Literature: August 2021 Books

It is a new year, it's 2021, we are now out of lockdown, but I am still finding time to read.

As I managed 152 books in 2020, I thought would up the ante and go for 155 in 2021. Between January and July, I was able to read 104 books and now August has ended I am up to 111 as I read 7 books this month. This is a low number for me, not sure what happened to me! Now I have another 44 to read before reaching my target.

So what are the 7 books I read in August?

Crime

• The House Guest by Mark Edwards
• The Skylight by Louise Candlish

Fiction

• The Wafflehouse on the Pier by Tilly Tennant
• Love from A to Z by SK Ali

Christian

• Faithful Leaders by Rico Tice

Short Stories

• The Great Cornish Getaway by Fern Britton

Recommended Books

This month I recommend Love from A to Z by SK Ali. This book tells the story of Adam and Zayneb, two Muslim teenagers who meet each other while they are on Spring Break in Doha. They are both dealing with their own issues.

Adam is struggling with his new diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis and how to break the news to his dad who is still dealing with the death of his wife who died after a battle with the same diseases.  Zayneb has been suspended from school due to speaking up to her teacher who won’t stop reminded the class how ‘bad’ Muslims are. She is struggling with this and the way that other people treat her when they see her hijab.

They both clock eye in the airport and then actually meet each other in arrival in Doha when it transpires Zayneb’s aunt works with Adam’s dad in the International School. They get to know each other and realise they have feelings for each other but it's not a smooth road for them both.

I loved this book and thought the writer described MS very well. 

Literature: July 2021 Books

It is a new year, it's 2021, we are now out of lockdown, but I am still finding time to read.

As I managed 152 books in 2020, I thought would up the ante and go for 155 in 2021. Between January and June, I was able to read 95 books and now July has ended I am up to 104 as I managed to read 10 this month. So now I have another 51 to read before reaching my target.

So what are the 10 books I read in July?

Crime

• The Dying Detective by Leif GW Perrson
• Bedlam by LJ Ross
• Dying Inside by Damien Boyd
• Marshlight by Joy Ellis

Fiction

• Everything I’ve Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Christian

• Chosen by David Barr
• Arriving Well by Cate Brubeter
• We Need to Talk About Race by Ben Lindsay

Children

• Mary Poppins Opens the Door by P.L Travers

Biographies

• That’s Another Story by Julie Walters

Recommended Books

I really recommend We Need to Talk about Race by Ben Lindsay. The subtitle of this book is Understanding the Black Experience in White Majority Churches. This book offers eye-opening insights into the black religious experiences, challenging the status quo in white-majority churches. The book is filled with examples from real-life stories including Ben’s own story of how they as Black people have felt within white churches. Ben shows us how we can work together as a church to create a truly inclusive community and accept each other the way God accepts us – as his children.  

 

 

 

Literature: June 2021 Books

It is a new year, it's 2021, we are now out of lockdown, but I am still finding time to read.

As I managed 152 books in 2020, I thought would up the ante and go for 155 in 2021. Between January and May, I was able to read 77 books and now June has ended I am up to 94 as I managed to read 17 this month. So now I have another 61 to read before reaching my target.

So what are the 17 books I read in June?

Crime

• The Russian by James Patterson
• All Fall Down by M.J Alridge

Fiction

• The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
• Music from Another World by Robin Talley
• The Harpy by Megan Hunter
• Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
• My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Christian

• Popcultured by Steve Turner
• Anxious for Nothing by Max Lucado
• The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosario Butterfield
• Leading a Special Needs Ministry by  Amy Fenton Lee
• The Inconceivable Truth by Joanne Graham
• Abortion by Lizzie Ling

Children

• Paddington at Large by Michael Bond
• Paddington Marches On by Michael Bond

Biographies

• Hear Me Out by Sarah Harding

Books to Avoid

I had to read The Harpy by Megan Hunter for my book club and it was one of the worst we have read together and one I think you should definitely avoid. The story was weird and hard to follow, however, the style of writing was good so that is a positive. 

