Recent 5-Star Reads

It doesn’t much matter to me whether there’s a stay-at-home order on or not, you’ll likely find me with my nose in a book regardless. I have a To-Be-Read stack I have no hope of ever finishing. That doesn’t keep me from whittling away at it and adding to it even faster.

Maybe you aren’t an avid reader but during this slow-down you might enjoy a good book or two. May I make some recommendations? Here are a few I’ve particularly enjoyed in recent months. They are in no particular order.

You can read the publisher’s synopsis of each book by clicking on the covers which are my Amazon affiliate links. If you happen to end up ordering I might earn a little from qualifying purchases.

Without a Trace

by Colleen Coble

Without a Trace is Book 1 in Colleen Coble’s Rock Harbor Mystery series. It is set the North Woods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula near the Great Lakes, a region I have never visited. After reading this book I’ve added that area to my “bucket list” of places to visit. I also enjoyed the K-9 Search and Rescue element to the story. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.

Wrapped in Rain

by Charles Martin

Wrapped in Rain is a southern novel about two brothers who, as adults, learn to work through the baggage of their childhood with a cruel father. The key element that helps bring about their healing is the unrelated old lady who was their nanny, whose prayers continued to touch their lives long after she was gone. Inspiring and uplifting.

The Lost Lieutenant

by Erica Vetsch

The Lost Lieutenant is a fun Regency romance novel. It actually reminded me a little of reading a fairy tale because of how conveniently circumstances came together for our hero and heroine. I’m willing to set aside believability on occasion for the sake of a good story, and this was one such book. If you’re looking for something light and sweet give this one a try. 

Sweet Home Alaska

by Carole Estby Dagg

Sweet Home Alaska is a middle-grade kid’s book set during the Great Depression. It is about a government program that re-settled farmers from the Midwest to Alaska. Being a juvenile book it does gloss over a number of details that would have made such a move a real challenge, but I enjoyed reading it anyway.

Someplace to Call Home

by Sandra Dallas

Someplace to Call Home is another middle-grade book about the Great Depression. It is about 3 orphaned siblings–ages 6, 12, and 16–who are displaced from their home trying to make their way in the world. It is set in the heart of the Dust Bowl–Oklahoma and Kansas.

Wonderland Creek

by Lynn Austin

Wonderland Creek is yet another book set during the Great Depression (I seem to be on a roll here) and about another government program of the time–the pack-horse librarians of the Appalachians. This one is not a kid’s book, but it would be perfectly appropriate for teens.

Stop Calling Me Beautiful

by Phylicia Masonheimer

This non-fiction book for Christian women touches on several areas relevant to modern life such as legalism, anxiety, grief, brokenness, relationships, community, shame, and other issues that tend to keep us discouraged and defeated in our Christian walk. I appreciated being reminded that we don’t have to live that way. Jesus offers us so much more.

The Bright Unknown

by Elizabeth Byler Younts

The Bright Unknown is a fascinating, and heart-breaking, glimpse inside a mental institution in the 1940s. The heroine of the story is a little girl who was born and raised in the asylum simply because her mother was a patient there, not because the little girl was mentally ill. It’s a story of friendship and courage and hope.

Have you read any of these books? Do any of them appeal to you? I’d love to know if you end up reading one or more based on my recommendation!