Bekah's Bookshelf: My 2024 Reads so Far

 

Well, my offerings on today’s post are not as robust as I had hoped they might be. Such has been my March. I had hoped to be able to say I had finished two books this month, but I fell short of my goal.

            I did finish the third book in The Chronicles of Narnia, and in the order I’m reading them, that means I read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I was a bit nervous about this one when I started it, because in the world of fiction, I’m loyal to the characters, almost to a fault.

            The first two books in the series told the story of four siblings and their travels to Narnia, but in the third book, the two oldest siblings are too old to return to Narnia. The two youngest go back and their cousin Eustace goes with them. I wasn’t sure about Eustace. He was new, and I wasn’t sure I liked him. Actually I was fairly sure I didn’t like him.

            But as the story went along, I grew to really love that snarky kid. He was funny without intending to be, and sometimes (gulp) I found myself relating to him far more than I wanted to admit.

            The story in this book brings back Caspian, from the previous book I read, and the characters are sailing through Narnia in a ship called the Dawn Treader. (You’re picking up on the title now, aren’t you?) I found myself pulling out several quotes to use in future speaking engagements, and every single appearance of Aslan tugs at my soul. The pictures of Scripture are beautifully woven throughout – again – and the story is captivating.

            I loved watching Edmund and Lucy (the returning siblings) growing in their understanding of Narnia – even the mystery of it. I loved watching Eustace find his own place in Narnia, and I loved the deep underlying messages.

            In April, I plan to read the 4^th book!

            The other book I had hoped to finish is the one Ryan bought from my wish list and I am loving. I haven’t had time to fully finish it, and I don’t want to rush through it because the material inside is deep and rich (and meaningful) and I want to take my time with it.

            It’s called Crucial Conversations and is a thought-provoking book about handling difficult conversations in productive ways. I’m learning so much from it. I will tell you more about it when I finish it. I’ve loved reading in it throughout the month, even if I haven’t crossed it off my list!