books on tap: I'm baaaack

Okay, I actually have a few books for you this month. Part of it is because some hold requests I had at the library came due, and I had two weeks to read the books. One of them (The Magnolia Story) had a waiting list of something like 90+ people when I got on it, and it took several months to work my way up the line, so I didn't want to miss it.

Anyway. If you're looking for a good read for the beach, pool, or park, try one of these.

xoxo,
E

This Is Where You Belong, by Melody Warnick. I LOVE THIS. Warnick is a serial "Mover" but decides to embark on a project to love where she lives when her family settles in Blacksburg, Va. She researches tenets of why people are happy in their cities, and then undertakes experiments in her town. This book really hit home with me (pun intended), starting from the very beginning. Chapter 1 goes into the research behind why people are happier in walkable cities. And of all the places I've lived, no matter how short a time, and deeply, truly loved (Chapel Hill, N.C.; Florence, Italy; and Tours, France) -- ALL WERE WALKABLE. And in the case of Chapel Hill, the buses were free. Apparently this is a thing. And here I thought it was just because I hate driving.
 
Warnick also makes some interesting points about how, to truly love where you live, you need to eat local and shop local. We do a pretty good job eating local already, but as far as shopping goes, I'm an Amazon Prime kinda gal. So that was a wake-up call. I don't necessarily agree with everything she says; B and I are both introverts and have zero desire to befriend our neighbors. Home is where we go to get AWAY from people. But still. This is a fascinating, well-written, funny book with thorough research and anecdotal evidence. I borrowed this from the library but I'll be finding my own copy soon. 5/5 stars.

The Magnolia Story, by Chip and Joanna Gaines. I love watching Fixer Upper, because for an hour, at least, I have these delusions that I, too, can renovate our house. The fantasy usually ends with the episode, but I do enjoy the show. Their relationship actually reminds me a lot of B and myself (you know: zany husband, responsible wife), and reading their story and how they got started is hilarious. Like the time Chip got thrown in jail for unpaid animal control tickets. Or the time he forgot their newborn son twice while Joanna went on a run - and then took his baby on a four-wheeler. You can't make this stuff up. But you also can't make up the struggles they went through or the faith they displayed through it all, or how hard they worked to get where they are. In a world that prizes immediate gratification and trashy reality stars, it's incredibly encouraging and inspiring to read about their faith, strong marriage, business struggles and ultimate success. 4/5 stars.

We Stood Upon Stars, by Roger Thompson*. This is a book of essays about finding God in the open world, about how "you'll find some of life's best moments waiting for you over a campfire, on a river -- even in that coffee shop or brewery you didn't know you'd discover along the way."
 
I was intrigued because I, too, have felt closer to God driving through the Tuscan countryside or watching a sunset in Santorini, rather than in church. But most of the book has less to do with God and more to do with the author's feelings about his dad, his grandpa, and his sons - about being a man and raising men. Each essay takes place in a different place in the American West, usually national parks or fishing spots, etc. While the writing is lyrical and beautiful, with great descriptions of places I've never been, I couldn't quite get into it, and now I'm thinking it's because I may not be the target audience. However, you might really like it, so don't hesitate to give it a chance. 3/5 stars.
 
*I received an ARC of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Class Mom*, by Laurie Gelman. A quirky mother, whose two college-age daughters were fathered by rock stars, has settled down and has a son in kindergarten with her stable husband. Then she's elected class mom and everything goes nuts. A high school flame reappears, the teacher is erratic, she's training for a mud run, and the other parents drive her nuts. This was a funny book. You'd think some of the stories were exaggerated, but people are weird, so you know, it's probably not far off the truth. Some of the plot lines could have been fleshed out more, and I never did understand the reason behind the parent and child that were always missing, but this was a funny read. And now I know to never, ever volunteer to be class mom.  4/5 stars.
 
*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

 The Little French Bistro*, by Nina George. This was an interesting book. Frustrated with her loveless 40-year marriage, Marianne tries to kill herself in Paris, then escapes from the hospital where she's taken and seeks refuge in a Breton town. There, she meets a lot of quirky people and discovers the hidden depths inside herself. There are actually a lot of sub-plots with all the various characters, but some are only vague mentions. It feels like this could be a much longer book with some development, particularly by fleshing out some of the peripheral characters and telling more of their stories. While the ending wrapped up nicely, it still kind of left me wanting more. I waffled a while over whether to give this three or four stars, but I finally landed on three because while I enjoyed it once, particularly the depictions of small-town life in France, I'm not sure that I'd really want to buy it or read it again. 3/5 stars.
 
*I received an ARC of this book from First to Read in exchange for my honest review.

Paintbrush, by Hannah Bucchin. Josie and Mitchell have grown up together on a hippie-type commune in the mountains of North Carolina (this is not actually a stretch of the imagination if you're at all familiar with Asheville). But despite having grown up together, they're not that close at school, until Mitchell's mother cheats on his father, throwing the whole commune into disorder. Add in Josie's reckless younger sister, and the two start leaning on each other - in more ways than one. But Mitchell wants to get away from their home, while Josie never wants to leave - you know tension is coming up. I requested to review this book on a whim, and I'm SO glad I did. It's a really cute story, and I loved both of the main characters and all the quirky peripheral characters at their commune. 4/5 stars.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

At Home In the World, by Tsh Oxenreider. My mother once said I have two settings: traveling the world or on the sofa with a book. There is no in-between. So I knew I was going to fall hard for this book when, a few pages in, I read: "Two opposing things can be equally true ... perhaps most significantly, I love to travel and I love my home ... All these years I'd been plagued with longing for a return to my global explorative roots, but I also want nothing more than to curl up in my armchair with a good book." It's downright creepy, really.
 
Oxenreider, her husband Kyle, and their three kids take off school and work for a 9-month around-the-world trip. Basically, the dream. She knocks off the ongoing myth that in order to travel, you have to have some kind of big life crisis or trauma, shake off all responsibility, and buy a one-way plane ticket. She interweaves family life and travel, and eloquently describes how she and her family were changed by their explorations. You get a balanced picture of the places they visited, as well as the family itself. This book is fantastic, and I was sad FOR them as their trip came to an end and they returned to the States. I can't recommend this enough. 5/5 stars.