by Alaina | Jan 2, 2021 | Book Nook
There are several books that I have really enjoyed reading this fall. Ones that I find my thoughts drifting back to, thinking of the character as friends and real people rather than just fictional personas.
The Jane Austen Society
This book is set in England shortly after World War 2. While there was a real Jane Austen Society formed around this time, this book is about fictional characters whose lives have been touched by Austen’s various works and who undertake to preserve the house in which Austen lived, located in their village. The Author did a wonderful job of bringing to life in vivid detail not only the characters, who I thought were very well formed, but also the setting of the rural English village. This is a great choice to cozy up with this fall.
https://amzn.to/2Jnk4wO
Don’t Overthink It, by Anne Bogel
I decided to read this one because I like the author, not because I had done research as to what this book was actually about. I was most pleasantly surprised to realize that this was definitely a book I needed to read! Ms Bogel discusses how we tend to spend so much time and energy ruminating over a decision that really doesn’t matter- and that we don’t actually want to have spent that much time thinking about. She talks of tactics that she has used to help her start overthinking less. Journaling, like the physical act of writing out thoughts can be helpful, this was a “ah ha!” Moment for me, because while I love lists and often keep notes on my phone I have noticed that just typing up a list on the notes section of my phone is not nearly as effective as putting pen to paper. She also discusses how prepping or the week, and clearing clutter in your house can help to free up emotional space. I knew this to be true for me already but its always nice to hear back up that I’m not the only like this!
https://amzn.to/36lj5WZ
Becoming Mrs. Lewis
This is about Joy Grisham Lewis, C.S Lewis’s wife. I found it a fascinating read on several levels. 1) I know a fair about C.S Lewis’s work, without knowing all that much about him. 2) I knew nothing about Joy and she was a fascinating person as well. And 3) their love story and how they came to know each other, become friends, and ultimately marry, was a shot in a million. I enjoy books that teach more about famous people we already know something about told through the lens of someone close in their lives, who we may hardly know existed.
https://amzn.to/2Jkn4Kr
The Compound Effect
I heard this book mentioned on a podcast, and then my husband mentioned it as one of his favorite books that he read in college so I decided I must join the club and read it too. The Compound Effect is written by Darren Hardy who started his own business and became a millionaire by the time he turned 24. Mr. Hardy talks of what made the biggest changes in his life, and how its not necessarily the big things that make the biggest change in our lives but rather the little changes day in and day out that add up to a huge difference over a lifetime. If you feel overwhelmed by how far away you are from a current goal, read this book for motivation and encouragement.
https://amzn.to/33svoyL
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by Alaina | Dec 9, 2020 | Book Nook
In theory this is the perfect time of year to curl up with a heart warming Christmas book, in front of a warm fire, under a warm, comfy blanket. Reality tends to look a little bit different! However given that this has been the year of quarantine you may find that you have more time on your hands than you have in the past! Regardless of what your situation is this year I hope you are able to carve out a little bit of time to slow down and drink in the season. Here are a few of my favorite Christmas books- some are young adult or children’s books, others are classics, and one is hopefully for you this Christmas season!
A Season of Giving by Richard Peck
I originally read this one when I was in middle school, but I went back and listened to it this year and I still really enjoyed it! Told by Bob, the 12 year old son of the town newest preacher, this book is full of quirky characters that make up this small town- not the least of which is Mrs. Dowdle, Bob’s next door neighbor. We hear about the many different escapades that happen in the months leading up to Christmas and ultimately are reminded that some of life’s biggest gifts do come in the form we expect.
https://amzn.to/3qEGPgO
When Christmas Comes Again
This is a book from the Dear American Children’s series but it is still one of my favorites. It’s full of all the Christmas feels! Simone is 18, and has to figure out what she is going to do with her life, and then America enters World War 1 and there are many options then available to her. Simone’s brother enters the war, and Simone wants to do her part too. This yearning ends up landing her halfway across the world and introduces to a handsome soldier, the future could be bright for Simone- but only if everyone makes it through the war safely.
https://amzn.to/3oA6qFH
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
I’m sure you are familiar with this story but if you have never actually read it- please do it! Not only is this a classic book that everyone should give a try reading at least once but you will feel your spirits lift so incredibly at the end of the story- you won’t be able to help but get in the Christmas spirit!
