Yep.  June means strawberries.

Strawberry pie for Pete’s birthday. Strawberries in the freezer.  Fresh strawberries for dessert.

I like moving into the summer schedule.  No stress to be out the door in time for school. More quiet time in the morning, which is critical for my mental health.

Linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy for this month’s Quick Lit.

(Note: This post contains affiliate links.  At no extra cost to you, a percentage of your purchase goes to support this site.)

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At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider

Kyle and Tsh Oxenreider took their three kids, ages 4-10 on a 9 month, around the world trip.

That in itself piques curiosity.

It’s a transparent book about international travel: the heat, the crowds, the kids puking.

Tsh chronicles their globe trotting, but, more importantly, reflects on some of the deepest longings of the human heart: how to make a home, the need for belonging, even peace with God no matter where we lay our heads.

These are favorite topics for me: what are the elements of “home”? What is the drive behind wanderlust? What are the deeper longings of the heart that cause restlessness and rootlessness? How do we satisfy our longing for community regardless of where we rest our heads?

I think these are questions worth pondering.

I know a lot of global nomads. I know these are issues for them. They are issues for me.

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Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart

The novelized account of our country’s first female sheriff was fascinating.

Three sisters living alone in the country manage to get on the wrong side of some shady characters.  How they hold their own, some family secrets and facing danger head on made for a great story.

Stewart writes in an engaging style that kept me flipping pages.

I was glad to see the author follows the sisters’ story in another book.

  Buy now from Amazon

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Note: Heads up for language.

I didn’t really understand apartheid until I read this book.

Seeing how it played out in people’s lives is sobering.

Trevor Noah has a white father and a black mother.  In South Africa, it was illegal for his father and mother to procreate.  His very existance was against the law, hence the title, Born a Crime.

It’s mind-blowing to think about the world and the life that Trevor Noah was born into. It’s a cautionary tale, especially for those who have a vote in their government’s laws and leaders.

I liked Noah’s personal and relatable writing style as well as the occasional political commentary.

 Buy now from Amazon

Hashimoto’s Protocol by Izabella Wentz

I found that this book isn’t as readable as her other book. Not sure why. I have to take it a little bit at a time.

For me, I’ve implemented one or two things at a time. Making wholesale changes was too overwhelming. But, it’s amazing the difference little tweaks can make.

I don’t have all the symptoms of Hashimoto’s. I think that’s because there are so many different root causes, and often multiple root causes. Pinpointing the root causes takes time as well as trial and error. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Even though I see some dramatic improvements in my health, there’s still a long way to go.

What are you reading this month?

The lilacs have come and gone in our yard, and I didn’t get one picture of them.

My husband walked away from a serious car accident virtually uninjured.  We took a quick trip to PA for a wedding.  The school year is wrapping up with characteristic craziness.

Some great books read this month and one abandoned.

Linking up again with Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Quick Lit.

(Discosure:  This post contains affiliate links.  At no extra cost to you, a percentage of your purchase will go to support this site.)

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Everything I Never Told You

by Celeste Ng

I liked this book, although I wasn’t sure where it was going and didn’t know I liked it till the end.

It’s about a teenage girl who comes up missing.  Rarely have I read a novel that explores the family dynamic in such depth.  It felt believable.  It rang true.  You could feel the pain.  People do things for a reason and even extreme behavior can be understandable.

I wouldn’t say that the characters in this novel were relatable.  But, there was enough mystery to propel the novel forward and a fascinating tangle of human relationships.

It was a real case study in family systems.

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A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

I can’t remember the last time a novel made me cry.  This one did.

Love, friendship, community and social awkwardness.  It’s the recipe for a great novel.

Ove is near the end of his life, but this novel takes us back to his family, his first love and his losses. It is a bittersweet exploration of what really matters in relationships and what gets in the way.

It demonstrates in brilliant colors that no man is an island.

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The Course of Love by Alain de Botton

This novel is an unusual look at marriage.  It traces the story of two fictional characters, but steps back to analyze and philosophize at intervals between the story.

I found it fascinating because the dynamics between husbands and wives are more complex than we give them credit.

Although I wouldn’t recommend this to young people because it does normalize non-traditional values, I found the interactions to be instructive.

   Buy now from Amazon

Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead

I loved this book written for middle grades and I read it twice.

It gets five stars for being wholesome and a thumbs up for real heroes.  When I read middle grade, I find myself identifying with the teachers and principals.  Ha.

I loved the two families portrayed here and the real struggle with how twelve year olds deal with the heavy issues of life.

I liked her style.  I liked her characters.  I loved seeing the main character win the battles in his world.

This is How it always Is by Laurie Frankel

This is an exceptionally well-written novel.  I abandoned it, however, because it contradicts my world view.  I know there is a growing trend to accept the abnormal as normal and even to embrace it.  But, this is a dangerous trend.  It starts with presuppositions that aren’t true and builds on premises that aren’t true.  I feel that well-meaning people are genuinely deceived.

Books that normalize non-traditional values are not for me.  This is why I abandoned it.

What are you reading this month?

Stay tuned for my Summer Reading Guide for All Ages  Coming soon!