May was a heavy reading month! I honestly can’t believe I read 8 books but I definitely had some downtime throughout the month. I am finally out of my year long reading slump and have made reading a habit again. Reading has healed my mind and kept me off my phone. Ending the day with some cozy reading in bed has become something I greatly look forward to.
Here are the books I read in May in no particular order. Also, I recognize that I read the most random set of books this month but I’m here for it!
A Grace Disguised by Jerry Sittser
One day, while road tripping home with his family, Sittser loses his mother, wife, and daughter in a terrible car accident. Sittser and his three other children survive the accident. Rather than offering a neat roadmap for getting over loss, he argues that grief is something you carry and grow through. It is not something you ever recover from.
I’ve read this book two times now and it has absolutely changed my life. This is a terribly sad book but it changed the way I view suffering and loss. There is so much suffering in the world and this book made me truly grateful. It was inspiring to see how the author navigated through grief and it encouraged me. This book is also faith based which I loved. 5/5
A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons
Ruby Stokes grows up in a loving, safe family but, at 18, naively decides to marry the first man who asks her. Ruby’s husband turns out to be an abusive alcoholic and she is forced into manual labor to support them both. Ruby’s husband unexpectedly dies and she has two options – move back home in shameful defeat or get married to a man who is 20 years her senior. Ruby chooses to marry Jack Stokes, a poor tenant farmer. Their love is not born out of romance or passion, but instead out of a quiet, mutual need for each other.
This was a quiet book and I appreciated it for its simplicity. It gave me a different perspective on marriage and the ending tied the story up in a way that added deep meaning. What I loved most about their marriage was that they both radically accepted and respected each other. I enjoyed the author’s writing style- simple and to the point. 4/5
Isola by Allegra Goodman
This book is based on the true story of Marguerite de la Rocque de Roberval and her exile in New France in the 16th century.
Left parentless at a young age, Marguerite is heir to a considerable fortune and placed under the care of a guardian. Her guardian is irresponsible and ends up using her inheritance to pay off his debt and fund his expeditions. With no dowry for marriage, her guardian forces her to accompany him on his latest expedition. Marguerite falls in love with his servant and is then abandoned on a small island.
I could not believe this was based on a true story. It is absolutely terrifying. I loved this book and enjoyed how the author developed the characters from the beginning to the end. When we first meet Marguerite, she is prim and proper but is then forced to become a fierce, wild woman in order to survive. There was also a theme of faith that I enjoyed. 4/5
Fervent by Priscilla Shirer
I absolutely loved this book. To put it simply, it’s a book about how to pray and why you should pray. Shirer splits the book up into specific chapters about what you should pray for – your passion, your focus, your identity, etc. What was most helpful were the scriptures she provided. She encourages readers to write out scriptures and commit daily to spending time in prayer.
I reflected a lot while reading this book. It can be easy to live a life in which we don’t acknowledge the real enemy that lurks behind most of our problems. We can become passive and weak in our faith. This book encouraged me to get serious about my prayer life. There is power in prayer and the living word of God. 5/5
Strangers by Belle Burden
Belle Burden thought she had a great family and marriage. In 2020, at the start of the pandemic, Belle’s husband of twenty years admits he cheated on her and is leaving the marriage. Overnight, her husband turns into someone she doesn’t know, abandoning her and their children. He gives no explanation which furthers Belle’s grief. Belle plays back memories from their relationship, looking for signs that her husband was not the man he portrayed. As their marriage comes to an end, Belle begins to move forward and transform her life.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’m starting to recognize that I am a big fan of memoirs. I related to many parts of Belle’s story, as I believe many people can. She was very honest about her grief and I truly appreciated the way she shared her experiences. Although there were many sad moments in this book, I admired how honest Belle was. 5/5
God is a Matchmaker by Derek Prince
This book is about God’s true design for marriage. Prince breaks down marriage from the beginning of the bible – God created marriage, He knew the kind of helper a man would need, and He prepared the woman for the man. The purpose of marriage is unity and to glorify God. Prince discusses in detail his personal experience in marriage along with his wife, Ruth. Both discuss how to prepare for marriage and how to find the person God has for you.
Surprisingly so, I was never really taught much about marriage. I didn’t know there was a purpose to it, I just thought you married someone you loved. What I learned is that we marry so that both husband and wife can move forward in unity in the plan God has for their life. I learned so much from this book and will definitely be reading it again. 5/5
A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
This book is based off of the Chinese legend of Xishi, one of the four beauties of ancient China.
Xishi is known as the great beauty of her small village of Yue. After a frightening experience, Xishi catches the attention of a military advisor, Fanli, who presents her with a choice to infiltrate the enemy kingdom as a spy. Xishi agrees and once inside the enemy palace, she earns the trust of the king but struggles under the watchful eyes of his advisors.
Personally, this was a big no for me. The story was not fleshed out enough and it felt like the author rushed over a lot of important historical and cultural details. I feel like there was so much potential with the original legend but unfortunately this book just didn’t do it justice. 2/5
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
This book is set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. The story follows two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, whose contrasting personalities lead them down two very different paths. Isabelle passionately serves in the French Resistance, smuggling Allied pilots across the Pyrenees mountains. Vianne quietly endures the terrors of war in her home, taking care of her daughter and helping orphans in her village.
A lot of people loved this book and recommended it to me. I wanted to like it more than I did. I had a hard time getting into the story because the character development felt disconnected from the historical context. However, there were aspects of this story that I enjoyed, specifically the nuanced relationship between Isabelle and Vianne. Overall, this book was okay. 3/5
Well, that concludes my May book recap!
What did you read this past month?
With love,
Addison
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