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READ IT AND REAP
Book Reviews and Recommendations

WHAT I'M READING NOW
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
C. S. Lewis
To Capture His Heart
Nancy Campbell Allen
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Book Recommendations for Different Genres (2024 Edition)
I missed the actual anniversary, but it's time for the third biannual post where I give one (or two if I can't choose) book...
Lyra Thompson
Aug 29, 20243 min read


Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis
Book Synopsis: Narnia . . . where animals talk . . . where trees walk . . . where a battle is about to begin. A prince denied his rightful throne gathers an army in a desperate attempt to rid his land of a false king. But in the end, it is a battle of honor between two men alone that will decide the fate of an entire world. My Review: 4.5/5 stars. I liked this more than The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. The plot was more engaging, it had a more interesting concept, and i
Lyra Thompson
Feb 122 min read


A Wheelie Awkward Romance by Tess & Corby Campbell
Book Synopsis: Tess wasn’t searching for love—and she definitely wasn’t looking for a man with a power chair and a penchant for dad jokes. But when Corby’s clever and correctly punctuated dating profile caught her attention, one message turned into two, then twenty, and suddenly, her carefully predictable world was tilted on its axis. This story is more than a tale of love. It’s a wildly witty, refreshingly honest look at what happens when an intensely logical woman and a qua
Lyra Thompson
Feb 103 min read


The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
Book Synopsis: They open a door and enter a world NARNIA...the land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy...the place where the adventure begins. Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first, no one believes her when she tells of her adventures in the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund and then Peter and Susan discover the Magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves.
Lyra Thompson
Feb 72 min read


(SPOILERS) The Battle for Skandia (Ranger's Apprentice #4) by John Flanagan
Book Synopsis: For Will and Evanlyn, freedom has never felt so fleeing. Still far from their homeland after escaping slavery in the icebound land of Skandia, the Ranger's apprentice and the princess's plan to return to Araluen is spoiled when Evanlyn is taken captive by a Temujai warrior. Though still weakened by the warmweed's toxic effects, Will employs his Ranger training to locate his friend, but an enemy scouting party has him fatally outnumbered. Will is certain death i
Lyra Thompson
Feb 43 min read


A Kingdom of Shadows by Emily Bain Murphy
Book Synopsis: The shadows have been overtaking the light, ever since The Great Betrayal. Now, the sun shines increasingly dimmer, it takes more firewood to brighten a room, and the world is growing more desperate and dangerous by the day. Twelve-year-old orphan Finn survives in this world by being a thief, along with his best friend Adrion and younger sister Lydia. When the three meet a mysterious stranger who claims to know of a lake of light, they set off on an adventure a
Lyra Thompson
Feb 33 min read


The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Book Synopsis: If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human. When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone. Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade. Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive. Everything is going to change. Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the me
Lyra Thompson
Jan 153 min read


Carols and Chaos by Cindy Ansty
Book Synopsis: 1817. The happy chaos of the Yuletide season has descended upon the country estate of Shackleford Park in full force, but lady's maid Kate Darby barely has the time to notice. Between her household duties, caring for her ailing mother, and saving up money to someday own a dress shop, her hands are quite full. Matt Harlow is also rather busy. He's performing double-duty, acting as valet for both of the Steeple brothers, two of the estate's holiday guests. Fallin
Lyra Thompson
Jan 103 min read


The Icebound Land (Ranger's Apprentice #3) by John Flanagan
Book Synopsis: Kidnapped after the fierce battle with Lord Morgarath, Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as captives aboard a fearsome wolfship. Halt has sworn to rescue Will, and he will do anything to keep his promise–even defy his King. Expelled from the Rangers he has served so loyally, Halt is joined by Will's friend Horace as he travels toward Skandia. On their way, they are challenged constantly by freelance knights–but Horace knows a thing or two about combat. Soo
Lyra Thompson
Jan 43 min read


Even If: Trusting God Through the Fire by Bart Millard - Review
Book Synopsis: The inspiration behind the major motion picture I Can Only Imagine 2, this true story of heartache and hope from MercyMe’s lead singer, Bart Millard, and his wife, Shannon, shows us how even our deepest wounds can become doorways to God’s grace. MercyMe was just a small worship band from Texas until January 2002, when Bart Millard’s song “I Can Only Imagine” swept the airwaves. Suddenly Bart, his bandmates, and their families were riding a wave of success beyon
Lyra Thompson
Dec 28, 20253 min read


