More books!

The Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King- this is super fun series beginning around the start of the first Word War, Mary Russell meets Sherlock Holmes and thus begins their partnership of crime solving through genius. I read all the Sherlock Holmes stories, and King’s stories have all the things I enjoyed about those stories- plus female characters and a little romance- two things I missed in Doyle’s books.

Future Grace by John Piper- I could probably read this again and enjoy it just as much the second time. So much good stuff in there! There are 31 chapters so you can read a chapter a day for a month, which is what I did. It was really a timely read for me as the last chapters deal some with death, and I have had some death in my life lately.

The Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald- This is one of those children’s stories full of divine wisdom MacDonald wrote. It is about a little boy who is visited by the North Wind, and what happens as a result of these visits. I loved the imagination MacDonald had in writing this; for example- in a dream we find out that lightening bolts are actually bees that escape from the moon! How fun is that? At the end, we find out what The North Wind actually is- maybe more astute readers caught it before, but I wasn’t sure ‘til the last chapter.

The Spark in the Machine by Dr. Daniel Keown– this book was recommended to me by a friend, I would not have picked it up otherwise. It discusses the commonalities between Chinese traditional medicine and thought/acupuncture and the Western understanding of Anatomy &Physiology. It was fascinating! I will say I felt it got more technical towards the middle and end of the book, maybe more directed toward doctors than the average reader. But, I still found it interesting, and it refreshed a lot of my A&P from high school and university. 

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer- Confession: I didn’t actually read this one- I listened to the audiobook as I cook or do dishes. I have been meaning to read Bonhoeffer’s books since I read his biography a few years ago. This work discusses Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, I found it convicting and challenging to my spiritual discipline and my level of love for others.

Adopted for Life by Russell D. Moore- this is audio version as well, and I am pretty sure the reader has a southern accent- just like Russell Moore? This book is about our adoption in Christ, and also how physical adoption of children is a beautiful way to honor/imitate God’s taking us and making us his own. I haven’t actually finished yet, but if I hadn’t already been considering adopting, I would be now.

Chop Chop by L. N. Cronk-  I didn’t know what to expect when I started this series. A favorite author had posted it as good and free on Amazon one day, so I got it. This series chronicles the lives of one man and the people around him- it is funny and sad and joyful- kind of like real life. I would recommend this series to any believer who has dealt with loss and heartache (pretty sure that is all of us).