In Which I Somewhat Conquer Summer Reading (Part Two)

So, I have officially completed this summer's ten books! In Part One (which you can find here), I reviewed the first five books I completed this summer, and in this post I'll review five more! After a few trips to the library, a day at the used bookstore, and some new fun discoveries, I have upped my reading goal from ten to fifteen! So, you can look forward to another review post when I finish my final five books of the summer.

All photo credits go to goodreads.com. :)

#1: Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson

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We'll start with a five-star this time! (Sadly, there aren't many of those this time around.) Andrew Peterson, a musician and well-known author of The Wingfeather Saga, shares his story, as well as his walk with the Lord, and ways that he improved as a music artist and novelist. This was...beautiful. Just beautiful. I loved every minute of it. Not only are his words captivating and worthy to hear, but convicting, both for writers and Christians in general. Peterson sees the beauty in God's world and plays off of it wonderfully, spinning his own story into his thoughts on faith, calling, and purpose. Not to mention, he's pretty funny. ;D

I think that every artist, musician, and writer needs to read this. No, scratch that--every Christian needs to read this. It's a testimony, and one that's not just Andrew's but ours also, a testimony of God's goodness and faithfulness to us, and perseverance through trials.

#2: Out of My Heart by Sharon Draper

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Melody is a girl who's different than most. She's the smartest kid in her school, but she can't walk, talk, or even feed herself. Cerebral palsy is her greatest enemy, and she's never been able to express her true feelings or thoughts until she got her Medi-Talker, a computer that speaks for her. In this sequel, Melody wants to try something that she didn't think was possible for a girl like her: summer camp. She finds the perfect fit, and heads away from her family for a week for the first time in her life.

I expected a lot from Sharon Draper. I've read a lot of her work and she was, at one point, one of my favorite authors. I remember being awe-struck by the writing that she put forward. So, I was underwhelmed when I read this sequel to Out of My Mind. Melody's character fell flat at parts, and the book felt slightly thrown-together. I love the representation that it gives for people with all types of abilities, but the writing and plot was hard for me to swallow. Three and a half stars, I'd say.

#3: Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster

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I've been told not to judge books by their covers, but this name really put me off. Anyone else not jumping up to read a book with an insect name? But the plot sounded fairly interesting--Judy, an orphan who had lived at a children's home her entire life, is given money to go to college by an anonymous donor. However, there is one condition: she must write one letter per month to him, never knowing who he was. Instead of addressing him as John Smith, she decides to write letters to Daddy-Long-Legs, because she saw his back and knew that he was very tall.

Written almost entirely in letters from Judy to the mystery man, this book was a bit flat for me. It didn't hold any marvelous, unexpected plot, but was rather repetitive and blank for me. (There was a nice little plot twist at the end that I hadn't seen coming, but maybe that's just me.) While Judy has character, it's not as full and beautiful as I would have liked. This is not a book that will stick in my memory, but was just a nice way to spend an evening or two. An easy read at night, I will say. ;D Three and a half stars again.

#4: Lydia Green of Mulberry Glen by Millie Florence

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First of all, let's give a round of applause for whoever designed this cover. ;) I heard about this book and author through a review somewhere. Millie Florence published this second novel of hers as a teenager (young writers unite!!) and I wanted to read it to see what all the fuss was about. What I found was a cute, loveable story about the journey of a girl who sets out to save her family and ends up finding a battle between light and darkness.

I loved this book. The only reason I'd give it four stars is because 1) I didn't connect to the characters as much as I'd like, and 2) epic full-out fantasy simply isn't one of my favorite genres. However, it was a beautiful plot with a beautiful setting and beautiful characters. I am not stereotyping young writers, but I was impressed with what I found here. (If you look at my reviews above, you'll realize that I liked this book by a fifteen-year-old much better than some of those by full-grown novelists. That's saying something.) It's a cute summer read that will make you look at the world a little differently. Fantastic. :D

#5: Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret

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Ugh, sorry for all these 3-star reviews, guys! Small Steps is about a twelve-year-old girl who gets polio and travels to several different hospitals for treatment and rehabilitation, surviving terrible nurses, separation from her parents, and painful therapy. I didn't know much about polio before I read this book. Being an autobiography, I can know that this is first-hand information and that it's a good representation of what polio was actually like.

While Peg's story is inspiring, I also found it a bit shallow. She seems to elude talking deeper about her hopes and dreams, keeping the description of her feelings at "sad" or "lonely." The story felt like it didn't have much depth to it, and it felt a bit repetitive. This is the reason I gave it three stars. It's worth the read for the information, though!

Well, I hope you enjoyed those reviews! I'm sorry that a lot of them are negative, but I'm hoping for much better reviews in my next summer reading post.

have you read any of these titles? if so, did you agree with my ratings? if not, did any peak your interest?

Toodeloo, friends!

~Lily May