April reads

I write this a bit ashamed. I'm not sure what happened in April, but I didn't finish my two books on my reading list for the month! Well, that's partially true. No, I didn't finish the two books on my list, but I think I do know why. The first book that I was supposed to read, Calm My Anxious Heart, ended up being a bit of a hard-read for me. It wasn't difficult, but it just wasn't written in a way that I enjoyed. It seemed to skip around and was choppy. I'll get into that later. So because I wasn't enjoying the first book, I found a book at the library that I thought sounded good. I decided I would read a few chapters in my first book and reward myself with a few chapters from The Coal Tattoo. That worked for awhile, until my second book got so good that I never wanted to pick up my first book. Are you following me? 


The Coal Tattoo by Silas House


This was actually my second book that I started this month. It was on display at the library because the author was coming to town to speak. While I didn't go to the event, I did decide to read the book because the inside flap made it sound like a great read. Based in Appalachia (eastern Kentucky in the mountains) in the 1960s, the book tells the story of two sisters with a hard past going through even harder times as grown adults. Failed marriages, coal mining taking over their land, a stillborn baby - this book had a lot, but it was a great read. The disappointment for me was when I found out that this was the third in a three-book series - after I finished reading it. I was so bummed because I would have really enjoyed reading the series in order. We'll see if I go back and read the first two.


Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow


So this is the book that started all the problems this month! I had read a review of this book on one of my favorite blogs, so I thought I'd put it on my book list. I borrowed it from a friend, but it just didn't flow well. It seemed cut up or jagged. I'm not sure, but it was hard for me to read, although it had some good points (although she frequently quoted from The Message as her preferred Bible translation, *sigh). I'm not sure I learned much from it because I had the state of mind to just finish it and move on. 


So where am I now? Honestly, I need someone to hold me accountable, but I'm not sure anyone would be successful at this. I was telling Heath the other night that it seems that I can be caught up on only a few things, but never everything. Laundry, house cleaning, reading, preparing school games, blogging, and the list goes on. I may have laundry caught up and the dishes done and put away, but I haven't finished my Bible reading for the day. Or maybe I'm caught up on blogging, but I have dust bunnies and dirty laundry. Mercy.


As of now, I'm halfway through my second April book, The Tale of Two Sons by John MacArthur. So far, it's very good. With a vacation at the end of the month, I'm not sure if my May reading will be a complete disaster or a wonderful catch-up month. We'll see.