It's raining outside, and every time it rains this much, I start having visions of making a cup of tea, snuggling under a blanket and reading the day away. Maybe you need some ideas for good reads? As usual, I have quite a variety! 

Non-fiction

A Woman's Place: A Christian Vision for Your Calling in the Office, the Home, and the World (by Katelyn Beaty) 

This book came out last year, but I just got around to reading it. Of course, God's timing was perfect. I've been doing a lot of thinking about my place in the local church as a woman gifted in teaching. Katelyn explores this idea, but takes it much further. She makes the argument that God made us to do good work - work outside of the home - even if your title is homemaker. The book is well-researched and includes interviews with several women who are doing all God made them to do. I got a lot out of it.

Wild and Free: A Hope-filled Anthem For The Woman Who Feels She Is Both Too Much And Never Enough (by Hayley Morgan and Jess Connolly) 

This book was recommended to my by a college student in our church (do you know how happy that sentence makes me)! One of the ladies writes a chapter, with the other author writing her thoughts on that chapter. It flows well. My favorite part of this book is the permission each reader receives to be who you are - all the time. Believe it or not, theological nuts like me who would rather talk about the symbolism between Exodus and the gospel of John rather than what happened on the latest episode of The Bachelor aren't the life of most parties. If you struggle with comparison or doubt about how you're wired, read this book! Be you.

Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul (by Hannah Anderson) 

This one was real soul food for me. Hannah lives in a small town, and attends an even smaller church there. She talks about the lessons in humility she learns from her community. Throughout the book, she shares stories about her community, or about homegrown foods in general, and then gleans the lessons we can learn from these comparisons. After reading this book, I went online and ordered three apple trees from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Who knew a person could even do that?!

Mosaic of Grace: God's Beautiful Reshaping Of Our Broken Lives (by James Prescott) 

It's a most beautiful truth that God takes our broken, messy lives and makes them new. Redemption. Restoration. Using his own story, and those of others, the author reminds us again and again that God uses everything in our lives. I am so much better off when I can see God at work making a beautiful mosaic out of my story. I'm thankful for the message of this book! I helped with the book launch for this one, and the stories shared online showed what a difference this book can make.

The Hum of Angels: Listening For The Messengers of God Around Us (by Scot McKnight) 

Years ago, I read a book about angels written by Billy Graham. I'm a big Scot McKnight fan, so I was interested in seeing how this book would differ from the one I'd already read. Where Graham went more technical, identifying the different types of angelic beings in Scripture, McKnight encouraged readers to see the big picture. Angels surround us, and draw us to God, whether we're taking the time to realize it or not. This book has a ton of Scripture references for all the times God has angels assist in his work on earth. McKnight didn't offer definitive answers to all our angel questions, but he pointed to their ongoing involvement. I appreciated that McKnight didn't feel the need to give absolute conclusions about how angels work. It's enough to know they're working. 

Biography

Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved By Beauty: An Intimate Portrait Of My Grandmother (by Kate Hennessy) 

This one is long, but worth the time. The author is Dorothy Day's granddaughter, so in addition to learning about Day's life, you get the inside perspective only a family member can offer. I didn't know much about the story going into it, but I walked away feeling the deep convictions Dorothy Day lived with, no matter how imperfectly. Readers gain a lot of insight about Dorothy's only daughter, Tamar as well. Overall, an intimate look at a family who loved each other in spite of their differences.

Fiction

Some Small Magic (by Billy Coffey) 

I discovered this writer a few years back, and eagerly snatched up his latest piece of fiction. He did not disappoint. Abel is a little boy who is different. His only true friend is the neighbor man "Dumb Willie." They both run away on a train, meeting up with Dorothy. But nothing is as it seems and things will never be the same. Fiction at its finest.

The One Memory of Flora Banks (by Emily Barr) 

I wasn't sure about this one, because I'd seen "Fifty First Dates," and hadn't this story already been told? Of. Course. Not. This debut novel takes place in England, so you have that foreign feel throughout the book. Things are just a bit different than they are in the midwest. Flora is a 17-year old, and she had an operation to remove a tumor in her brain at ten. The surgery affected her memory from that moment on, so she can remember things that happened up until ten, but she cannot retain any memories for any length of time after that. Until she kisses Drake. I adored how this book would have you all swept up in particular parts of the story, and then bam, Flora would forget and that would give you pause. A real page turner.

 I received a copy of A Woman's Place, Wild and Free, Humble Roots, Dorothy Day, Some Small Magic and The One Memory of Flora Banks from NetGalley for the purpose of generating a review. I received a copy of Mosaic of Grace in exchange for helping to promote this book through a launch team. I received a copy of The Hum of Angels from Blogging for Books for the purpose of generating a review. The opinions expressed here are my own.