by Alaina | Sep 22, 2022 | Book Nook
This time of year I always get into the mood for a cozy fall read. What exactly qualifies as a cozy fall read? To me a cozy read varies from season to season but in early fall I typically just want to read something good, with a strong sense of place. One of those books where the story consumes you and the characters come alive. I heard someone describe it once as an Agatha Christie type of book—only without the murder! Here are several books that fit this description that are perfect for curling up in your favorite chair with a blanket as the nights turn cooler!
Disclosure
Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!
The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan
This one pulled me right in with its bright away array of quirky characters! This story takes place in England during World War II and alternates points of view from several of the women who make up the Chilbury Ladies Choir. Kitty is 13, a very grown up 13 she wants to be sure we know, who brings a bright naiveté to the story. There is Mrs. Tillsbury, a widowed nurse whose son is currently overseas fighting. She is lonely though she doesn’t want anyone to know it. We meet Edwina who is hatching a scheme she is sure is going to make her a wealthy woman—but only if she doesn’t get caught! And there is Venetia who has her eye on a very eligible bachelor who is new to town; however, in getting involved with him she may also be getting in way over her head! Through the eyes of all these women we see how a town banded together during the difficult times of World War II and bought a bright spot into the war-torn gloom.
The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
I talked about this one in my post Books I Have Been Enjoying this Fall. What do a farmer, an American actress, a young widow, and a doctor all have in common? Why their love of Jane Austen of course! This is the charming fictional story of a real society founded in England shortly after World War II to preserve Jane Austen’s home and heritage. I read this book shortly after it came out in 2020 and it is one of those rare books that has a strong sense of self that I find my mind still wandering back to the English countryside depicted within its pages.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
This is a perfectly delightful and enjoyable read which also takes place in England at the of World War II. Both The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society spotlight what England was like in the wake of World War II, especially in a part of England that had been occupied by the Nazis in World War II. The title “Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” is thusly named because there was still no sugar to make real pie immediately following World War 11. Pies were scraped together with whatever ingredients were readily available at the time! This is the story of a young journalist who is trying to rebuild her life after World War II. She comes to Guernsey and starts to find her place again as she is slowly able to connect with the inhabitants of Guernsey over their mutual love of books.
Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy
Most likely you have at least heard of Anne of Green Gables—this is a sort of prequel, if you will, about the Marilla we know from Anne of Green Gables in her formative years and the events that transpired to make her the Marilla we know and love. I have to be honest, this probably is not the most compelling book on its own merits; however, for those of you who are Anne of Green Gables lovers and just want more, I urge you to pick this book up and be embraced back into the character you know and love from Anne of Green Gables. If you are not familiar with the story of Anne of Green Gables, I think you may actually end up enjoying the plot of this book even more and that it may just inspire you to read the actual Anne of Green Gables!
by Alaina | Aug 25, 2022 | Book Nook
We all love learning more about ourselves—yes, you know you do! But it can also be so overwhelming! There are so many books on the topic, ranging from the highly technical no-fun-to-read type, to the ones that are so general all you get is confused. There’s also the issue that reading a bunch of books just to learn more about yourself can feel selfish. What good does it do to know more about ourselves? Does learning about ourselves really help us interact with others better? Those topics and many more are discussed in the following books:
Disclosure
Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!
Reading People
by Anne Bogel
I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book but I really enjoyed it! I was afraid it would be a little too basic. I’m fairly familiar with a lot of the personality frameworks and I was afraid this would not quite reach deep enough for me. However, this book turned out to be an enjoyable overview/refresher of the different personality frameworks, as well as several I’m not very familiar with. I also learned that I might be a “highly sensitive person,” which is something new that I didn’t think I quite fit the bill of, but after reading more about it, I think I am a highly sensitive person—and boy that explains a lot!
If you are just starting to learn about the different personalities, this book is a great jumping off point and from there you can decide which framework you are most interested in learning more about!
The Four Tendencies
by Gretchen Rubin
The Four Tendencies is the only framework that I’m aware of (not that I am an expert by any means) that Anne Bogel did not mention in Reading People. While The Four Tendencies isn’t as recognized as the other frameworks, I think it is highly valuable as it is pretty easy to recognize the different types which makes it easier to learn how to interact with each type. This is a great book and should be mandatory reading for every office, as I think it would help solve a lot of conflicts—or at least show why these conflicts keep happening! I wrote a more in-depth post about The Four Tendencies; read that post here.
