Beautiful, Beautiful, Books
I love to read. I almost always have a stack of books next to my bed I am reading, about to read, plan on reading, or just read and still refer back to. I don't really know how it got started, but I was that kid, who TA-ed for the library and begged my mom to go to Barnes and Nobles for a new book.
I'm not a "grandfather's-library" type reader, I don't read Shakespeare with fervor or quote Hemingway with passion, I just like a good story (Harry Potter will always have my heart). Something about getting lost in another world causing this world to fade from view is an experience I seek out over and over again. So, I thought I would share some of my favorite books as of late.
The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
I bought this book in Heathrow airport about to get on a plane home. This last leg of flying held a sort of finality of leaving behind my dear South Africa and many of my close friends who I was parting ways with for the summer. So in my emotional state I went to the nearest airport shop with books and quickly picked out this one. I started reading this book in the terminal and finished somewhere above the Atlantic (I read rather fast).
AJ Fikry is a lovely story of an orphan child, a bookstore owner, and the books that bring them together. With surprising twist in the story and the theme of the transformative power of books, I was hooked. For an impulse buy, this book exceeded expectations, winning a place on my "favorites" list. I dogeared a dozen pages, and reread the last chapter three times. Great for a plane ride, hanging out at the pool, or if you are looking for just a good story to get lost in.
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
Life changing to say the least. Brene Brown combines years of research and stories into a book challenging me to consider what it means to be vulnerable in relationships, jobs, family, and more. Don't freak out at the word "vulnerable." Brown shows us it is comprised of much more than sharing feelings.
This book is about not submitting to the shame the world places so quickly on us. It's about daring to rethink family and relationships. It's about how "the most powerful moments of our lives happen when we string together the small flickers of light created by courage, compassion, and connections."
Please read this book and print the Daring Greatly manifesto. Brene Brown, you're a hero.
Scary Close by Donald Miller
At the same time I was reading Daring Greatly I read Scary Close. Donald Miller hasn't always been able to win me over with his books, not quite sure why. But this one did. Maybe because it was so honest, maybe because it was one long story about his relationship difficulties leading up to his marriage. Whatever it was, I am currently reading it for a second time. It's about daring to dive into relationships whole heartedly and without the masks we so often put up (similar to Daring Greatly, but this is a story).
Favorite quote, "I wonder how many people are withholding the love they could provide because they secretly believe they have fatal flaws." Get ready to be convicted, but in the best way.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
I read this book because when books are made into movies the thing that made the book worthy of a movie deal is usually left out of the movie. I intend to find what made the plot intriguing enough for the big screen. Gone Girl is a rather dramatic story with so many twist and turns and surprises, it is strangely mesmerizing and terrifying. A frightening psychological thriller, extreme, and begs the questions how could something so good end up so bad?
I love a good thriller every once in a while which is why I picked this up. I enjoy Ted Dekker and Stieg Larsson, Flynn to me can be clumped with these authors. Give it a whirl, it's a roller coaster of intrigue.
Looking for Alaska by John Green
I read this book because my sister explained the plot as, "An innocent boy falls in love with a girl who ends up being tragic." Quick, easy read, Green fans are probably bonkers over this books because it is the a teen drama which for some reason is good enough to pull people in. It was Green's first book, taught now in high schools and colleges. Pulls on the heart strings, worthy enough for a discussion question guide, and written well enough for me to read in one swoop.
I enjoy reading young adult literature because it says a lot about today's generation. What they are attracted to, what hooks them, what authors think they want to hear. Read it to be informed about culture, read it to see what it would be like to be a wild teenager at a boarding school.
