Between the Lines – August Book Review

I started off summer strong with four books in June and then July arrived and I became somewhat sidetracked with baseball and listening to podcasts!  I picked back up in August and finished three additional books to complete the summer.  It seems my reading always goes in waves but I do love having a healthy mix of fiction and non-fiction available at all times.  Here’s how I finished up my summer!

The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You
Amazon:  Every woman has had this experience: you get to the end of the day and realize you did nothing for you. And if you go days, weeks, or even months in this cycle, you begin to feel like you have lost a bit of yourself.  In this practical and liberating book, Jessica Turner empowers women to take back pockets of time they already have in their day in order to practice self-care and do the things they love. Turner uses her own experiences and those of women across the country to teach readers how to balance their many responsibilities while still taking time to invest in themselves. She also addresses barriers to this lifestyle, such as comparison and guilt, and demonstrates how eliminating these feelings and making changes to one’s schedule will make the reader a better wife, mother, and friend.

My thoughts:  As I first started reading this book I wasn’t sure she was going to have too many nuggets for me I didn’t already know but I was so wrong.  Even though many of these things I did know and maybe had practiced before, I definitely needed the encouragement to start looking for those fringe hours again because darn it, I deserve them!  If you struggle with feeling you are the one who has to do everything for it to be done right or feel guilty about hiring out jobs you are capable of to save precious time elsewhere, this book may be for you.  If you have ever said “I wish I had time to (fill in the blank)” as you watch others participating in hobbies and events you feel too overwhelmed for, this book may be for you.  As Jessica points out, if something is really important you will find a way to fit it in.

Since reading, I’ve been finding using some of her tips and making sure I’m always prepared with something I love (and not just my iphone) when I’m left with those minutes waiting to pick up kids or waiting between meetings or waiting at the doctors office. Having several books available on my ipad and actually carrying it with me and stocking my purse with note cards I can write quickly to a friend have been two of the suggestions I’ve loved taking away from this read.

I would really love to do this as a bible study with women from the office and just need to get some courage!

Bright Side
Amazon:  Kate Sedgwick’s life has been anything but typical. She’s endured hardship and tragedy, but throughout it all she remains happy and optimistic (there’s a reason her best friend Gus calls her Bright Side). Kate is strong-willed, funny, smart, and musically gifted. She’s also never believed in love. So when Kate leaves San Diego to attend college in the small town of Grant, Minnesota, the last thing she expects is to fall in love with Keller Banks.  They both feel it.  But they each have a reason to fight it.
They each have a secret.  And when secrets are revealed,  Some will heal you …And some will end you.

My Thoughts:  I grabbed this book for like $1.99 on kindle and so glad I did.  This is a story of young love, true love and heartbreak.  There is strong language and some fairly strong love making so I wouldn’t suggest it for younger audiences.  I truly fell in love with each of these characters and bawled my eyes out through part of this book.  It was a tad bit slow in parts and I really, really wanted to believe there was going to be some miracle to change the ending but overall I would recommend it if you enjoy a great love story.  Nothing like young love to make you feel young at heart too if you know what I mean.  wink

After You Left

Amazon:  You want to know what the worst thing is? It’s not the embarrassment, or the looks on people’s faces when I tell them what happened. It isn’t the pain of him not being there—loneliness is manageable. The worst thing is not knowing why.  When Justin walks out on Alice on their honeymoon, with no explanation apart from a cryptic note, Alice is left alone and bewildered, her life in pieces.  Then she meets Evelyn, a visitor to the gallery where she works. It’s a seemingly chance encounter, but Alice gradually learns that Evelyn has motives, and a heartbreaking story, of her own. And that story has haunting parallels with Alice’s life.  As Alice delves into the mystery of why Justin left her, the questions are obvious. But the answers may lie in the most unlikely of places…

My Thoughts:  I was sucked in immediately to this love story and could not stop reading to see why in fact the husband actually left.  The twist, however, which came at the end was a big shocker.  Definitely an eye opener as to how our insecurities can be manipulated by the stories shared with us.  If you love an easy read with a twist I would suggest this book!

I’ve just begun the new Jen Hatmaker book Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight Out of This Wild and Glorious Life and also started reading Everything We Keep: A Novel and so far both have peaked my interest!

How’s your reading coming along in 2017?  And what should I be adding to my list?

Between the Lines February

Between the Lines April 

Between the Lines June

2016 Book Review 

Book Club Linkups: What We’re Reading Wednesday The Sirois Family , Wife Mommy Me,  My Glittery Heart   and others

Carpool Bookclub

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