It’s been awhile, yet again, because there is just so much to do and just so little time to do it! But here I am with five more books, and we are now in the second quarter of books read last year! There are some really good ones this time around, so read on! You may find something you’d like to add to your own to-read list.

This book was definitely good, but it wasn’t quite what I was looking for or expecting. I thought it was going to be more about talking with kids about sexuality in general, God’s view of it, and how to lay a solid foundation on that difficult and sensitive topic with our children.

It wasn’t really that. It was more addressing the current big issues in our society when it comes to sexuality, with a view towards preparing kids to confront LGBT issues, the cultural battle for our children’s hearts and minds in these areas, etc. And on that front, it was definitely solid and a good resource. Just not really what I was hoping for.

I read this because I was the audiobook narrator for it–it’s part of the Very Bookish Thanksgiving collection that I contributed to a few years back. I already knew Kelsey was a talented writer, and I’ve loved all the stories from fellow authors in this series, so I was looking forward to it.

I wasn’t disappointed! This novella is cozy, delightful, and an all-around pleasant read. I haven’t actually read Jane Eyre, the book it’s inspired by, but I knew enough to get the similarities. It also made me want to move Jane Eyre up higher on my to-read list, so I think that’s a plus as well!

Book two in this series was as fun a ride as book one. I continue to prefer it to A Series of Unfortunate Events even though I like the writing style in that one a bit better, because Benedict Society has adult characters who are wise and virtuous and helpful, as opposed to the other series, where all the adults are idiots or evil or both.

This particular installment is a fun, if highly improbably ride, just as full of puzzles and twists and turns and charm as the first. I’m glad I decided to finally read these books, and look forward to sharing them with my girls when they’re older!

I read this one to my kids after finishing Winnie the Pooh, and it’s just as witty and charming as the first. One of my favorite things about both collections is how enjoyable they are for both very small children and very grown-up adults! They are funny, engaging, and simple enough to keep both me and my three-year-old interested, which is really the unicorn of read-alouds. Now I just need to find more books like this…

This was my book club pick for last year, but I would have read it anyway because I’d been making my way through Moriarty’s works and this was her latest release.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t think it’s my favorite of hers, but it probably falls second or third. Moriarty’s talent for putting you in the heads of different characters and drawing out tension and mystery and family secrets is outstanding, and I was pulled into the story throughout. It was also a really fun book club discussion. As a book club plus, it was easy and fun to find food in it to make for our gathering that month!

Thank you for bearing with me on my stop-and-start journey through last year’s reads, and as always, let me know if you have any thoughts on any of these books, let me know so we can discuss. And I’ll be back someday with the next five books!