August 2016 archive
It’s Monday! What are you reading? Is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journey and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. Kellee and Rikki at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts gave the meme a kidlit twist. It’s a great way to reflect on what you’ve read and reviewed the last week and plan what you want to read next. Join up with us and discover what good books other people are reading.
Blog posts this week…
I finished…
Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman – I am learning to be content with small things, whether they be small beginnings or stops along the way. I am trying to remember to pull up a bench and invite others to sit down beside me. The hard part for me is giving up control. I like to plan and prepare and have things go my way, but slowly I am learning to trust that God’s kingdom isn’t measured by the same rules as kingdoms here on earth. I’m learning to look for God’s kingdom breaking in on this world in the unlikeliest of people and places. This has been such a thoughtful book for me to read and discuss. I suspect it is one I will revisit later and find just as much to ponder.
Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper – This book is what historical fiction should be! I fell in love with Stella–her struggle with writing, her willingness to work to get better at it, her bravery in the face of discrimination and violence, her love for her family and community. Draper captures what life felt like for a black girl growing up in a small, North Carolina town during the Great Depression. Life was hard and most definitely unjust, but it also was filled with love and community.
I’m currently reading…
Walden by Henry Thoreau – I finished the second chapter on where he lived. I loved his description of the pond and woods and views. I had to laugh at his recounting of the story where he almost became a landowner. From his accounts, it was a narrow escape! I’m not sure my husband appreciated it, since he would love to own more land. Part of me, though, agrees with Thoreau that the best part of any land is not that which you can own, but that you take in with your eyes and ears and nose and store in your memories. Of course, it is much easier to “simplify, simplify” when you don’t have to worry about how to survive from one day to the next and have friends offer you land to build a shelter.
Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett – This time Pratchett sends up Hollywood in a riotously funny account of Holy Wood. You see, the last priest who stood guard at the door that corralled Wild Ideas died without training a successor. Now that Wild Ideas are leaking out, people are drawn to Holy Wood, where the alchemists have perfected the process of making moving pictures. Will the wizards figure out what has happened and stop things before they get out of hand and destroy the world as they know it? I don’t know, but it’s bound to be a funny trip.
Coming up…
I’ve been putting off Nine, Ten. I’ve peeked into it, and I’ve read many reviews that praise it. I’m just not sure I’m ready to revisit that day. Can it really have been so long ago that it’s the subject of historical fiction?
What have you been reading this week?
Disclosure: I participate in the Amazon Associates Program. If you decide to make a purchase by clicking on the affiliate links, including in the linked picture above. Amazon will pay me a commission. This commission doesn’t cost you any extra. All opinions are my own.
What’s in a name? Quite a bit, if you ask Thunder Boy, Jr. Even though he looks up to his dad, he wants his own name. Besides, his dad is known as Big Thunder, and he is left with Little Thunder. As he says, “That nickname makes me sound like a burp or a fart.” What follows is a romp through all the possible names Thunder Boy, Jr. can think of to celebrate his own accomplishments, or what he dreams of doing. Most of all, though this book celebrates the relationship between father and son.
I’ve long been a fan of Sherman Alexie’s novels, so when I saw his name on the front of this picture book, Thunder Boy Jr. (Little, Brown and Company, 2016), I had to grab it. (No worries, no children were harmed in this library grab.) Just like in his novels, Alexie’s prose dances across the page. This book would be a hoot to read aloud. I also loved the illustrations, especially the contrast between dark and light. Yuyi Morales’s work is new to me (primarily because I am not as familiar with picture books), but I am not surprised to learn that she has already earned a Caldecott honor for an earlier book.
Besides being a fun book to read and share and look at, this book inspires me to write and invite others to write with me:
- What is the story of your name? My mom filled me in on more details of where my name came from that went back more generations than I knew.
- What name would you choose for yourself to mark your accomplishments or dreams? I suspect my daughter would dub me “Crazy Chicken Lady.”
Disclosure: I participate in the Amazon Associates Program. If you decide to make a purchase by clicking on the affiliate links, including in the linked picture above. Amazon will pay me a commission. This commission doesn’t cost you any extra. All opinions are my own.
It’s Monday! What are you reading? Is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journey and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. Kellee and Rikki at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts gave the meme a kidlit twist. It’s a great way to reflect on what you’ve read and reviewed the last week and plan what you want to read next. Join up with us and discover what good books other people are reading.
