2022 Reading Roundup - 2nd half of year

 I realized the other day that I hadn't blogged about all the books I'd read in 2022.  Looking back I did a post in July Titled Mid-Year Reading Roundup.  By that point in the year I had read 13 books and was reading 3 others.  I ended up reading 21 books in total for 2022 (Goodreads says 20 books but that did not include one I was re-reading).  Today I'll give my thoughts on the 5 books not mentioned in that previous post.

1) Open Your Eyes by Dr. Farid Mostamand - This book is written by a son about his father's work in Herat Afghanistan treating a form of conjunctivitis.  The subject matter and stories had so much potential but the writing was cumbersome so I didn't finish the entire book. I'm not sure if the language translation was the issue or just that the son is a doctor and not really a writer.  Either way, I did enjoy reading about the advancements his father was able to make and the children whose eyesight was saved because of his treatments.

2) Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography by Laurie Woolever - Like many others I was upset to hear of Anthony Bourdain's passing.  He was very open about his struggles with addiction and mental health issues.  I loved watching his shows on travel and food and enjoyed his frank communication about how he saw the world. This book is a collection of stories from people who knew Bourdain at different stages of his life.  It was interesting to read but also sad to see how dark some of those times were for him.

3) The Earthspark by Vanessa Thurgood - This is the first in the Comstock Chronicles series and is also Ms. Thurgood's debut novel.  I really enjoyed this book. It is a fantasy book where old elemental powers are once again released (Earth and Fire are explored in this book).  I loved this series even more after reading the authors page.  She stated how after having kids she struggled to find clean fantasy that wasn't too YA; so she wrote her own.  My 12 year old is currently reading this and enjoying it as well.  I have since read the 2nd book in this series and look forward to reading the next ones which are scheduled to come out this year.  

4) The Ship Who Searched by Anne McCaffrey & Mercedes Lackey - This is the first book I've read by either of these authors.  It was a recommendation from my husband and I really enjoyed this read.  The story is of a girl who is turned into a brainship (think cyborg ships) and travels through space.  There is a bit of romance (more flirting) but it is very light, nothing graphic and overall this was a really fun read. 

5) The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh - One of my girls recommended this book to me and it was a very fun read.  This is a YA fantasy book where a girl is taken to a spirit realm.  This reminded me a lot of the Anime movie Spirited Away (one of my favorites!)  so I really enjoyed this story.

Podcast & Book Shoutout

 About ten years ago my sister-in-law messaged me and said "I just read this book and I think you'd really like it. It's free for the Kindle right now."  The title, and the fact that it was free, both caught my attention so I decided to try it.  The book she was recommending was The Fitting Room: Putting on the Character of Christ by Kelly Minter; the book studies through the virtues listed in Colossians 3:12-14.  At the time, I had never heard of Kelly Minter; since then I have also done Kelly's study No Other Gods with our moms group at church and Finding God Faithful: A study on the life of Joseph with another group of ladies.  I have thoroughly enjoyed each of these studies and love Kelly's style.  It really is like a conversation with a friend.  

As I was first reading through The Fitting Room I knew it was a book that I would want to have as a hard copy; there was so much I wanted to underline.  I bought the book and read through it again.  The great thing is that there is a study guide with questions in the back of the book.  I did the study on my own and then a couple summers ago read through the book yet again and did the study again with a small group of ladies from church.  It didn't feel repetitive as there are always new things to learn from Scripture and I noticed that because I was in a different place in my life I had different answers to some things. 

In the past year or two I have really enjoyed listening to podcasts.  They are great to put on while I'm cleaning or doing other tasks.  Last month I started listening to the Culitvate podcast; which is Kelly Minter's podcast.  I immediately was drawn in because she speaks the same way she writes.  She is real and practical in her teaching. I noticed that she had done a podcast series on the same Colossians passage she wrote about in The Fitting Room.  Even though I have read her book and done the study a couple times; not only was the podcast series a great reminder but there were also new nuggets of wisdom that I found so helpful.  

One of those nuggets of wisdom was the following statement; 

"We can live out the virtues from a place of security because we are chosen;

We can live out the virtues from a place of calling & purpose because we are holy;

We can live out the virtues from a place of belonging because we are dearly loved." 

~Kelly Minter

 

If you'd like to listen to the series on these virtues you can find the Cultivate Podcast here.  The specific episodes for this series are episodes 22 through 26.  You can also find the book The Fitting Room through Kelly's website store.  I just noticed when looking for the link that the book is actually on sale right now through her website.  

 

                                                 

What are some of your favorite studies? Maybe ones you've done more than once.

I'm always looking for great podcasts. Share your favorite podcast in the comments.