I love the idea of August – end of the summer. Digital books are awesome, and I’m loving Overdrive.
Word of the Month
Trust
Bible Verses of the Month
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in Him I will trust.”
– Psalm 91:1-2
This month’s reading diary is at the bottom of this page, after the book list.
My Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/lindajm
☆ – I own the book and am ready to read.
★ – I’m reading it.
✓ – I finished reading it. Yay!
⇗ – Still reading at the end of the month.
DNF – I did not like it or finish it.
∅ – Stalled – I started but didn’t finish.
↓ – I didn’t even start. Complete fail!
My August reading goals:
1. The 2022 Visual Theology Christian Reading Challenge – I have 29 more books to read for this annual challenge, and I’m currently reading 4 of them.
2. California Reading and Writing Challenge – I still have some reading prompts to complete for my California challenge. I need to decide what else I need to read, to finish that.
3. 2022 Newbery Challenge – I’ve been doing a Newbery challenge this year and I have only two more books to read for that. They will be on this month’s reading list.
4. Priorities – Continue with focusing on only 3 books at a time: one audio, one Kindle, and one physical book. This is working well for me.
Books I’m reading for the 2022 VT Reading Challenge
I was given a list of 104 prompts and each book has to fit one of the prompts. The full name of the challenge is the Visual Theology Christian Reading Challenge. The books do not all have to be Christian books – there can be secular books read as well. Here are the books I want to read this month to make progress on the remaining 34 prompts.
☆ Christian Fiction: Her Mother’s Hope, by Francine Rivers
I still haven’t started reading this book. Hopefully soon. This is the last book I need to read to complete the Christian Fiction Reading Challenge. Also, it will count toward my VT Reading Challenge as “a book over 400 pages.”
✓ Nonfiction: An Essential Guide to Public Speaking: Serving Your Audience With Faith, Skill, and Virtue, by Quentin J. Schultze
I’m more than halfway through this at the beginning of August. It isn’t exactly a page turner, but is full of useful information. This book was written for Christians. I honestly have almost no interest in public speaking, but it might help with my video making. I’m reading it mainly because the VT Reading Challenge challenged me to read “A book about public speaking,” and this is the book I came up with to fulfill that prompt. Prompt #55. I have an audio copy. I usually prefer to read nonfiction books in physical form, not digital, but I’m making an exception because I don’t want to buy another book right now. (I know, weird, right?) I already had Audible audiobook credits so I got it there.
Update, August 15, 2022 – I finished this book today. Good book for those young Christians who anticipate a life of public speaking. At 70, I could not be so enthusiastic as public speaking is not something I want to do except on my YouTube videos. Here’s my Goodreads review. Four stars.
★ Bible Study: The Book of Romans Bible Study Journal, by Darlene Schacht
I’ve been reading this for a while now, slowly… it is for VT Reading Challenge prompt #23, “A book about a book of the Bible.” I’m nearly done now – in the part about Romans 12.
★ Memoir: Driving Miss Norma: An Inspirational Story About What Really Matters at the End of Life Paperback, by Tim Bauerschmidt
I’ll be reading this for VT Reading Challenge prompt #15 – “A book recommended by a family member.”
✓ Christian Fiction: A Distant Shore, by Karen Kingsbury
I read this for the challenge prompt, to read a book by a female conference speaker. I finished the book (audiobook) on August 30. It was way too much of a romance for me. I’ll probably never read another Karen Kingsbury novel. I just couldn’t adjust to her writing style. Others find her novels to be fantastic, but they’re just not for me. My Goodreads review. Four stars.
For my California reading and writing challenge
✓ History: The Shirley Letters, by Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe
I’ve wanted to read this for years, so the time has come. I read more than half the letters last month. There are 23 letters, and I’m in the middle of letter 15 as I write this. The letters are written by the wife of a surgeon living in a remote California mining camp next to the Feather River in 1851-1852. Fascinating letters.
Update – August 24, 2022 – I finally finished reading The Shirley Letters. I discovered an audio copy on YouTube! Great book, highly recommended. Here’s my Goodreads review. Five stars.
✓ Juvenile Fiction: The Circus at the End of the Sea, by Lori R. Snyder
Juvenile fiction set in Venice Beach, California.
Update, August 21, 2022 – Way too much fantasy for me. This fantasy overloaded the plot. Here’s my Goodreads review. Two stars.
