Paperback Picks: January

Hey there!

Today, I’m sharing the four books that I read this month plus a little Bible verse read at the end of my post! I read three fiction books (two were good and light, one I didn’t care for) and one nonfiction book that I loved.  After reading 24 books last year, my goal for 2018 is to read at least three books a month and share them with you at the end of each one!

Let’s jump right in!

I started off the year with Debbie Macomber’s Dashing Through the Snow and loved this little story more than I expected to!  It’s about a woman and a man who are both unable to book a flight to Seattle and decide to rent the last rental car available together (even though they don’t know each other).  They go through a crazy adventure on their journey with all sorts of twists and turns and get to know each other along the way.  Although it’s a Christmas story, the only seasonal part of it is that it is set during the holiday season.  I think you could still enjoy this one now without a problem!

I’ve been wanting to read The Reason I Jump for a while now and finally picked it up this month!  This book is written by a thirteen-year-old boy with Autism Spectrum Disorder and offers a glance at his perspective on why those with Autism exhibit some of the typical behaviors associated with ASD.  If you have anyone in your life with Autism or want to learn a little bit more about it, this book is INCREDIBLE.  It was extremely eye opening and offers a perspective that just can’t be written by those who are not experiencing it themselves.

Next up on my list was Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand.  I’ve become a big Elin Hilderbrand fan (I read seven of her books last year) and couldn’t believe that I had waited this long to find this one!  This is a story of three women who are each going through an extremely hard time in their lives.  They pack up and head to Nantucket for the summer and try to leave their troubles behind.  Their lives become intertwined with Josh, a college student home for the summer, who soon becomes a big part of all of their lives.  This story played on my emotions and had me needing to know what was going to happen to each of the characters.  If you haven’t read a book by Elin Hilderbrand yet (or if you already have and want more!), start with this one!

I read three really great books this month and was hoping for a fourth one to finish it out on a high note, but this one just didn’t do it for me.  Naomi’s Room is told from a father’s perspective after his little girl is kidnapped right as he turns his back in a toy store.  The story started out really good and I thought I was going to like it, but the last part of it totally ruined it.  The author was unnecessarily graphic on multiple occasions, and it had me wanting to put the book down and not even finish it.  I’m hoping to start February out on a better note!

I’m going to leave you here today with a Bible verse that reminds us that God’s always got a plan for us:

“Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” Matthew 6:8

That’s it for this month!

If you’d like to read about the 24 books I read in 2017, find that here.  And if you’d like to be friends with me on Goodreads where I share about the books I’m reading and want to read, find me here 🙂

I would love to hear about what YOU’VE been reading!

xoxo