Bookish Thoughts for May
May started with a deep, deep dive! I discovered the NLT Filament Bible Journal: Matthew and fell in love with it! I appreciate the format of the Bible on one side and a journal page on the other. It has plenty of space for notes and thoughts to be written down. The support of commentary, devotionals, and The Bible Project videos through the Filament app has been a game changer for my quiet time. Instead of reading my Bible and checking it off the daily to-do list, I’m actually studying it and the resources are so neatly sorted using this app.
At the same time I started studying Matthew, I also started the Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God by Dallas Willard. A few of my favorite authors love Willard, so I thought it was time I read some of his work. This book’s foundation was the “Sermon on the Mount” so it fit well with my time in Matthew. Let me tell you, I wasn’t quite ready for Dallas Willard! The book was double in length of most non-fiction works and the chapters took one-two hours each to read. While his theology was approachable, the content was meaty. This book made my brain work overtime! I was also on a time crunch to finish the book before our Yellowstone road trip. (I don’t read weighty books on trips. I only read fluff when I travel.) The content with the time constraint was almost too much for me. I will probably read it again when I have space to let the ideas settle more in my soul. Overall, I enjoyed the deep dive into the Bible and theology. I felt like a college kid back at Multnomah Bible College again! It was good to use my brain even though it was work!
After a big week of deep reading, I went to the shallow end of the reading pool. I’ve been re-reading fluffy, comfort books for the rest of the month! I enjoyed reading a book set in Montana while staying in Montana. Angela Ruth Strong’s “Resorting to Love” series was the perfect travel read. A big chunk of May was spent traveling, recovering from traveling, and wrapping up the last few weeks of school. My mind needed reading as a mental break – thus, all the “Love Finds You In” books this month. They are not rocket science, but they were just what my mind needed to rest during this busy month. As you know, I love re-reading my home library!
Top Picks for May
The Book List for May
1 Star = I did not like it. 2 stars = It was okay. 3 stars = I liked it. 4 stars = I really liked it. 5 stars = It was amazing.
Non-Fiction:
- The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God by Dallas Willard – 4 stars
- Chasing the Dragon: One Woman’s Struggle Against the Darkness of Hong Kong’s Drug Dens by Jackie Pullinger – 4 stars
- NLT Filament Bible Journal: Matthew – 5 stars
Fiction:
- The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Jester – 3 stars
- The Wild Robot by Peter Brown – 3 stars
- Love Finds You in Sun Valley, Idaho by Angela Ruth – 3 stars
- Finding Love in Big Sky, Montana by Angela Ruth Strong – 4 stars
- Finding Love in Park City, Utah by Angela Ruth Strong – 4 stars
- Finding Love in Eureka, California by Angela Ruth Strong – 4 stars
- Finding Love in Seaside, Oregon by Angela Ruth Strong – 3 stars
- Love Finds You in Sundance, Wyoming by Miralee Ferrell – 4 stars
- Loves Finds You in Last Chance, California by Miralee Ferrell – 4 stars
- Once Upon a Summertime by Melody Carlson – 3 stars
- All Summer Long by Melody Carlson – 4 stars
- Under a Summer Sky by Melody Carlson – 3 stars
- Love Finds You in Prince Edward Island by Susan Page Davis – 3 stars
- Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
- There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones – 5 stars
Amy Scott's Thoughts 