What I Read in September

It's time for a recap of the books I read in September! I read several really great books last month that I highly recommend!

I Capture the Castle // I heard about this book on a podcast and was surprised that for being such a classic I've not heard much about it! The book is the journal of a 17 year-old girl whose poor family lives in a falling-apart castle in England in the mid-1900's. The narration reminded me somewhat of Anne from Anne of Green Gables, with snarky, honest observations and witty conversation. I really enjoyed this book, and if you haven't heard of it or read it either, pick it up! 4 stars

Lilac Girls: A Novel // This was our book club pick for September, and I really enjoyed it! It's a long book, and I was excited to have a book that I could really sink into and enjoy for a while. This was that book. It's the story of three different women during WWII: one American, one German, and one Polish. I've read a lot of WWII historical fiction, but this was the first time to read one with the perspective of a Nazi. It brought different things to light, and I really enjoyed the added dimension. In the author's note at the end of the book, I found out that much of this story was based on true people and events! I loved finding that out, which made the book even better. Highly recommend! 4 stars

Taken // I've mentioned before that I don't read much Christian fiction, but that I always enjoy Dee Henderson's books. The plot had unexpected twists, the writing was good, and I loved the characters. I flew through this book and really enjoyed it. 4 stars

Becoming a Woman of Excellence 30th Anniversary Edition // I received a copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my review. I had read one previous book by Cynthia Heald but had never done any of her Bible studies. I really, really enjoyed this one. There's no cheesy devotional story; it's just Scripture and good questions with space to answer and reflect. I loved the format and content of this study so much that I ordered another one of her studies that I'm about to start. 4 stars

All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood // The title of this book was a little startling to me, as I do find being a parent fun! But I was intrigued. This is not at all a how-to parenting book; it's a social science book on the effects children have on their parents. There were several chapters that I really enjoyed, and a couple of chapters that I didn't enjoy so much. If this subject intrigues you at all, you can read the author's piece in an old New York Magazine article here. 3 stars

The Tea Planter's Wife // I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. To be honest, I struggled through much of this book. I couldn't really get into it, and if I hadn't been reviewing it, I probably wouldn't have finished it. That being said, I did start to enjoy it about 60% of the way through. The story finally got going, and I was eager to read resolution of the plot. It was a bit predictable, but a fairly good read. 3 stars

What have you been reading lately?