Sean & Shey: 2017 Reads

2017 Reads

February Reads

Don't Miss It- This book is super short... like you can read it in the car pick-up line. But it is by far and away the BEST book I have ever read on parenting. And I've read a lot of them. But the problem is, the authors of parenting books often like the bloviate how much they think they know about raising kids, and they take forever to get to the point. This book, written by the creators of Orange, gets straight to the point. Buy it today, read it all day after tomorrow. Change your parenting for the better ASAP.

Sound of Gravel- The true story (a memoir, if you will) about a young girl who was raised in a crazy religious cult in Mexico and the story of how she escaped the insanity of it all. Not an easy read but it was incredibly insightful and heart-gripping from the very beginning. It is a true testimony to the strength of human will.

Rosemary- The Hidden Kennedy-- I picked up this book after once again being enthralled with the Kennedys after I saw Jackie. I had no idea the Kennedys had a sister with severe mental handicaps. Her story is heartbreaking, but is an interesting glimpse into the lives of some of America's most powerful family.

Control Girl- This was a great read for anyone who struggles with letting go of their fear, anxiety and control. I wrote a full review on it here.

March Reads

The Devil Crept In- After reading a lot of real-life (non fiction), heavy memoirs as of late, I was looking for a mindless mystery. There was a twist in this story that would normally disinterest me, but I found myself sticking it out till the end. It was pretty good!

Help Thanks Wow- I take Anne Lamott with a grain of salt, but for all her kooky thoughts on God (whom she refers to as "she"), this book on what she calls 3 essential prayers, is pretty good. I wouldn't recommend it for a newer Christian who is seeking theological truth (warning: look elsewhere, like the Bible) as some of her doctrine is definitely off, but for a discerning heart it can be encouraging and through provoking.

It Ends With Us- I didn't remember what I was expecting when I started this one, but it was different than I thought it would be. I can't really even tell you what its about because it will ruin the first part of the book! Part love story, part love triangle, part tragedy turn to triumph. This book had me up reading WAY past my bedtime and feeling all the feels.

The Guineveres- This book was on last year's summer reading list (I'm still working on it! Maybe I'll be done by this summer!) and I'm just not getting to read it. It is a novel about a group of friends-- all conveniently name Guinevere, who live in a boarding school/convent. Its their story of teen life, friendship and coming to grips with their own family situations. There is a strong catholic element, which I thought was interesting. Every other chapter had a brief converse about a particular Saint. Its hard to describe the novel, but it was good & interesting, if not a little lofty.

This Life I Live- I fell in love with Joey + Rory after Joey got cancer. I followed her fight and was in awe of Rory's selfless love for his wife. This is the story of the man behind the woman. This book is full of redemption in every sense of the word. Its a story of God's sovereignty and goodness and how He prepared Rory his whole life to love Joey. A true modern love story that is simply amazing. This is one book on a short list that actually made me cry real tears as I read. Stunningly beautiful and well written.

Hillbilly Elegy- How does a redneck hillbilly with kin from Kentucky & no family who has ever graduated high school become a successful Yale-educated lawyer? J.D. Vance expires the nuances of those who live life in the margins... the unrecognized and unacknowledged poor among us. His social commentary is something everyone should read. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency- This is the first in a series of detective novels about a woman detective in Africa. It is absolutely charming and gives a fascinating glimpse into the daily life of Africans. Its stories are witty in a grown-up Amelia Bedelia meets Nancy Drew kind of way.

So You've Been Publicly Shamed- I LOVED this book. Its a non-fiction book, written by the king of quirky books, Jon Ronson. (His previous works have included "The Psychopath Test" and "Men Who Stare At Goats") It takes a long hard close look at the reviving use of public shaming via social media. He uses real-life stories of those who've been publicly shamed-- most to their lives' extreme detriment-- and explores the when's, where's, why's and how's of how it all happened, and how (sometimes if) they were able to get their lives back together. His conclusion alone was worth reading the whole book. It will stay with me for a long time.

