Friday, June 30, 2017

June Books

One of my goals for 2017 was to read 17 books. Well, had I known my reading speed (or the fact that the library would quickly become one of my new best friends) I probably would have adjusted that number slightly ;)

In case you missed the recent posts, I blogged about the books I read in January HERE, February HERE, March HERE, April HERE and May HERE. There were FORTY-FIVE in the first five months, so when I add June's FOUR that brings the total to FORTY-NINE! In case you're interested in what I read (and how I'd rate them), go to my write-ups!


  • Dangerous Wonder by Michael Yaconelli - This was another one of the books a friend lent me. It is written by a pastor from Northern California who is struck by the idea that Christians seem to be living a lame and boring Christianity. He urges readers to find their childlike wonder and chase after the AMAZINGNESS that is Jesus. I appreciate that he is very upfront and honest - not claiming to know all the answers, but there to pose a few questions so we can think a little more deeply about our walk with Christ. I don't know that I necessarily came away with any earth-shattering revelations, but it has caused me to think about my relationship with the Maker differently. I would give this one a 7 out of 10.


  • The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances by Matthew Inman - Quick comic book-esque read. I found it super entertaining and shaking my head in agreement throughout the majority of it. Running is hard to describe to non-runners, but I think The Oatmeal did a pretty accurate job on why it is terrible and amazing all at the same time. I would give it a 7 out of 10.


  • The Book of Joy by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tut and Douglas Abrams - I have had this book on my "For Later" list at the library for months now, but with our camping trip coming up (and what I thought would be tons of extra time to read), I decided this was one I wanted to check out. The book is essentially an interview of the Dalai Lama and Archbishop about how they live their lives and instill joy without their daily practices. This is NOT a self help type book - it is meant to be more of a reflection of two religious leaders who believe we can live joy-filled lives no matter the circumstances or situation. No matter your belief system, I truly think you can take something away from this read. I would give it a 9 out of 10.


  • The Focused Man (A Letter to My Son) by Mike Hodson - A friend of ours published his first book and we had to order it immediately. Once it arrived I read it within a day. I will be honest, the book is meant to teach guys how to be men, so being a woman reading it might not have been the audience he was looking for, but I still appreciated what he had to say. Mike used his experiences, along with Scripture, to explain what it means to be a "Focused Man" and how to live a life worthy of God's call. I may be bias, but for this being Mike's first book and a "rough release", I am so proud of him (and of the book). There are grammar and punctuation errors, but the theme and lessons shine through those slight blunders. I would give it a 7 out of 10 (but that's mostly because I'm a female, so am excited to hear how the hubby or other men would rate it).


Okay, so I was expecting to do a lot more reading this month (especially with our 10 day camping trip where we were "off the grid"), but it just didn't happen. Prior to our trip I spent a lot of my "free" time getting ready for our adventure (and getting all of the guest and scheduled posts ready so I wouldn't leave you all hanging while we were gone) and afterward I had a ton of catch up to do... But I'm still proud of myself for at least getting a couple books finished.

PS If you have any suggestions on books to grab, let me know! I'm always down to throw them in the queue!

What are you currently reading?

3 comments:

San said...

I love that you also got back into reading this year... me, too!! I read 39 books so far, compared to a meager 13 all of last year!

My two recommenations from June are "The Wednesday Sisters" by Meg Waite Clayton and "The Signature of all things" by Elizabeth Gilbert. Very different books, but both so good.

Erica Kolsrud said...

Here is what I have read this year: Big Little Lies (enjoyed it), The handmaid's tale (enjoyed it), The Husbands Secret (ehhhh), Into the Water (good) and Chaos Walking Series Book 1 (good). I have a few others in my library hold list and am just waiting on those.

Madhuri said...

Would love to catch up on 'The Book of Joy'. Sounds Intriguing! I'm currently reading 'Into The Magic Shop' by James Doty and literally love it!