The Road Back to You
by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
This book talks in depth about the Enneagram. The Enneagram is a personality framework that is a little more in-depth and complicated than some of the others; it sheds much valuable insight into why we act the way we do, and what we are looking for with these actions. It talks about what each of the numbers that represent the personality types look like (there are nine main types) and what each of these types looks like when they function out of a healthy place vs an unhealthy place. This book will help you to identify which type you are and help you realize what you need to do to become emotionally healthier in that place.
The Five Love Languages
by Gary Chapman
What makes you feel loved might not make someone else feel loved and if you don’t understand how to make someone close to you feel loved, then they may doubt that you do in fact love them. In this book Gary Chapman details the five different ways that people perceive love. Everyone is a combination of languages but you will have a primary love language, as Chapman calls it. If you are not familiar with The Five Love Languages, I would get your hands on this as soon as possible—your relationships are bound to improve as a result.
by Alaina | Aug 11, 2022 | Book Nook
I can’t believe it but unfortunately summer is almost gone! The summer is winding down, school will be starting for the kids soon, and it can make us feel like summer is over but—I’m fighting this feeling! According to the calendar, we still have well over a month until fall (September 21st) and hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will still have time to sit outside and enjoy our books late into the evening.
If you are like me and still hoping to squeeze in some more summer reading, check out these titles to see if any pique your interest!
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
Inspired by a true story, The Book of Lost Names is the true story of Eva Abrams, a Jewish Holocaust survivor. As a graduate student in 1942 Eva is forced to flee Paris for a small town in the Free Zone of France. While there, Eva is offered to use her artistic abilities to help forge papers to help smuggle Jewish children out of France and into neutral Switzerland. Eva soon discovers that erasing names comes with a price—she and Remi (her handsome partner in the endeavor) devise a way to help preserve the heritage of these children. Now, years later, the book of code names has resurfaced and it is up to Eva alone to tell the story hidden within its pages.
Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor
Beautiful Little Fools is a twist off of the Great Gatsby. Told after Gatsby’s death, this is the backstory, told by alternating views of the women we know from The Great Gatsby, as to why Jay Gatsby was found dead … and why there was a diamond studded bobby pin found in the bushes near the pool where Gatsby was found dead. Frank Charles is the detective investigating this case even though the case has officially been closed? Something about it just doesn’t sit well with him and he senses one of the women is lying to him. But which woman is the liar and what is she trying to hide?
Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton
I have been a huge fan of Ms. Cleeton’s other books (check out my post on her books Next Year in Havana and When We Left Cuba here) and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one! This story continues to tell the story of the Perez family, who we met in Next Year in Havana and When We Left Cuba, told this time from the perspective of the eldest daughter, Isabel. Isabel has always been the reliable and responsible one of the family. She is now married to a wealthy American and is living in Palm Springs, Florida when she becomes troubled by the seeming disappearance of her wild and impulsive sister, Beatriz. Iasbel decides to take off to Spain where Beatriz is currently living to find her sister. However, while there, she happens upon a mysterious photograph of her, her mother, and a man she has never seen before which was taken in Spain. When Isabel confronts her mother about it, her mother insists that they’ve never been to Spain leaving Isabel with yet another mystery to try to unravel.
Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan
This story tells of the sinking of the ship, the Pulaski, known as the Titanic of the South. In 1838, the Pulaski was advertised as a safe way to travel in style with only one night out at sea. What a fateful night it was—culminating in the boiler of the ship exploding and approximately 130 of the 190 passengers dying! This story alternates between telling the story of Augusta Longstreet and Lily Forsyth, who were passengers on the ship and Everly, a modern day history professor, who has been asked to curate a new museum exhibit of this event. Everly is eager to delve into the research to discover the truth of what happened that night, however in doing so, she will have to face her own ghosts in a past that she would rather forget.
I hope these titles will help you relax and drink in the last bit of summer that is left! As always, if you haven’t yet, be sure to subscribe to our email list so you never miss a post and if you have enjoyed this post, please share.
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by Alaina | Apr 21, 2022 | Book Nook, Grace Notes
We think of creativity as something that we either have or we don’t. We think of children with crayons and potters at their wheels—but why do we reduce it and simplify it like this? Why do we act like creativity only affects one area of our life and if we aren’t in a field that we consider to be creative, why do we think we don’t need creativity?
We are the only creatures on the planet gifted with creativity. There is something special about that! As Artificial Intelligence gets more and more sophisticated, the demand for mundane jobs to handle simple tasks will start to disappear. We are coming into a time when cultivating our creativity will be more important than ever. It will be what sets us apart.
