October Reads 2024
October Reads 2024: 7 Books I Read this Month
By: Brittany Shields
This month was a good month— out of the 7 books I read, 5 were 5 star reads!
I also fulfilled 3 prompts for this year’s Shelf Reflection’s 2024 Reading Challenge.
I read two similar parenting books in tandem to be able to compare them.
The musical memoir was my 3 star read because it got a bit long and technical, but for anyone who is classically trained, I think that book will get more appreciation.
The other four books were all authors I had read before and enjoyed a lot, so consider checking out more of their works!
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1. Parenting without Panic in an LGBT-Affirming World: Discipling Our Kids with Jesus’ Truth and Love by Rachel Gilson
Genre: Parenting/ Non-fiction
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5)
“God’s vision for our bodies and relationships really is good news and we can talk calmly and confidently about it with even our young kids.”
I read this book in tandem with What Do I Say When…?. Apparently both Crossway Publishing and The Good Book Company had similar plans to release a short parenting guide on some of the cultural issues of the day and how to relate them at age-appropriate levels.
I decided to read them back-to-back and compare them.
In brief, I would say that I liked Parenting without Panic better, however it was written for parents with kids 11 and under— which is me— and I felt like she did a better job providing more specific illustrations and ways of communicating.
These are a great starting point for any parent as we look to teach our kids, because if we aren’t teaching them, someone or something else is. Beyond that, both books provide further resources and other books that delve into each topic more deeply.
Read my full review to see what points stood out to me, get a link to Gilson’s other book, and read a little blurb about Preston Sprinkle who is mentioned in her book.
2. What Do I Say When…?: A Parenting Guide to Navigating Cultural Chaos for Children & Teens by Andrew T. Walker & Christian Walker
Genre: Parenting/ Non-fiction
“You must catechize and disciple your children at ever-younger ages intentionally, or else the culture will do so unintentionally and with greater effectiveness. If you don’t teach your children, the world will.”
This is the book I read in tandem with the above, Rachel Gilson book.
What Do I Say When addresses a broader range of topics than Gilson’s book and provides talking points for three different age groups. They don’t list out the ages, calling them ‘floors’ instead, so the parent can decide what group of points and questions would fit their child’s level of understanding. Some of the other topics they discuss include politics, human dignity, abortion, technology, and persecution, as well as chapters pertaining to transgender, sexuality, and identity categories.
This married author duo are definitely qualified to write this kind of book. Andrew teaches these topics at the college level and Christian writes curriculum for kids and understands the different developmental stages.
Read my full review to get more of a comparison, see the formatting of the book, see what I wish wasn’t missing, read some things that stood out to me, and get a list of further recommend resources from their book.
3. Every Good Boy Does Fine: A Love Story in Music Lessons by Jeremy Denk
Genre: Memoir
[Fulfilled ‘Book with a musician’ for Shelf Reflection’s 2024 Reading Challenge]
“If you forced me to sum it up, I’d tell you that is the point of this book: a love for the steps, the joys of growing and outgrowing and being outgrown. And— just as in the Mozart— how time seems to stop, or even go in reverse, when you are learning.”
When I saw the clever title for this book, I was intrigued to read it.
The cleverness continues within the book in its formatting. The book begins with a prelude and ends with a coda. Paragraph breaks are marked with a ‘rest’ symbol. And the book is divided into three parts: Harmony, Melody, and Rhythm. Each chapter has a playlist of songs that accompany it.
I really liked those little details.
It was evident reading this book how much Denk really does love music. Or at least classical music.
Unfortunately, this book got a bit long and technical for me.
You can read more about my critique in my full review, as well as some reflection on a few quotes from the book and the idea of music in general, and my overall recommendation.
4. Morning Star (Red Rising #3) by Pierce Brown
Genre: Science Fiction
[Fulfilled ‘Book by an author with a color somewhere in their name’ for Shelf Reflection’s 2024 Reading Challenge]
“Slavery is not peace. Freedom is peace. And until we have that, it is our duty to make war.”
The first book, Red Rising, ripped my heart out within the first 40 pages, Golden Son did in the last two, and Morning Star decided the middle was the best place to do it!