I am getting used to a much quieter house this week. We moved my daughter into her college dorm room on Saturday. She is ready and excited to take on this new adventure, and I am excited for her. If I miss her too much, I can always send her chicken pictures and imagine the eye roll when she opens them.
Blog posts this week…
I finished…
Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie and illustrated by Yuyi Morales – When I saw Sherman Alexie’s name on the cover of this picture book, I couldn’t resist picking it up off the library shelf. This story is a fun romp through possibilities. Thunder Boy hates his name. He is named after his father, who gets to be called Big Thunder. Who wants to be known as Little Thunder? Thunder Boy imagines all the names he could have based on what he’s done until finally he and his dad pick the perfect name.
Mercy and Melons: Praying the Alphabet by Lisa Nichols Hickman – The last few letters of the alphabet did not disappoint: Xylophones and Exile, Yellow and Yahweh, Zin and Zinnias. Even better is the last chapter with an invitation to pray the alphabet myself, an invitation to pay attention to the ordinary stuff that fills my days and bring it in conversation with what is holy. I love the question she asks us to ask ourselves each day: What did you do today that was amazing?
It Ain’t So Awful Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas – I’ve had her first book, Funny in Farsi on my wish list for some time now, so when I saw this at the library, I grabbed it. Now that I’ve read it, I want to read her memoir even more. It still blows me away that books set in the 1970’s are considered historical fiction. Even though I lived through the 70’s, I learned much about history, especially that of Iran and what led to the overthrow of the Shah. The background is heavy, but the story and the voice of the narrator (main character Zomorod–now known as Cindy) is hilarious. This book would pair well with Wonder with its emphasis on kindness. Come back for more in my review later this week.
Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott – I love Lamott’s writing, and this collection of essays is spot on. I admire her honesty and courage in sharing the struggles she faces, and she is able to make me laugh while doing so. She reminds me that I don’t have to have all the answers before taking the “next right step.” We all muddle through this thing called life, and it’s much better when we can do it together.
I’m currently reading…
Walden by Henry Thoreau – I have found my favorite time to read Walden-during chicken time. Unfortunately, I often get distracted by the antics of the chickens (or of the neighbor’s dog who loves to watch chickens with me). I was reminded by Thoreau this week that the most valuable part of any landscape is not the part you can own with a deed, but the beauty you take with you in your mind from enjoying. I did enjoy his story of how he almost bought a property and escaped at the last minute when the farmer’s wife changed her mind about selling it.
Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman – Once again, much of my reading seems to be coming together as Freeman reminds me to focus on the small things in life, especially as we choose between being led by fear or love. I can so relate to letting fear create storms even when the day is clear and sunny. As I adjust to having my daughter live away from home, I am constantly reminding myself (especially as I fall asleep at night) that the worst is not about to happen.
Coming up…
Check out the stack of books I snagged from the library this week. I’ve already read two, but I have many more to look forward to!
What have you been reading this week?
Disclosure: I participate in the Amazon Associates Program. If you decide to make a purchase by clicking on the affiliate links, including in the linked picture above. Amazon will pay me a commission. This commission doesn’t cost you any extra. All opinions are my own.
Normally tyrants and con men are not among my favorite characters, but within the city of Ankh-Morpork, I have come to adore con man Moist Von Lipwig and even admire the tyrant Lord Vetinari who knows everything that happens–and controls most of it. Going Postal and Making Money give a hilarious account of the sometimes reluctant partnership.
Going Postal opens with Moist von Lipwig being led to his death. He falls through the trap door into a new chance at life–if he will accept Lord Vetinari’s offer to run the Post Office. It is no easy task. The Post Office has been falling apart–literally and figuratively–for years. Mail is no longer being delivered, so it piles up and fills every nook and cranny in the building. The only staff left are a bit strange. And there are powerful business forces that would like to see the whole thing put out of its misery.
Even though von Lipwig is not used to making an honest living, he finds that his skills as a con man can be put to good use as he gets the Post Office up and running. All it takes is a glittering gold suit, the introduction of stamps (even more fascinating to collect than pins), and a willingness to take on the clacks conglomerate. In his spare time, von Lipwig even discovers romance with a fierce defender of golems nicknamed killer and listens to the secrets whispered by the undelivered letters.
