Summer Reading Recap

we get *VERY* excited about the library

Oh, hello there.  I've been a little busy lately with guests and hanging out with my four best friends who love to talk at me all.day.long.  

I'm gearing up for back to school (hallelujer) and back to blogging and reading regularly.  It'll be my first time with all four kids in school and I'm excited about the possibilities.  

But that's getting ahead of myself.  

Summer can be a tricky time for reading.  There's  a lot of laundry and dishes, no reliable schedule, and kids talking (did I mention kids talking yet?  because they do...they talk all day).  There have been weeks that have passed this summer without a single page read and I try to be understanding of that. 

clothes that were washed, dried, folded, unfolded, washed, dried, folded...on and on, forever and ever, amen.

Summer can also be an excellent time for reading.  Sitting poolside (if no friends are there, of course), lazy afternoons, and staying up late because you don't have to get up early in the morning.  Weeks have been spent finishing books and reading together, quietly, as a family.  

a few minutes without friends

Sidenote:  I often have the experience of taking a book to the pool optimistically and then running into a friend and not being able to open the book once and then going home frustrated and exhausted.  Is that just me?  Anyway...

Instead of breaking this post out into a bunch of posts, I'm going to try to keep it concise here and go through what I've been reading lately.  So, here goes:

Raymie Nightengale

Love.  love.  love.
DiCamillo had me at the cover art.  My mom was a baton twirler so that aspect of the story drew me in.  Raymie is a middle schooler whose life has just been turned upside down.  She devises a plan to set things right again and meets two girls along the way.  I felt like I was in the south when I read this.  The simple but profound sentences and the short chapters helped me fly through this middle grade novel.  I will definitely be forcing my girls to read this and probably sending a copy to my mom.  

Moone Boy

I also loved this middle grade book.  Chris O'Dowd (of Bridesmaids fame) wrote this and stars in the series on Amazon.  I have been enjoying the adaptation as much as the book.  While reading this in the allergist's office, I would often burst out in laughter.  Martin Moone is 12 and struggling.  He is considered an idiot by everyone and is bullied at school.  He decides to get an imaginary friend but has difficulty imagining anything.  I would highly recommend this to 8th grade boys and adults who need a good chuckle.  Check out my more detailed review and giveaway! here.  

The Irresistible Revolution

As much as I burst out laughing over Moone Boy, I burst out crying over this one.  This tugged on every one of my empathetic heartstrings.  Claiborne is a self proclaimed ordinary radical who urges contemporary Christians to examine their lifestyles and beliefs in light of what Jesus really says.  It was hard, but worth it.  I found this book because of Jen Hatmaker and felt similarly about her Seven and Interrupted.  He draws heavily from Mother Teresa, whom he lived with for a summer,  Martin Luther King Jr, and of course, the Bible.  This wasn't depressing at all.  I would call it enlightening, inspiring, and difficult to stomach at times.  His controversial beliefs don't come off as preachy, but more, "this is what I'm thinking, but I accept that not everyone thinks the same thing."  This is a very refreshing take for Christian non-fiction.  

date night for nerds ie me and my husband

I'm getting back into the grown-up fiction genre now at the end of August.  I'm currently reading The Woman in Cabin 10 and am considering giving Les Miserables a go this fall.  I have a VERY deep tbr (to-be-read) list of fiction so I will throw myself into that for the remainder of the year.  

What has been the best thing you've read this summer?  Or, is it impossible for you to read while kids are out of school and the sun is shining?  What's on your TBR for fall?