Morning Star is the climactic ‘final battle’ between Darrow and his Rising tide and the (very formidable) powers that be: the Sovereign and the Jackal. Do they have what it takes to fight against and beat a larger army with more resources and no moral code?
This was another intense read with a lot of violence— after all, it is war—but also more bravery, courage, wit, friendship, and the hope of something more.
Be warned that this book may provide spoilers if you haven’t read the first two books, but in my full review you will get more plot details, the things I liked and didn’t like, some reflections on the terms ‘Ragnarok’, ‘Morning Star’, and ‘break the chains’, and a look at the Red Rising board game.
This series has been a violent and complex read but with a lot of interesting avenues of discussion. It won’t be for everyone, but was definitely one I enjoyed reading.
5. Don’t Follow Your Heart: Boldly Breaking the Ten Commandments of Self-Worship by Thaddeus J. Williams
Genre: Cultural/ Christian Living
“We all, regardless of our official religious identity, have a tendency, as natural as blinking or breathing, to place ourselves at the center of our own existence. By the end of this book, my prayer is that we would be joyously cured of this ‘god delusion.’”
Thaddeus Williams’ book titled Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth is one of my favorite books on the topic of social justice that I recommend often. I appreciated his fair and clear understanding of the topic.
This book is similar, but his conclusions are less nuanced as the idea of self-worship isn’t as multi-faceted as social justice.
Instead of asking twelve questions as he did in his other book, Don’t Follow Your Heart “analyzes, exposes, and debunks the Ten Commandments of self-worship.”
Though ‘following your heart’ has its own chapter within the book, it is a good overall summary of what self-worship means: doing whatever we want or whatever feels right. It’s the idea that we are the author of our own identity, the carrier of our own truth, and the maker of our own path, a path that takes us to our every desire and dream.
With each commandment Williams exhorts readers to be heretics of this religion: boldly break the rules of self-worship.
Read my full review to see what those ten commandments are and see a quote from each chapter, also see what his ten counterpoints are in what he terms the Heretic’s Manifesto, and get a link to a similarly titled book that is also worth reading.
6. Break Every Rule by Brian Freeman
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
“That’s the question you need to answer for yourself. Are you willing to break every rule?”
Brian Freeman is usually an auto-read for me. There have been a few here and there that have not been my favorite but I usually really enjoy his books.
Break Every Rule is a stand alone thriller about human trafficking and the lengths one husband and father would go to get his wife and daughter back. It immediately added a new item to my bucket list: never visit Miami.
This book is ‘Taken’ meets Epstein’s horrific private island. Due to the nature of that plot and the swearing that isn’t always commonplace in Freeman’s books, this wasn’t necessarily my favorite or one that would I say I ‘enjoyed’ reading, but it’s still a good book and we at least have some semblance of justice.
Read my full review to get more plot details, visit my soap box, read some of my other comments and getting my ultimate recommendation.
7. The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid #2) by Nita Prose
Genre: Mystery
“It underscored just how hazardous a maid’s work can be. It’s not the backbreaking labor, the demanding guests, or the cleaning chemicals that present the greatest danger. It’s the assumption that maids are delinquents, murderers, and thieves: the maid is always to blame.”
When I first read The Maid by Nita Prose I was underwhelmed because the hype created expectations that weren’t necessarily met. I think I enjoyed this book better because I went into it knowing what it would be like.
It was still a mystery I didn’t have completely solved, though parts of it were predictable. This series is not one to read for hard-hitting thrills and chills. Its brand is ‘endearing and mysterious.’ Molly Gray is a person you just love. Her attention to obscure or random details makes her an excellent help while solving a crime in the middle of her domain.
The Mystery Guest is a continuation of Molly’s story, a few years after the first book. She is now Head Maid at The Grand Regency Hotel and there’s been another murder. This time a famous mystery author who was about to publicly reveal one of his secrets has dropped dead and a maid is again the prime suspect!
Read my full review to see what other layer is added to the story that brings in flashbacks, see how this book connects to another one I’ve read recently and see my ultimate recommendation.
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