I must be feeling a bit more like myself because I've resumed reading fiction! Post-baby, I get into a sort of funk, and I feel the need to fix all the things. I end up reading lots of non-fiction, particularly self-help books. The fact that I'm picking up a murder mystery and a novel speaks volumes about the state of my mind... and the amount of sleep I've been getting! Here's where I've been parking my bookmark lately:

{The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines}

Format read: Kindle

If you're a fan of the HGTV show Fixer Upper, you're going to enjoy The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines. In this book, Chip and Joanna take turns chatting about their childhoods, how their paths crossed, and how--through hard work and lots of heavenly assistance--they landed where they are today. The publisher uses two distinct fonts to differentiate between when Joanna is narrating and Chip is narrating. I read this book on my Kindle, but I heard that Chip and Joanna narrate this themselves on the Audible version, and I think that would be such a treat to listen to!

Fixer Upper viewers probably already have a good idea of how the zany and adventurous Chip balances out the down-to-earth, A-type Joanna, but this is highlighted even more throughout the book. Even though Joanna tends to generally outshine Chip in the television show (and in the media, in general), I really enjoyed getting to know Chip better. I was surprised and impressed by how daring, unique, and driven he was at such a young age.

In The Magnolia Story, Joanna talks a lot about contentment. I give Joanna major props for being so in tune with her fans. What do I mean? Well, Fixer Upper is one of my favorite shows, and I would happily binge-watch a season in a weekend if I could. HOWEVER. I found that I need to limit my viewing, sometimes even not allowing myself to watch the show for months on end, because I can feel the discontentment bubbling up inside me. I watch as Chip skillfully installs a gorgeous concrete counter top, and I look with disgust at my own brown-flecked laminate. I admire the open floorplan Joanna designed, and I start complaining about how claustrophobic I feel in our own layout. And on, and on. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, and I appreciate that Joanna recognizes and addresses that feeling. I know the problem is not with Chip and Jo, but in my own ingratitude. I'm trying to work on it. I want to appreciate the show for what it is: a fun way for Joanna and Chip to showcase their talents and skills while helping families settle into the homes of their dreams.

Overall, this is a fun, inspiring, and quick read about two very admirable people who rely on the Lord. Because of its light nature, I would recommend throwing it in your tote when you're headed to the beach.

{Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny}

Format read: paperback from the library

This series comes highly recommended by Anne Bogel of the blog Modern Mrs. Darcy. (Don't you just love her blog name?!) Her blog and her podcast, What Should I Read Next?, are focused on connecting readers with good books. She is obviously very well read, so I value her recommendations highly. In both her blog and her podcast, Anne gushes about how she loves the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny, so I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of the first book in the series.

Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel is your classic murder mystery. Jane Neal, a sweet woman who retired from teaching in the Canadian town's one-room schoolhouse, is found dead in the woods. At first, the locals believe that she was accidentally killed by a deer hunter. When Inspector Armand Gamache begins his investigation, though, it becomes apparent that the arrow hit its intended target.

I like Penny's characters, especially the quiet and courageous Gamache. I also appreciate that I couldn't easily put my finger on "whodunit." In fact, I was so bothered that I couldn't figure out who the killer was that I spent a very late night reading until the mystery was solved. I was a zombie the next day, but it was worth it, I tell you!

Anne Bogel writes, "These mysteries are unlike anything I'd ever read: the whodunit plot lines are just an excuse to explore human nature, granting them a depth and psychological astuteness I never expected from this genre." I wouldn't go that far after reading only the first book; however, I suspect that once I read more in the series, I would very likely agree with her. Still Life really is a great read, but I went into it with too-high of expectations... I was basically expecting the characters to leap off the pages and throw me a party. Or something.

If you like mysteries, you'll be glad you picked up this one. Just go into it with realistic expectations, okay?

{Summer Island by Kristin Hannah}

Format read: Hardcover from the library

I had high hopes for this one. Although I've yet to read Hannah's The Nightingale, which by everyone's accounts is a must-read, I've heard that anything by this author is good. I spotted this book while I was waiting for guests to arrive at a Country Inn & Suite for my son's birthday party, of all places. It sounded like a great summer read (it is called Summer Island after all), so I made a mental note to borrow it from my local library.

