Linus: It won't be forever. You'll be in the dark for as long as it takes and then you'll come out. Audrey: You think? Linus: My aunt grows special rhubarb in dark sheds. They keep it dark and warm all winter and harvest it by candlelight and it's the best stuff. She sells it for a fortune, btw. Audrey: So what, I'm rhubarb? Linus: Why not? If rhubarb needs time in the dark maybe you do too. Audrey: I'm RHUBARB?! --Finding Audrey, Sophie Kinsella I'm pleasantly surprised at myself! I finished a book in just about a week! I'm not sure if I've done that at all this year...maybe once.
I'm on a bit of a fiction kick right now, so this twelfth book in the #yearof50books is Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella. I've had this one on my shelf for a long time, and I remember first being intrigued by its cover. (We aren't to judge books by their covers, I know and agree..but they certainly catch my attention!) I enjoyed her writing style and how a movie transcript format weaved throughout the story (while the main character was filming a documentary as part of her therapy). I love the approach this book takes toward anxiety and mental illness. Although I do think there are people in the world who take advantage of attention they might get because of mental illness, I know there are plenty of other people who truly suffer as a result of these imbalances in their brain. Audrey, the main character, wants to "be normal" so badly. Her therapist, Dr. Sarah, explains that she will have ups and downs and draws her a sample graph of her progress with the line going up and down, but gradually working toward progress all the time. In return, Audrey wants a straight graph, with no steps back, just forward motion. I can imagine this is how it feels when someone who struggles truly desires to be rid of their suffering, but I appreciate how this book made me realize that no one has a straight graph...mental illness or not, we all take a few steps forward, and a step or two back. That's life, and it keeps us on our toes! Isn't it wonderful? My next fiction read is on the horizon, plus a couple of reads I have checked out from the library. (The fiction is paperback, so it's a back-up in case my phone or iPad is ever dead and I want to have something to read!) Wonderfully Yours, Kristin
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"It's a lot easier to seize the day than that is to seize a Tuesday. You have errands on Tuesday. On Tuesday you eat pizza again. Your favorite TV show is on Tuesday, you know? But the day... The day is all just hours you're alive for. They can be filled with anything. Unexpectedness, wildness, maybe a little bit of lawlessness, even...if that makes sense." -- Let's Get Lost, Adi Alsaid Have I mentioned before that I like when things are a little out of the ordinary?
This eleventh book in the #yearof50books is just that! Let's Get Lost, by Adi Alsaid, is told in five sections, each from the perspective of a different character. The first four characters all have one thing in common: Leila. Her section comes last, which was an excellent decision..it kept me waiting and curious throughout the book to learn more about her story. The sections do not describe the same event from different perspectives, but rather their encounters with Leila and how she helps them through difficult situations in their lives. I read once where someone told their children to look for God in anything they watched or read, because we can always find something that reminds of His presence or the way He takes care of His children, even in the most unlikely of stories. This YA read is certainly not a religious story, but I couldn't help but think about how God always shows up for us, just like Leila dropped whatever she was doing to be there for the next person who needed her. Isn't it wonderful to find God everywhere, even in fictional teenage stories? My next two reads are books I've downloaded from WV DELI (West Virginia Digital Entertainment Library Initative..if you don't know about it, look it up!), so I'll hopefully be reading through them quickly in the next fourteen days before the loans expire! Both are music-related, and I'm excited to share them with you! Until then, wonderfully yours, Kristin "Life is meant to be lived, not managed, not controlled, not screamed, not stressed, not hurried, not guilt-ridden, not regretted, not scripted, not consumed by distractions, big or small, obvious or subtle." -- Rachel Macy Stafford; Hands Free Life: 9 Habits for Overcoming Distraction, Living Better, and Loving More I found Rachel Macy Stafford through some of my favorite Facebook blogger-authors.
