Reading and Rest
Learning to say "yes" to simple pleasures
I tend to lay a great deal too many expectations on summer’s sweaty shoulders.
As June commences, I sit down and make a list of things that need to be done around the house and yard—the projects that have grimly stared at me all school year like crouching gargoyles. Broken tiles in my kitchen, for example, that need to be replaced. Overgrown bushes in need of pruning. Windows that need scrubbing.
I write down my next-step goals as an author (I’m a list-maker, can you tell?). There are book ideas to outline, workshops and events to prepare for, updates to make to my author website, bookstores to contact, posts to write…so many things!
Of course, I want to make these days fun for my children, as well. I want them to meet up with friends, go out for ice cream, swim and go to camp and learn new skills—to pile up a wealth of summer memories.
Because I homeschool my children and tutor writing students, I must also give attention to the upcoming school year—going to teacher training, ordering curricula and supplies, plotting out schedules and lesson plans.
And despite my lengthy lists, I somehow picture long stretches of blissful relaxation. Putting my feet up while reading a novel and drinking iced tea...
Before long, the halcyon days have become a whirling merry-go-round of activities.
Can you relate?
I want to practice more intentional rest—not semi-resting while I check text messages or scroll Instagram, but focused work time followed by focused rest. For me, that looks like walking my dog (restful exercise!), watching a favorite show with my family, and yes, reading. Reading is such a uniquely human activity, isn’t it? And it’s such a refreshing one.
I can’t spend countless hours devouring a new chapter book or novel every day, like I did as a child and teen (I adored the summer reading programs at my local library!). But I can still take time to rest my body and renew my imagination as I travel through literary worlds.
Because I want to respect your time and not make these posts too long, I haven’t done any book reviews on here lately. But I love to share thoughts on my latest book excursions—and I love to hear about yours! So, at least for the next few months, I’d like to try an experiment: alternating more “writerly” posts (author news, behind-the-scenes book updates, newly-written poems) with “readerly” posts that explore recent stories that I’ve loved.
So without further ado, here are some books I’ve enjoyed in June, and what I’m looking forward to reading in July—including a BOOK GIVEAWAY! Are there stories you’ve enjoyed this summer? Please share in the comments below—I want to hear about them!
Here’s wishing each of us a fruitful summer—not only in our labors, but also in our rest.
Recent Reads
Kilmenny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery
For the last six years or so, I’ve sought out a new-to-me L.M. Montgomery novel each summer. A Montgomery audiobook while I’m cleaning or weeding always makes the labor go more pleasantly! This time, I picked Kilmenny of the Orchard. In this early Montgomery novel, Eric Marshall—wealthy, urban, and recently graduated from university—accepts a temporary teaching position on Prince Edward Island as a favor to an old friend. There, he encounters the beautiful, mute Kilmenny, hidden away from the world by her eccentric family.
Although the plot was rather predictable, with some cringey stereotypes (like Neil, the “swarthy Italian peasant” with “hot Italian blood”), I enjoyed the sweet romance, vivid descriptions of nature (one of my favorite elements in Montgomery’s work), and memorable side characters. I also find it fun and fascinating to dive into my favorite authors’ early works (like this one) and notice ideas and character types that are going to grow and develop in later writings!
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
After 87 days without a catch, the old Cuban fisherman Santiago hooks a marlin of epic proportions. But in his eagerness to secure this prize, Santiago has drifted far out into the open ocean. As his strength wanes and sharks close in, the old man’s moment of glory spirals into a life-or-death struggle.
I’m still not sure what to think of this one. I constantly felt that there had to be deeper meanings to it that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It’s not a typical hero tale. Almost as soon as Santiago kills the marlin, he begins to wish that he hadn’t. As sharks rip his prize to shreds, bite by bite, all the old man’s expectations of feeding his village and reclaiming his honor fade away. The moment-by-moment descriptions with very little action gave it a slow, strange, otherworldly quality. Is this an upending of the Romantic sublime and the classic tales of man-versus-nature, or simply a quieter version of it? Is it a paeon to human dignity and resilience, shining out even in poverty and old age? Is it about passing on hard-earned wisdom to the next generation, as Santiago does with the young boy in the story? I’d love to hear your thoughts—please reply or comment below!
Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber
Because my dear friend Laura and I both shared October birthdays, we liked to gift one another each year with a book or music album that had meant a lot to us. Surprised by Oxford was my last birthday gift from Laura—she passed away from cancer a few months ago (you can read the poem “Laurels” that I wrote for her here). So it was especially meaningful to me, not only to read her gift this month, but to meet its author! Here’s Carolyn Weber (center, in the white dress) with me and various other friends at the Habit Writers Retreat in early June.
I’ll tell more about the retreat in my next newsletter, but suffice it to say that Carolyn was just as brilliant and fun-loving as you’d expect from reading her book, and also deeply kind. She spent a substantial amount of time talking with each one of us, hearing about our writing and our lives with genuine interest and engagement.
Surprised by Oxford is Carolyn’s memoir of a life-changing year spent as a graduate student at Oxford University. Like C.S. Lewis many years before her, Carolyn entered Oxford as a self-proclaimed atheist who had her life all planned out and thought Christians were boors with their heads in the sand. Many of her fellow academics thought so, too—but she also met a number of other professors and peers who didn’t fit her preconceived mold at all. People who welcomed the hardest questions she could throw at them, treated her with unfailing kindness, and radiated genuine joy. People who believed that God was real and that Christ’s death and resurrection changed everything. She began to realize that she’d relied on fallback jabs like, “If God is good, why is there suffering?” to avoid real engagement with the Bible’s honest answers. Slowly, her heart began to open up to deeper love than she’d imagined possible—both human and divine.
What’s Next?
Not one, but TWO books that I’m super excited about are releasing next Tuesday, June 24! I can’t wait to dig in and read them.
Not To Be by Katherine Ladny Mitchell
I’ve been looking forward to this mystery novel ever since I met author Katherine Ladny Mitchell about five years ago! We’ve since become dear friends, but like a good novelist, she has only revealed some of the plot to me. Not To Be, the first installment in the Pen and Paintbrush series, involves two sisters (one a journalist, one an artist) trying to solve the mystery of an onstage death that they witnessed from opposite sides of the curtain during a production of Hamlet. I’m eager to dive into this one and see how these two wildly different siblings solve the case!
Not To Be is available now for preorder from Bandersnatch Books, and releases to Amazon and other booksellers on June 24.
Orion and the Door of Echoes by K.B. Hoyle
My kids (ages 15, 13, and 9) are just as excited as I am for Orion and the Door of Echoes, Book 2 in the Orion Rising series. Book 1—Orion and the Starborn—was one of our favorite family read-alouds in the last few years. We loved the unique characters, fascinating setting (a magical school in another galaxy), and the haunting mysteries that Orion and his two best friends are attempting to solve. I plan to read this one aloud, too—if my kids don’t hijack it first to read it for themselves!
I’m currently running a giveaway for Book 1 over on my Instagram account, in preparation for the launch of Book 2. One lucky winner will receive a paperback copy of Orion and the Starborn, mailed direct from Owl’s Nest Publishers. The giveaway ends this Sunday (6/22) at 11pm EST, so enter now if you’d like a chance to win!
Want to grab a copy of both books? Pre-order in paperback and hardcover from Owl’s Nest Publishers, or in Kindle ebook on Amazon.
A Final Image
Even in a newsletter edition that’s focused on book reviews, I can’t help sharing a flower photo with you before signing off! This one’s from an excursion I made with my family last week to see the rare Cahaba Lilies in bloom. It required a 1 1/2 hour drive, a trek along a muddy gravel road, and wading out over algae-slicked rocks into the middle of a swift river current to see them—but oh, it was worth it!
Emma, I don't know how you have time to do *half* the things you do, but I'm glad for it! Thanks for your lovely book suggestions.