Literature: May 2021 Books

It is a new year, it's 2021, we are now out of lockdown, but I am still finding time to read.

As I managed 152 books in 2020, I thought would up the ante and go for 155 in 2021. Between January and April, I was able to read 62 and now May has ended and I am up to 78 as I managed to read 15 books this month. So now I only have another 77 to read before I read my target.

So what are the 15 books I read in April?

Fiction

The Unseen by Roy Jacobson

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris

Crime

In Bad Company by Viveca Sten

The Rock by LJ Ross

The Girl Who Took an Eye for an Eye by David Lagencratz

Turn a Blind Eye by Jeffrey Archer 

Christian

Redeemed Like David by Mark Ballenger

Unleashed by Gavin Calver

If Only by Jennie Pollock

Angry Conversations with God by Susan E Issacs

Get Up Off Your Knees by Raewynne Whiteley & Beth Maynard

Going Back to God When you Feel Empty by Tanya Marlow

The Art of Listening Prayer by Seth Barnes

Short Stories

The Machine Stops by E.M Forster

Stories to Make You Smile by Fanny Blake

Recommended Books

Well this month there is one book that is really outstanding and I would definitely recommend and that is American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. It is a masterpiece. It is a hard read but definitely worth reading.

American Dirt follows Lydia Quizano Perez and her son Lucas are from Alcapulco, Mexico and are on making their way to America to escape one of the cartels who came in and upturned their family and left Lydia with no choice but to take her son and run for their lives, as the cartels can’t reach them there.

Throughout the whole journey, Lydia is looking over her shoulder to make sure that the cartel’s El Jefe is not on her tail. Both her and Lucas have to overcome obstacles that face them like jumping on top of trains (the only way migrants can really make their way to the border). They make friends with two other girls who are also making their way to safety in America and the four of them help each other and look after each other on the journey.

American Dirt is one of those books whose characters really get under your skin and make you care for their safety, and it makes you cry, frustrated and angry at the same time. It is a great read and I really recommend everyone reads it.

 

Literature: April 2021 Books

So it is a new year, it's 2021, but we are still in lockdown which means more months of staying inside and staying away from others which also means more time to read.

As I managed 152 books in 2020, I thought would up the ante and go for 155 in 2021. Between January and March, I was able to read 50 and now April has ended I am up to 62 as I managed to read 12 books this month. So only another 93 books til I reach my target.

So what are the 12 books I read in April?

Biography

My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay

Greenlights by Matthew McConaghy

Running by Ronnie O’Sullivan

Unashamed by Lecrae Moore

Fiction

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom

Christian

An Ocean of Grace by Tim Chester

1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly by Dale Ralph Davis

2 Kings: The Power and the Fury by Dale Ralph Davis

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

Children’s

Paddington Abroad by Michael Bond

Non-Fiction

Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson

Difficult Books

I had to read My Dark Vanessa for my book group his month and boy was it a difficult read. It made me feel so uncomfortable because the storyline revolved around Vanessa, a 15-year-old schoolgirl who is manipulated into having a sexual relationship with her English teacher. What made it so uncomfortable is that Vanessa still kept in touch with him after leaving the school and still believed that her teacher did nothing wrong and that he truly cared for her, despite the fact he was brought up on charges of having done the same thing to some of his other pupils. I just wanted to shout at Vanessa and tell her to stop being so naïve and to leave her teacher behind.

Literature: March 2021 Books

So it is a new year, it's 2021, but we are still in lockdown which means more months of staying inside and staying away from others which also means more time to read.

As I managed 152 books in 2020, I thought would up the ante and go for 155 in 2021. The first two months of 2021 have seen me read 35 books and now in March I have read 15 which brings me to 50 books. So only another 105 books to go till I reach my target!

So are the 15 books read in March?  