Sometimes Facebook actually makes smart suggestions! I've starting following her page there, "The Hands Free Revolution", and I would suggest it to you! This tenth book (TEN! WOO!) in the #yearof50books is Hands Free Life: 9 Habits for Overcoming Distraction, Living Better, and Loving More by Rachel Macy Stafford. Although this book is designed more with mothers in mind, I certainly learned from the excellent stories and reminders. Her main point is that we enjoy the life we have now and the little moments we experience with those we love. I'm noticing an interesting trend in bloggers and authors I find myself gravitating toward--they're usually gals who used to be teachers! Jen Hatmaker. Annie Downs. and now Rachel Macy Stafford! I think it's because we're all kindred spirits..they understand the teacher life and struggles, so even through their words that aren't teacher-related, I feel seen and understood. It's wonderful! I've already started book eleven, my next fiction read. Another YA book..I'm on a YA roll! Wonderfully Yours, Kristin "I wish I knew what he was reading. I know I don't like books, but you can always tell what someone is thinking by what they're reading." -- Solitaire, by Alice Oseman Toward the end of July, I met up with two friends and their littles at our local public library for some friend time. I arrived before them (because I'm not yet wrangling children into car seats and packing more bags than my purse), so I decided to browse the Young Adult section for any titles that I might want to order for my school library.
As I strolled past the YA new releases section, the cover of this particular book caught my attention. I checked it out, along with two other books, because my eyes are bigger than my brain when it comes to considering how many books I can actually read in a two-week period. (I imagine myself lounging and reading for hours on end, when in reality I have an actual life to manage.) When the two-week period ended, I had successfully read NONE of the books I checked out, because I was still finishing Quiet, the last book I posted about. (Did I mention that I think I have all the reading time in the world?). I returned the books and asked if I could check the new releases out again, since our library doesn't allow renewals on new releases. There were no holds on the two new release books, so I checked them out again and felt very sneaky for working the system in this way. Out of all three books, this is the only one I finished before returning them all to the library (the other two are on my to-read list for another time). So, without further delay, I present to you the ninth book in my #yearof50books: Solitaire by Alice Oseman. Alice wrote this book when she was seventeen years old, which proves why the teenage characters are written so accurately. I enjoyed her writing style and sense of humor, mostly because she's British, so her cynicism and wit were supremely on-point. I like reading stories I can picture as films, and this one so easily played in my mind. I would put it in a category with Paper Towns and the like. One thing I love about YA literature is that even through all the angst of teenage years, the characters in these stories still ignite a need in me to see things differently and find a deeper purpose instead of simply falling in line. In any YA book I read, I can always find that motivation. Isn't that wonderful? That a book written for teens can still serve a purpose for anyone? I love it! Listen, thanks for hanging in there with me. Book number TEN is in progress, which means that with three months left in the year, I only have 40 books to go! Life is fun. 😊 Wonderfully Yours, Kristin "We know from myths and fairy tales that there are many different kinds of powers in this world. One child is given a light saber, another a wizard's education. The trick is not to amass all the different kinds of available power, but to use well the kind you've been granted." -- Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking -- Phew!
