Books I Read In June

Did you know that it's completely ok to not finish a book? If you didn't, you now have permission to not struggle through a book you don't like or just isn't great. It's not elementary school - no one is going to grade you on your reading completion!

I did that twice this month, so I didn't read nearly as many books as I would have liked. But because I started different books and tucked the other ones away, I'm in the middle of three more that I absolutely love.

Here are the five that I did finish!

Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation by Cokie Roberts. This is a companion book to another of my favorites, Founding Mothers. Using letters written by women from all walks of life in the beginning of our nation - from First Ladies to diplomats' wives to journalists - this book gets to the heart of what was on the minds of that generation of ladies. I learned so much about the Revolutionary War period and its practicality and survival, as well as care for their families, encourage their husbands to be great leaders, and host a celebration or two along the way.

How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin. This is the second book in the Castle Knoll Murder Mystery series, and it is just as good as the first. If you haven't read the first one, read it first. That's all you're getting out of me on this one because I'm not going to risk spoiling a single surprise. I adore this series, so start with How to Solve Your Own Murder and then we'll talk...

Blessed are the Cheese Makers by Tricia Goyer and Cara Putman. I found this lovely story in a downtown consignment shop and picked it up for a couple of dollars. What I didn't realize was it is #17 of the Guidposts' Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries series. Now I have a choice to make - do I try to find the first 16, or do I just enjoy this sweet, simple mystery as an entity all its own. Thoughts on the subject?

Far Beyond Gold by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. The 2021 Olympic gold medal hurdler was saved during her training, changing everything about every area of her life. This memoir is a beautiful story of imperfection, seeking God above all else, balancing meekness and competitiveness, and the joy of falling in love. I was looking forward to the salvation story and got a great sports story for the ages along with it.

Start With Why by Simon Sinek. I saw Sinek's famous TED Talk on inspiring great leaders to action and knew I wanted to read the whole book. We often get caught up in what we do and how we do it int eh business world, but he reminds us that the why is so much more important. As a public-facing nonprofit, I was reminded that yes, there will be frustrations, but we're better equipped to handle them when we're focused on the reason we started in the first place. 

What was on your book pile in June?

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