Reading Recap: Quarter 3

This was a busy quarter for me—I managed to read twenty-seven books during July, August, and September, which brings my total books read in 2025 to 64. I’ve officially surpassed my reading goal of 60 books this year!

Since I had a baby in July, I didn’t expect to get much reading in. But with so many late night nursing sessions, I quickly took advantage of several apps to read ebooks instead of scrolling social media. Fiction was the genre of choice since my tired my couldn’t comprehend anything much deeper. Here are three apps I’ve used to read many books from TBR list for free (this is unsponsored!):

Hoopla: I signed in with my local library account and am able to borrow up to five ebooks, audiobooks, movies, or magazines a month. Different libraries may have different limits. Right now this is my favorite app to use for ebooks!

Libby: My library account also provides an account on Libby. I don’t prefer to use Libby since many of the books I want to read aren’t available on this platform, and when they are, I need to place a hold if someone else is already borrowing it. I only used this app to read one book this quarter; but it was a book I’ve been wanting to read for several years so it was worth it!

Kindle Unlimited: I took advantage of a free trial available to prime members. So far, I’m loving it! There is a wide variety of books I’ve been wanting to read available on this platform. If you read a lot of ebooks, the membership might be worth it. I do plan on cancelling my membership when the free trial is over as I just prefer reading physical books!

Now, onto the books I read and my thoughts on each:

Christian Nonfiction

Rhythms of Renewal by Rebekah Lyons

I wanted to love this book, but there were some areas I felt it was lacking. Her suggestions on how to reduce stress and build a more meaningful life were all good thoughts and I got some good ideas from what she shared. However, the book lacked spiritual depth. Each chapter consists mainly of the author’s personal experience or a personal story. This is great for a blog post, but I would like to see more in-depth research or Bible study done to back up her ideas. There were several instances where Scripture was taken out of context—and other places Scripture was referenced, but not elaborated on or explained. This book had a lot of potential but doesn’t offer enough spiritual depth on these topics to be worthwhile, at least for me.

The Wisdom Pyramid by Brett McCracken

This book mostly focused on the relationship between wisdom and our digital age. There were some great suggestions on handling social media as a Christian! I would’ve loved a deeper biblical discussion of what wisdom is, but there are some solid thoughts on how to seek it out.

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

I have been waiting so long to read this book, and I’ve heard so many good things about it! Now that I’ve finally finished it, I have mixed feelings. First, JMC is perceptive of the concerning elements in the rushed, busy western culture—especially amongst Christians. He gave some compelling arguments for why this is bad for our life and our souls, and some helpful suggestions on how to slow down, focus, and align our life with the things that really matter.

However, I really struggled with how he interpreted and applied several scripture passages. They were a few taken out of context to support his point, which concerned me. His theological views are certainly different from mine, but I knew this going in. Still, his way of interpreting Scripture and theology make for a worldview that I can’t fully get behind. There also was no discussion or description of the Gospel, although he uses the word several times. I think this would have been a great thing to touch on, especially since the Gospel does have implications on how a Christian lives and relates to God.

I’m taking some good and practical suggestions from this book but leaving the rest. There are other sources that I’ve learned how to order my life around the things that matter, simplify and unhurry my life, so I feel like I can recommend other resources over this one for those interested in pursuing this topic.

Letters to Pastors’ Wives: When Seminary Ends and Ministry Begins edited by Catherine J. Stewart

Convicting, comforting, and encouraging. Reading this book feels like sitting down for coffee with a mentor. Each chapter is a letter on a specific topic, written to a pastors wife by a seasoned pastor’s wife. I will be keeping this on hand to revisit the chapters that will be relevant to my life. There were a few theological disagreements as most contributors come from a Presbyterian background, but the practical truths were very applicable to my life.

Reading Between the Lines: A Christian Guide to Literature by Gene Edward Veith, Jr.

This was fascinating! The book covers the various genres and modes of literature through the ages, including an explanation of how Christian authors have had an influence on culture. He includes helpful book lists—I added some classics to my TBR list after hearing the author rave about them.

Biography and Memoir

Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber

This is one where I saw the movie first and knew I had to read the book! I normally don’t enjoy reading autobiographies or memoirs—but this one was humbly written and her story so interesting! I loved learning about the author’s journey towards hope and conversion to Christianity, as well as her experience at Oxford.

J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter

I finally got around to read the only biography of Tolkien that is authorized by the Tolkien estate. This gave me such an appreciation for the man behind Myth. It is astounding the work he put into his writing and the depth of world building for Middle Earth. Most of all? I love how Tolkien, one of the most influential authors of his century, was perfectly content in his very ordinary life.

Family and Motherhood

Mama Bear Apologetics: Guide to Sexuality (Edited by Hillary Morgan Frerrer)

This is much needed for today’s parents. It is so thorough and yet can only introduce some of these important topics. This is a great starting point for parents.