Even more than that however, utilizing and cultivating our creativity is a large way we achieve pure enjoyment in this life. I know people who think they don’t have a creative bone in their body, and some who even think they don’t need creativity! We use creativity way more than we think we do. We use it to problem solve and we use it to make things that don’t traditionally fall into the “creative” basket. We use it to derive contentment and joy in our lives.
I think the problem might be how we think about creativity. We need to stop thinking about it as if it can be compartmentalized and shut off from the other areas of our lives. Instead, we need to think of creativity as a way of enhancing the other areas of our lives. We need to expand what we think of as art and start to enjoy creating, dreaming and playing for its own sake and for the joy it bring us—not solely for the outcome these things produce in the physical sense. Below are several books I have loved when it comes to cultivating creativity.
A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman
In A Million Little Ways Ms. Freeman says we need to see our lives through a more artistic lens. We need to stop the inner critic inside our minds and enjoy the fact that all of us, from engineers to janitors, were put on this earth to create in some way, shape, or form. We need to stop thinking that we couldn’t do … fill in the blank.
The Creative Habit by Thyla Thrawp
The Creative Habit by Ms.Thrawp reminded me of Steven King’s On Writing in that she does not believe in a creative block just as Mr. King does not believe in writer’s block. In this book, Ms. Thrawp offers a variety of ways to get yourself unstuck and to inspire your creativity and ways to get your creativity flowing. She shares many examples from her life when she was stuck, on a deadline, and had to get unstuck very quickly!
Called to Create by Jordan Raynor
In Called to Create Mr. Raynor gives biblical context as to why we should follow the urges of our heart and go create. Mr. Raynor also gives examples of how feeling called to create, as an entrepreneur or otherwise, is just as God-honoring as being called to be a pastor or a missionary. He shares how small companies started by solo entrepreneurs have made a big impact in the world. If you are feeling the urge to create a company or business, on whatever scale, don’t dismiss it! God may have a job specifically in mind for you!
If you decide to pick up any of these books, I hope you will feel inspired! Remember creating and creativity isn’t just about the outcome—it is about the enjoyment we derive from the process!
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by Alaina | Apr 7, 2022 | Book Nook
Sometimes I get in the mood for historical fiction from certain time periods. Sometimes I want World War II historical fiction, other times I’m in the mood for the American Revolution, and other times I want something from ancient times.
Today I am sharing 3 books that take place in the first century. I tend to shy away from reading too much from this time period because it’s just so ancient…. How could I possibly relate to it? But even historical fiction about ancients times can be both gripping and relatable when well done so check out the following titles to see if any sound good to you!
The Medicus by Ruth Downie
When a young slave girl is brought into this first century hospital with a broken arm and nearly dead, no one seems concerned; that is except for Ruso, or the Medicus as he is better known, an army doctor who finds himself down on his luck in an outpost of the Roman Empire, namely Britannia. In a moment of weakness, Ruso purchases this young slave girl from her abusive owner only to find that not only does she refuse to talk to him, but she can’t seem to cook or perform any of the household tasks one would expect of a slave in her position. To Ruso, something does not seem right about this girl and before Ruso knows it he is playing the amateur sleuth, trying to piece together the deaths of the young prostitutes working out of the local bar. Where will all this searching lead him? Will he ever get his slave girl to tell him the truth about herself?
Pontius Pilate by Paul L. Maier
This is a book about the politician Pontius Pilate—yes, The Pontius Pilate—the one who washed his hands of the crowd’s decision to crucify Jesus. It is so easy to demonize this man; the phrase “washing my hands of it,” almost always means standing aside and watching as something we believe to be wrong takes place. However, like a lot of events in history, this pivotal event that Pilate plays a part in was hardly a black or white issue. There were many political tensions running through the area at the time; the Jews had so many laws that made no sense to the Roman ruling class. The event with Jesus was not the first time Pilate had to deal with difficult situations with the Jews. This book is based on as much fact as we have from those times and then gently fleshed out to create a compelling narrative. I found it very engrossing and interesting!
Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray
We’ve all heard of Cleopatra but what about her daughter? After Cleopatra commits suicide she leaves behind three children who have to go on living on their own, penniless, and without a country to call their own. Our main character Selene, her twin brother Helios, and their six year old brother, are taken to Rome where they are to be raised in Caesar’s house. While being allowed to live is undeniably a good thing, every move they make is watched closely and could lead to their demise. Young Selene must use all the cunning she possesses to keep her brothers safe in order give them all a shot at a better future. Can Selene makes friends in this foreign country?
