When Your Friends Write Books { Reading Challenge Update)

I can’t believe that we are about to wrap up May. My plans for blogging were interrupted when the three of us came down with a nasty bug. It was one of those mutating viruses that kept changing forms and kept us down for a little more than three long and miserable weeks. I have been playing catch up ever since.

May might be nearly over, but April was too good of a month to skip. I read three books in April–all three of them are brand new! Three of my friends put wings on their words and sent them out into the world as books with a few days of each other. I am so proud of  each one of them and feel so lucky to be able to place their books on a shelf on honor. Each one of them is unique and really special.

These three books checked off #4, #6, and #9 in this year’s challenge! I’m excited because that keeps me about on goal for the year, and these books were all really good!  So let me tell you about the books.

The Sound of Emeralds

I was reluctant when I picked up the first book in Rachelle Rea’s series. Not because I doubted she was an excellent writer, but because while I adore historical stories, romance has never been my favorite genre. It’s either boringly predictable or a bit unrealistic to real life and love.

But Gywn and Dirk won me over. I read Diamonds in one day.  And then devoured Silver as fast as work and life allowed me.  I think I started to really love the story in Silver. I cried and laughed and felt so drawn to Gwyn’s sorrow and Dirk’s struggles. Thankfully, Emeralds was about to be released by the time I was done so I didn’t have to wait long to finish the story.  Book three is when I really fell in love with the whole series. I rejoiced when Gwyn and Dirk found their happily ever after. The ending was perfection, but I didn’t want the story to end. I wanted it to go on and on.

If you are looking for a new series, I highly recommend the Steadfast Love Series. It is clean romance, interesting historical facts, and the unexpected plot twists are filled with inspirational lines and life experiences that fill your heart.

Always Plenty

Oh my heart. This little book is precious. Eddie and her family sacrifice and save for a poor family at church. Even though they don’t have much to spare, they find that what they have is more than enough and the joy of giving is what makes you really rich.  I laughed and cried the whole time I was reading Eddie’s story, because it really caught the true meaning of benevolence. Highly recommended reading for any children (or adults!) in your life. I love that Caroline not only wrote but illustrated it! That makes it extra special.

31 Days to Radically Reduce Your Expenses

I have admired Kalyn and her blog for many years. Reading her book was so exciting because I know how long and hard she worked to make it possible! Kalyn gives so much practical, easy to follow advice. If you struggle with budgeting, or just want some simple ways to cut back on your ordinary expensies, this is the book for you! I think sometimes we just accept that certain things (like insurance or medical payments) are non-negotiable. But that’s not always the case! I loved how she broke it down into easy to follow steps and chapters. It made a somewhat stressful topic actually fun to read about!