When Making Money opens, Moist von Lipwig has the Post Office running smoothly, but he is getting a bit bored. Lord Vetinari steps him to offer him a new challenge–making money by taking over the Mint and shaking up the entire banking industry. Von Lipwig is not sure he wants it (taking it on will ensure that powerful people such as the Lavish family will want to kill him), but fate intervenes when Topsy Lavish leaves her majority shares of the bank to her dog–and names von Lipwig as his caretaker.
Life may get even shorter for von Lipwig if he can’t pull the biggest con of his life on the people of Ankh-Morpork. All he as to do is break the world’s best counterfeiter out of jail, break into his own bank vault to rescue the chief clerk (who is hiding a desperate secret of his own) and discover what happened to all the gold that used to be in the vault. Oh yeah, he also has to talk to the dead to learn–and share–the secret to controlling the golems who now surround the city and threaten the balance of power throughout Discworld.
Life is never dull in Ankh-Morpork. I love the surreal world where things that shouldn’t make sense almost do. Even though the bizarre is commonplace, it has an eerie resemblance to our own world. I laughed out loud through much of these books and can’t wait to read more. I do hope the saga continues with the hinted promise of taking on taxes.
Disclosure: I participate in the Amazon Associates Program. If you decide to make a purchase by clicking on the affiliate links, including in the linked picture above. Amazon will pay me a commission. This commission doesn’t cost you any extra. All opinions are my own.
Robin McKinley knows how to weave magic through the words of her stories, and magic flows freely through the four stories in The Door in the Hedge (Firebird 1981). Whether she spins an original tale or retells a an old favorite, I loved wandering through them to discover fairies and magic just around every turn of the page. What awaits in these four tales?
- The Stolen Princess – Linadel grows up a princess, but as she approaches her seventeenth birthday, the looming shadow of the neighboring fairyland grows darker. While living next to fairies can offer some advantages, it also threatens. Sometimes boys are stolen as infants, but girls are stolen on their seventeenth birthdays. No one knows why or where, just when. What will happen when Linadel leaves behind an empty bed strewn with flower petals and awakens in a strange land? I love these fairies that are both beautiful and eerie. I got chills reading it until the end.
- The Princess and the Frog – This has to be my favorite take on this fairy tale. Princess Rana has a problem: The evil Prince Aliyander has brainwashed her brother and wants to marry her to take over the kingdom. Her only hope comes when she meets a frog by the pond. The two form an alliance that might defeat the prince, as improbable as that seems. Oh yes, this princess is no spoiled brat. She is resourceful and determined and true to her word.
- The Hunting of the Hind – The Golden Hind leads all hunters to their doom. If they return, they are beyond help. Even the Prince lies near death after he chases her through the woods. The only one who dares to seek the Golden Hind now is his neglected little stepsister. Even though this princess is unloved by all but her brother, she sets out to find the Golden Hind and demand a cure for her brother. What she finds is not what she expects even as she is able to see truth beyond deception.
- The Twelve Dancing Princesses – A soldier’s life is a hard life, but after twenty years the soldier leaves to explore the Kingdom he has defended these many years. Along the way, he hears a strange story of twelve princesses under a curse and decides to offer his services to his king one last time. He discovers wondrous and terrible things, but it is his kindness and steadfastness that save the princesses.
Disclosure: I participate in the Amazon Associates Program. If you decide to make a purchase by clicking on the affiliate links, including in the linked picture above. Amazon will pay me a commission. This commission doesn’t cost you any extra. All opinions are my own.
It’s Monday! What are you reading? Is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journey and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. Kellee and Rikki at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts gave the meme a kidlit twist. It’s a great way to reflect on what you’ve read and reviewed the last week and plan what you want to read next. Join up with us and discover what good books other people are reading.
It’s been a busy week. Not only was I out of town for a training conference for half the week, but I also had tons of veggies from the garden (more in the freezer, more pickles, more zucchini bread, and plenty to share with the chickens). We also enjoyed a visit to the Indiana State Fair on Sunday. With all of that, I didn’t get as much reading done as I would have liked, but I did enjoy watching many Olympic events. The best part of the week, though, was staying up with my daughter to watch the meteor shower on Thursday night. We watched the moon set and then found shooting stars between the clouds that mostly stayed away. I’m still trying to recover from the lack of sleep!
