Sisters Reading Books

   Amity and Prosperity by Eliza Griswold     I picked this book up at Barnes and Noble as a buy one get one 50% off deal. I don't usually allow myself to get books there but it had been a while. This book won the Pulitzer Prize, don't remember what year but it's recent. It's about a family and town that had a private fracking company come into their town and upend their lives. The company Range came in to a rural PA town where many where not well off, and at first many people including the family this story centered on were enthusiastic about this economic opportunity. Things changed once the water and air became contaminated and the family became sick. In addition to the kids getting sick, over years, animals died or became sick on the farm too. Eventually the family moved off the farm and brought a lawsuit to Range, and won, although they never received much compensation for the years of trouble they went through. From the loss of livestock, their homes, their hea...

 This was recommended me to by Jes and I loved it so much. I finished this one in only several days.  It follows a woman who is a witch, but doesn't want to use magic in her life. Enter a vampire, they fall madly in love, and that's when the roller coaster starts, involving three different type of "creatures" besides just humans.  This story had so much happen in what seemed like such a small amount of time, yet the book is almost 500 pages. It did not feel like a long read at all, I wanted it to keep going (good thing this is a trilogy). Harkness was definitely subtle in her writing sometimes, where something important would happen in only a couple of words and I would have to go reread it to understand what just happened and the importance.  She also brought in history as well, highlighting important events that have happened in the past 700 years. I'm definitely excited for the next book in the series.  I also loved the shoutouts to many Central New York loca...

I realized I had never read this classic novella, short story, whatever it is and read it on my flight back to Ohio from Arizona. This book also included other short stories by Stevenson which I also read.  The Strange Case is such a fascinating tale with the multiple perspectives, stated facts, and different way of life. Compared to the other stories in it, it seems that Stevenson commonly wrote on the topic of death, and in most instances, very unusual ways of death. I think his focus on death largely had to do with his own personal life, but also think that death was looked very different in the time period in which he wrote. This book contained a timeline of other stories/books written during that time, and their theme on death is definitely presented similarly.  I enjoy reading books from different eras because the way that they are written is so different than from the current writing style. For some reason, it almost feels familiar language and setting wise to read book...

While I have read this many years ago and fell in love with it then, we read it for the D'Anna lady book club for February. Again, it charmed me with her wonderful story telling ability because even simple everyday events were beautiful and fascinating through her use of imagery and bluntness. This story follows the childhood into young adulthood of Francie Nolan as she grows up in Brooklyn as a poor older sister.  This story reminded me again of how well off I have it. Her lack of money was a constant worry for her and her family and they were expected to pull their weight as soon as they could walk. From the living situation to the lack of food and scrappy clothes, Francie never stopped working as hard as she could. She pushed herself in her academics so that she could "make something of herself someday." I also found the story of the immigrant mindset in living in America a fascinating subject.  Glad to have this one on my bookshelf to pass down and on to others.  5/5 ...

 This book was loaned to me by Lauren and I now also own When I Don't Desire God by Piper as well.  This was my first book by Piper and wow he is unlike any other Christian author I've ever read. His paragraphs are so densely packed with amazing truths, I often found myself having to reread sentences to fully grasp what was saying. This book presented his argument on Christian Hedonism and its' importance in the Christian walk.  His chapters basically broke down each important aspect of the Christian life, i.e., missions, marriage, prayer, etc., and how Christian Hedonism relates and promotes each.  I learned a lot while reading this book, even though it took me quite some time to read it because I got a little stuck sometimes. This was one of the first books where I struggled to always understand exactly what was being said, which makes me want to read difficult things more to push my mind.  5/5 stars.  Finished February 11, 2021

 This was recommended to me by mom and I loved it so much. It is definitely a bookshelf book for me.  She does a wonderful job discovering why ordinary things can create extraordinary happiness, and I thought she specifically did that in the home that you create. From gardens to light to shape and color, she dissects the feelings with multiple examples to get her point across. She attended many different wonders around the world to discover why humans are drawn to it and fully immersed herself into it. I added several places that in the Continental US that I want to go to because of her wonderful descriptions.  This book feels essential to me to use when I'm decorating or redecorating a space or room in my home, because our environment, specifically our home, plays a huge role in our happiness. There were so many things that I never thought about and while some of them I still did unconsciously, most of them never crossed my mind before.  This book also opened up my ...