The Sixteen Trees of the Somme

The Sixteen Trees of the Somme, by Lars Mytting

18/60 | Started 03.19.25 • Finished 04.06.25 | 4 stars

[Excuse the mock up - the book has since disappeared from all of my Libby accounts and is not carried at my local library.]

This one felt like a beast of a tale, though it wasn't much over 400 pages. It had a slew of different interpersonal connections that required paying careful attention. It all centers around a certain set of trees, sixteen in number, in the Somme region of France during World War I. It's also about family secrets, tragedy, and how wood grows and ages. It felt like quite an intricate puzzle, but was a great read.

Encouragement for the Depressed

Encouragement for the Depressed, by Charles H. Spurgeon

17/60 | Started 03.07.25 • Finished 04.05.25 | 4.5 stars

This short little book was almost perfect. Spurgeon is wonderful on mental health and the spiritual life as he himself was often afflicted with depression. I found the first part of the book extremely beneficial; the last part, less so. Took me a while to read it because I took it in bite sizes, but you could easily read through this in one sitting.

The Kitchen House

The Kitchen House, by Kathleen Grissom

16/60 | Started 03.06.25 • Finished 03.19.25 | 4 stars

As much as you can enjoy a book with often gruesome depictions of slavery... this was good. The story follows a young girl named Lavinia who in time is forced to choose between life in the big house and her love of those in the kitchen house (and beyond). There are a lot of threads. It's not the easiest read but worth it.