The Well Read Collective

The Well Read Collective Christian Reader, wife, and homeschooling mom • Reviewing and recommending books for You • Bible Before Books

It is the first day of “Summer in the Psalms!” 🙌🏻I wanted to share a few books that I’m going to be reading alongside my...
06/01/2026

It is the first day of “Summer in the Psalms!” 🙌🏻

I wanted to share a few books that I’m going to be reading alongside my Bible for Summer in the Psalms.

All you really need to read through the Psalms is your Bible. So don’t overcomplicate it! But if you’re looking for some additional resources to add in, these are good options!

05/31/2026

It’s been 5 years since our son’s last surgery and a decade since his diagnosis.

Having a child with a life threatening heart condition has changed our lives in nearly every way.

But one thing has remained the same: God is faithful. He is more powerful than our earthly suffering and has proven faithful through it all. Phin’s whole life has been a display of God’s providence and provision and we pray that God gets all the glory!

Our family verse for the past decade has been John 16:33. “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world.”

There is so much beauty amidst the suffering. Praise the Lord for the hope of eternity with Him!

What I read in May!May was very good to me! I turned 40, we went on vacation, we finished up our homeschool year, and st...
05/31/2026

What I read in May!

May was very good to me! I turned 40, we went on vacation, we finished up our homeschool year, and started Summer break. 🙌🏻

My May reading, on the other hand, was a bit of a mixed bag. I placed 4 books in the “not for me” category and I think that’s the most I’ve ever put there in the same month! But I did have a lot of books that I enjoyed and several that I all caps LOVED.

Swipe to see what I loved, what I didn’t, and which one was my fave!

What was your favorite book that you read this month?

05/30/2026

What a delight to be able to hear talk about how this story came to be!

I loved hearing about her writing process and inspiration for Remarkably Bright Creatures. Getting to meet and chat with her was a top tier moment!

There are many reasons to read the Psalms. But the one I’ve come to appreciate the most is how they provide examples of ...
05/30/2026

There are many reasons to read the Psalms. But the one I’ve come to appreciate the most is how they provide examples of the words we can use to express ourselves to God.

The Psalms give us language for every season of the heart: for pain, suffering, joy, desperation, praise, doubt, thanksgiving, and on and on. Whatever you’re feeling or whatever you need to cry out to God about, there is a Psalm to help.

So I’m choosing to slow down my Bible in a Year plan and savor the Psalms for June and July. I’m going to read, journal, study, and pray through them, letting them remind me over and over of God’s faithfulness.

Would you like to join me? This isn’t any kind of official challenge. There is no sign-up form or guide. It’s simply opening the Word of God each day and learning how to bring our prayers and praise to Him.

I’ve put together a reading schedule for the next two months that you can find on the last slide!

Bible Before Books 💛

Title: The ShippersAuthor: Katherine CenterMy Rating: I liked it!Last week I road-tripped it 2.5 hours with a friend to ...
05/29/2026

Title: The Shippers
Author: Katherine Center
My Rating: I liked it!

Last week I road-tripped it 2.5 hours with a friend to go to Katherine Center’s book tour stop in Franklin, IN. This was the first time I’ve ever been to an author event and we had the best time! Great conversations in the car, a good browse through Wild Geese Bookshop, the best latte of my life (that I have longed for every day since), and such a fun event!

Katherine Center was an absolute delight! So funny and seemed like a genuinely kind human being. She told a lot of little stories about the writing process and inspiration for The Shippers. Including a campaign to bring back hickeys (IYKYK) which she totally sold us on.

That day got me even more excited to read The Shippers. I finally had time to pick it up this week and I flew right through it! I definitely think hearing all her stories about the book enhanced the reading experience for me.

This is a great Summer read. It’s super light and funny. The plot and the situations that Jojo gets herself into are pretty silly and unrealistic, but that is exactly what I was expecting after hearing her talk about the book. I thought it was really fun and I liked how it all came together in the end.

Don’t pick this one up if you’re looking for a deep, emotional read. It’s not going to give you that to you and you may even end up annoyed by Jojo’s antics. Instead, save it for a time when you need a lot of joy and laughter because it will deliver!

Content Considerations: just kisses, minimal swearing, assualt, kidnapping recalled, claustrophobia

Join me in Psalms this Summer!I’m just about to hit the book of Psalms in my Bible in a Year reading plan and I thought ...
05/28/2026

Join me in Psalms this Summer!

I’m just about to hit the book of Psalms in my Bible in a Year reading plan and I thought it would be a good time to slow down and savor them over the Summer.

This will be a great way to keep the routine of Bible Before Books throughout the Summer months.

I divided the 150 chapters into a balanced schedule covering June and July. Swipe to see the reading schedule!

We start on June 1st! Are you in?

*Make sure to save this post so you can refer back to the reading plan!

I don’t have insomnia, I just read a lot of really good books. Join the Midnight Reader’s Society! This tee is available...
05/27/2026

I don’t have insomnia, I just read a lot of really good books.

Join the Midnight Reader’s Society! This tee is available in multiple colors in the Well Read Shop.

Title: The River MuseAuthor: Laura ResauMy Rating: I liked it!If you want to be transported to the French countryside, t...
05/26/2026

Title: The River Muse
Author: Laura Resau
My Rating: I liked it!

If you want to be transported to the French countryside, this book will do it! The main character, Callie, is fleeing from an abusive and dangerous boyfriend and escapes to France with her daughter.

She arrives in a charming village with a musical river and a whole cast of wonderful characters. Callie settles in and begins to heal and finds her voice again after years of tragedy, manipulation, and abuse.

Callie is short for Calliope, a goddess of music. Callie’s voice is powerful and seems to awaken things in people when they hear it. As the villagers help Callie heal, her voice helps them in return. Greek mythology is woven into the story through metaphors and references, giving the story a fairy tale feel.

She expects her ex to come looking for her and I thought that gave the story a creepy undertone. I was waiting for him to pop out and that made it really hard to put down!

Read this one if you like:
- Greek Mythology
- Music
- Magical Realism
- Brave Female Main Characters
- A friendly ghost
- Found Family
- Atmospheric writing
- French setting

The Common Grace Factor: I love the found family storyline because it reminds us that we were never meant to be alone. We are created for community and that’s often where healing happens. We see that in The River Muse as Callie begins to heal and find her voice again when she has the support and care of the villagers.

Content considerations: just kisses, emotional abuse, death of a loved one, death of a pet, animal in distress

I recieved this book from and as part of the Summer Reading Challenge.

First day off Summer break means rotating to kids’ book basket to all the fun activity and nature books in an effort to ...
05/25/2026

First day off Summer break means rotating to kids’ book basket to all the fun activity and nature books in an effort to keep them off screens.

What are y’all doing to keep a 13 year old entertained without screens this Summer? I need a strategy!

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