Inspired - Rachel Held Evans

Inspired

Title: Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again

Author: Rachel Held Evans

Publication Date: 6/12/2018

Pages: 240

Genre: Faith / Memoir / Nonfiction

How I Found It: I'm a big fan of Evans's work

Date Completed: 6/23/18

Summary: Evans wrestles with some of the toughest passages of Scripture. She challenges traditional mindsets about the Bible. Above all, she expresses her deep love for this book and its message.

What I Thought: It's no secret that I'm a bit of a Rachel Held Evans fan-girl. When I met her at the Why Christian conference this past spring, it was all I could do to not invite her to dinner and to be my best friend. I realize how creepy that sounds, but I swear my intentions it's not. She's just one of those authors with whom I feel a strong, real connection. In so many ways, I feel as though she is a few steps ahead of me on a shared faith journey. Her books have been a balm to my soul and an encouragement in times of spiritual struggle. 

Grace and Grit - Lilly Ledbetter

Grace and Grit

Title: Grace and Grit: My Fight for Equal Pay and Fairness at Goodyear and Beyond

Author: Lilly Ledbetter

Publication Date: 2/28/2012

Pages: 288

Genre: Memoir / Political / Nonfiction

How I Found It: I can't remember

Date Completed: 6/23/18

Summary: Ledbetter became a symbol for equal pay when she sued her long time employer, Goodyear. In this memoir, she shares her life story, including the epic legal battle that led to the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.

What I Thought: I honestly did not know much about Lilly Ledbetter before reading this book. I knew she had something to do with equal pay in this country and that's about it. It was so fun to read her whole story and see how she became an unlikely activist.

Ledbetter spends a lot of time talking about her early life and marriage which, while reading, feels more like a novel than a political memoir. However, I'm so glad she spent that time there; you really need the context of those years to understand just how incredible it was that Ledbetter became the symbol she is today. You would never have predicted her path when she was a poor child in rural Alabama. 

A Wind in the Door - Madeleine L'Engle

A Wind in the Door

Title: A Wind in the Door

Author: Madeleine L'Engle

Publication Date: 1973

Pages: 203

Genre: Children's Literature / Classic / Fantasy / Science Fiction / Fiction

How I Found It: I read A Wrinkle in Time 

Date Completed: 6/23/18

Summary: The Murrys are at it again. This time, it's the fate of Charles Wallace, not their father, which hangs in the balance. Fantastical creatures, a fight against evil, and lots of character development. 

What I Thought: I didn't know until a few years ago that A Wrinkle in Time had sequels. Upon rereading the classic in 2017, I knew I wanted to read the whole series. 

I found A Wind in the Door to retain many of the qualities which make the first book so delightful. L'Engle mixes fantasy with science fiction. She brings her technical science down to an understandable level for the average reader. There are creatures of all sorts. There is an epic battle against nebulous evil forces. And there is loads of character development. 

Grace for the Good Girl - Emily P. Freeman

Grace for the Good Girl

Title: Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life

Author: Emily P. Freeman

Publication Date: 2011

Pages: 257

Genre: Faith / Nonfiction

How I Found It: I think Sarah on Pantsuit Politics mentioned it.

Date Completed: 6/22/18

Summary: The pressure for a woman to be "good" can be debilitating, particularly in faith communities. Freeman addresses the heavy expectations and how freeing life is when you step out from under them.

What I Thought: I enjoyed this both more and less than I thought I would. I know that's a contradiction. Let me try to explain.

I'll start with the more. I've read a lot of books like this in my life. Not on this topic in particular, but a variety of subjects. As a teenager, I spent a lot of time in Lifeway stores. I was submersed in a culture that really celebrated and encouraged this type of writing. Since that time, my faith journey has been winding and I do not find much joy in cliché Christian culture. I haven't been in a Christian bookstore in years and am 110% cool with that. So, coming into this book, I felt some apprehension. I wanted to hear Freeman's message because I was pretty sure it would apply to me (spoiler: it did), but I was worried it would be all fluff I've heard before. I mean, even the cover looks like it came directly off the Christian-ese assembly line. 