https://amzn.to/3mYm5OV
The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
This is a short little story about a young family, Richard, Keri, and their 4 year old daughter, who rent out a wing of a house, owned by an elderly woman named Mary. They find their landlord to be a gracious woman and quickly grow fond of her. One day Richard stumbles across a beautifully engraved box in the attic. Later he dreams about and angles and awakes to hear music that leads him back to the box. The box and Mary ultimately lead him to the realization of what Christmas is truly about.
https://amzn.to/39UQcCU
Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber
If you want a light and uplifting Christmas read with all the cheesy sweetness of your favorite Hallmark movie this one will scratch your reading itch! Merry is finishing up a year of working as a temp at a consulting firm. She really likes her job and has been grateful to have it as it has allowed her to save up money to finish her college degree. The only thing Merry dislikes is her handsome but disagreeable boss, who always seems to have a bone to pick with Merry. Merry’s mother and brother want to add some fun to her life and sign her up on a dating sight. Merry is reluctant at first but starts to come around to the idea, especially as she meets a very nice guy named Jay online….but what will Merry do when she meets Jay and he isn’t what she expected?
I hope these help to give you some ideas for your reading life this Christmas! In the meantime I am always anxious to hear about any other good books that I haven’t read yet- what are some of your favorite classics? Do you have one that you read year after year and embodies the feeling of the season for you? I’d love to hear from you! Drop a comment below or meet me over on instagram or Pinterest at EssentiallyEmmaMarie!
https://amzn.to/3m0KeTo
Check out other books I have discuss on Essentially EmmaMarie!
by Alaina | Nov 19, 2020 | Book Nook
I think what made me fall in love with history is when I found out that it’s not about names and dates, but rather people, places and events. I fell in love with history, and have learned a lot, through historical fiction. When you can imagine the story being told, unfolding on the streets that you are already familiar with, you will remember the history that happened there! Below are 3 really good, gripping historical fiction books that happened in Pittsburgh!
Consecrated Dust
What is better than a book that opens with a Christmas sleigh ride through the snow at the beginning of the Victorian era? Clara is young, beautiful, and being rushed to marry by her mother, as a daughter of well bred parents should be. Her mother doesn’t approve of Clara’s longtime friendship with Annie, daughter of an Irish immigrant family that has started working at the Arsenal in Lawrenceville. Clara can’t stand the thought of marrying Edgar; the wealthy businessman and suitor her parents have picked out for her. Clara likes the thought of marrying James- though not wealthy but definitely a handsome suitor who is smitten with Clara. Their relationship will have to withstand a war, and a battle against her parents as Clara faces pressure to marry Edgar. Pressure only grows for Clara as her father, a doctor for the Union in the war, is captured and money becomes very tight for the family- Clara will have to make a decision as to how best to help her family.
In the center of day to day life in Lawrenceville is the arsenal- in full production for the war effort. Then one devastating day there is an explosion and life will be forever altered for all of the characters in the book; and not everyone will make it out of the war alive.
As soon as I opened Consecrated dust I found myself being pulled into a bygone world. The stage is set, we see a world of both the elite, and working class, two different worlds- both affected by the start of the civil war. This book depicts not only what life was like on the battle front but also how life changed on the homefront too. We hear about World War One and how life changed on the home front but we don’t hear much about what life was like, especially in the cities, during the civil war. As someone who is familiar with Pittsburgh I loved hearing about how the city looked at the time of the civil war. I will never walk down the streets of Lawrenceville again without thinking about the Arsenal and the explosion that happened there over 150 years ago.
Carnegie’s Maid
Written by a Pittsburgher, this is the untold story of a woman who may have influenced one of the most influential men of the late 1800s. Little is known about Clara Kelley, the Irish maid who came to America and by a twist of fate ends up gaining employment in the Carnegie household. The only problem is the Carnegie’s don’t know who Clara really is- she is not the maid they thought they were hiring. Having to work doubly hard to keep her job while maintaining the false facade that she is who they think she is, she starts to build a friendship with Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie sees himself in Clara’s sharp intellect and business acumen. It is she that reminds him of where he came from, and it just might be she that inspires him to eventually give away all of his millions.
The Secrets of Flight
Contrasting from the present day to the 1940’s this story is told by alternating perspectives of a young girl in present day Pittsburgh, to a now old woman who was one of the first female pilots during World War Two who stepped up to serve her country in the war effort. You will not get bored reading this book. The author does a great job of spinning enough threads throughout the book that you are continually intrigued as to what will happen next but not so many threads that you can’t keep track of where the story is heading.
