My Top 5 Reads of the Summer (2021 edition)

 

    Hello!

As promised, I'm back with my top 5 reads of the summer. At least one of these is a children's book, because I decided over the last year to start reading them again. It's been a nostalgic ride as I'm re-reading some of them that I either personally read as a child, or that my mom read to me as a child. The clear, concise writing with the beautiful pictures have been inspirational.

Without further ado, here are my top 5 summer reads in no particular order.

• Hidden Current by Sharon Hinck

Here is my review pulled from Goodreads.com :

One thing I have learned about Sharon Hinck's books is that they inevitably move me to praise God. This one was no different. I loved the incredibly unique world-building, admirable characters and thrilling plot. I spent a few nights reading until late and waking up in the middle of the night sometimes to read just a bit more. You know how a good book seems a little more full after you've finished it? Well, that was this book. "Hidden Currents" by Sharon Hinck isn't a great, thick book, but I think it added a hundred pages in size and memories after I finished. My heart is very full.  Timely (A Phoenix Fiction Writers Anthology) Here is my Goodreads review: One of the things I always look forward to is when The Phoenix Fiction Writers come out with a new anthology. "Timely" had the added bonus of having a few guest authors who I need to give hugs to, like right now. Their stories are precious. This anthology wasn't quite what I was expecting, and perhaps that's a good thing. Too often our expectations set limits and boundaries. We place limits on what is possible and our imagination is smothered. "Timely" broke all limits and transcended time and space, splintering my imagination to break it into tiny shards of light, hope and beauty. After reading this anthology, my world isn't the same. And that's a good thing. A truly epic piece of literature has the power to inspire someone's life. This little anthology deserves the title "epic". My only regret is that I wish it were longer.

• Miss Spider's Tea Party by David Kirk

Here is my review that I posted on Goodreads.com:

I forgot how much I love this book! My mom used to read it to me and my siblings over and over again and do voices. It was magical! The colors are beautiful, and the story is cute!

• The Girl Who Could See by Kara Swanson

Here is my Goodreads review:

I almost didn't go to sleep last night to finish it. I almost finished it in one day, but neither of these things happened. I went to sleep and finished it this afternoon. I was not prepared for how quickly this sucked me in.
The ending had me crying. It's so beautiful. It's so good.

• The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Here is my review that I posted on Goodreads.com :

Just finished listening to the audio book. Here are my thoughts:

I heard a lot about this book from several people so I thought I'd try it.

It reads rather slow and kind of description-heavy, like a journey-centric story, but I liked it.

Lots of good world-building, inventive history and mythology.

(And yes, the last of my top 5 favorite summer reads is an audio book. They count as reading too.)

Have you read any of these books? If you have, what do you think about them? 

If you haven't read any of these books, what were some of your favorite reads this summer?

Until next time... 

- Julia Garcia / Arysta Henry