This picture sums up my summer reading very well. Mostly a mix of fiction, from middle-grade to popular adult. There’s always a Harry Potter in the mix and maybe one or two non-fictions. As always, if you’d like a complete list, follow me on Goodreads, where I have lapsed in writing reviews, but still try to count and rate each one finished. I am also 19 books behind schedule, according to my goal set back in January, and I think that is also very telling about my summer reading (or lack thereof).
As to these specific books, I’ll discuss from top to bottom:
The Jaguar’s Jewel (A to Z Mysteries) by Ron Roy. This is a series I am working through with my 7-year-old son and he is very into them. They are all mysteries, so he gets excited at the end of each chapter and wants to continue reading. I count that a success! He could easily read these himself (if you are curious about the reading level of these books), but I choose to read them out loud to him.
Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison. This is an amazing book about racial reconciliation by a compassionate and wise Christian woman. We read this book as a church and then came together to discuss once a week. I would definitely recommend. It’s still on the book pile, though, because I have yet to read the last few pages!
Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood. This was recommended to me by my 10-year-old daughter, and when she asks me to read a book, you better believe I’m going to read that book! This is not a chore, though, because as previously mentioned, I really do love middle-grade fiction.
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. I have recently joined an unofficial bookclub with my two cousins! We talk on the Voxer app about which books we are reading and which ones we love. This one came highly recommended by both cousins, so I am anxious to get into it more. So far it is sad. I hope the payoff is coming! (I think it is.)
The Fowl Twins by Eoin Colfer. I am a huge fan of the Artmis Fowl books (yes, more middle grade fiction), so I was happy to see another book in the same universe! Have yet to start it, but check Goodreads for it’s rating once I finish. (And read the Artemis Fowl books if you haven’t. Actually, listen to them because the reader, Nathaniel Parker, is phenomenal.)
Children of Exile by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I have yet to read this one, but I discovered this author this summer and have read a couple others of hers and she is so good. The books of hers that I have read I would call Science Fiction Lite (is that a thing?).
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling. I am reading this one with my daughter and we are enjoying it together. It’s so fun sharing some of your interests with your kids and having them be interested, too!
Not pictured (audio books):
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. This book was sad and sweet and was a story of healing. And while I would recommend the book and the narrator, I do not recommend listening in the middle of the night, because there were some parts that the narrator portrayed as quite creepy!
The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riodan. Another book by Rick Riordan about the Greek gods. This one is from the god Apollo’s perspective, which is not my favorite, but still humorous and entertaining.