September Book Reviews

October crept up on me in a spooky way, as it usually does! In September, I read four books, one in paperback form (dear Emma) and the rest as audiobooks so I could multitask with a craft project I was doing. Plus, sometimes I just prefer to have someone read aloud to me! 

When God Weeps, Joni Eareckson Tada

Continuing on my challenge of reading all of Joni's books, I returned to a book I remember reading in high school. That was a long time ago, but the truths that she and Steve Estes wrote about are still true today. And I think the reason it resonates is because Joni really has wrestled with the hard questions and didn't quickly jump to trite, neatly packaged solutions. One quote that she has become famous for originated in this book (I believe): "God permits what he hates to accomplish what he loves." That is an uncomfortable statement to hear and to sit with... and yet, as I look back on His faithfulness in my life, the stories in the Bible, the lives of many believers across the generations, I see that it is true. I would say this book isn't for people who are in the midst of their pain and "weeping," but for them when they are on the other side of it and can breathe again. 

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vol. 7, Beth Brower 

Dear, dear Emma. I continue to absolutely love this series. It is cozy, entertaining, charming, clever, delightful, and any other positive descriptors you want to add. This particular one had some themes and plot points that felt very real and personal to me. I was borrowing a friend's copy, so I didn't dog-ear the pages, underline, or highlight, but I did take some photos on my phone of key passages that felt significant! If you want to know what they are and why they are significant, I'm happy to tell you... after you've read it for yourself! 

Galahad and the Grail, Malcom Guite

Recently I saw that The Rabbit Room community posted a list of their top 50 favorite books, and I was pleased to find that I have read 41 out of 50 of them already! I made a short list of the nine I haven't read, with a little personal challenge to read them all, too. So many books, so little time... Anyway, first on the list was this celebrated gem of an epic poem. Malcom Guite is such a cool person, and I am highly suspicious that he time-travelled here from the 1940s. He narrated the audiobook, and I loved every minute of it. It honored the ancient lore of King Arthur, his knights of the Round Table, and their noble quests. It also knit the legends more closely and directly to their significant spiritual metaphors. 

MY SEPTEMBER TOP PICK: 

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, Aubrey Hartman

One of my book club friends, Chelsea, and I have enjoyed spending more time getting to know each other in the past few weeks. Something we have in common is our tendency toward dark whimsy (or whimsical darkness?) in literature. So she recommended this book to me, and I loved it so much I am recommending it to you. October is a perfect time to read it, too, because it isn't heavily Halloween themed, but it does take place in a forest of perpetual autumn and does deal with death, ghosts, and the afterlife. Artistically written, it handles these themes honestly, tenderly, and even playfully at times. I think it will forever live in my fall reading pile.