6 Books I Read in August
6 Books I Read in August
By: Brittany Shields
I wrapped up the last two categories of the 2021 Spring/Summer Reading Challenge this month and finished the challenge!
Check back mid-September for the release of the next reading challenge. I’d love to have you join me!
This month we had two great fiction reads that I would highly recommend. Of the four nonfiction books I read, two I would recommend to everyone, one just to students, and the other I give some cautionary words for.
The spotlight of the month is the book Cynical Theories. I have a feeling most people will gloss over this book or reject it outright, but I implore you to give it a chance. At least read my review and get a taste. There is much to ponder and consider as we seek to do justice in our world— justice that actually helps people and creates a world of compassion and unity.
School is starting and we’re getting into our routines. Try to make reading part of your routine!
Whether you’re learning or escaping, there are tons of books worth your time.
Peruse my site and find something that interests you.
Play Dead by Ted Dekker
Genre: Science Fiction/Christian Fiction/Suspense/Thriller
“In a way, everything’s an illusion, because we can’t see it for what it really is.”
This is The Matrix and Ready Player One meets The Truman Show meets a spiritual allegory. This book gives us a glimpse into a VR-infused future, offering an incorporated critique of the dangers of VR while also exploring philosophically what reality is. The suspense is wrapped in the storyline of solving the murders of two young teens involved in some sort of secret VR game.
If you like mind-bending scenarios, see my review for the philosophical trails this book traces.
2. Romans: The Gospel of Grace (Vol. 1) by The Daily Grace Co.
Genre: Theology/Devotional
This 8-week devotional has both strong and meaty theology AND a pretty design! What more could you need? Romans being my favorite book of the Bible, I was excited to go through this devotional. The perfect aid to understanding Scripture while incorporating Scripture memory. Great option to help you read your Bible. See the full review for some images and further details of what it looks like inside.
3. Learn Like a Pro: Science-Based Tools to Become Better at Anything by Barbara Oakley & Olav Schewe
Genre: Nonfiction
The subtitle is a bit of a misleading oversell, but I would recommend this book for students in school or adults studying for anything. My full review includes a list of things I found helpful from the book. I’m not the target audience at this season in my life, but I think I would have benefited greatly from this in college.
4. Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Idenity— and Why This Harms Everybody by Helen Pluckrose & James Lindsay
Genre: Nonfiction/Cultural
“This book ultimately seeks to present a philosophically liberal critique of Social Justice scholarship and activism and argues that this scholarship-activism does not further social justice and equality aims.”
Critical theory will affect your life, if it hasn’t already. There is a lot to think about with critical theory in terms of social justice and if we don’t take ownership of understanding influential ideologies, we might find ourselves misled into a culture that does more harm than good.
I encourage you to at least read my review if you don’t have time for the entire book. Regardless of whether or not you support critical theory, this book will do a better job than Twitter and the Facebook comments section of explaining to you critical theory, its origins, and its implications.
Super important and relevant read right now!
5. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Genre: Historical Fiction
This is a book about code breaking in WWII at the famed and mysterious Bletchley Park in England. We follow two storylines (separated by 7 years) about 3 friends who meet while doing their part to decode/translate the Enigma Machine. After a heartbreaking falling out, the friends must reunite to catch a traitor to the country.
Long, but fast and super interesting read! Check out my review for some links to videos I found that will help you visualize the whole decoding process!
6. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brené Brown
Genre: Nonfiction
Brown is a very popular and influential author and speaker, and my review offers an unpopular opinion of this book. Though I think there are some things in here that could be beneficial to your life, ultimately I describe this book in one word: EMPTY. And my review explains why.
See what other books I’ve read in these categories!
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