest Book: Bear Has a Story to Tell @ 30 pages Favorite Book: If Least Favorite Book: The Awakening of Miss Prim

I'm just gonna put this out there: I really need to stop buying books I haven't read before. It stinks, because there is nothing like the excitement of buying a new book and the feeling like you are getting yourself into a wonderful new adventure. But too many times over the last year I have found myself buying books with anticipation only to actually read them and wish I had checked them out from the library and saved my money for a favorite book. I think this goes along with my desire to really curate my own book collection... as hard as it is, I really want to try and only buy books that I know I will either share with my own family or read over and over again. I want my collection to reflect myself and my interests, and books that I don't love , don't really fit into that. I could go on for awhile so I'll move onto my review :) Caraval was a solid 3-star read for me. I'm beginning to wonder if I am slowly moving away from the YA genre because I found mys...

I don't think I can add many more thoughts to these well-loved books. This isn't my first time reading these, but I have never completed the entire series and I wanted to start from the beginning. I just love the simplicity with which Lewis tells his stories. In my opinion this really sets these stories up as being perfect for all ages; easy to understand for children, but full of deeper meaning and adventure for adults. I am already picturing reading these to my own children and students someday. I finished the first one in less than a day so I'd say I'm off to a good start :) Stats: Completed: Feb 16 Rating: 5 stars Pages: 186