My nightstand is overflowing with books right now. There’s a stack with a combination of books my friend Rebekah (hi!) shared or recommended, books that had been sitting in my amazon cart for a while, and a few other ones thrown in there. I’m not reading ALL of them right now, but I’m planning to and am excited about them. In no particular order:

Dumpling Days: I’m currently reading this one with Gianna every night before bed, it’s a children’s chapter book about a young family that travels to Taiwan. I’ve been really into the author, Grace Lin for a while now and I always try to check out her picture books when I’m at the library. I’m on a continued quest to fill our shelves more with more diverse characters, especially ones that look like my own kids.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: I love the unique format of the book, the story is told in letters written between all the characters. It’s so charming while also giving some real insight into the experience of life during a war.

China Rich Girlfriend: The sequel to Crazy Rich Asians. Oh man, I’m so into this book right now. I loved the movie and am fascinated by how the author was able to write a book that both highlights ridiculously lavish lifestyles but also the deep, strong values of Chinese culture.

Front Desk: This book is for older elementary kiddos so I’ll have to wait to read it with Gianna, but I’m planning to read it in the meantime. It’s a story of a ten-year old girl and her parents who are Chinese immigrants starting a life in America, and all the complexities and hard things that come with that.

The Grace of Enough: Haley Stewart is one of my favorite Catholic bloggers and podcasters. She’s incredibly thoughtful and really passionate about creation care, and also Harry Potter (!). Her family in the last few years made some pretty drastic lifestyle changes to pursue the values they really cared about, like having regular, quality time as a family and her husband having a job he was passionate about. This books tells this story.

One Beautiful Dream: I really enjoyed the author’s first book about her journey from atheism to Catholicism. This is her second one about God turning her life plans upside down and how she learned to pursue her dreams in the midst of being a mom to 6 kids.

Story of a Soul: I’ve read a few chapters so far and I love St. Therese of Lisieux’s really, really simple way of talking about faith and her life with God. I find it helps ground me and reminds me of what’s really important.

Voices Rising: This one comes out next month and I’m a super proud sister-in-law and friend of a few of the authors! This book brings together the voices of a group of women of color in missions. I’m reading an advance copy right now and the forward alone already really moved me when it talked about abuelita theology; grandmothers and their stories and influence and all they’ve passed down to the next generation.

A Common Table: I’ve pre-ordered my copy! I love Cynthia’s food blog, the photography is beautiful and her recipes are a mix of her family’s Chinese, Korean, and Hawaiian background. She’s incredibly creative and talented in the kitchen and I’ve bookmarked so many of her recipes, the flavors are all so on point.