Thriller / Crime

• Lies, Lies Lies by Adele Parks
• I’ve Got My Eyes on You by Mary Higgins Clarke
• Dead Man’s Footsteps by Peter James

Biography

• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
• The Sanest Guy in the Room by Don Black

Fiction

• The Secret Seaside Escape by Heidi Swain
• The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
• The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
• The Next Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Christian

• 2 Samuel for You by Tim Chester
• Disappointments, Doubt and other Spiritual Gifts by Mike Yaconelli

Children’s

• White Horse of Zennor by Michael Morpurgo
• Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
• Friend or Foe by Michael Morpurgo

Young Adults

• Followers by Megan Angelo

Books in a Series

In January I started to read the DS Roy Grace series by Peter James. This month I have continued with the series by reading one more “Dead Man’s Footsteps” So now have 11 more to read in the series as there are 15 books in total.

Recommended Books

It seems that every month my recommended books are biographies and this month it is no different as I really enjoyed “Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson, which discussed the author’s childhood as an African American growing up in the 1960s in South Carolina where both segregation and racism exist and later on in New York where she develops a close friendship with Maria from Puerto Rico. This is a great story of family and friendship.

I also read “The Sanest Guy in the Room” by Don Black. I didn’t know much about Don Black except that is a songwriter, but heard good reviews of the book and thought it would be interesting to read and it was. Interwoven with the stories behind songs that he has written e.g. ‘Diamonds are Forever’ Don talks about his wife of 60 years Shirley who died in March 2018 and how he has coped with his grief. I just loved the way that he cited song lyrics and told stories of how these songs came about. He also talks about his friendships with other songwriters. 

I also highly recommended Mitch Albom’s books “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” and “The Next Five People You Meet in Heaven”. These books are an easy read. The first one follows the life and death of Eddie and the second one of Annie and how in heaven they start a journey where they both meet five people who had a significant impact on their lives who help them understand that their lives were not meaningless and they were not mistakes but that their lives had meaning. Something we all want to hear.

Literature: February 2021 Books

So it is a new year, it's 2021, but we are still in lockdown which means more months of staying inside and staying away from others which also means more time to read.

As I managed 152 books in 2020, I thought would up the ante and go for 155 in 2021. In January I read 21, and in total have now read 35 as in February I managed to read 14.  

So what were those 14 books?

Crime

• Not Dead Enough by Peter James
• Her Name is Rose by Clare Allan
• The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
• Darkness Rising by A.A Dhand
• The Greenway by Jane Adams

Poetry

• History Will Remember When the World Stopped by Donna Ashworth

Biography

• An Open Book by Darren Clarke
• Walking with Ghosts by Gabriel Byrne
• Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham

Fiction

• In Five Years by Rebecca Searle

Christian

• 1 Samuel for You by Tim Chester
• Harnessed for Adventure by Gordon Hickson
• The Good and Beautiful Life by James Bryan Smith

Children’s

• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Books in a Series

In January I read two books in the DS Roy Grace series by Peter James and continued with the series by reading one more “Not Dead Enough”.  So now have 12 more to read in the series as there are 15 books in total.

Recommended Books

I struggled with a couple of the books this month, but there are ones I definitely did enjoy and would recommend and both of these are biographies of people. The first one is “Walking with Ghosts” by the Irish actor Gabriel Byrne. I listened to this book as an audiobook and it was so lovely listening to his gorgeous Irish accent. Unlike normally celebrity biographies Byrne does not talk about all the glitz and glamour of Holywood, instead, he tells of his early life including his parents, his childhood as well his early acting life. It is a very interesting story but harrowing at times as he tells about the abuse he suffered during his time in the Seminary when he was 13 and felt like he had a calling to Priesthood. 

The other biography I enjoyed reading was that of “Talking as Fast as I Can” by Lauren Graham. Lauren is best known as Lorelai Gilmore in Gilmore Girls who is a fast-talking character hence the name of the book. In this book, Lauren looks back on her life, sharing stories about growing up, starting out as an actress, talking about the challenges of being single in Holywood as well as telling stories of her time in Gilmore Girls and how she came to write her first book “Someday, Someday, Maybe” in her breaks between filming on Parenthood.