Most people are not aware of the female pilot program instituted during World War Two. We are not taught about how the women in this program had to learn to navigate not only the stresses of learning how to pilot a plane but also how they had to survive and navigate sabotage from male pilots who were not on board with this program. Neither are we really familiar with the racism here in the US against Jews at this same time. We hear about how there was much racism against Germans and Japanese people in the states at this time but sadly the Jews were not always welcome either. This book brings to light often buried tensions that were also at play during World War Two.
Not only were they books well researched historical fiction, they were also really good stories. I didn’t want to pull them down and I found myself getting caught up in the characters’ lives. If you want to learn more about history but don’t want to feel like you are learning try one of these books and get lost in their pages!
by Alaina | Oct 28, 2020 | Book Nook
Quick reminder 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!
I hate it when I pick up a book that I think I’m reading for pure edification and end up coming away with a lot to think about and highly convicted. I had read parts of this book in high school, I remembered it being thought provoking and it had been on my reading list for a while.
Randy hits a lot of different points in this book; all of them good, and most not talked about nearly enough in the Christian community. He covers all the things; how money is talked about more than nearly any other topic in the Bible, how our thinking about money in today’s day and age is flawed, often even in our churches, the Bible’s views on debt, and how we should use our money to help others.
I would hesitate to describe myself as materialistic. I certainly don’t want to think that money is one of the most important things to me. But I do place a lot of feelings of security in money. Money is a buffer between me and the unexpected large medical bill. Money is the freedom to do things- anything. And money secures a roof over my head, and that in turn brings me feelings of safety and comfort. Towards the end of the book Randy makes a statement about money that I found terribly convicting. He said that in our American culture we are taught to save, to build a safety net with our money, and once a lot of us start with this we keep going. He says that while that is wise, where is the point that we stop relying on God to provide for our needs, and instead rely on our safety net that we have built. I know this is something I have done, and while I do still think that it is wise that we have an emergency fund, I also think that we really do need to ponder and pray over where our security lies.
An Overarching point that Randy makes throughout the book is that there is soo much need in this world. And largely as Americans, even those living in what we call poverty, we have so much. Did God bless us with all this just for us to stay very comfortable? Randy makes the case that perhaps we have been blessed largely so that we can bless others just as much. He states several times that he believes that we should pick a certain amount of money to live on, it needn’t be super small but neither should it be a lavish amount, but rather somewhere in between, and then commit to live at that amount from then on. We should still work to maximize our incomes and make as much money as we have the skill to do so, but all money over that set amount should go to charities, non profits, and our churches. Randy uses his own life as an example and it is amazing to see how God has blessed and provided. I don’t know how I feel about this. I can certainly appreciate Randy’s view, but it does seem a little extreme. However much of Christianity has been seen as extreme throughout the history of the Church and I therefore believe that we should deeply ponder what our relationship is with money, and how it is impacting our relationship with God.
I think this is valuable reading for any Christian definitely, but also for anyone who wants to take a challenging look at their relationship with money. Do we have a healthy perspective on money and material things? How much time do we spend thinking about money and the things and own and want to own versus other much more important things- like Eternity? At the end of our lives are we going to wish that we had held onto more of our money, or that we had used it to bless others and bring glory to God every time we had the chance?
by Alaina | Oct 20, 2020 | Book Nook
I have been a long time lover of historical fiction. And I don’t mean just any historical fiction- I mean historical fiction that doesn’t feel like a history lesson! To me great historical fiction reads like another good book- with page turning suspense. They should be just as gripping, the character just as developed- just set in a different time period. Below are a few of my favorites.
Quick reminder 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 Secrets of Flight by Maggie Leffler
This is probably my most favorite book of the past several years- and not just because it’s set in my home city of Pittsburgh. The story alternates between modern day and the 1940s, narrated alternately by an older woman who was a lady pilot in world war 2, and between a young girl of modern day. This book is not only an exciting story with surprises and plot twists, but also one that educates about the brave women who stepped up to become pilots during world war 2 and the difficulties and sometimes sabotage that they faced. If you’re not a historical fiction enthusiast and need a book that bridges between modern day and recent history- this is the book for you!
