Summer Reading

Yesterday I finished reading The Kremlin Conspiracy by Joel C. Rosenberg. It took almost three months for me to finish this book, but I did it! In my "previous life" (pre-stroke), I would have read this book in 2-3 days. Reading is a much slower process for me now, but I am so excited that I am able to read and to comprehend and remember what I read, something I thought was lost to me forever.

Although this is technically not "summer reading", since I began several months ago, I wanted to tell you about it. In The Kremlin Conspiracy, Rosenberg has done it again! Rosenberg is a master story-teller, and this one is no exception. The Kremlin Conspiracy is another fast-paced political thriller that is hard to put down. I have loved each of Rosenberg's previous novels, and this may be his best yet. I'm already looking forward to the next installment, which unfortunately won't be available until 2019! The Kremlin Conspiracy is fast-paced, well written, and wonderfully complex. I highly recommend it!

Now that I have finished The Kremlin Conspiracy, what's next? I have a stack of books on my table awaiting my attention. Here's what's next on my reading list:

Swimming Between Worlds by Elaine Neil Orr.  Elaine is my cousin, and this is her most recent novel. I began reading it yesterday, and although I have only read a few chapters, I am already drawn in. Although completely different from the novel I just finished, this one is also hard to put down. Swimming Between Worlds is set in Winston-Salem, NC in the turbulent 1960s.

Next on the list is the lemonade year by Amy Willoughby-Burke. I met Amy at my cousin Elaine's book signing, where Amy was also doing a reading. This one is described as a story of love, loss, and second chances, and I'm looking forward to reading it.

A Curious Beginning (a Veronica Speedwell Mystery), by Deanna Raybourn, is set in London in 1887. This one ticked a lot of boxes for me. The city. The time. It's a mystery.

Also on my list is A Different Sun, also by my cousin Elaine Neil Orr. This one is set in Africa, where Elaine grew up as the daughter of missionary parents. And I have The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron, which grabbed my attention because of the title, and Falling In Love by Donna Leon. I've read several of Leon's works, all set in Venice and with Inspector Brunetti as the central character. I have enjoyed not just the mystery of the crime to be solved, but what I have learned about the culture and food of Venice in the process.

In addition, I'm in the process of (slowly) reading A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, Discipleship in an Instant Society by Eugene H. Peterson. I say "slowly" not because it is difficult to ready, but because I'm spending a lot of time pondering what I have read. There is a lot of food for thought here. Once I finish, I plan to re-read Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand.

This is quite a long list, and I have no illusion that I will have read all these books by the end of summer. I do, after all, read very slowly these days, and some days are still very challenging. Even so, it's good to have goals!

What are you reading this summer?