Summer Reading...

I just finished up the last of these four books! I started the first of this group later this summer and I have to say, I loved every single one of these books!



Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn
This little book is one I ordered off of Remi's book order last year. Yes, I order books for myself from their Scholastic Book Orders- I just can't help myself! This book was so wonderful. It is about a tween girl who has a younger autistic brother. Their father has recently died, putting them in a single mother situation. The money is tight, the mother has to work non-stop and little Caterpillar feels big burdens on her shoulders for such a young girl. But the story is so beautiful and watching these characters grow into better versions of themselves is so satisfying. The grandparents reminded me of my own and makes you realize what a huge role they place in their grandchildren's lives. The mother is an illustrator for children's books, so I immediately wanted to love her, and although she made me very angry, in the end, no one is perfect and just like Caterpillar, the reader is able to finally forgive her shortcomings.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
I have read this book before. Way back about 12 years ago before we had children. It has the honor of being on my 'favorites shelf' and will continue to remain there. In all of the reading I have done, there has never been a book as life changing as this- even the second time around. Being a mother changes your perspective on life in a million different ways and because of that, reading this book held new meaning for me. It is heartbreaking, disgusting, infuriating and beautifully real. Both times I have read this, I fell in love with the main character, Michael. For me, there are many parallels between Michael and Christ, which stands to reason why my human heart is so drawn to him. I think every woman craves a love like Michael gives Sarah, and that is a love only God can give. I cried all through this book- even the very last sentence had me dripping with tears. It's a close call with a handful, but this might just be my all-time favorite book!

One Night at the Lake by Bethany Chase
I saw this book and there was no way I wasn't getting it. One, because it is based on the lake and two because a good mysterious novel is right up my alley! This book takes you from past to present, flipping back and forth between different perspectives. You read up and up and finally, you get to the tip top where you literally cannot put it down. You are on pins and needles, predicting and having to know how this book will end. I read this along with 4 other people and seeing how they all felt about how things ended up was an absolute blast!

The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers
This is Francine Rivers' most recent book and since she was the author of Redeeming Love, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! I feel like nothing will ever measure up to RL so it feels a bit unfair to review this book. But, I will. I really liked this book- a lot! It was another beautiful story of how God works for the best in the worst of us. It is a messy love story about two people with very sad childhoods. I got to a point where I couldn't put it down because I just knew she would give her characters the ending they deserved, and I was not disappointed. I have gotten to where I look forward to her epilogues because the future she gives her characters is always the perfect finishing touch to a beautiful story.