September Book Roundup
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Books I Read in September
This month was a little more difficult for my book stack. My entire family got sick for over a period of over 2 solid weeks. I’ve never been sick for this long.
In between taking care of my family, and trying to get lots of sleep and rest, I didn’t have as much time for reading as I normally did. Even as I sit here writing this, I’m still on the mend.
I was able to get through a few books though, and my favorites of the entire year (so far) are in this month’s book stack.
Just for transparency, no authors sent me any of these books. I’m not being paid to read anything here (although, that would be awesome!).
This blog post on Youtube ⬇️
The Consequences of Ideas
4/5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was gifted this book by my pastor who knows I am obsessed with RC Sproul books last year. Coincidently, my son is in Sproul’s philosophy class through Compass Classroom. I didn’t know this book was a philosophy book when I picked it off the bookshelf for my September book reads. About 3 pages into the book, I realized that it was the same book my son was reading, just in a different format.
This is a meaty book, and it sometimes makes my brain spin, but in a good way. I’m so glad I have this book, as I’m watching the videos along with my son in his high school course. With us both reading the same material, it’s given us so much to talk about at the dinner table.
This is my son’s favorite class, and he’s really enjoying it. I’ve never seen him enjoy a class so much. I’m really glad I grabbed this book, it’s prepared me to talk about his class more with him and it gives us something to bond over. Anyone with teen boys knows it can be hard to connect sometimes.
This has been a fantastic read!
When the Day Comes - Gabrielle Meyer
(Timeless book #1)
When the Day Comes
4/5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve had this book on my radar for months. After I saw my friend Jillian say she was going to read it next month, I took it as a sign that I needed to read it, too (I kid, I kid). It’s a Christian historical fiction book that had plenty of twists until the very end.
I read this in almost one day. I really liked this book. It’s a time-traveling book between 1914 and 1774. She witnesses the beginning of the Revolutionary War, and the reader gets a history lesson as the story progresses. It’s very interesting!
If you like history, I think you will really enjoy this series. I love books that are series books, so this was screaming my name. Billed as a Christian historical romance, we have all 3 elements here. It’s a Christian book, clean of any sexual scenes (thank goodness, amiright?), we have two different historical timelines, and there is plenty of romance to go around. The love story in here was a slow burn, but so sweet!
Meyer is an excellent writer. She made me feel as if I was right there in both time periods with Libby. I was rooting for her the entire time, laughing and crying with her.
Trigger warning in this book for sexual assault. It’s not described, totally closed door, but it’s made known that it happens.
I will say it has a hint of feminism in it, however you may feel about that. The main character works for the suffrage movement in her early 1900’s life and mentions it a few times. It never goes into detail and it’s highly glossed over, but it’s worth mentioning.
The end was so satisfying! I was so happy when I read the end of the book, and I think all the readers will be happy with this one. Definitely my favorite book so far this year, and that’s saying a lot from someone who reads as much as I do.
After finishing this book last night, I immediately purchased book #2 in the series.
In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer
Timeless book #2
4/5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I couldn’t put this book down, just like book #1 in this series.
I purchased the Kindle version, but I really wish I had a physical copy. The cover is beautiful, just like book #1 (I’m a sucker for pretty covers). Books that I really love and enjoy, and plan to reread, I always buy a physical copy of. I could see myself rereading books 1 and 2 to revisit Libby and Maggie.
This book is a continuation of book #1, so it’s hard for me to go into details without spoiling the story. This is a 3 way time-travel book, with the main character Maggie traveling between 3 time periods; 1861, 1941, and 2001. She is a witness to the Civil War, Pearl Harbor, and 9/11.
Meyer has an amazing talent for twists and turns in her writing that kept me hooked. I had to know what happened. I couldn’t sleep until I knew how this book ended!
The Timeless series is by far the best book series I’ve read in 2023 so far.
Book #3 is slated for a spring 2024 release, book #4 for fall, and I plan on preordering as soon as they are available.
John Calvin’s Truth for All Time
5/5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this short read from John Calvin. This is a condensed version of his Institutes. “The Institutes” is such a weighty book, and it’s over 800 pages. We have the bigger book, but it’s too intimidating for me right now.
Truth for All Time was much easier to get through. I read it in one afternoon. I think this is a perfect gift for a new believer. It’s like a crash course on Christianity 101.
If you haven’t read this one, I highly recommend adding this to your collection of Christian literature. It belongs on every Christian’s bookshelf.
Château of Secrets - Melanie Dobson
3/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Another time-split novel, Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson earned a 3/5 stars for me.
A word before I jump into the review…
This book seemed to have been written by a Catholic, or someone who knows a lot about Catholicism. The main character in one of the timelines is a practicing Catholic. So we see a lot of praying to Mary and saints here. As a Protestant I feel I must mention that before I get too far into the review, as most of my readers are also Protestants. I highly recommend this video by my friend Jillian on this subject with this particular book. Also, subscribe to her channel ❤️ She’s a sweet Sister in Christ.
We have two timelines in this book, one is 1940-1942 and another is present day. It’s a grandmother and granddaughter in these two timelines. The grandmother is documenting her time through WWII in France, and the granddaughter is trying to piece together her family history.
While somewhat predictable, this book got better as I read it. I almost gave up around page 100, but decided to stick it through to the end. I liked the story, but I wasn’t over the moon about it like the Timeless series above. Still, it was a mostly satisfying ending to a clean book.
Happy reading!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Mandy
