On the bookshelf in January
The first book I read in January was The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. The main plot of this book is following the main character, Don Stillman (an autistic man) on his quest to find love. As someone in the counseling profession, I am fascinated by how the brain & heart work when it comes to different diagnoses. A person with autism may struggle reading social cues or understanding social environments, which can making dating very challenging. I really enjoyed reading from Don’s perspective because the way his brain works made perfect sense. I felt like the book was very well written & conveyed what it is like living with autism very well. I gave this book three out of five stars.
The second book that I read was The Hideaway by Lauren K. Denton. This book totally gave me Nicholas Sparks vibes! It was a simple love story with a few plot twists (that were a bit predictable in my opinion). I really liked the main character — she’s a single young adult who is super independent & has moved off to create a life of her own. She has to go “home” to take care of things when her grandmother passes away & this is where everything changes. I felt like the book was a little bit repetitive, like I kept reading about the same thing over & over, but overall, I enjoyed the story & it was a very easy read. I gave it three stars.
The last book I read was Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Wow I have so many thoughts about this book! This book has been on my “want to read” list for a long time & after I saw the trailer for the movie, I knew I had to move it up & I’m so glad I did! I definitely feel like this book should come with a trigger warning — there was some very heavy stuff including prostitution, murder, & a lot of betrayal. The story follows “Angel’s” life from being an unwanted child, to being sold into prostitution at an incredibly young age, to finally being rescued & shown unconditional love. The author does an incredible job of of portraying Angel’s feelings of shame & unworthiness as well as Michael’s struggles with following what He believes is God’s will.
My mom & I both gave this book five stars & are looking forward to reading more of her books! We are planning to go see it in theaters next week.
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