Lovely War by Julie Berry
This tale is about 4 young people and their experiences during the First World War. What I really loved about this book is that the author chose to have the main characters stories told by several of the Greek Gods. Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, is trying to pull together the main characters. Ares, the god of War, just wants to tell about the battle scenes, and then Hades… he narrates the death scenes, so we know someone is dying in the chapter, but we don’t know who. I really enjoyed knowing the topic was based off of which god was telling the story, but then I kept guessing as to who the chapter was going to be about. I thought this was a fresh way to tell a story about WW1, and one that had kept my attention the whole way through!
Two Girls of Gettysburg by Lisa Klein
This story will keep you page turning as you read about the pivotal and bloodiest battle of the Civil War. This is the story of the cousins during the civil war- a northern girl and a southerner. Two different points of view are told as one war and one battle change their lives, torn apart by war and then brought together by it, what will remain of their once close friendship? As someone who grew up visiting the modern day town of Gettysburg I really appreciated the details depicted within this story as the events of the Gettysburg battle unfolds.
Time Enough for Drums by Ann Rinaldi
This is an older book by my all time favorite author Ann Rinaldi. This book is technically classified as young adult but don’t let that stop you! Is a well done story exploring the tensions and currents during the early days of the American revolution. Jem is wild and not content to be stuck at home in a classroom, especially with her tutor John who is a tory- someone who supports England and has the opposite beliefs of Jen and her family. That is until she gets the feeling that he may not be a Tory…And that she may have growing feelings towards him….
The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner
I’m a goner when it comes to anything about the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. There is just something about an event that is still shrouded in mystery over 300 years later. If you aren’t familiar with the topic of the Salem Witch trial I suggest you pick up this book and educate yourself! The Salem Witch trials are about the winter of 1691/1692 when a group of young women, several of whom were still young girls, started accusing people in their town of watch craft- an offense punishable by death! 19 people were put to death by the accusations of these girls. This book drifts from modern day about a girl hired to transcribe a journal of one of the accused, and 1692 where we hear the story of one of the accused women, the owner of the aforementioned journal being transcribed.
by Alaina | Oct 14, 2020 | Book Nook
What kind of person reads a book about a pandemic in the middle of a pandemic? Me… There was definitely something comforting about picking up this book about the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic during our current time, and while I’m not sure that I would have been able to read this in the beginning of March of this year, (2020), I thought it gave a great perspective to our current time.
Bright as Heaven opens as the fictional Bright family leave their family farm to move to Philadelphia for Mr Bright to take over his uncle’s mortuary business. They are mourning the loss of Henry, the youngest child who didn’t even live to see his first birthday. The story is told through alternating points of view of each of the women in the family; there is Pauline- Mamma, Evie the eldest, Maggie the middle child, and Willa the youngest. They each come to Philadelphia fighting their own inner battles but soon enough a whole new battle comes crashing into their lives.
They are just beginning to settle into life in the big, busy city when seemingly out of nowhere the Spanish Flu springs up, and instantly their residence which is also the mortuary business is overrun with the dead. We think of the years of 1918 and 1919 and we think of World War One, totally forgetting about this global crisis that occurred in the midst of the war. As the flu reaches its deadly peak, Mamma and Maggie are out tending to the ill when Maggie hears a baby crying. She follows the crying and comes to a dilapidated house. Inside she finds his mother is dead as she picks up the baby, Maggie also notices a girl, his sister, nearly motionless on a couch. Before Maggie’s eyes the sister dies, or at least Maggie thinks that she does… This image will haunt Maggie continuously for years to come in ways she couldn’t imagine.
Not only does Susan Meissener weave together a gripping story with; as I like to say, no boring parts, she also sheds light on an often forgotten chapter of history. The Spanish Flu of 1918 was a global event that took more lives than World War One did. Imagine, not just a world war, but in addition a flu that couldn’t be cured or treated effectively raging at the same time. This book really gave me perspective on our current times. This is not the first time our world has seen tragedy and chaos, nor will it be the last. We must remember that we are not defined by the times that we live in, but rather how we react to our current circumstances. Since the world has been in existence there have been cataclysmic events, but the world has kept on turning. I would like to challenge you to pick up this book and after you finish, ask yourself- do we really have it as badly as today as we think we do? Will we rise to the challenge of our times as the Bright Family does?
