Hi Friends! I love fall. Period. For all of its beauty, but also because it allows a return to routine, which in turn allows more time for reading. Since I’ve started listening to books on audio, my reading capacity has more than doubled. And you can probably guess that I believe that more time with a book, however it happens, is always a good thing.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

I wish I could say I liked this one more than I did. I have tried: this was my second go-round, having read it once years ago. This time I tried it on audio. But despite Juliet Stevens’s excellent narration, I gave it only three stars on Goodreads. I know it’s some readers’ favorite Austen for its quiet dignity and sophisticated themes. But somehow the characters and the pacing fail to light my fire.

Out to Lunch by Stacey Hallis

I was looking for a palate cleanser, something light to consume after a heavy read. At first I liked this one’s breezy tone, but as soon as the main character jumped into bed with a guy on the zero-th date, I knew we were through. Which made me realize that that particular scenario is a deal-breaker for me.

Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum

I thought the lack of punctuation for dialogue would bother me, but it did not. The narrative is so gripping, I hardly noticed what was missing. Rough and gritty, this book (for sure) is not for everyone. More graphic than I would prefer, but powerfully written and not without hope.

The Lost Girls by Heather Young

Time-slip novel with parallel plotlines. Compelling story masterfully told.

The Louder Song: Listening for Hope in the Midst of Lament by Aubrey Sampson

Powerful lessons here on what it means to lament. A must-read for every Christian woman who has known grief, loss, and heartache.

Farming Grace: A Memoir of Life, Love, and a Harvest of Faith by Paula Scott

A memoir filled with such dramatic twists and turns that, were it fiction, readers would have a hard time suspending disbelief. But every word is real, in the truest sense, right down to its redemptive conclusion. A gritty love story brimming with brokenness and beauty, told by a natural storyteller.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

I’d heard such great things about The Great Alone that I was really hoping this would be the Kristin Hannah novel to grab me. But alas, it did not. The characters lacked nuance, and while the plot was decidedly unpredictable, it was just too grim for my taste. I like gritty fiction, but this was too unhappy. I was, however, fascinated by the descriptions of the wild that is Alaska. I read the first third and then skimmed the rest to see how it would end.

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

This contemporary mystery got me out of a reading slump. It was the detective and his sidekick that hooked me, much more so than the mystery itself or its cast of colorful characters. This is the first in a series by J.K. Rowling (writing under a pseudonym). Not sure I will continue with the series (a shade too profane for my taste), but this one kept me reading until the end.

Not pictured (because I listened on audio):

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

I loved this. The audio narration is fantastic. Perfectly paced, masterfully drawn characters. Mystery and compelling relational drama wrapped up in one gripping story.

Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 by Mitchell Zuckoff

This book, more than any other post-9/11 experience, allowed me to grieve all that happened on that day and what it’s meant for our nation ever since. September 11, 2001 occurred just six weeks after the birth of my first baby, which meant I experienced that day and those that followed in a postpartum haze. It left me feeling, then and afterwards, somehow detached from the heartbreak that most Americans experienced. I’m grateful to Mitchell Zuckoff for changing that. His book is meticulously researched, masterfully written, containing a wealth of stories revealing what really happened on that life-changing day. I wish I’d read it before we traveled a year ago to NYC, DC, and Pennsylvania. Now I want to return with fresh insights into all that transpired there. Though it’s achingly hard to read (or listen to, as I did on audio), it felt like a way to honor both the fallen and the heroes, who are often one and the same. Highly recommended.

Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center

So much to enjoy about this novel. The only slight burr beneath the saddle was its pervading humanist worldview and slight bends toward revisionist history. Nonetheless, an engaging tale with (mostly) wonderfully likable characters.

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore

Heartbreaking and almost unbelievable. Excellent on audio.

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