This week’s blog posts…
I finished…
A Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult – Picoult raises so many thought-provoking questions in this book, and the best part is that she doesn’t provide easy, pat answers. The shifting viewpoints allow the reader to consider many different perspectives. Even relatively minor characters like the warden have nuanced views with multiple layers. The major characters–Father Michael, Maggie, June, Lucius and Shay–question their own beliefs as they encounter the events that unfold. I wish that more of us (myself included) would take time to consider life in all its complications more completely.
I’m currently reading…
Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott – I love that Lamott makes me laugh even while she makes me think. I love her brutal honesty that reassures me I’m not all alone, that I’m not the only one who screws up on a daily basis. I love that her writing offers grace and hope even in the midst of struggle. My favorite quote from this week: “Another [secret of life] is that laughter is carbonated holiness.” Yes, yes, yes. May we all find holy laughter through this week.
Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman – I missed last week’s discussion because I was out of town, but it sounds like most of the group missed it as well, so I’m not behind on reading. I have one more chapter in the section Accepting Our Tuesday Soul that’s titled “Confession and Laughter.” I think I’m detecting a trend here with laughter and holiness. I will be on the lookout for laughter through the week.
Mercy and Melons: Praying the Alphabet by Lisa Nichols Hickman – I had hoped to finish these reflections this week, but I didn’t pack this one to go with me out of town. Still, I enjoyed reading about Tie-Dye and Testimony, Understanding and Undulatus Asperatus Clouds, Votive Ships and Vows, Wonder and Wheelchairs. With just X, Y and Z left. I should finish this week and then be ready to look for my own alphabet prayers.
Walden by Henry Thoreau – I have to confess: I didn’t read any of Walden this week. I was too busy watching Olympics, dealing with the avalanche of vegetables, and going to a two-day training out of town. I did think about Walden, though, as I watched my chickens in the evenings. I’m hoping for better reading this week.
Coming up…
I’m hoping for more reading time this week. I also want to catch up with writing book reviews. I have four books due on Wednesday that I would like to review (and get more), so maybe that deadline will motivate me. I will definitely enjoy the rest of the Lamott book and should finish a couple of more that are near the end.
What have you been reading this week?
Disclosure: I participate in the Amazon Associates Program. If you decide to make a purchase by clicking on the affiliate links, including in the linked picture above. Amazon will pay me a commission. This commission doesn’t cost you any extra. All opinions are my own.
Sharon Draper has never been afraid to explore the tough issues teens today face. Panic (Atheneum 2013) is no exception. Diamond does the unthinkable. She leaves the mall with a stranger–a man who promises fame but delivers horror.
Meanwhile, her friends and family are left behind to worry–and to face problems of their own. Justin has to deal with the taunts of a bully and former friend, especially since he is one of the few boys in the ballet class (and who is very good). He also has a crush on Layla, who can’t see past her abusive boyfriend. Mercedes is wracked with guilt over Diamond’s disappearance since she stayed behind when at the dance store.
Even though it seems like a book that might go overboard with “issues,” it doesn’t read that way because of the role of dance in each of their lives. These friends come together through dance, and dance gives them a way to express and deal with the things going on in their lives. The dance teacher,, Miss Ginger, is one of my favorite adults ever in YA literature.
Dance ties the story together, from the spring recital to the auditions for the annual musical–a ballet based on Peter Pan. The chapters alternate points of view between Diamond and the friends who worry about her. Each chapter begins with an apt quote from Barrie’s Peter Pan even though these kids have to grow up in a hurry.
While the topics Draper includes might be too much for some younger readers, she handles the issues in a way that is not graphic but still portrays the horror felt by the students and family. This book would pair well with Sarah Darer Littman’s Want to Go Private is opening opportunities to discuss the ways sexual abuse and technology can combine to impact lives.
Disclosure: I participate in the Amazon Associates Program. If you decide to make a purchase by clicking on the affiliate links, including in the linked picture above. Amazon will pay me a commission. This commission doesn’t cost you any extra. All opinions are my own.
It’s Monday! What are you reading? Is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journey and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. Kellee and Rikki at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts gave the meme a kidlit twist. It’s a great way to reflect on what you’ve read and reviewed the last week and plan what you want to read next. Join up with us and discover what good books other people are reading.
