Books I Read In July

I would just like to say for the record that I would have read more books in July if I didn't have to sleep, eat, work, keep up the house, shop, and occasionally breathe. 

Now that this announcement is out of the way...

I had so much fun reading this month. It was an eclectic stack of books that made me laugh, think, frown on occasion, and get curious about many other things. Sounds like the power of the written word to me!

First was one of the most unique story lines I've ever read: Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes (the Escape: The Pina Colada Song singer). Reread that title and tell me you don't want to know the plot. The first in a series (fingers crossed the second one is out this fall) about a university for people trying to commit murder, it's so clever and well thought out. There were a couple of sections that were unnecessary for the plot, which seems to be the case with a lot of books these days, but now I'm waiting on the edge of my seat for the next installment.

Living With Thorns, A Biblical Survival Guide by Mary Ann Froehlich encourages anyone dealing with thorns like Paul's to have intimate conversation with the Lord about them. The situations we're going through may not change - we may continue to deal with the circumstances all our lives - but we don't have to struggle or give up in despair. The survival steps here are real, true, practical ways to continue on in faith when the unchanged circumstances remain.

A find at our community book sale last fall, Love Finds You In Homestead, Iowa by Melanie Dobson is set in the Amana Colonies, not far from where we live. It's a beautiful love story from a series, and gives a lovely portrayal of what live was like for the Community in the 1890s. Now I'm looking forward to finding others in the series.

I found Adam Hamilton's Half Truths at a local thrift shop, one of those cool, random finds. It's a fascinating look at phrases we think are biblical but really aren't. Things like "Everything happens for a reason" and "God helps those who help themselves" may sound good, but to really look at what Scripture says - and doesn't say - was eye opening.

Oh my goodness, I have never read a book quite like A Frontier Lady: Recollections of the Gold Rush and Early California. We've been hosting our Wild West-themed Vacation Bible School for the past 9 weeks, so this was a great time to come across this book, based on the journals of a Christian woman named Sarah Royce, whose family headed for California from Iowa. Her story is one of faith, resilience, perseverance, God's blessings, and having a testimony no matter the circumstances. I learned a lot in this book, much more than I thought I would.

Death by Chocolate Frosted Doughnut by Sarah Graves is part of her Death by Chocolate Mystery Series. I've never read one of her series before, but the title drew me in, so I had to catch up for the first few chapters to get who was who and where everything was. It's a fun story set in a Maine village at a waterfront bakery, so I was all in! Yes, there are even pirates, the murder of a food podcaster, and a recipe for double-chocolate ginger cookies.

And finally, while we were on vacation, I read Coroner by Dr. Thomas Noguchi, a former Los Angeles County Coroner. Just when I thought I knew the stories behind the deaths of some prominent people, a book like this by an expert comes along. Dr. Noguchi did the autopsies and investigations of Marilyn Monroe, Robert Kennedy, Natalie Wood, among many others that often had conspiracies and questions surrounding them. The insight he gives in this book is fascinating, and the behind-the-scenes look at a major metropolitan ME's office was so cool. 

What books did you read in July?