This post includes affiliate links which help support Autumn All Along. An * before the book title shows that I chose this book from a reviewing program to offer my honest opinion on the book.
I’ve been reading a lot more slowly and wanting to make sure I really digested the books that I’ve been reading. The pressure I was putting on myself to read more and more was beginning to feel like more of a homework assignment than enjoyment. I go through spells where I can and will read a ton, but here lately it just isn’t like that. The last book review post I’ve done was in May and these are my summer book reviews; the book post I do will be this fall in November 🙂 . As always, there is a linkup at the bottom and I’d love to see what you’ve been reading too!
The Angel Knew Papa and the Dog by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
I read this book because it was offered for free on Amazon. The Angel Knew Papa and the Dog is both very short as it is extremely different. This could both be read and enjoyed by a child or an adult. The chapters are lyrical, unresolved, and also very sad at times. The little girl’s mother passed away and she lives in a log cabin with her father; their life is simple, but followed by her child-like excitement. After a storm comes, the little girl is very frightened that a flood will take her and everything she knows away. I felt the author wrote the book longer than he should have and could have finished it a little bit earlier. However, I found it refreshing that I could still read the book quickly and enjoyably. The writing style is very creative and this was something that definitely compelled me to found out more.
The Emotionally Abused Woman: Overcoming Destructive Patterns and Reclaiming Yourself by Beverly Engel // 5 stars
I debated on whether I would share that I was reading this book because I didn’t want people to make assumptions about my marriage and yadda yadda yadda. However, I don’t think there should be any stigma around being a victim of abuse or mental health. I have PTSD from childhood abuse and it is really hard to find really good, but simple resources. My therapist recommended this book because I have found myself in a lot of relational patterns that I simply couldn’t figure out as an adult from work settings to basic friendships. This book divides abusers and those who are abused into different archetypes to help people identify their behaviors and then gives many different examples. I honestly cannot tell you how many people I have recommended this book to since I first picked it up; it has been very eye opening to see how many people have these very issues in their lives. I highly recommend this book if you have a loved one who has been abused (which I assure you, you know someone), if you have been abused, or if you’re trying to figure out why your relationships feel out of whack.
*After The Boxes Are Unpacked: Moving On After Moving In by Susan Miller // 5 stars
I have read a few self-help books on moving since we came to Atlanta five years ago, but this one is the absolute best one that I’ve read. Susan Miller has moved 13+ times as an adult and has taught moving workshops for the past 25+ years. She gives wonderfully suited advice about moving, why it is so emotionally hard to move on, and how to know what to cling and cherish to (which by the way, was one of my favorite topics she wrote about). The book is religiously rooted, but very non-denomination specific. I found her experiences such a comfort and I highly recommend this book to anyone who is moving, is still having a hard time adjusting after a move, or simply just wants to find areas to improve on.
“I had to choose to move forward. Notice I always use the word choose. It is my choice to be open or closed to change and to what God is teaching me through it. I realized it was time to take the focus off myself, embrace where I now lived, and invest in new relationships. It was time to come full circle by being content in my circumstances and choosing to move to a place of peace, joy, hope and trust, with God as my focus.” — Susan Miller