We are in the midst of a garden-palooza at our house. We have zucchini and squash and cucumbers and melons piled everywhere. I’ve been baking zucchini bread, freezing squash and corn, and making pickles. It’s too bad the tomatoes are a bust this year, but I did scrounge up enough to make some peach salsa for us to enjoy this week. As you can see, I’ve found a new source of entertainment this week, too. The hens love time outside their run to chase bugs and eat grass. The neighbor’s dog (an adorable young’un named Sandy) also loves to watch the chickens, so I go and sit with them with Sandy on a leash. I think I may have found a new kind of chick lit!
I finished…
Nothing! That’s what happens when I read too many books at once. And I’m learning to enjoy and savor the books I’m reading rather than always rushing headlong through the pages to get to the end. There are still some books I rush through to find out what happens, but the books I’m reading recently have been those that invite me to ponder. I spend time with the book in my lap, staring off into the distance as I absorb the words and thoughts.
I’m currently reading…
Walden by Henry Thoreau – I finished the first chapter on economy. I’m not sure I could live as simply as Thoreau did, but I do find myself thinking about what things cost in terms of the time it takes me to earn the money as well as the price. I can relate to Thoreau’s desire to have more time to pursue his own interests rather than someone else’s (as he would at a job). I think what strikes me the most from this chapter is that Thoreau doesn’t insist that everyone live as he does. Instead he advises each person to discover and follow their own path.
Mercy and Melons: Praying the Alphabet by Lisa Nichols Hickman – This week brought reflections on Origami and Overcome, Prayer and the Phosphorescent Bay, Questions and Queen Anne’s Lace, Rainbows and Resurrection, and Soap and Sanctification. My favorite quote came from the reflection on P: “Maybe prayer is most like this. We jump into the swamp at midnight with the hope of meeting an energy greater than our own. We are lost in the dark, but we leap with faith. And there we are met with light beyond our imaginations. We are met with a grace that we draw around our shoulders as a garment for our grief, a cloak to console, a comforter that holds us together. As we move, tentative at first, we suddenly see that we are swimming in the stars. We are cloaked in a surprising light. Our prayers aren’t lost in the deep, but lifted into an odd but beautiful luminosity.
Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman – The three chapters I’m reading for this week focus the state of our souls. I love the invitation to more laughter and less shame. One of the hardest lessons for me is being willing to live without clear answers or direction, but to trust anyway. I love exploring the questions raised by literature, but when it comes to my life I want to know if I’m on the right track before I get started. The past few years have been an exercise in living without knowing where I’m headed, and I’m just getting comfortable with it. I also am intrigued by the question she poses: With whom in the Bible does your soul most closely relate today?
A Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult – The more I reread, the more I remember as I work my way through this book. Having read it before (and remembering mostly how it turns out) is allowing me to ponder more of the questions raised as I read it this time through. When, if ever, is the death penalty justified? Could I forgive someone who murdered those I loved most? How do different people see and respond to the same events? I should be able to finish this story this week.
Coming up…
Hmmm…I think I want to finish a few of the books I’m still reading. Then it’s time to head to the library to see what else I find.
What have you been reading this week?
Disclosure: I participate in the Amazon Associates Program. If you decide to make a purchase by clicking on the affiliate links, including in the linked picture above. Amazon will pay me a commission. This commission doesn’t cost you any extra. All opinions are my own.
It’s Monday! What are you reading? Is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journey and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. Kellee and Rikki at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts gave the meme a kidlit twist. It’s a great way to reflect on what you’ve read and reviewed the last week and plan what you want to read next. Join up with us and discover what good books other people are reading.
We just returned from our annual family vacation (with all of my husband’s family: 2 grandparents, 3 kids + 3 spouses and 5 grandkids). We filled up a beautiful log cabin just outside Petosky, MI, and spent the week collecting and sanding Petosky stones, biking around Mackinac Island, touring the locks at Sault St. Marie, sampling chocolates athe Kilwin’s factory, paddling down the Sturgeon River and enjoying each other’s company. Oh yeah, we ate plenty of ice cream, too! I am glad to be home, but it feels strange that no one in my house is headed back to school as the new year begins this week. Instead, we are waiting about three weeks move my daughter into a dorm for her freshman year of college. Even though we were busy on vacation, I managed to finish a few good books and start plenty of others. I even discovered two Little Free Libraries in Petosky and had to check them out. I didn’t take any (even though some looked good) since I didn’t have any books I wanted to leave behind.
