Since it's the first Thursday of the month, that means it's time for one of my favorite posts—looking back at all the books I read during the previous month. I always enjoy reflecting on what I loved, what surprised me, and which titles I'd recommend adding to your own reading list. So, let's dive in!
An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff
An Invisible Thread was our book club read for July, and what a wonderful selection it was! This is an older book (2011), but I'd never even heard of it before. It was a very interesting story and had great takeaways. It might even make you rethink some of your actions.
Stopping was never part of the plan...
She was a successful ad sales rep in Manhattan. He was a homeless, eleven-year-old panhandler on the street. He asked for spare change; she kept walking. But then something stopped her in her tracks, and she went back. And she continued to go back, again and again. They met up nearly every week for years and built an unexpected, life-changing friendship that has today spanned almost three decades.
Whatever made me notice him on that street corner so many years ago is clearly something that cannot be extinguished, no matter how relentless the forces aligned against it. Some may call it spirit. Some may call it heart. It drew me to him, as if we were bound by some invisible, unbreakable thread. And whatever it is, it binds us still.
Happier Here with You by Amy Gail Hansen
This book was my free book selection from Amazon First Read from June. If you're in the mood for a heartwarming story filled with family, food, and second chances, Happier Here with You by Amy Gail Hansen is one to add to your list. The story follows a widowed mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when she reconnects with a long-lost relative. Along the way, she discovers that healing often comes in the form of cherished recipes, meaningful relationships, and the courage to embrace new beginnings. It has all the ingredients of an uplifting women's fiction novel—warm, hopeful, and full of heart. If you enjoy stories about found family and the power of community, this one is definitely worth picking up.
Yesteryear by Caro Clair Burke
I had been hearing so much hype about Yesteryear that I finally caved and moved it to the top of my TBR list. Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this one. I was all in until near the end, then it got a little weird. Have you read it? What are your thoughts?
My name was Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive.
Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the heir to a political dynasty? What Natalie’s followers—all 8 million of them—don’t know won’t hurt them. And The Angry Women? The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an antifeminist iconoclast? They’re sick with jealousy. Because Natalie isn’t simply living the good life, she’s living the ideal—and just so happens to be building an empire from it.
Until one morning she wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Her kitchen is warmed by a sputtering fire rather than electricity, her children are dirty and strange, and her soft-handed husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday Natalie was curating photos of homemade jam for her Instagram, and now she’s expected to haul firewood and handwash clothes until her fingers bleed. Has she become the unwitting star of a ruthless reality show? Could it really be time travel? Is she being tested by God? By Satan? When Natalie suffers a brutal injury in the woods, she realizes two things: This is not her beautiful life, and she must escape by any means possible.
A gripping, electrifying novel that is as darkly funny as it is frightening, Yesteryear is a gimlet-eyed look at tradition, fame, faith, and the grand performance of womanhood.
How to Ruin a Wedding by Elba Luz
This was my Amazon First Reads pick for July. In the past, I've done a pretty poor job of actually reading the books I select each month, but I made it a goal to change that—and I'm happy to report that July was a success! How to Ruin a Wedding was a light, entertaining read with plenty of humor. It was the perfect book to pick up when I wanted something fun and easy to escape into.When a professional wedding crasher storms the wrong party, an irresistibly charming man enlists her services for a job that’s about to give her outlook on love a run for its money.
Lucy Delgado knows all about things that don’t work out. Between two failed marriages and losing her job, “meant to be” doesn’t seem to mean much anymore. And watching her sister’s marriage deteriorate isn’t convincing Lucy otherwise.
Desperate for money and disillusioned by love, she turns her nothing-left-to-lose attitude into action as a professional wedding saboteur. Lucy knows how to play any part―old lover, nosy relative, wise stranger―to save brides and grooms from making the same mistakes she did.
Until she crashes the wrong ceremony.
For Anders Kennedy, Lucy’s timing couldn’t be better. She’s exactly what he needs to derail his own sister’s upcoming nuptials by posing as Anders’s new girlfriend so she can slip into the family circle and sabotage from within. And Anders has the kind of money Lucy can’t afford to turn down.
As they fake-date their way through family celebrations, high jinks, and secrets, Lucy and Anders are forced to confront their cynicism about marriage. Their schemes were meant for the greater good, but what if love really does conquer all?
Overall, it was a fantastic reading month! Looking ahead, I'm even more excited because we'll be spending a few days at the beach this month. I can already picture myself settling into a beach chair, listening to the waves, and getting lost in a great book. There's just something about reading by the water that makes every story even better. I can't wait to see what adventures await between the pages this month!
Now it's your turn. What are you thinking out loud about today? Link up and share!