If you were only going to pick two books out of all of these to read, I would suggest Don't Miss It and Sound of Gravel. But since Don't Miss It is like 50 pages long, I'll throw in "So You've Been Publicly Shamed" as another must read. :)

What have you been reading?

2017 Reads

January Reads

Thursday, February 02, 2017

I must have taken a subconscious cue from the fact that my favorite books of 2016 tended to be in the non-fiction category, because that is almost all that my January reads have consisted of. I've tried to get into a couple of novels, but just haven't been in the mood for them. So while on the surface, my January reads may seem as gloomy as our Indiana skies, they were actually quite enlightening and heartwarming. Just what my vitamin-D deprived self needed.

Where the Light Gets In- I love Kimberly Williams-Paisley. Maybe its because she's my doppleganger or maybe its because she is married to Brad Paisley. But something about her seems so down to earth, I"m sure we'd be fast friends. This book is about her struggle to accept her mother's dementia and the many tough decisions that accompanied her illness. A great read that reminded me to have the tough conversations now with those I love and to cherish every moment with them. Also, that our minds are weird and mysterious especially when they do not function as intended.

When Breath Becomes Air- I blame Modern Mrs. Darcy for this one, because I kept hearing her reference this book on her podcast. I could not put this book down. At first glance, it may seem depressing but I can assure you, it was anything but. Paul Kalanthi spent his life as an academic, pursuing knowledge of what life after death and life leading to death brought. After nearly a decade's worth of study to become a neurosurgeon, Kalanthi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. This book is the culmination of his life's dedication to attempt to understand death and dying. How ironic and beautiful that he came to terms with what he sought his whole life to understand, in his very own life. I couldn't put this one down. Heart wrenching but beautiful. This one will stick with me for a long time.

All At Sea- Another book about death and loss, but it too was strangely uplifting. I don't want to give away too much of this one, only to say that it is beautifully written. I do have to say that I tired a bit of reading the recaps of Tony's previous life so I may have skimmed some of those sections. But overall the thought was beautiful.

Homegoing- The only novel I read this month, and it was epic. Absolutely epic. There is a lot of rhetoric in our world today about racial divides. Many people want to blame one thing or another for the way our country is today. This book has helped me to look at race in a completely different light. I don't want to say too much to give it away, but it is written in a manner that I have never before encountered. It follows nearly 300 years of generations, beginning with slave traders in Africa who sell their fellow Africans to the British. It ends some time in the 1970's USA. If you read one book from this list, make it Homegoing.

Mother Tongue- I loved the subtitle from this book: "One Family's Globe-Trotting Quest to Dream in Madarin, Laugh in Arabic and Speak in Spanish." I mean, who doesn't want that for their family? For language lovers and those fascinated with linguistics, this book is for you. I felt at time bogged down by the syntax of the linguistical component of the book, but the overall story was fascinating.

Lucky- The title is in reference to something that a police office told Alice Sebold after she had been raped. He told her that other girls in the same tunnel where her attack occurred had been murdered. She was lucky. This is an honest and raw memoir of a young woman who was brutally raped and fought to see her attacker prosecuted. Sebold went on to write the NYTimes best selling book "The Lovely Bones." This book started as an essay for one of her English writing classes and blossomed into this memoir. It is a great book, well-written though hard to read at times. If you care to understand those around you, it is a must for your TBR list.

I fell like this month's books have helped me to gain understanding and appreciation for those around me who are in different circumstances. Tolerance, division, equal rights and societal differences are hot-button issues right now. While I am not one to play into those things, I do think it is important to not be ignorant of the world around me. Reading these books, particularly Homegoing, have helped me to gain a broader world-view. Other books like Lucky and Where The Light Gets In have increased my compassion and the sense that others need grace. I need to be extending grace to those around me, for as the old adage says, "Be kind to one another, for you do not know what battles they are facing" rings true. Above all, love. Love all. Serve all. Seek to find commonalities despite our differences and fight to find the beauty in what is foreign.

April Reads

February & March Reads

February Reads

March Reads

January Reads

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