Category: books & reading

a good american by alex george

This was on my to-read list ever since one of my favorite book bloggers said that it reminded her of East of Eden and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, both of which are my jam. Now that I’ve read it I can bestow my confirmation on such a high claim. It’s a multi-generational family saga of immigrants, starting around the 1870’s and following them over the next century. Those kind of books really work for me even though their format can be so different from one another.

This one is a pretty straightforward history-telling. No jumping around in time or changing of narrators or any other tactics like that. The sentences are short and to the point. There are some heartbreaking parts and a lot of people die, but it does span a century so that’s probably going to happen. Big historical events take place in the background but the focus is always on the family. There is a huge theme of home and what that means, which hits my heart just right. Lots of happy things happen, too, and more than anything it left me with a sense of hope.

I think the only drawback to the story might be that as time went on and more and more children were born and thus more and more characters introduced I started losing my connection to them. I was really tied up in the lives of the matriarch and patriarch along with their children & Lomax, the family friend. I became the most emotional over events happening to them, which was probably two-thirds of the book. After that it was harder to keep track and connect, so by the time we met our narrator (one of the grandchildren) I didn’t even care about his fate as much as I probably should have. Still, the last third of it was enjoyable and kept with the same themes so it did flow naturally.

Also, I love it even more knowing that the author spent seven years writing it in the mornings at 5 a.m. before his day job as an attorney. I obviously relate to this method of squeezing in creative time, and for him to have produced something this lovely deserves high praise.

More discussion over here!

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I read this book as a part of BlogHer Book Club and while I was compensated for my review as well as provided a free copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

February 21, 2013
five favorite books about faith

This morning the #shereadstruth devotion spoke about replacing toxic thoughts with God’s truth. As I shared with you last week, over the past year I let myself drift away from actively doing this, and negative/fearful/discontented thoughts began to take over. One of the best ways I know how to dwell on a subject is to read about it, so I wanted to tell you about my five favorite books about faith. Keep in mind that I haven’t read anything in this area for awhile (I need to! Give me your recommendations!) so there’s nothing recent here. Thankfully these stand the test of time.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. It was hard to pick one C.S. Lewis book, especially since I took a class on him in college that really increased my knowledge, love, and respect. This book, though, articulates so much of what I think and feel at a deep level but hadn’t been able to express. It makes sense and speaks true to human nature. My copy is completely marked up. As a runner up I choose The Weight of Glory which is not technically a book but a sermon, but it makes me ache inside – in a good way.

Practicing His Presence by Brother Lawrence & Frank Laubach. Brother Lawrence was a monk in the 1600’s, and he wrote about experiencing and being aware of God’s presence constantly, in the most mundane or busy times of life. Frank Laubach was a missionary in the early 1900’s who wrote about putting this into practice in his own life. This small book was given to me by a friend in college and it was transformative. Every so often I reread it and am still blown away by the simple wisdom. The ideas presented in it are still my favorite way to think about prayer and being with God.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. This is an incredible story of a family during the Holocaust. It taught me what it really means to have faith.

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott. Aside from being beautifully written, I learned so much about what it means to love God – and let him love me – as a flawed person. I hadn’t ever heard of Anne Lamott or read anything like this before it was recommended to me by one of my best friends so I was kind of blown away.

Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore. This amazing story about an unlikely friendship challenged what I knew about love, marriage, and ministry. At one point I was even ugly crying on a public bus and I could not even help it. Once I finished it I wanted to tell everyone I saw the entire story.

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FYI – This is the beginning of a mini-series on my favorite books & it was inspired by Hollywood Housewife.

January 24, 2013
works in progress

A few things in progress around here…

I chose my quilt size and design! For a couple of weeks I thought about just going for a king size (which is what I really want to make for our bed) but in the end reality won me over and I decided to go with a crib-size to use as a throw. I’m very much a beginner at quilting and sewing so I don’t want to get in over my head. I chose the half-square triangle design below from the book Denyse Schmidt Quilts and I plan to follow the directions exactly other than choosing a different color that will match my house better.

