In Which I Fully Conquer Summer Reading (Part Three)

I'm back, and I'm done with my reading for this summer! I've been enjoying these reading wrap-up posts, and am hoping to continue them during the school year as well, though maybe more irregularly.

I know I'll finish more than my current fifteen books before school starts, but here are the last five I've completed. I'm pleased to say that you'll find less negative reviews in this post than the last. :D Once again, you can click on the book titles to take you to their Goodreads page. Be sure to read Post One and Post Two in this series if you haven't already!

All photo credits go to goodreads.com.

#1: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

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Hercule Poirot is on the Orient Express when the train gets stopped in a snowdrift for many days. The same night, a millionaire and fellow passenger is ruthlessly murdered. The catch: the murderer is also a passenger, and is still on the train. With over a dozen suspects, can Poirot figure out who the real murderer is?

I had been wanting to read Christie for a while now, and was not disappointed. (Don't be surprised if you see more of her books in future reviews!) It reads like a true classic, and yet is easy to follow and succinct. What's more, it was thrilling and hard to put down. It may seem like a dark, bloody book because of its name, but it was surprisingly clean of gore (other than one scene where they do partially describe the body, for very sensitive readers. However, I'm fairly sensitive myself, so don't take it too seriously). I'd recommend this book for any mystery-lover...or non mystery-lover, at that.

#2: The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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Avery was a normal kid...until she gets the news that she's just inherited billions from a random man across the country that she's never met. However, to gain her fortune she must live in the same house as the man's family...and they were just cheated out of their inheritance.

I picked this up from the library as a summer reading prize, thinking I'd heard about it. (I'm fairly sure it was the wrong book.) The plot was okay, and the riddles themselves were fun to watch the characters work through. But the whole thing was just a bit cheesy, and it didn't seem to be going anywhere. I found myself not caring about the characters at all; on the contrary, I was rooting against them most of the time. And even if you decide that you'll read it, after my bad review, I'll give an additional content warning: it wasn't very child-appropriate, hence it being YA fiction. I almost decided to ditch it, but I made it through!

#3: Lies Young Women Believe (And the Truth that Sets Them Free) by Nancy Wolgemuth and Dannah Gresh

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For all teen girls reading this: this is a Christian book that every young woman should read. One by one, Wolgemuth and Gresh pinpoint many of the consistent lies that teen girls tend to believe about themselves and their world. Chances are, not all of the lies will apply to you; but you'll definitely identify with at least a few. This book works through Biblical Truths to combat these lies, and seeks out ways that we can grow into women whose lives are dedicated to Jesus.

I loved this book. Pick it up from a bookstore just to have on hand...you don't have to read straight through it. Read the parts that are relevant to you and to your struggles. It's deep and beautiful and worth every minute you spend reading it. I hope that it encourages you to live as a young woman in Christ!

#4: The Line Tender by Kate Allen

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Lucy's mom has been gone for four years. But the pain isn't. And when another tragedy slaps her in the face the summer that she turns twelve, it's hard to get back on her feet. Rediscovering some of her mom's old marine biology projects, Lucy tries to figure out what her mom was working for...and maybe it'll make things a little better.

This was a cute book, and worth the read. There was some content stuff I didn't expect for a middle grade novel, but it wasn't terrible. The story was really deep and heartbreaking, but also really tender and sweet. Despite the common rants on marine biology topics (something I'll probably never be interested in), I enjoyed a lot of it and had fun with Lucy's character and her journey. I'd recommend it...just maybe not the first thing I'd recommend. ;D

#5: Should We Tell Her? by Lillian Keith

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The summer that Aspen's mom is in a coma, she and her sister Wren have to make a decision: what do they tell their youngest sister Piper? They decide to play a game; Mommy's just on a world travel, and she's sending Piper postcards from all over the world. But how far should they take their game, and when do they themselves accept the truth of the situation?

This book was marvelous. I'll be doing a Behind-the-Book post with the author in a week or so, as part of the novel's opening book tour. Written from both a first- and second-person point-of-view, it was a cute and heartwarming summer story: lovely and sweet, but deep and not cheesy at all. (I...almost cried during one scene. D:) The characters were relatable and lovely. I'd recommend this for any middle-grade (or even earlier!) reader. I think it'd make a nice read-aloud, too. :)

Thanks for sticking with me this summer! Please let me know if you enjoyed these recommendations, or even recommend some of your own! Just press the comment button. I love hearing from my readers. :)

have you read any of these books? what did you think? what are some of your own summer recommendations?

Toodeloo, friends!

~Lily May