I'm just going to go ahead and say it. I do not recommend this one. The general story is far-fetched. (Just read the publisher's summary, and I'm guessing you'll agree.) I also found the writing to be distracting. When I was in college, one of my creative writing professors encouraged us, begged us even, to "show, don't tell." For example, if you want to communicate to your readers that a character is scared, a good writer will say, "Nora's eyes widened. She flung her arm outward and gripped the wall so tightly her fingertips turned white." This would be showing. You're assuming that your reader is intelligent enough to understand from the context and description that the character is scared. This is what a mediocre writer might say: "Nora was frightened." In the second example, you're spoon-feeding your readers something that they could have figured out through a more interesting description. Although there's an exception to every rule, I've found that my favorite books are the ones in which the author "shows and doesn't tell." As I read Summer Island, I kept finding myself thinking, Show, don't tell! Now, Kristin Hannah has a lot more published books than I do, and a couple of courses in creative writing does not make me an expert, but I'm just being honest.

I'll grant that I'm pretty straitlaced, so I didn't care for some of the content. There was a play-by-play sex scene that was unnecessary and trashed up the novel. The same goes for a few f-bombs that were sprinkled throughout. I also didn't care for some of the parents' choices in correcting their children. (In one scene, a mother smokes pot with her daughter while "disciplining" her child for using the drug.)

Summer Island did get me thinking about a pretty important topic... Eric, one of the most likable characters in the novel, is a young man who is dying from cancer. (Yes, I cried a lot. I cry when I watch paper towel commercials, for goodness sake.) This character also happens to be homosexual. Although we don't see it in the novel, Eric's parents completely disowned him when he came out as gay. They even refused to visit him when they learned that he was dying, and then he died without seeing either one of his parents again. The parents weren't hiding behind any moral high-ground; they were perfectionists, and having a gay son didn't fit into their perfect world. I couldn't help but think about how sad it is that someone's parents would or could completely turn their backs on their own child--for any reason. I agree with Candace Cameron Bure when she said, "Loving Jesus doesn’t mean I hate gay people or anyone." And it occurred to me that I have never seen or read anything that gives an example of how parents should react in that scenario that (a) maintains the parents' integrity in their biblical values and (b) still communicates and ensures their unconditional love for their child regardless of what she believes her truth to be at that given moment. Do you know of an example of a parental response like this in a book, article, or even a television program? (Or something else?) I'd love to know.

Oh, and the ending is just bizarre! I had to reread the last three sentences of the epilogue over and over again to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. At first, I thought the publisher just made a monumental mistake, but I think might have a theory as to what Hannah meant by it. Like I said, I don't recommend this book, but if you decide to read it anyway, please give me your two cents on the ending.

{Chasing Slow: Courage to Journey Off the Beaten Path by Erin Loechner}

Format read: Audible

I really enjoyed Erin Loechner's Chasing Slow: Courage to Journey Off the Beaten Path. I was expecting it to be kind of like Lysa TerKeurst's The Best Yes, which would have been okay because (a) I haven't finished The Best Yes yet and (b) I keep saying "yes" to things I shouldn't, so I really need the book's concept beaten into my brain. Chasing Slow was not like TerKeurst's book though. Instead, Loechner, a long-time blogger at Design for Mankind, begins as she and her new husband (who has a brain tumor and therefore an "expiration date") start their lives together in L.A. and ends with her, back in the Midwest, hinting at how she and her husband will be adopting soon. Oh, and she also happens to be a stylist by trade and a had a show on HGTV.com.

Loechner's writing is gorgeous. (I recommend reading this post about the day her adopted son was born. It gives you a good idea of the writing style you will be treated to in her book.) As a blogger, I especially enjoyed how her prose segued into recipes and lists (such as, "Places I Have Had Panic Attacks") and then seamlessly transitioned back. Her words are dripping with wisdom, and I found myself frequently pausing the book (I listened to the Audible version) and writing down her quotes in my commonplace book.

In her own life, Loechner pursues a "slow life," which includes minimalism, eating whole 30 foods, and purchasing ethically-made clothing. She admits that "chasing slow" is still a chase. For me, in my particularly busy season of life, it wouldn't make sense for me to emulate her lifestyle. I don't agree with everything she says, but that's okay. She is grounded in her faith in God, humble, funny, and I think you'd enjoy this book as much as I did.

I got this book on a Kindle deal... It was $1.99 with a $3.99 Audible add-on. I've seen this deal occur several times, and I'd recommend taking advantage of it. The narrator of the Audible version is great.

~~~

I'm currently reading/listening to Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J. B. West. Is that ever an interesting read! Did you know that, after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, it was proposed that the White House be painted black, so it would be more difficult to attack at night? You can guess how that idea went over. 😉

I'm reading Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers aloud to the boys, and I never thought I would say this, but I think I'm actually going to prefer the Disney movie over the book!

What have you been reading lately? Do you have anything I should add to my booklist?