Top October Reads

 For anyone who knows me they know I LOVE to read. It is my favorite hobby, and favorite way to learn. I would classify myself as an avid reader/learner and I make no apologies. We all have seasons in our life we have no time to read, and other times where we have a decent amount of time to read. I am currently in a season where I have more time to read and I am so thankful for it. Typically when I start a book, even if it is boring or looks like I am not going to love it, I will do my best to finish it. I made a commitment to read the book and I want to follow through, even if the commitment was only to myself. Matt does not understand this at all, if he does not enjoy a book at the beginning, he simply quits it and moves on. I say this because I read 25 books in October, but I actually started more than that...but there were at least 3 that I could not get into and could not see anything good coming from finishing them, it simply felt like a waste of time. I also mostly read Christian fiction and nonfiction. The reason for this is because I am a highly sensitive person. With very graphic scenes of any sort I have a hard time erasing them from my head. Also, if it has a lot of foul language, when I get angry those are the first words to the surface, which is not what I want, so I guard what goes in so what comes out is good too. I was recently surprised in a book that I was reading, that had very graphic scenes of the way a guy looked after war, and it seriously heart my heart and I have not been able to get these images out of my head. I would have appreciated a warning label.

So, I am going to try to pick my top five books that I read in October and give a brief description and hopefully you will find your next read from my list 😀

The first one was a surprise to me:

This one is a graphic novel, which I had never really read before. However, the title intrigued me, as did the cover. I could not have enjoyed this book more. It really speaks to all the book lovers out there, with humor and even a bit of sarcasm. This was also a new author to me.  My entire family devoured it, and I cannot recommend it enough. It is a very quick read. My full review is here. She also wrote another book that I enjoyed, but not quite as much, about Introverts. 

 

If you like romantic comedies (light on the romance) you will love this one: This book has a positive message about body image, that no matter what size you are, you should be happy with who God created you to be.I literally laughed out loud through this book. So, if you need a light, funny, quick read, I would highly recommend it. It does talk about Christianity, but not in an overwhelming, in your face way. My full review is here. I enjoyed the whole series, but this one was my favorite.For my nonfiction readers, I really enjoyed this one, it is especially relevant to today's culture: 

Our youth are leaving the church at an alarming rate. Why? Mainly because they have more of a worldview than a Biblical view. (only 4%!! have a Biblical worldview) This one is great for parents, youth leaders, teachers, or anyone else who has a heart for our young people. You can view the book synopsis and my review here. This one is written in a very easy and informative manner, but really is a must read for those who care about our youth.

I have never been a historical fiction fan, but over the last few months I have read some that I really enjoy, and have opened my eyes to this previously neglected genre.

I also have never been much of a fan of stories that go back and forth between timelines, but this one does it seamlessly. This was a very touching story (also culturally relevant as it deals with racial issues)and one that I (obviously) highly recommend.

And, last, but certainly not least, this one, a debut novel:

What? Another historical fiction?! I KNOW! But y'all, this book was PHENOMENAL.This book caught my attention from the very beginning, where it talks about a "civilian charged with involvement in prisoner-of-war-related crimes is a complicated affair." I had no idea this was a debut novel until after I had read the entire book, and then read about the author.
This story is incredibly well-written in an epistolary manner (which might be a turn off to some, but I really enjoyed). You can learn more here.

I apologize for the weird formatting, I cannot remember how to align the picture with the text wrapping around it (any blogger friends want to remind me?!).

What great books have you read lately? I am also looking for great, clean reads, they do not have to be Christian in nature, just clean...would love to hear your recommendations 😀