While this book is probably more fiction than fact (given that we simply don’t have good records from that time) Lily of the Nile paints a portrait of what life would have looked like, as well as the challenges of three children brought up as royalty having to then conform to the expectations set on them by a different culture. Where is the line between conforming and losing one’s identity?
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by Alaina | Mar 24, 2022 | Book Nook
You all know I love historical fiction, and my favorite is usually American Historical Fiction, meaning of course, that it is set in America. However, I have read several World War 2 historical fiction books lately that I really enjoyed and they all happened to be set in England. If you are looking for some World War 2 historical fiction check out some of these titles!
The Last Night in London
This book opens in 2019 as journalist Maddie Warner travels to England to work on an article in which she gets to interview the famous model Precious Dubose about the fashions and times of World War II and the impact the war made on fashion. The elderly Precious is known to not like to open up to people but she sees something worth opening to in young Maddie. Perhaps this is because Precious, like Maddie, has secrets that run deep buried in her past.
The contrasting storyline takes us back to right before the war in 1939 when Precious Dubose is a young model who recently arrived in England, sharing a flat with her fellow model and friend, Eva Harlow. Eva is desperately trying to better her station in life which means leaving her past as far behind her as she can. This becomes imperative for Eva to do as she starts to develop a relationship with the handsome and socially elite, Graham St. John. However, Eva’s secrets aren’t as well hidden as she would like and before she knows it Eva is blackmailed into being an informant lest her secrets, as well as the very lives of those she hold dear, become threatened.
Secrets of a Charmed Life
Emily has dreams of becoming a wedding dress designer. She is actively pursuing these dreams at the age of 15 when she lands a job in a local wedding dress shop. However, such dreams may have to wait as World War II is underway and Britain has come under attack with threats of bombing from Germany. Still being underage, Emmy and her seven-year-old little sister, Julia, are sent to live in the country. This means Emmy has to leave her job at the wedding dress makers which she is loath to do.
Then one day Emmy receives a letter from her old boss inviting her to come to London and meet her boss’s brother—a well-known costume designer who may be willing to tutor Emmy and enormously enhance her career opportunities. Emmy determines to sneak away from this house in the country in the middle of the night to make this meeting—but problems arise for Emmy when Julia discovers her plans and threatens to give Emmy away, unless Emmy takes Julia with her.
Having made their way back to England, Emmy leaves Julia in their mother’s flat while she goes to her meeting. Partway through her meeting, the blitz starts. Emmy is frantic to get back to Julia but it is not easy to make one’s way through a city being riddled with bombs. When Emmy at last gets back to their flat—Julia is gone. Will they both make it through the blitz and be reunited again?
In America we remember the shortages, rationing, and those on the home front were forced to practice but the Brits had it far worse. Imagine sending away your child for their safely in a time of war, not knowing if you would ever see them again, not knowing who you would lose in the nightly bombings. This novel brought to my attention more of the destruction of Britain than I ever gave thought to before now.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Beth had one of the best minds in the country so why is she in an insane asylum now? She remembers the events leading up to her being taken, kicking and screaming, to the asylum but something still isn’t making sense—there is a missing piece of the puzzle. Will her two once-closest friends come to her rescue?
Osla, Mab, and Beth are friends working together at Bletchley Park, a British intelligence building, where they all work on secret undercover operations to break the German enigma. What happens to split them apart?
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
I listened to this as an audiobook and I couldn’t stop! Told from the rotating perspective of three women, the author, Pam Jenoff, does a great job of keeping you enthralled through the entire tale. This is a story about the women spies, stationed in France, who worked for the British intelligence during World War II. One wrong move could mean death, not just for one of the spies, but for all in their network. The women are working diligently and making progress when a few odd things start to occur—it seems there may be a spy among them….
A decade later, young Grace Heasley discovers an unattended valise tucked under a bench at Grand Central Station. Opening it she finds 12 photographs of young women, around her own age. Grace impulsively tucks the photos into her purse and leaves. Overcome with guilt for stealing the photos, Grace returns later that day hoping to replace the photos, but the valise is gone!
Grace now begins to feel a responsibility to the girls in the photos and pressure to seek out the owner of the valise, a task that proves near impossible. Why were their pictures being carried about in a suitcase? Grace can’t stop her inquisitive nature and so begins her journey to get to the bottom of this mystery, a journey that ends up being much more than Grace bargained for.
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