6 Standout Books I Recommend This Month
“A word after a word after a word is power.”
— Margaret Atwood
My books this month were great for both stretching my imagination (like, Remarkably Bright Creatures) and reflecting on our humanity (like, How to Feel Loved).
Here are the four nonfiction and two fiction books I just finished that I recommend.
[See previously recommended books here]
NONFICTION
1. Braving the Truth
Essential Essays for Reckoning with and Reimagining Faith
by Rachel Held Evans
Even though we lost Rachel too soon on May 4, 2019, her words and messages live on. Her friend Sarah Bessey compiled some of Rachel’s writings into this book, adding in several current essays from Rachel’s friends and family. It’s a powerful and beautiful collection of ideas about wrestling with faith and doubt and humanity.
2. The Unfolding: Poems
by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Just wow. I’m not really a poetry reader (just a wannabe), but Rosemerry’s poems are short enough yet full to overflowing to keep me captivated. They remind me to notice more of the sacredness found in our ordinary moments.
3. How to Feel Loved
The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most
by Sonja Lyubomirsky
This title caught my eye because we usually see books about how to be more loving, but this one was how to be more loved. Or to recognize and be aware of it anyway. Often we’re more loved than we even realize.
The five shifts to feel loved are adopting a sharing mindset, listening-to-learn mindset, radical-curiosity mindset, open-heart mindset, and multiplicity mindset.
4. Nations Apart
How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America
by Colin Woodard
This felt like a long book, but I think it’s because it was SO full of data. It was mind-blowing to me to see how America is divided so deeply along regional roots from the beginning of our country’s founding. We may intuitively know this, but to see it spelled out chapter after chapter through so many examples was quite startling.
If you care about this type of cultural analysis through history to better understand what’s going on in America now, this is a great book to sit with.
FICTION
5. Remarkably Bright Creatures
by Shelby Van Pelt
This novel is a breath of fresh air. It’s a tender (and surprising!) story about people finding their way in this world despite loneliness and life’s hardships. And it involves an octopus as a main character! A movie adaptation is set to release on Netflix this month.
6. Last Chance Live!
by Helena Haywoode Henry
On the other extreme, this novel shows a darker side of humanity. But also a tender side. I read it for a book club. And the author is going to join us when we meet this month! I’m so curious to hear why she wrote this book.
The premise: Ten death row inmates between the ages of 18-21 volunteer to compete for America’s votes in a reality TV show. The winner wins everything—total freedom and exoneration of all crimes. But the nine losers? They lose all rights to appeal their sentences and are executed within days of getting kicked off the show.
The contestants form bonds with each other, but still have to compete with each other to save their own lives. It’s a harrowing story that I hope would never happen in real life.
WHAT I’M READING NOW
- A Thousand Ways to Die
The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America
by Trymaine Lee - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain - Give and Take
A Revolutionary Approach to Success
by Adam M. Grant - I Belong to Me
A Survivor’s Guide to Recovery and Hope after Religious Trauma
by Tia Levings - Big Time
A Simple Path to Time Abundance
by Laura Vanderkam - That’s Not How You Wash a Squirrel
by David Thorne
A Closing Reflection
Taken together, books like these remind us to stay curious and to keep connecting with each other.
What’s a good book you’re recommending this month? I’d love to hear in the comments.
That is quite a list!
I know I couldn’t read the last book you recommended, Lisa, as it sounds too dark for my tastes. I’m currently reading Shannon Bream’s Nothing is Impossible with God and enjoying every word of it. Blessings always!
I don’t think I’d be able to read the last book, at least not at the moment.
I loved “Remarkably Bright Creatures”, they had me at octopus.
Yes to Remarkably Bright Creatures! Such a good one.
Oh yes, I loved Remarkably Bright Creatures and I am so thrilled to see it’s being turned into a movie with Sally Field. I tend to just love her movies.
I’ll just stick to cookbooks.
Good list as usual. This year I have been reading fiction more so I find your suggestions very useful. And I love you are still listing good old classics too. Wonderful diversity.
I read American Nations by Colin Woodard and I also found his argument very compelling. Although it necessarily had to simplify and omit quite a bit, in covering so many centuries of history, I definitely think with his theory of “nations” within the N. American continent he is on to something that explains people’s otherwise baffling thinking and behavior. I want to read Nations Apart too! I think these would be good book club discussion books as well.
I’m looking forward to watching Remarkably Bright Creatures sometime soon.
Thanks for sharing your week
Lisa, I’ve gone through and put down a bunch of newly published clunkers this past month. I wanted to like them but they didn’t speak to me. I ended up surprised and disappointed.
So far, nothing has come close to Theo!
That’s really interesting at how America was formed in the early days and how it influences it today. I will watch the Remarkably Bright Creatures on Netflix. I haven’t read the book but I see people think the movie is good.
What an interesting selection of books. I read Remarkably Bright Creatures a few years ago and absolutely loved it. I need to watch the Netflix show soon!
Popping over from Book Worms Monthly.
What a great list! I’ve been hearing so many good things about Remarkably Bright Creatures. I’m definitely adding a couple of these to my “to-read” pile. Thanks for the inspiration to mix things up, Lisa.
I loved Remarkably Bright Creatures and I watched the Netflix movie this week. Although the movie is very like the book, it doesn’t have as much Marcellus so we don’t get many clues to the reveal at the end. It’s still a good movie though. I don’t think I could read Last Life Win, it sounds way too dark for me. Nations Apart sounds quite revealing though. Thank you for linking up to Book Worms Monthly
I’ve heard good things about Remarkably Bright Creatures… I couldn’t do Last Chance Live … although it’s an interesting premise. Thanks for linking up.
Like most of your other commenters I don’t think I could read Last Chance Live. The whole death penalty thing is beyond my grasp to begin with. And sadly it seems like I am the only person who couldn’t get into Remarkably Bright Creatures. Perhaps I should try again. I quit at about chapter 2 as I just wasn’t feeling it. Thanks for linking up. I looked up a couple of books you recommended but my Libby access via a small city library lacks a LOT.
Thanks for joining us Lisa, you always have such interesting books to recommend! I have heard good things about Remarkably Bright Creatures and must get it from the library soon!
These all sound good. I just watched the movie Remarkably Bright Creatures last night. It was so good! I loved it!
Ok, I am curious about that squirrel book!! Lol.