Recent Reads

Hello, bookish friends!

It’s been a while since I (Heaven) last posted.

I took an unexpected hiatus, but the break was good. I feel refreshed and have some planned blog posts coming up this month!

Anyway, since it’s been a while, I thought it’d be fun to chat about what I’ve been up to in the reading world. Trust me, I’ve still been reading!

So without further ado, let’s jump right in!

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DNF’s

Let’s start with the bad haha. A couple of the books on my August TBR I decided to DNF and I’ll briefly share why.

Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of Shadow Hills

I actually dnf’ed this book before even starting to read it. One night, I was going to begin reading it, but I was caught off guard by some of the chapter titles. Potentially, it might would go a witchcraft turn, so I didn’t bother to start it.

Framed!

This book felt like an annoyance while I read it. The dialogue was just absolutely terrible. It felt so fake and sometimes seemed like the author didn’t know exactly how he wanted to word sentences. The mystery did get confusing at some points and the plot really wasn’t that great. The thought of an art-related mystery is a good idea, but I don’t think that this book executed it well.

The Great Greene Heist

From what I had read so far, this book was terrible! I know that sounds a bit harsh, but it’s true. For one thing, there were too many characters for changing the POV. It’s truly better when it’s between 1-4 characters. And what got confusing was the fact the the POV would change in the middle of chapters, so it became confusing and frustrating to try to figure out whose thoughts were whose. Along with that, the story got pretty confusing and there was something bad that the main character did, however, it kept getting hinted around. As soon as someone mentions it, I want to know the whole thing upfront; not sporadically. So yeah, it was horrible.

The Good Stuff

After Bible Bee was over, I got a chance to do quite a bit of reading before starting back to school. And even though school is now in session (and crazier than ever), nothing can stop me from peaking into world of books.

Shadow

Would you believe that my e-reader “came back to life?” Well, believe it because it’s working again! I was SO thrilled!

My goodness! I’ve been having a hard time deciding if I like “Shadow” or “Dust” best. But nevertheless, this sequel was SO GOOD! The story picks up right where it left off and other parts of Neverland are also explored. The descriptions are just lovely and everything about this book is amazing. I’m so sad that Heirs of Neverland is only a duology; we need more books! xD

Chasing Jupiter

This is such a sweet book, yet a sad one as well. I absolutely enjoy the fact of how old-fashioned it was as it took place in the 60s. That was such a fun aspect! And the relationship between Scarlett and Cliff. *heart eyes* So, so sweet! And of course the Christian themes woven in were just perfect. I recommend this book highly!

Beholding and Becoming: The Art of Everyday Worship

Christian nonfiction is something that I’ve been wanting to get into more often. You have no idea how long my list is. 😀 At the end of July, my Sister bought this book by Ruth Chou Simons for me as an early birthday gift and my oh my, it was PHENOMINAL! It’s been on my list for a very long time, so I was extremely excited to finally have it in my hands. If you want to see my full review, click here.

Summerhill Secrets vol. 2

This photo would not brighten for some reason, despite how much I played around with settings. 🤔

Aaaaah! Summerhill Secrets has officially become my new favorite series! It was just wonderful in so many ways. The Christian messages were lovely, character development was pretty good (except for Jon Klein, but now is not the time for me to rant), and everything in between. My goodness, Beverly Lewis is such a great writer! And now I want to go to an Amish town. 😀 One thing I thought was a bit strange was the fact that Merry did date. I mean, it wasn’t bad because the two guys she dated weren’t strangers, but come on, she’s only 16! However, I’m thankful for how clean it was; there was no kissing and only one hand hold, so I was okay. But speaking of that, I might need to do a post about who I wish she ended up with in the end; I have a lot of opinions about that. 😀

Currently Reading

Now it’s time to bring you up to the present. Would you agree that reading never gets old?

River to Redemption

Why have I not read Christian Historical fiction sooner? I’ve been missing out! I purchased “River to Redemption” in mid-August and am finally reading it. WOW! It’s really good so far! The book starts off with the cholera epidemic of 1833, which reminds me of “Fever 1793,” so I think that’s probably why I like it a lot. Either way, it’s been holding my attention and I’m super excited to share my thoughts whenever I finish it!

Tom Swift Inventor’s Academy – The Drone Pursuit

I’m almost half-way through and have not DNF’d it ha-ha. It’s actually pretty good! I would say that the characters seem to lack a little bit of development, but the humor is on point. The book kind of reminds me of the “Masterminds” trilogy by Gordon Korman, but on a less intense scale. But I must say that the mystery has been intriguing. It’s hard to figure out who the culprit could be! To me, that makes a good story; not being predictable. I’m looking forward to seeing how this all plays out and reading the rest of the on-going series.

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This is probably one of my longest posts, but it was fun! I always see people do “recent reads,” so I thought now would be the perfect time to do my own. I should consider doing this more in the future. Anyway, let me know in the comments below about what books you’ve been reading lately.

Your fellow bookworm,