2016 Reading Challenge: April

At the beginning of this year, I decided to set out to read 3 books a month in three specific genres. Now that I'm out of school, I figured I'd have a lot more time left over to read what I wanted, instead of the usual assigned textbooks. And I have been reading more than I used to while I was an undergrad. But I've still fallen a little behind on this goal, reading only about a book a month.

Last month though, I actually purchased and started reading a book per genre. I'm still finishing the last two, but I did get pretty far in April, which I'm pretty proud of. This month, the plan is to finish up Quiet (Sermon on the Mount is very long and detailed, so it'll probably stick around for the summer) and start 3 new books. I'm excited!

For now though, I wanted to share my thoughts/reviews on these three, which all turned out to be great reads.

Young Adult Fiction:

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

I actually bought this book for my sister last year, since she used to love Sarah Dessen years ago. I got the autographed copy from Target, which was pretty neat. But anyway, the day of the epic Houston floods, I had little to do other than write or read, which meant I finished this book in a matter of hours. I loved reading Sarah Dessen again. Since I also write in the YA genre, her works always inspire me. I can't say this is my favorite of hers (that would probably be Along for the Ride or Just Listen), but it was a sweet story, like all her books. I'd give it 4.5/5 stars. :)

Social Studies/Current Events:

Quiet by Susan Cain

I wanted to love everything about this book because I'm an introvert - and I did love most of it. The research was engaging and enlightening. I especially loved reading about historical and cultural backgrounds for different societies' preference toward extroversion or introversion. Reading that reminded me how much I used to enjoy studying history and anthropology. The only thing that slightly bugged me about this book was that there seemed to be a bias toward introversion. It seemed like being an introvert was correlated to being considerate and thoughtful in a way that almost implied that extroverts aren't - or at least, not as much. I don't think this was Cain's intention, but it did make me feel a little tongue-in-cheek about recommending this book to an extrovert who might take it the wrong way.

Christian:

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount by Martyn Lloyd-Jones

I ordered this book on a whim a couple weeks ago after hearing one of my favorite preachers briefly reference it. And I am so glad I did, because it's amazing. This book is basically a study of Jesus’ entire sermon on the mount, line by line. But what I most love about it is that it goes beyond that, discussing how to apply it to our lives. My only disclaimer about this book is that the author talks a lot about how we must have a lowly view of ourselves, aware of our faults and sin and brokenness. All that is true, of course. But I worry that if someone didn't have a proper understanding of the doctrine of grace (and God's love), they could possibly misinterpret it. Then again, that might just be me overthinking everything...

All that being said, I would definitely recommend these books if you're interested in any of these subjects (keeping in mind the disclaimers of course). Or if you just want a nice, interesting read, in the case of Dessen's novel. Let me know if you check any of them out!

#books #2016