What I’ve Been Reading

By Lisaorchard @lisaorchard1

Hello everyone I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a productive week. I’ve reached the 30,000 word mark on my latest WIP and I’m excited about it, especially since I started this one over twice. Oy!

I’ve got it back on track and I’m hoping to finish this WIP by the end of the month. I don’t know if I’ll make it or not, but I’m giving it my best shot.

I’ve also been doing a lot of reading because we all know the best writers are also avid readers. I’ve read two books recently that I thought I’d share with you because they were so good in different ways.

The first one is “The Poisonwood Bible.” The cover and blurb are below.

The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it—from garden seeds to Scripture—is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family’s tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.

My Thoughts:

This book was an amazing story. It was so sad. I believe it’s an accurate depiction of what the people in Africa were going through at that time.

I did not like Nathan Price in this story at all. His zealotry put his family in danger, and it’s unfortunate that his wife, Orleanna was so beaten down by his fanaticism that she couldn’t see clearly before tragedy struck. I felt sorry for her and her girls. They were always hungry and dirty.

This was a tragic tale and there were times I had to put it down because I would get upset with Nathan’s zealotry or Orleanna’s passiveness. I’m a strong advocate for children so the parents’ inability to be good parents really hit home for me.

This was a long read as well. It took me a while to get through it, but I feel it’s an excellent depiction of what was going on in Africa at that time. Excellent historical fiction, but some of the characters were hard to take.

I also read Nicola Yoon’s, “The Sun is also a Star.” The cover and blurb are below.

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

My Thoughts:

This was an amazing love story. I devoured this book and I’m looking forward to reading her other novel, “Everything, Every thing.” I loved both the main characters in this story. Natasha and Daniel. I loved how they fell in love. I loved how they dealt with their families and I loved how Daniel stood up to his father and followed his dreams. I also loved the ending and that’s all I’m going to say about that. If you’re looking for a great feel good story this one is for you.

So there you have it. What I’ve been reading lately. How about you, do you have any good book recommendations? Leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!

Advertisements