readerlylife's reviews
620 reviews

Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas by Thomas Merton, Annie Dillard, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

3.75

Enjoyable read during Advent and Christmastide. Some readings were better than others, which is to be expected I guess. I did like it overall and will probably make this a yearly read. I can see how some readings will hit differently each year depending on life circumstances or world situations. 

Haphazard by Starlight: A Poem a Day from Advent to Epiphany by Janet Morley

hopeful reflective slow-paced

4.5

Beautiful collection of poems and commentary to take one through Advent to Epiphany. Completely recommend.

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

emotional funny hopeful reflective

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Truly enjoyed this one! I loved the cat’s point of view. I loved the focus on relationships, human and animal. There’s much to love about this beautiful, touching story. As soon as I finished it, I passed it on to my 16-year-old, who read it in a day and absolutely loved it.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

challenging reflective

5.0

The Yellow Houses by Stella Gibbons

3.5

Elephants Can Remember: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie

mysterious sad

3.5

The Way Through the Woods: Of Mushrooms and Mourning by Long Litt Woon

emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Third Girl by Agatha Christie

mysterious

4.5

The Birds Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggins

hopeful inspiring

3.5

A Christmas Collection by William John Locke, Elizabeth Gaskell, Hans Christian Andersen, Louisa May Alcott, Selma Lagerlöf

hopeful inspiring relaxing slow-paced

3.5

This small collection of Christmas short stories is a quick read. I was already familiar with a couple of the stories, but still found some new ones to enjoy. I especially loved “Christmas Storms and Sunshine” by Elizabeth Gaskell.