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I finished…
Panic by Sharon Draper – Diamond falls for every parent’s worst nightmare: she leaves the mall with a stranger and disappears. She leaves behind family and friends who can do nothing but worry. Draper tells this story with alternating viewpoints from Diamond herself and her group of friends from dance class. While Diamond’s abduction is the focus, several of her friends have big problems of their own: bullies, abusive boyfriends. It seems like a lot to cram into one book, but Draper makes it work.
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan – It’s not so much that I learned much new information from reading this book, but Pollan pulls together the information to paint a clearer picture of how our relationship with food (and even our acceptance of how food is defined) has changed–and not always for the better. I’ve always tried to eat healthily, but sometimes it’s hard to know what healthy eating is since nutrition guidelines keep changing. I can get behind Pollan’s manifesto to “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Even better, both my husband and my daughter want to read this book as well. I’m also grateful for our garden and chickens that provide us an abundant variety of fresh foods right here at home.
Making Money by Terry Pratchett – This book continues the story begun in Going Postal (my first Discworld novel). Now Moist von Lipwig has the Ankh-morpork Post Office running smoothly, Lord Vetinari wants him to take on the Royal Mint to shake up the banking industry. Even though Moist is loath to admit that he might be getting bored with paperwork, he isn’t eager to take on a job that includes death threats. But it’s hard to say no to an evil tyrant who knows your every move and can even get fate on his side. Soon Moist is taking the Chair of the bank on walks, fending off murder attempts and revealing the secret to controlling the world’s most powerful army. Since this book was published in 2007, I’m trying to decide if the leaders of finance in the modern world used it to design their own schemes or if Pratchett is just that brilliant. Much of the antics could be drawn from not-so-long-ago headlines with a little imagination.
The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley – The master of fairy tales brings four stories in this collection: two retellings and two originals. I love the lush fairyland settings that McKinley creates in each of these stories. Even though they are different, they feel related. The two old stories include the tales Twelve Dancing Princesses and the Princess and the Frog (my favorite in this collection). The new stories create a kingdom that borders fairyland with both blessing and curses and a doomed hunt for a Golden Hind. In all, curses must be broken, but how it happens may surprise you.
I’m currently reading…
Walden by Henry Thoreau – I took this book on vacation with me, but my brain was too much on vacation to tackle reading it. However, I did take Thoreau’s words with me as I enjoyed new experiences. I found myself savoring the memories I was making rather than searching for souvenirs to by. I’m looking forward to reading more now that I’m home again.
Mercy and Melons: Praying the Alphabet by Lisa Nichols Hickman – I’m still enjoying these reflections along the alphabet that pair common objects with aspects of God. This morning I read about Nautilus and not yet. Not yet is a hard place to be (and one I have been in a lot as I’ve transitioned from teaching to writing and other work), but it is not the end of the road. I also find myself appreciating more of those everyday objects in each day as well–and that ties in so well with the other books I’m reading.
Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman – I’m reading this one with my Bible study. I have to read with a pen or highlighter in hand because I find so many thoughts I want to remember and come back to. I suspect I’m not the only one who struggles with slowing down in a fast-paced world. Freeman writes wise words about living in the small moments of life, of seeking connection rather than competition, of being content in the here and now. Since I missed last week’s discussion, I can’t wait to hear what everyone else thinks this week.
A Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult – Someone donated this book to my LFL, and of course I wanted to read it. It looked familiar, but it wasn’t until I got into the story yesterday that I realized I have read this one before. I can remember the big picture of the story but not the details, so I am enjoying it a second time. So many lives are woven into that of Shay Bourne, convicted killer on death row who wants to donate his organs. There’s Michael, the priest who is his spiritual advisor–and who served on the jury for the trial that sentenced Bourne to death. There’s Maggie, the ACLU lawyer, who sees Bourne’s case as a way to make a statement about the death penalty. There’s June, whose husband and daughter were killed by Bourne, and her daughter Claire, who needs a heart transplant.
Coming up…
I want to settle down and finish some of the books I’ve started. I’ve also got a book by Anne Lamott I want to read and I still haven’t started Big Magic. We’ll see how I do this week.
What have you been reading this week?
Disclosure: I participate in the Amazon Associates Program. If you decide to make a purchase by clicking on the affiliate links, including in the linked picture above. Amazon will pay me a commission. This commission doesn’t cost you any extra. All opinions are my own.
