2.5⭐️ rounded up.

Marcellus was my favorite character in this book & I found the scenes written from his POV endearing. The scenes in which he interacted with Tova were heartwarming and the book had an overall charm to it. However, I felt there were a lot of characters who didn‘t add anything to the story & when we were learning about them, it felt as if nothing was happening to move the story along.

I liked it fine, but didn‘t love it.

“Maybe she was omnipresent for the very same reason that she was indescribable - because she was light. Pure and radiant light, and how can you really describe light?”

(Listening to the audiobook so the punctuation and such may not be identical to the written version.)

I‘m not usually one for books about royals but I do enjoy memoirs. I‘ve only just begun this one and the way he writes about his mother is beautiful.

I really loved this book. In it, Rena insightfully weaves what we know about Junia's story with the stories of other women throughout church history. I love the way she sleuths out pieces of the story from all different directions, then brings everything together. Fascinating, poignant, well-researched and illuminating without feeling dense. I highly recommend this book. Fav read of '22.

A rudimentary introduction to the idea that our cultural influences and modern paradigms can heavily shape the way we read and interpret scripture - an important thing of which to be aware if you want to really dive deeper into biblical study, interpretation, how interpretation influences what faith looks like in different circles around the world, and the relevant history.

I really enjoyed Michelle's first book and I liked this one just as much. I listened to the audiobook and I was glad I did because Michelle narrates it and I love getting to hear a memoir author's voice read their own words the way they meant for them to be heard / read.

The book is filled with insight, inspiring thoughts and memories from Michelle's life and is a thoroughly enjoyable, well-written read.

I love Billy Collins' poetry, so I very happily picked up a copy of this new volume when it was released. The poems within are much shorter than his readers may be accustomed to seeing from him, but they are still filled with wit and mischief. I prefer longer format poems most of the time but I did enjoy this collection.

This spunky, resilient woman faced a lot of horrific circumstances and did some extraordinary things. Well worth the read, though it should be noted that the work is not actually autobiographical.

Sarah's writing style is so beautiful and inviting. The pictures she paints with her words completely captured my heart right from the introduction, and so much of what she shared resonated with me. There is a sweetness to this book that is evident as she shares her story and the heart of Jesus for the church. Highly recommend. It‘s a soul-refreshing read.

4/5 stars. A quick read about the author‘s position on a relevant topic. She uses short, readable chapters to present data to back up her position - one that posits that we are really focusing on the wrong thing as society debates and legislates and makes abortion the prominent factor of discussion when there are other things that are playing a larger role in the issue but that go ignored.

A heart-wrenching account of Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine from the eyes of a young girl who has just celebrated her 12th birthday. Yeva starts her story on a normal day before her world was upended, then brings us with her as she journals her way through the hours, days and weeks to come as she and her family leave their home as refugees to seek safety from the nightmare of war. Beautifully written.

Scot begins by talking about how we create toxic cultures in our church environments and what contributes to the formation of and sustaining of those types of environments, as well as why they are harmful. After presenting the bad news, he transitions to what we can focus on to create church environments that reflect the heart of Jesus for people. It‘s such a good book. Practical, relevant and sound. Highly recommend.

Powerful words of a gifted writer who will be included in the lists of the great inspirational wordsmiths that have so influenced the world through their writing. The way this woman puts sentences together is breathtaking. It reads like a reflective memoir of story, place and faith that will leave you pondering the truths shared in Cole‘s words. So much of it resonates.TW: rape, drug abuse, violence, strong language

Mis-titled and altogether horrifying. I hated it and would never recommend it to anyone else. (Full review on Goodreads.)

The Great Gatsby well illustrates the hollow misery of a life lived primarily for self and money. I did not much like the story or characters, but I can admire the way Fitzgerald used tone and beautifully crafted sentences to tell the story beneath the surface.

There are some really good thoughts presented in this book. There is also a lot of filler. The book is slow to get going and slow to conclude and it can feel a bit unfocused at times. I found the middle chapters to be the most compelling. I did not always agree with the author's philosophies, but it does contain some valuable information and perspectives.

Rachel was a fantastic storyteller with a gift for putting sentences together in beautiful ways. Searching for Sunday is presented as a memoir of Rachel‘s journey through seasons of disillusionment with and love for the church. People who can relate to her story will likely find inspiration and communion in it.