The Silent Wife - A. S. A. Harrison

The Silent Wife

Title: The Silent Wife

Author: A. S. A. Harrison

Publication Date: 2013

Pages: 326

Genre: Thriller / Fiction

How I Found It: Some friends recommended it.

Date Completed: 6/9/18

Summary: Jodi and Todd have a picture-perfect marriage that has been emotionally dead for a long time. A series of choices they make lead to a dramatic end to their relationship and Todd's life.

What I Thought: Some very dear friends of ours recommended this book to me and even graciously loaned me their copy. They talked it up, so my expectations were high when I packed it in my suitcase for Italy. 

I read almost the entire book during our endless layover in LaGuardia airport. If you've ever been to LaGuardia, you know how desperately anyone in that place needs an escape. Easily the worst airport I've ever been in. 

Unfortunately, this book was not as gripping as I had hoped. I found Jodi's character to be cold and flat. The character is obviously meant to portray the cool collection of having everything together, but to have that carry into her inner left was disconcerting. She didn't feel emotionally engaged in her actions and so I didn't feel emotionally engaged with her story. 

Final Girls - Riley Sager

Final Girls

Title: Final Girls

Author: Riley Sager

Publication Date: 7/11/2017

Pages: 342

Genre: Thriller / Fiction

How I Found It: I can't remember, but I think another blogger talked about it last year.

Date Completed: 6/9/18

Summary: Years after being the sole survivor of a brutal mass murder, Quincy Carpenter is still trying to cope with the emotional and social pressures that come with that position. Being in the "Final Girls" club is not a membership she ever wanted. But, when one of her fellow "Final Girls" dies suddenly, she's forced to confront her past head on. 

What I Thought: If you've been following the blog in the last year, you know I've been on a hunt for a really good thriller. I read a bunch of them while we were on vacation at the start of June, including this one. 

Kevin passed on this one because he said it looked less like a thriller and more like a horror novel from the marketing blurb. I had that fear as well; after reading the book, I would say Sager rides the line between the two. There are flashbacks to Quincy's nightmarish experience in college that slowly fill in the pieces of her memory and the plot. Even in those flashbacks, though, there isn't too much graphic gore until closer to the end. Overall, there are more violent descriptions than most psychological thrillers, put I wouldn't push this all the way into the horror genre because most of the book doesn't center on those scenes. 

June 2018 Chapter

Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up.  Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the progress made on my reading goals, a few book-related links, and general blog news.  

June News 

I feel like I start every monthly recap this year by describing how busy we are. If you're tired of the repetitive nature, I apologize. We really are just that busy, though.

June has been no exception. As you know, we traveling to Italy for the first two weeks of the month and that was delightful. Then, four days after our return, I started my new full time job. I've done three full weeks now and it's going really well. I feel as though I'm finally doing "real" work and not just observing/training. I still am confident that it's going to be a good fit. I'll be traveling for this job a decent amount and I already have my first two trips booked: a conference in Williamsburg, VA later in July and a visit to Knoxville, TN in late August. While both of those will be car trips, I am optimistic that I'll do a lot of flying in this job and, therefore, have lots of reading time.

Being back in a 40-hour office job has been good, but exhausting. I cannot describe to you how very tired I am on so many levels. I'm a little concerned that I will be out of town for five out of the next six weekends (for a variety of reasons) and so will not have weekend recouping time. That's been invaluable these past few weeks as I've adjusted to the new schedule. I'll make it work, though; I'm sure.

I did get in a lot of reading this month and it feels so good to be finding my rhythm again. I've been totally slashing my TBR and not finishing books right and left. Not finishing books (after starting them) is something I've basically never done. In the past, I've been a strong proponent of just pushing through to the end. These days, however, my reading time is precious and I am just not interested in wasting it on something I'm not enjoying.