What I Read in January

Staying on top of my reading resolutions for this year with a recap of the books I read in January - and two of them were non-fiction! What did you read this month?

The City Baker's Guide to Country Living // Sometimes I browse bookstores and add every book with an interesting cover to my to-be-read list. This cover was one of the ones that caught my eye, so I was excited to receive a copy of the book from Blogging for Books! I really enjoyed reading this novel! The setting - an inn in a small town in Vermont - felt very Gilmore Girls-esque, which I loved, and the plot had several unexpected aspects which I really enjoyed. I love detailed writing about food, so the cooking scenes and descriptions of all of the food were a big plus for me. A fun, easy read. 4 stars

Commonwealth // This was my book club's January book. I've mentioned before that I love Ann Patchett, and this is my current favorite title of hers. The writing is beautiful, and I loved how the story spanned five decades. This is probably going to end up being one of my favorite books for this year, so I highly recommend! I will warn you that this is not a happy-feel good book; it's about how a divorce affects the children of two different families. That being said, I love books that are well-written and true to real life, and this book was both of those things. 5 stars

Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living // In this book, Shauna says that "present over perfect living is real over image, connecting over comparing, meaning over mania, depth over artifice". The entire book is about her journey to living in a more simple way, being careful with what she says yes to, and taking the time to just be who she is and enjoy what's most important to her. As someone who is a perfectionist who likes to say yes and be busy, this was a good read for me. I didn't feel like it was life-altering, but I enjoyed her writing and found myself resonating with some of the things she wrote. 3 stars

My Heart: Every Beat Surrendered to Our Unchanging God // This book was SO good. It's the first-person account of a young mom who finds herself in active heart failure. The book is a combination of a retelling of her story, her prayer journal during her most difficult days, and the letters she writes to her two young boys as she faces the very real possibility of death at an early age. This book challenged me, encouraged men, and made me cry! Julie has a beautiful way with words, and it was a gift to be able to read her honest thoughts and struggles in the midst of deep suffering, yet at the same time her total reliance and trust in a faithful and loving God. Highly recommend! 4 stars

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