Well, hello there! It’s been a while since I put out a blog post, but that is because our family just returned from a 10-day camping trip in the Southwest US. We stayed in four different states, visited 2 different state parks and 4 national parks, and it was an amazing trip! But as is always the case, there are so many tasks to catch up with upon returning home! So today I decided to try and get a brief reading report out before the week gets away from me.
I know for many, if not most people, summer is a great time to read and make a big dent in their TBR for the year. But I have so many other projects to do in the summer when we are not doing school work that it is often hard for me to take the time to sit down and read. I thought maybe I would have hours of downtime on our trip in which I would read a lot, especially when we were driving from one place to another. However, it turned out that I was too captivated by the ever changing landscape to look down at a book when we were on the road. In the afternoons when we were hiding out trying to stay cool (thank goodness for our camper’s blessed AC unit!), I often was too sleepy to read much and just tried to rest. I am also still struggling with “shiny thing syndrome” when interesting books come across my radar, and I keep starting reading new things before finishing other books. That is a recipe for disaster in my reading life because I end up never finishing either the newer or older book. Ack! Sitting down to write this post forced me to narrow down things a little bit in my current reading list, so maybe I will be able to discipline my reading raven and actually finish what I have started for once!
Finished Books:
All that being said, here are the books I have finished in the last two months since doing a regular reading report update…
Night by Elie Wiesel: very difficult to read emotionally, but I believe an incredibly important book to read in order not to forget the devastating effects of dehumanizing people. I read this for the May prompt in the Tea and Ink Society 2025 Classics Reading Challenge.
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton: another hard on the emotions book, but again, I think it is an important story that gets at the common hopes and hurts of people from all walks of life.
A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot: a great biography on the life and work of Amy Carmichael, well worth reading for any Christian.
Land of Little Rain by Mary Austin: lovely descriptions of the desert and high country in the Sierra Nevadas and Mojave, including flora, fauna, and the people of the region. I read this both as a pre-read for my son’s next school year and as June’s book for the Classics Reading Challenge.
Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth: this was on my reading list for some time before I finally snagged a copy from my digital library to read on vacation. It was my first Patricia Wentworth mystery, and I enjoyed her unique style quite a lot.
Currently Reading:
Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry: started on our way to the Grand Canyon, and we are still finishing it up now that we are home. It’s my second time through as I read it to my son years ago, but he and I are happily reacquainting ourselves with dear Brighty.
The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon by Grace Lin: a brand new book from the author of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and other Chinese folktale inspired children’s books. We started this as a family read aloud, but it was a bit of a slog at first because the chapters are so short and change perspective so frequently that I did not enjoy the reading process. We finally got the audio version from the library and started listening to that together instead, which is working much better for us.
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens: this is a long-term audio book for me because, well, it’s Dickens. I am now on chapter 50 of 64, so it won’t be much longer now until I am finished! I don’t think I can say this is my favorite Dickens novel ever (that would either be A Tale of Two Cities or Bleak House), but I am glad to be reading it.
The Case is Closed by Patricia Wentworth: since I liked my first in the Miss Silver series and had access to the second, I went ahead and started this new mystery on our way home from vacation. So far, so good!
What the Robin Knows by Jon Young: a pick for our nature hike moms to read together…I haven’t gotten very far but am intrigued so far. Who knew there were people who studied “deep bird language?” Not me!
Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury: just started today because I realized I need to get moving on July’s Classics Challenge prompt of a classic Sci-Fi novel. I guess David Copperfield is going to have to get bumped down on the priority list if I am going to get the Marian Chronicles done by the end of the month!
Well, that is all I have for today! I would love to hear about your summer reading list if you care to drop a comment below! Until next time, happy reading, friends!
Kiel