More Books I Want to Read
✓ – Biography / History: Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown
I’m listening to an audio version I downloaded from Overdrive.
Update August 15, 2022: Soft DNF (meaning I’ll probably get back to it later) because my Overdrive loan expired. I was half-way through the book.
Update August 25, 2022: I got access to this book again and finished it today. Great true story. I learned a lot about rowing! Here’s my review. Five stars.
✓ Christian Fiction: The Tidewater Sisters, by Lisa Wingate
This is a novella, part of the Carolina Chronicles series.
Update August 26 – I’m loving this series! On to the next one. Here’s my reveiw – five stars.
☆ Fiction: Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
I read this when I was a teenager and don’t remember much about it other than of course, KVjr has a very strange writing style. A friend on Booktube is doing a readalong of it this month. I don’t know if I’ll get to reread it this month as I’m waiting for a copy through Overdrive.
Art Books
✓ Sketchbook Art: Art Before Breakfast, by Danny Gregory
Very interesting! ……….
This is a fun, non-intimidating book to encourage the constant creation of sketchbook art. Here’s my Goodreads review. 5 stars
✓ Art Inspiration: Keep Going, by Austin Kleon
I downloaded a copy from Overdrive. Color me happy.
Update August 21 – I love this book, just like I loved his two earlier books in the series. Here’s my Goodreads review. Five stars.
Newbery Challenge
☆ Juvenile Fiction: Voyages of Dr. Dolittle, by Hugh Lofting
A Newbery Medal winner from 1923.
☆ Juvenile Fiction: Summer of the Swans, by Betsy Byars
This is the 1971 Newbery Medal winner.
My August 2022 Reading Diary
August 1 – I’m honestly discouraged about the fire situation. I went through an evacuation warning last year. The year before my mobile home burned to the ground and I’m now living in a travel trailer and have been for more than a year. I’m grateful for the trailer, a loan from the Karuk Tribe, but it isn’t my idea idea of a home and I’m hoping a house will eventually be built here. I’ve been told house applications will be reviewed starting next month. Anyhow, back to the evacuation situation. This is what I call UPHEAVAL. Everything I own gets moved and stored in my van and cargo trailer, and for months thereafter I wonder where things got put. I really do not want to do this again and am waiting for an evacuation warning before I get started. The fire is 5 miles away right now.
August 8 – Fire danger is over for now. We had an upstanding, caring, competent fire crew surround the Yeti Fire and it is no longer threatening to come our way. I’m now reading, relaxing, and painting. In other words, back to my normal life.
Paperback: Nearly done with The Shirley Letters
Audio: Just started Boys in the Boat
Kindle: Close to finishing Art Before Breakfast
Fun, fun, fun. Read…………
Later that same day – I finished reading Art Before Breakfast. Here’s my Goodreads review. 5 stars
Next Kindle book: Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad
August 15 – I finished reading the public speaking book today. Ready for speeches! (Not really.) But I might make another video soon! Here’s my Goodreads review. Four stars.
Next audiobook: I need to read this for the challenge: The Circus at the End of the Sea, by Lori R. Snyder
In the world of art – I’ve been working on class projects and on filling my fountain pen journal.
August 21 – Today I finished two books, one fiction and one nonfiction.
The fiction was a juvenile fantasy: The Circus at the End of the Sea… sorry to say, I didn’t like it much. Here’s my Goodreads review. Two stars. There was fantasy overload that nearly overwhelmed the plot. I listened to an audio version.
The nonfiction was the third art creativity book by Austin Kleon – Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad… a great reading experience with humor and weird art. Loved it. Here’s my Goodreads review. Five stars. This was my Kindle book.
Audio: Getting back to The Boys in the Boat
Kindle: The Tidewater Sisters, a novella
August 22 – Finally I’m done reading those other books and am reading new (to me) books and it feels pretty good!
I made a new Instagram account. It will be just for my art. Here’s my first post there.
August 24 – in the early morning hours of this day I finished reading The Shirley Letters. Here’s my Goodreads review. Five stars. Now the rooster is crowing already (5:40am) and the dog let out one bark. Will I be able to sleep?
August 26 – Last night I finished reading Boys in the Boat
and today I finished The Tidewater Sisters. Here’s my review of The Boys in the Boat. Here’s my reveiw of The Tidewater Sisters. Five stars each.
August 30 – I finished the overly-romantic novel, A Distant Shore. My Goodreads review. Four stars.
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