Books I Read in January

I started January very sick and very pregnant. I did a whole lot of resting which often involved reading or listening to audio books. I sat reading in multiple waiting rooms, I had a few nights where I woke up with contractions and read since I couldn't get back to sleep... It was a good reading month! I also had a baby right there near the end! 👶💙

First, grown-up reads:

📖 Bible study: Still Genesis as I am working through all of my Bible study very slowly and intentionally rather than hurrying to read a certain amount each day.

📖 The First Forty Days (secular, nonfiction, pregnancy/birth)... Didn't agree with every bit of it but loved the overall concept (postpartum care is so important and the American view of it is lacking to say the least!) and it really fueled a strong desire for me to keep my fridge and freezer fully stocked with nourishing homemade soups + have a solid postpartum recovery plan in place.

📖 The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley (Christian, fiction)... I am an introverted homebody but I'm much more sensitive, emotional, and sentimental than Isadora is so I initially wasn't sure I'd be able to relate. I really liked Isadora though and was really cheering her on. 

📖 I Still Believe (Christian, nonfiction)... This memoir by Christian musician Jeremy Camp was very inspiring. I definitely plan to watch the movie now, too.

📖 I Think I Was Murdered (Christian, fiction, suspense)... Basically, a woman uses an AI chat bot that mimics her dead husband's writing style to stay connected to him. One day, he tells her he thinks he was murdered. She naturally has to investigate. *Insert ominous music.* Good one!

📖 In Unison (Christian, nonfiction)... I moved on to this one after I Still Believe and I really enjoyed this look at Jeremy and Adrienne Camp's marriage.

📖 Ina May's Guide to Childbirth (secular, nonfiction, pregnancy/birth)... This was a re-read for I think the 4th time!! As always, a few things are too hippie even for me but it was overall very helpful!

📖 The Light on Halsey Street (Christian, fiction)... This one, set in 1985 New York, was a little gritty with drug and alcohol abuse, theft, and jail time playing big roles in the book and man, was it a good read! I LOVE to see a deep, rich faith journey play out and in this book we got two of them! Will absolutely be reading more by Vanessa Miller.

📖 The Roads We Follow (Christian, fiction)... Loved this road trip novel that was so full of family dynamics! It's book 2 in the Fog Harbor Romance series but it focuses on completely different main characters and works fine as a standalone.

📖 What to Expect When You're Expecting (secular, nonfiction, pregnancy)... Standard pregnancy classic, of course!

And for my kids' shelves:

📖 Bonhoeffer (Christian, YA, nonfiction, history)... I've been meaning to read this one for a couple years and glad I finally did! I love Bonhoeffer books and look forward to the upcoming Bonhoeffer movie! Added this one to my high school list. 

📖 Enemies in the Orchard (Christian but not really, historical fiction, novel in verse)... This one definitely gets sad so I recommend it more for older middle grade readers but I did like it. I like most WWII books though! 

📖 The Human Genome by Jim Whiting (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... Short, simple, good read for anyone interested in DNA or, in our case, coding the human genome. 

📖 If You Lived With the Cherokee // If You Signed the Constitution // If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island (secular, nonfiction)... These have been a big hit with my oldest two who both love history.

📖 Life Behind the Wall (Christian, middle grade, historical fiction)... I loved this Berlin Wall trilogy and added it to our 7th grade book list!

📖 Little Cat's Luck (secular, middle grade, fiction, novel in verse)... Companion to Little Dog Lost. Not my favorite or anything but one of my kids loved animal books and novels in verse so should be a hit!

📖 Mythmaker: The Life of JRR Tolkein (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... My oldest and I both enjoyed this biography about the Lord of the Rings author.

📖 Romanov (Christian, YA, historical fiction fantasy)... I didn't actually finish this book but read about 75% so thought I'd talk about it anyway. I have always loved a good Anastasia story, ever since I saw the wildly inaccurate fictionalized cartoon movie in elementary school, and was so looking forward to this one! But it was so depressing and heart-wrenching, I eventually just couldn't take anymore. Nadine Brandes is a great storyteller and I'll keep reading her works but this one was too much for my sensitive lil heart.

📖 Three Tasks for a Dragon (secular, middle grade, fantasy)... I was fine with this one but didn't really enjoy it. One of my kids loved it but one didn't even finish it. 

📖 Trapped in a Video Game (secular, middle grade)... Overall I am not into or impressed with books like this. There was some talk of boogers I thought was just dumb but i went ahead and let my oldest read it. He had fun but wasn't impressed enough to want to read the sequels. 

📖 The Video Game Encyclopedia (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... This was certainly not a riveting read for me but it was fine so I approved it.

📖 Who Was JRR Tolkien? (Secular, middle grade, nonfiction, biography)... I liked the Mythmaker one a little more but this was still good!

Picture books we loved: The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch // Charlie and the New Baby // A House in the Woods // Not Finished Yet // Saint Valentine The Kindhearted // Shoebox Sam // The Spyglass // The Things God Made