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Genres, Missionaries, Tolkien, and Animals: Book Recommendations for Your 2022 Summer Bucket List

Hello Blossoms!


Summer break is finally here! Now I am free to frolic around as I please. To run around with the wind blowing through my hair, feeling majestic as I listen to Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (I’m sane, I promise). To watch Lord of the Rings for the fifth time outside on a projector while getting bit by a gazillion mosquitos. To tube down a river and unintentionally grow my core strength as I protect my backside from turning blue and purple due to bruising it on rocks that move of their own accord (yes, they move, because they weren't there before). I assure you, I am a rational human being who will relish her summer in a semi-normal fashion. *laughs insanely*


This summer I want to read. Over the last year, I believe I have read two books. TWO! That is quite sad remembering the girl who once read a book every week. So I’m starting out my 2022 summer with a list of books I would like to read over the next few months.


I know that reading is a common item on people’s summer bucket lists. But there are a lot of books out there. How do you choose just a few? How do you know if a certain book is worth the read? After a few hours of research and note-taking, you end up collecting a decent list of potential books. To help your searching go (hopefully) a little smoother/quicker I thought I would share some books that I would recommend to anyone searching for a good read this summer. I don’t want to throw out all of the classic books that you’ve probably already considered so this list contains some lesser-known books by famous authors and some other books that aren’t as well known but I would still consider some of my favorites.



“No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally - and often far more - worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.” ~ C.S. Lewis



Fiction:


The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien

  • Genre: Fantasy & Tragedy

  • Summary: One of the three great tales of the First Age of Middle-earth. Túrin, son of Húrin who is a prisoner of Morgoth, having been cursed by Morgoth, lives a life of exile and tragedy. Wandering Middle-earth and meeting many people, including a dragon.

  • Note: The other two great tales are Beren and Lúthien and The Fall of Gondolin. These weren’t fully completed at the time of Tolkien’s death so the books don’t flow smoothly. You still get the basic gist of the story (and they’re really good) but there’s a lot of extra stuff added on that makes it a little confusing at times. But I would recommend them if you’re up for a challenge.


Tales from the Perilous Realm by J.R.R. Tolkien

  • Genre: Fantasy

  • Summary: A collection of short stories written by Tolkien. Most don’t take place in Middle-earth, but they still have Tolkien’s fantasy writing touch.


Chronicles of Avonlea & Further Chronicles of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery

  • Genre: Romance/Realistic

  • Summary: A compilation of short stories related to people in the village of Avonlea. Anne Shirley is a minor character in these stories and the main characters of the 12 short stories are never mentioned in the Anne of Green Gables series, but they still contain the wittiness and beautiful romance that we see in the Anne of Green Gables books.


Kilmeny of the Orchard by Lucy Maud Montgomery

  • Genre: Romance

  • Summary: A young school teacher, Eric, meets Kilmeny, a beautiful young girl who cannot speak. As he spends more time with her he falls in love and wishes to marry her, but she rejects him due to her muteness as she doesn’t wish to be a burden to him. So Eric sets off to find a doctor who can heal Kilmeny.

  • Note: Sounds boring, I know. But I couldn’t talk about the exciting parts because… *spoilers*. It’s a short read so even if you think it doesn’t sound worth it, give it a try.


Allie by Alan Gratz

  • Genre: Historical/War Fiction

  • Summary: Follow the story of six people who take part in the actions of D-Day. Each character experiences a different aspect of the events of that day, and the events leading up to it. Who will survive this horrible day? How will their stories connect?

  • Note: Not a very elaborate summary, I apologize. I am known for giving away exciting spoilers and man is this book full of them! Alan Gratz is one of my favorite authors. He does historical war fiction and each of his books has a fictional character who is a part of some major historical event. From D-Day to 9/11, each book is creative, action-packed, and teaches you a lot about these events and what people experienced during them. Not many books make me cry but I have shed multiple tears over these stories. Allies is my favorite of Gratz’s books, but I would recommend all of his books. Refugee, Ground Zero, Code of Honor, Grenade, Projekt 1065, and Prisoner B-3087 are his other novels.


Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold by C.S. Lewis

  • Genre: Fantasy

  • Summary: A retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. The first part of the book is from the perspective of Orual, Psyche’s older sister, as she battles the injustice of the gods in her life, what happened to Psyche, and how it affected her and their kingdom. The second part is Orual repenting of her accusations of the god’s injustice and the visions she experienced during the rest of her life.

  • Note: Definitely a hard read. It’s deep. That’s all I have to say XD. It’s one of my favorite books though as it’s a great story and full of symbolism.



Non-Fiction:


Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis Majors

  • Genre: Autobiography

  • Summary: Katie Davis decided to explore volunteer work overseas, so she traveled to Uganda for a year before going to college. After returning home she felt like she was called to stay in Uganda so she left everything and moved there for good. At age 22, she was the mom of 14 adopted girls and God had much more for her life.


Hearts of Fire by The Voice of the Martyrs

  • Genre: Biography/Short Storys

  • Summary: Follow the stories of eight women who sacrificed a lot for Jesus and faced much persecution as a result of their faith. You will be inspired by these courageous women and all they gave up for their Lord.


Missionary Recommendations

  • There are A LOT of amazing missionaries in this world. They all have unique stories but they all have the same goal. To bring the Gospel to all the ends of the earth. These are some missionaries whose stories have inspired me to be bolder in my faith. There are a lot of books about each of these people so I’ll leave it up to you to find a specific book. ;) Amy Carmichael, Eric Liddell, William Carey, Gladys Aylward, and Mary Slessor.


Crazy Love by Francis Chan

  • Genre: Christian Literature

  • Summary: A book that challenges Christians to not live a lukewarm life. The God of the universe who made everything and loves us so so much wants to be with us. We respond by going to church, singing songs, and trying to do good things. But there is so much more to life than that. God calls us to a deeper living.


Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper

  • Genre: Christian Literature

  • Summary: This book encourages Christians to make the most of their lives. To avoid a wasted life, to take risks in light of eternity, and to have passion for the glory of God in every part of our lives.


The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer

  • Genre: Christian Literature

  • Summary: A book that breaks down practical methods on how to pursue the Lord. Christians today have knowledge of God but are lacking intimate experience of Him. Once we become a Christian our lives don’t end there. We should be filled with a desire to experience God and feel His presence. In this book, Tozer breaks down what this looks like for us. As Tozer said, “To have found God and still pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love.”

  • Note: God has used this book in my life. Please, read it. This was written in 1948 so the language is a little difficult at times but if you take the time to dig into what Tozer is saying it’s so rich.


Series:


Do you want a challenge? If you’re up for reading a whole series then I have two recommendations for you! One has large books, and the other has thin ones.

Epic Order of the Seven by Jenny L. Cote (the large one XD)

  • Genre: Historical, Fantasy Fiction

  • Summary: Follow the lives of the animal friends, Max, Liz, Kate, Al, and Nigel as they work behind the scenes in major stories in history, including Noah’s Ark, Daniel, Jesus, Paul and the early church, Patrick Henry, and more!

  • Note: Sounds kind of cheesy, right? Wrong! Well, I mean, yes, they’re animals, but Jenny L. Cote is a very talented writer who knows her history and can write a creative story around it. I learned more about the American Revolution when I read her books than when I studied it in school. So yeah.


The Terrestria Chronicles by Ed Dunlop

  • Genre: Fantasy Fiction; Allegory

  • Summary: Compared to Pilgrim’s Progress, The Terrestria Chronolcies is an allegory series that takes place in the kingdom of Terrestria where knights and dragons abide. Follow the life of young Josiah as he battles the servants of the evil Argamor in the name of King Emmanuel.

  • Note: These are a quick and easy read. Geared towards a younger audience, the stories are action-packed and full of easy-to-see truth. Even though they were written with younger people in mind I would recommend this series to everyone!


That’s the last book for now! I hope you found at least one potential summer read today. I’d love to hear your thoughts about them in the comments.


Have you already read one of these books before? Did you like it? What books are on your summer bucket list? Did one of the books today interest you?


Till next time friends!


- Emily


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Hi, thanks for stopping by!

I'm Emily and thanks for reading my blog. I'm a teenaged, homeschooled Christian introvert who loves mint flavored things, a sunny day, a good action movie, and dance worthy music. If you wanna know more about me and my crazy life go to my About page.

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