12 Classic Christmas Stories (Edited by Timothy Larsen) - Review
Book Synopsis: Celebrate this magical season with some of the greatest literary figures in history. The wisdom and warmth of Christmas are wrapped in the stories of beloved and gifted authors such as Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, O. Henry, G. K. Chesterton, Willa Cather, Conan Doyle, Washington Irving, George MacDonald, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anthony Trollope, and other classic storytellers. Not only will you be immersed in the Christmas spirit, but you will draw from th
Lyra Thompson
Dec 27, 20252 min read


For Letter or Worse by Esther Hatch - Review
Book Synopsis: Every word in his letter spells mortification. There was only one reason young Harrison Chase moved away from his idyllic country upbringing to the long dark hours of working in a London factory—he was bound and determined to make his fortune and deserve a chance to court Christine Stone. But as years passed and his dream of making a fortune came closer into view, he realized there were a lot more important things in life than young, unrequited love. In the mid
Lyra Thompson
Dec 14, 20252 min read


The Burning Bridge (Ranger's Apprentice #2) by John Flanagan - Review
Book Synopsis: Bracing for a final clash with the evil warlord Morgarath, the Rangers rally the kingdom's allies, and Will is chosen, along with his friend Horace, as special envoys to nearby Celtica. But the simple mission soon takes an unsettling turn - the Celticans have disappeared, their town abandoned. The scheming hand of Morgarath, it seems, has been far from idle. He has found a way to bring his legions over the once impassible eastern mountains and is planning to am
Lyra Thompson
Dec 10, 20252 min read


This Light Between Us by Andrew Fukuda - Review
Book Synopsis: A story of World War II about the unlikeliest of pen pals--a Japanese American boy and a French Jewish girl--as they fight to maintain hope in a time of war. In 1935, ten-year-old Alex Maki from Bainbridge Island, Washington is disgusted when he's forced to become pen pals with Charlie Levy of Paris, France--a girl. He thought she was a boy. In spite of Alex's reluctance, their letters continue to fly across the Atlantic--and along with them the shared hopes an
Lyra Thompson
Dec 5, 20253 min read


(SPOILERS) The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice #1) by John Flanagan - Review
Book Synopsis: They have always scared him in the past — the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battle
Lyra Thompson
Nov 24, 20253 min read


Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West - Review
Book Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Abby Turner's summer isn't going the way she'd planned. She has a not-so-secret but definitely unrequited crush on her best friend, Cooper. She hasn't been able to manage her mother's growing issues with anxiety. And now 4.5/5 stars. It’s been a while since I’ve read a Kasie West book, or a contemporary romance in general. It was nice to get back to a wholesome, quick read with great banter and a fun plot. I don’t really have many negatives t
Lyra Thompson
Oct 28, 20252 min read


Ground Zero by Alan Gratz - Review
Book Synopsis: It's September 11, 2001. Brandon, a 9-year-old boy, goes to work for the day with his dad . . . at the World Trade Center in New York City. When two planes hit the towers, Brandon and his father are trapped inside a fiery nightmare as terror and confusion swirl around them. Can they escape -- and what will the world be like when they do? In present-day Afghanistan, Reshmina is an 11-year-old girl who is used to growing up in the shadow of war, but she has dream
Lyra Thompson
Oct 16, 20253 min read


Beyond the Pale by Emily Urquhart - Review
Book Synopsis: The story begins on St. Stephen's Day, 2010, in St. John's, Newfoundland, when the author gives birth to a baby girl named...
Lyra Thompson
Sep 25, 20254 min read


(SPOILERS) Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate - Review
Book Synopsis: Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s...
Lyra Thompson
Sep 13, 20253 min read


Go The Distance by Jen Calonita - Review
Book Synopsis: What if Meg had to become a god? After Hercules proves he's a true hero and regains his godship, all seems right in the...
Lyra Thompson
Aug 25, 20253 min read
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