I really loved this inspiring little book. I found myself underlining, taking notes and sharing little tidbits with my husband often, and found the daily prompts for further thought or practice valuable. Randy is a fantastic storyteller and I love reading about his perspectives on faith and relationship with Creator and creation. This way of being resonates with me.

Heartbreaking, infuriating, inspiring and healing all at once. Meghan's writing is captivating and I could easily have read the entire book in one sitting. Whilst sharing her own story, Meghan highlights the stories of other women who have been oppressed and abused across cultures. I really appreciated her dedication to learning & listening, her ability to admit where she had gone wrong herself & her vulnerability as she shared her own struggles.

Reading Ladder to the Light was so refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the author's perspectives. The book really started to resonate once I reached chapter 5 and it was then (and in the few chapters following) that so many of the things that have been on my own heart lately started to come together in really beautiful ways. Thought provoking, poignant and full of wisdom; I will carry some of the words in this book with me.

This is such a valuable book and I am so glad I read it. I highly recommend it for anyone who either wants to learn more about the historical origins of the idea of “biblical womanhood“ or who is reexamining what they may have been taught about it. It is well written (from the perspective of a historian / professor who knows her stuff), well-cited and thoroughly thought-provoking.

I really liked this book. After reading two other books that were very basic, introductory level books on neurodivergence (one of which heavily pathologized it and the other of which was not very useful), this book felt like a breath of fresh air. The author approaches neurodiversity from a positive perspective and highlights both her own story and the stories of other neurodivergent women.

I loved Fibershed and found it so inspiring. There is so much useful research in this book. It really shines a light on how unsustainable our current clothing industry is, and how recently this change has happened, whilst also encouraging the reader to think differently. It also offers examples of people who are making a difference in their own local communities.

This book is a helpful resource for people who are experiencing abuse or who think it is possible that they are but are not quite ready to call it abuse. It deals primarily with spiritual abuse that often manifests itself in faith communities, but is also applicable to other types of abuse that can occur outside of religious organizations.

This was a particularly timely read for me. It expanded my paradigm and made me think deeply about this land‘s history, the history of the people who live on it, and how Christian faiths can intersect with a more conscious, healing worldview. The book is thought-provoking, inspiring and beautifully written. It is definitely one that I want to pick up and read again. I highly recommend it.

Charlotte's writing is so beautifully descriptive and engaging and her world-building so engrossing that you can picture every element of the story so vividly. Her characters come alive on the page. Rochester has his issues, of course, but is also a well written, well developed, complex character and the story itself is a good one. I would definitely recommend it for someone who wants to get lost in a good book for a while!

Bird by Bird started off really well for me. The language Anne uses is engaging and descriptive. Later, though, it started to feel more muddy and I started feeling like I was having to slog through it. It lost some interest and started to sound more jaded and troubled. I found myself feeling like I had to force myself to keep reading.

My husband and I read it together, had many really great discussions about the information presented therein, and would both highly recommend it to anyone who is either married or considering marriage. We also both agree that this book should be required reading for anyone in a position of leadership within a faith-based setting. It is definitely worth picking up a copy.

Morgan has become one of my favorite poetic authors this year. This volume is beautiful. It is a collection of place-based poetry interspersed with reflective narrative sections, and the whole book is filled with Morgan‘s beautiful illustrations. As a native Californian, I especially loved reading the California section, but I also found myself dog-earing pages all throughout the book so I could revisit my favorite poems later on.

This is the first of Shauna's books that I have read and it was completely different from what I was expecting in the best of ways. Part memoir and part reflection and encouragement, Shauna has a gift for putting words together in beautiful ways and is not afraid to share her heart. I love the way she writes.

This book is outstanding, engaging, and very thoroughly researched. I loved it and learned so much. If you work with plant-based anything, I highly recommend reading it. As a clinical herbalist, organic gardener (aspiring farmer) and sustainable herbalism teacher, I will be suggesting it to all of my students.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the way the author used various narrators rather than one to unveil the intricacies of the whole story.

The characters were each brilliant; the storytelling exceptional. Uncle Fairlie was my favorite. His account made me laugh aloud as I read.

I highly recommend this story. I have already picked up a second work by Wilkie Collins and am looking forward to diving into it.

This book made me weep. It is well-researched, poignant, thought-provoking, gut-wrenching and eye-opening, and I commend Ms. Wilkerson for completing the monumental task of writing it. I learned a lot. Every American needs to read it.