Hello Readers!
I can't believe it's already nearly April! These few months of 2021 have flown by. I'm sorry I haven't posted on here in nearly forever, but life went down and I went down with it... I'll try to explain.
Since the week of Valentine's day, I have been on an internet fast or reset, depending on who in my family you ask. At first, it was extremely challenging I really struggled with the decisions that my parents made, but as life has gone on and I've seen the benefits and understood where they were coming from, I appreciate the steps they took. Not only has my relationship with them been strengthened, but my relationship with God and with my sisters has flourished during this time. As with any other fast/reset, it's best not to go all the way back on the first day. Since that kinda defeats the purpose of the fast in the first place. So for all of you wondering where I disappeared to... that's where.
In my last post here I told y'all that I was dealing with writer's burnout. I'm happy to say that I've recovered... or at least recovered enough where I don't feel like I'm living in a black hole.
I've done a lot of reading these past few weeks:
This one is a reread and I started before the reset. I finished within the first few weeks. It was honestly amazing. Johanna and Henriette have quickly climbed the ladder of my favorite women of history.
2. Hammer of the Huguenots, Douglas Bond
For those of you who know me, you know that Douglas Bond is one of my favorite HisFic authors. This book was fascinating. I'm fairly familiar with the Reformation in France, and the St. Bartholomew's day Massacre, but this book focused on the events leading up to St. Bartholomew's day. I find books like this very inspiring to my faith.
3. The Hobgoblins, Douglas Bond
This book tells the story of John Bunyan from the POV of his childhood friend Harry Wylie. Harry's POV is entertaining and the use of old English is charming. John Bunyan is such an interesting person I'd recommend this book wholeheartedly.
4. The White Rose Resists, Amanda Barratt
A year or two ago my family and I watched the film Sophie Scholl: the Final days. This book shares the story of Hans and Sophie Scholl in detail. For those who don't know, White Rose was a group of college students who were from WWII Germany and dared to write leaflets against Hitler, a crime punishable by death.
I think my favorite part of the book was that it was written in 1st person. I honestly love 1st person. It's personal and beautiful. My favorite character was Kirk Hoffman, one of the fictional characters. I liked him because of his view of soldiers, as in one part he muses on the life that each man has. I've done that several times and it was really neat to see someone else think the same way, even if they were fictional. Sophie was also a favorite. I liked how she reached out to Analise, who is another fictional character. If you get anything from this short review, it should be: READ THIS BOOK NOW!
This was a reread and I don't regret it. Julianna was the mother of Prince William the Silent of Orange (he married Charlotte de Bourbon, who is a favorite lady of the Reformation of mine). Julianna went through a lot of hardship and struggles, losing three sons to the religious wars in the Netherlands at that time. Herr did an amazing job of telling the story through the eyes of Julianna's granddaughter, Maria Princess of Orange.
That's all the fiction I read... I'm sure you can't tell what kind of books I like...
I've also done some writing and if you check the Writing page of this blog you can read two of my newest poems.
To close out this blog post, I'd like to recommend Isa. 58, I've so blessed by all fourteen beautiful verses.
On that note, I'll close this blog post with the hope I can post again soon.
Blessings,
Mattie May
Have you ever done a fast/reset before? What have you been reading?
Let me know in the comments!