On a whim over the weekend I pulled out my embroidery floss and started on matching friendship bracelets for me and Meredith. I already finished mine and I’m working on hers. I love when these fun, simple projects pop up.

Last week I finished reading The Passage by Justin Cronin (can’t WAIT to discuss it at book club – thank goodness for Lauren who just finished it too so we could talk about it early) so I’m back onto Moby-Dick. They are such different books so I’m having a bit of difficulty getting into the groove again, but in all honesty I’m finding it funny and suspenseful and dramatic and beautiful in its own way.

I meant to start a cross-stitch project over the weekend since I wanted to always have one going, but Meredith is getting two molars (while skipping all the other teeth in between) so there were a lot of things that I wanted to do that just didn’t get done. I’ll just leave it at that else I have flashbacks and PTSD from last night’s epic tantrum.

January 15, 2013
five favorite books of 2012

Many of the books I read in 2012 I liked a lot and rated 4 stars. But only five (technically six, because I cheated) would I say I LOVED and rated 5 stars.

Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud – This is the third in a trilogy of children’s fantasy that I listened to on audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed. It was a perfect example of what a final book should be.

Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie – I’m fascinated with Russian history, and this is one of those stories where the truth really is stranger than fiction.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – The characters were the main draw for me here. I loved them.

Sabriel and Lirael by Garth Nix – The first two in a trilogy of YA fantasy, narrated by Tim Curry on audio, and they’ve kind of ruined all other YA fantasy for me. The only reason the third in the trilogy (Abhorsen) isn’t on this list is because my library doesn’t carry it on audio. I might just have to buy it; THAT is how much I love this series.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn – Along with everyone else in the world, I loved this for the suspense, the dark characterization, and the fact that I couldn’t put it down.

January 3, 2013
what i read : october to december 2012

My reading slowed waaaay down at the end of this year because a) holidays are crazytown, b) I mostly listened to Christmas music on my commute instead of audiobooks, and c) I started reading Moby-Dick and The Passage, both of which I am still in the middle of, and both of which are super long. But! Here is what I did finish.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: Exactly my kind of book – a little magical, mysterious, romantic, with lots of foreshadowing and pretty words. While I was reading I felt like it was a little too long, but I’d probably enjoy that on a re-read. (4 stars)

The End by Lemony Snicket: The last of the Series of Unfortunate Events books, and it was pretty much just like the others. So I liked it fine, just like the rest, but I was a little disappointed that all the loose ends weren’t tied up. (4 stars)

Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor: The second in a trilogy and definitely not as good as the first. The main villain in this one just annoyed me. I’ll probably still read the last one though. (audiobook, 3 stars)

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie: This is the first of the Hercule Poirot novels, and of course I loved it since I have a thing for eccentric detectives. The rest of the characters are pretty shallow and are mainly just there to support the plot but it kept surprising me so it’s all good. (audiobook, 3 stars)

How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster: I wanted a brush-up on literary criticism and this served the purpose. I found it very easy to read, straightforward, and interesting although his attempt at humor wasn’t my style. (4 stars)

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson: This was just really, really funny. (audiobook, 4 stars)

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie: One of the most famous of Hercule Poirot’s cases. Really creative mystery, not your typical outcome. Some deeper issues at play as well. Super enjoyable. (audiobook, 4 stars)

Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer: I really enjoyed this strange, sad, beautiful book. For some reason it took me a long time to read though. (4 stars)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: Midway through this I was pretty sure I’d rate it three stars. I was interested and liked the characters, but the overall plot wasn’t advancing very fast and for awhile it just seemed like unrelated episodes. But then it all started to come together, slowly and then faster, and the end was perfect. Not only was there an exciting climax but the resolution was so nostalgic and emotional that I found myself sobbing. (audiobook, 4 stars)

Tomorrow I’ll share with you my five favorite books of 2012.

January 2, 2013