Labor With Hope by Gloria Furman

Written as a devotional for pregnancy, I found this book to be pretty in depth—not a light, fluffy, only-positive-thoughts devotional. It’s more theological, but that means that it was difficult at times to follow with my sleepy, frazzled, 9-month pregnant brain.

The Time-Saving Mom: How to Juggle a Lot, Enjoy Your Life, and Accomplish What Matters Most by Crystal Paine

This book contained some really good ideas for prioritizing what is important and maximizing the use of your time. There is a lot of repetition so I feel like the book could have been shorter. Most of the ideas I’ve heard before but it was a good reminder and challenge.

Fiction

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

I reviewed this as “creepy in a good way” after finishing it. I loved the character development and mystery—it was hard to put down!

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

I should have loved this book. Jane Austen, WW2, literary vibes? However, I found this story to be hollow and hopeless. First of all, the inclusion of romances between several characters was pointless and weird—and (mostly) unnecessary to the main point of the story. The characters are seeking fulfillment but only find their happiness through worldliness, which I find so sad as a Christian. There’s a description of an attempted, and descriptive, attack on a woman which I found completely repulsive and unnecessary to include. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend this one.

The British Booksellers by Kristy Cambron

You had me at rival bookstore owners who are secretly in love! Part romance and part mystery, the plot also focuses on the adventure and fear of the “forgotten blitz” during World War two. bit of adventure and mystery. This is is a unique fictional look at WW2, different from what we see saturating the market right now, so it’s an interesting and enjoyable read!

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

I picked up this book because the movie was interesting. There is excellent writing and an intriguing storyline. There were a few things I didn’t appreciate—characters engage in premarital sex (it is only referenced) and there was cursing, including several f words. I took two stars off my review because I’m just not a fan of that.

Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton

Three words: sweet, touching, and poignant. The author shows masterful writing, tying the hurricanes in the deep south to the different relationships (marriage, sisters, etc.) and gives a realistic yet hopeful view of family.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

This is a masterful story full of twists and turns. The author knows when to reveal information and when to wait to hold his reader’s attention. This author has really mastered irony while also covering sensitive subjects like death, justice, and suicide. I left off a star because the ending felt too heavy as compared to the rest of the book. I also was sad for the characters—though fictional!—who both feared and invited death. As a Christian, I’m thankful for the hope of the Gospel and this opened my eyes to the reality for those who do not have it.

A Girl called Samson by Amy Harmon

This is a fastening work of fiction that is based on a true story of a woman, disguised as a man, who fought in the Revolutionary War. However, there were several things I didn’t like: first, it was crude in places and I skipped several paragraphs that were more sexual in nature (this is more at the end). I also felt like addition of the romantic relationship was weird. The real life Deborah and John married different people, so why did the author create a romance between them? I felt like it took away from what kind of been a great exploration of Deborah’s character; instead, especially at the end, the focus became solely on the couples attraction to each other. I also didn’t connect or care for the characters as I read the book, but afterwards, became very intrigued when reading about the real life characters. There was a lot of potential here, which is why I wish the author would have stayed closer to the actual storyline.

Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age series by Crystal Caudill

Counterfeit Love

Counterfeit Hope

Counterfeit Faith

Crystal Caudill was a new author to me, and I really enjoyed this series! The plot and characters were so fresh from what we see saturating the Christian fiction market. You knew the guy and girl would end up together, but there were so many twists and turns that I could never figure out how it would happen! This series earned four stars out of five from me.

Inkworld Series (1 and 2) by Cornelia Funke

Inkheart

This movie was a classic when I was growing up, and like usual, the book was better than the (already great) movie. What would happen if characters from a fantasy novel appeared in our world?  It was such an interesting story, with unique characters and a happy ending. There are a few instances of cursing which I always find unnecessary, especially in young adult fantasy.

Inkspell

This was an engaging sequel—but I could have done without all the coming of age stuff. It did give a closer look at the characters that you grow to love in the first book, and it was good enough to make me want to read the third and final book in the series!

Clavering Chronicles series by Jenie Goutet

A Fall from Grace

Philippa Holds Court

The Sport of Matchmaking

Jennie Goutet is another new author to me. I loved how she portrayed glimpse at the relationship between society and wealth in these regency inspired novels. The stories give Jane Austen vibes. I wish the author would have followed the “ show don’t tell” rule of fiction but they were interesting books! My favorite was Philippa Holds Court.

Daughters of Gentry series by Jennie Goutet

A Whimsical Notion

A Stroke of Good Fortune

I loved Goutet’s writing so much that I had to explore some of her other books. This series is a cute and interesting regency romance. The author clearly has researched historical England and paints many beautiful and realistic scenes—you feel like you are there! The second book was a sweet book about friendship and love—a little intense in part thanks to the infamous uncle, but I was drawn in to see how the plot would resolve! I have one book left to read in this series.

Have you read any of these books? If not, what books are you adding to your TBR list? I’d love to hear!