Summer Reading with Farrah from Reflective Mama

Please welcome today's guest poster, Farrah from Reflective Mama, a fellow boy mom and bookworm! Check her out on her blog, Facebook, twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest! Thanks so much for posting while I'm in the midst of moving, Farrah!

Hello! I am excited to share this post on Hearth and Homefront. Every time I visit Moira’s blog, I feel like she is welcoming me into her home (and serving something delicious). When I learned that she would be very busy moving across the country at the end of July, I was thrilled for the opportunity to contribute a post.

My cooking skills are unfortunately not quite up to par, but I do share Moira’s love of books. I can also relate to the horrors of having them all boxed away from my own move last year. Even in our new house, there not enough room for any more books on our shelves, so the library has become one of my favorite friends.

For this post, I decided to take a page from Hearth and Homefront and share my summer reading roundup. Here are the books I’ve loved reading in the last month:

Teen fiction is my guilty pleasure. My husband teases that he can always find me in the young adult section of a bookstore. The characters, romances, and stories always whisk me away. I loved reading the Fallen series by Lauren Kate last fall, so I was excited to get my hands on her newest novel, Teardrop.

At first the book wasn’t living up to my Fallen expectations because the it felt a little predictable. After a few quick twists and turns the story pulled me in, and I soon couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I’m not even sure how to write about it without giving anything away, but if you enjoy the teen/fantasy/romance genre, give Teardrop and Lauren Kate a try. However, you may want to wait until more books are available, because I keep thinking about the ending and can’t wait for the sequel to be released.

I first learned about The Promise of a Pencil by Adam Braun from Sophia Bush on Instagram. Yes, I love teen TV shows as much as I love teen fiction (RIP One Tree Hill). However, an even bigger passion of mine is pursuing social justice and promoting social entrepreneurship. The Promise of a Pencil told the story of how Adam found his passion for building schools and supporting education in developing countries. He founded Pencils of Promise, an organization and movement that has built over 200 schools on three different continents. Yet it all started when Adam gave one child a single pencil while he was studying abroad on Semester at Sea. It was a remarkable story about the importance of relationships, perseverance, and following your dreams.

I first learned about Ketchup is a Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves from the Dollars and Roses podcast. The author, Robin O’Bryant, knew that she wanted to write a book, so she started a blog to develop a following and gain some writer cred. She has a hysterical take on everyday life and all of it’s absurdities, especially when you’re a mother. Ketchup is a Vegetable is a collection of crazy tales from giving birth to raising her three wonderful daughters. Heartwarming and honest, this book was an excellent bedtime read to relax after a hectic day.

On Deck: Next I want to read be Queenmaker: A Novel of King David’s Queen by India Edghill. It is a work of Biblical historical fiction based on the story of King David and his wife, Michal. I have wanted to read it for years, which is how long it’s been on my shelf. A library due date always creates a sense of urgency to finish a book, yet when I actually buy a book it tends to sit around and collect dust. Inspired by Moira’s February Reading Roundup when she read books that she already owned, I want to finally finish Queenmaker and move it to my Read shelf on Goodreads.

What are you reading this month?

Farrah Udell blogs at www.reflectivemama.com about the everyday adventures of being a mom and the great books she reads along the way. She loves baby giggles, coffee dates, school supplies, and social entrepreneurship. Farrah lives in Kansas City with her husband, son, and crazy pup, Sirius. Find her on Twitter @farrahudell.