8 Books from September
8 Books from September
By: Brittany Shields
I just launched my 2021 Fall Reading Challenge this month! Please check it out and comment on the post what books you plan to read.
My September books are a hodge-podge of finishing up the 2021 Spring/Summer Reading Challenge, some from the new one, and a few in-between books that I just wanted to read.
We’ve got several genres covered: Memoir, Nonfiction, Thriller, Christian Living, YA/Fantasy, and Fiction.
Spotlight Read of the Month
The Spotlight of this month’s readings is Jesus and John Wayne. I actually didn’t particularly like this one and my review doesn’t try to hide that.
But as I mention in my About section, I want to be willing to read things I might disagree with just as I ask others to do the same. This allows me to see other points of view and understand what ideas others might be reading. It also forces me to evaluate my own beliefs— am I believing something because I’ve thought it through, out of convenience, or out of tradition?
Many times my beliefs stay the same, other times they are changed, but every time I am learning and growing and thinking critically.
So here’s to another month of books and another month of learning!
In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park
Genre: Memoir
“The spark of human dignity is never completely distinguished, and given the oxygen of freedom and the power of love, it can grow again.”
Unless you’ve read other stories of escape from North Korea like A River in Darkness, the horrors of life in North Korea may be an enigma to you.
Typical of stories like this we are confronted with terrible and heart-wrenching experiences but also with the power of resilience.
Unfortunately, this story has sparked some controversy. I touch more on this in my full review.
2. Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
Genre: Nonfiction
A provocative title. A damning declaration. It is clear Kobes Du Mez (KDM) is writing to ruffle feathers.
Her dad is a professor at Dordt College which is the rival to the college I attended (NWC). Knowing the theology and Reformed background of that area which is similar to the college she is currently at, I was interested to see how she came to such a polarizing and aggressive conclusion.
This book has mostly good reviews, but I feel like her writing style was too contemptuous and her presentation a bit irresponsible and unfair.
I go into a bit more detail on this in my full review, but overall, I feel this book doesn’t help us address the real issues in the church or help the church become unified under God’s Word.
3. What’s Left Unsaid by Emily Bleeker
Genre: Fiction
“Sometimes one person’s mistakes set off a shock wave of devastation in the lives of those around them.”
I really liked Bleeker’s book When I’m Gone and wanted to read another one of hers.
Unfortunately, this didn’t live up to her other one.
The premise is about a journalist tasked with cleaning out the newspaper’s basement who stumbles across a series of mysterious letters from a woman who said that she had been shot and paralyzed and desired to publish her story for all to know.
My full review explains what causes this book to miss the mark for me.
4. The Silent Sisters (Charles Jenkins #3) by Robert Dugoni
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
“Jenkins had screwed up. He’d cared. He should have just walked away.”
This is the latest installment of the Charles Jenkins series of action/espionage and the final book in the Russia-centered trilogy.
Unlike the first two books where Jenkins must help American spies escape Russia, this book begins with Jenkins strung up in a slaughterhouse, caught and being tortured. The book then details what led to that point, and the suspense comes as we figure out what tricks Jenkins has up his sleeve.
The ending will make your stomach turn!
5. Resolved by Lina Abujamra
Genre: Christian Living
“The only way to stay strong in a shifting culture is to resolve to know God and live by His truth.”
I did this book with a couple friends as a Bible study. It spurred a lot of good discussion.
It asks the questions- Do we really believe what we say we believe? And do our choices and behaviors align with and portray these beliefs?
Read my full review to see the full list of the ten resolutions she poses to help us see how we can live out our faith boldly and confidently.
6. The Desolations of Devil’s Acre (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children #6) by Ransom Riggs
Genre: YA/ Fantasy
“The final trial is yet to come: a battle the magnitude of which we can’t yet know.”
This is the finale to epic series of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children started in 2011. This was a series I never thought I would enjoy and had pushed off reading it, but I finally did! And it has since been featured in my list of 7 Surprisingly Good Books.
Full of creativity, action, danger, and magic, this is a great series to read.
I explain in my review the division that fans of this series have had about these last three books and reveal whether I felt the conclusion to this series was satisfying enough.
7. Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving by Mo Rocca
Genre: Nonfiction/History
Mo Rocca, correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning, has a love for obituaries. He has coined his own term ‘(mo)bituary’ as a way to “appreciate someone who didn’t get the love she or he deserved the first time around.”
Mobituaries is part obituary, part history with a side of humor and a dash of politics.
Where else can you find a comparison between Thomas Paine and T-Pain, a discussion on dragons, the definition of a disco biscuit, and a list of trees that died too soon, all in one place?!
Check out the full review for a few more snippets on the crazy things he covers in his book!
8. Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners by Dane Ortlund
Genre: Christian Living/Theology
“To grow as a disciple of Christ is not adding Christ to your life but collapsing into Christ as your life.”
Dane Ortlund, known for his awesome book, Gentle and Lowly, has written another encouraging book for us as we grow in our faith.
This one asks the question: “What must happen in the individual human heart, most fundamentally, most deeply, for a man or woman to get traction and grow?”
Read my review for some more quotes and for the distinction Ortlund gives between sanctification and justification that I thought was really good!
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