I enjoyed this read, but it was certainly more in-depth than Finding Serendipity! :) My eighth book in the #yearof50books was Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. Researching and writing this book took her five years, so she certainly had her facts and case studies together to back up her words. Her TED talk, "The Power of Introverts," has been viewed over three million times! When I was younger, I would've told you that I was an extrovert, no question..but as I've grown, I've learned more about what the real definitions of introversion and extroversion are, and I know now that I am more introverted than extroverted (though, as Cain points out, many people are a mixture of both). I agree with Cain, that our society seems to find something "wrong" with introversion, that if a person isn't naturally loud or sociable, or they prefer (or at least don't mind) being alone, they need to improve that about themselves. I found it very interesting to read the history she discovered about how our cultural ideal switched from a "Culture of Character" to a "Culture of Personality" which changed the game about how we view different characteristics in people. Parts of the book dragged on for me, but I think that could partly be because I knew I had fiction reads I wanted to dig into, but I didn't want to do that until I finished this book. Overall, I am glad I read Quiet..it pushed me to consider characteristics about myself and gave me valuable insight into how to approach and work with both introverted and extroverted folk, respectively. In the last section of the book, she discusses the importance of knowing who you are and what type of person you are, and using those gifts and talents and powers you've been given. I am thankful that God gives us all unique gifts and talents, that we all have something different to bring to the table. I pray that we all take advantage of those characteristics to glorify Him! The next read coming up isn't even one I knew about before last month, but I'm so excited about it! It's a YA (Young Adult) book, and I can tell I'm going to devour it. I've already read the first chapter just today! Wonderfully Yours, Kristin "When it's done well, it can feel as real as sunshine on your face. It can taste like mint on your tongue. It can sound like thunder or the scream of someone you love dearly. It wouldn't be a good story if we, the writers, didn't totally believe in it, would it, now?" -- Finding Serendipity, Angelica Banks -- Sometimes, you just need to read a good "kid" story.
This seventh book in the #yearof50books, Finding Serendipity, by Angelica Banks, is an excellent kid story! I won't try to explain it much because it's more fun and makes more sense when you just read it, but the story follows the adventures of Tuesday McGillycuddy as she and her faithful dog, Baxterr, go on a quest to find her missing mother, Serendipity Smith. I picked this book up during the school book fair this spring, and I wanted to read it so I would be able to recommend to some of my intermediate age students (3rd-5th graders) who might enjoy it. It really pushes the importance of imagination and would definitely help kids understand the magic that can happen when you write a story! As with most books I find interesting, I loved the quirkiness of the characters. Plus, Tuesday's biggest battle with the villain is a battle of rhyming couplets..what beats that?! How wonderful. :) --- Book #8 is selected and in progress. It's a bigger non-fiction read than I've previously taken on, so we'll see how it goes! Thank you for checking in on this journey with me and staying interested, even though it's been half a year and I'm not even one-fifth through my goal yet. Oy. Life lessons! Wonderfully Yours, Kristin "Sometimes the story we're telling the world isn't half as endearing as the one that lives inside us." -- Donald Miller, Scary Close -- It's hard to know ourselves.
It should be really simple, but we're all so good at putting on fronts for different reasons that we sometimes get lost in them...and then, just like that, we don't even know our own true selves. I like talking to people and socializing; I always have. However, as I've gotten older, I don't feel as comfortable socializing as I used to. I always feel like I don't know what to say or do, and that small talk is boring, but people seem uncomfortable with real talk (or maybe I'm uncomfortable with real talk?). I say that I value relationships and people, and I truly mean that, but it's sometimes difficult for me to live that out. Reading this sixth book in the #yearof50books gave me some excellent food for thought as I think about my relationships. This book is Scary Close: Dropping the Act and Finding True Intimacy by Donald Miller. I've read one of his other books, Blue Like Jazz, and have another of his on my list to read, but this particular book has intrigued me for a long time. I appreciate his conversational writing style: he just seems to be talking with you, not at you, which doesn't seem to be the style of all non-fiction authors. Miller gets real in this book about his own issues with relationships and how he dealt with them. He's read several other books on the topic and references them, as well as information from counselors and his friends, to give readers their own opportunity to develop stronger and healthier relationships and really get to know people. I highlighted many sections and sentences while reading because I know this is a book I will revisit and I want to remember those key concepts and words that stuck out to me. One thing he said touched on something that I've been working through in my head a lot lately, about the kind of life I want to live. He said, "...I'm starting to wonder if that's not the whole point of life, to be thankful for it and to live in such a way others are thankful for theirs as well." Isn't that the kind of life we all want to live? The tricky part, though, is remembering that and putting it into practice. I don't want to keep giving things away, but his list of "New Freedoms" for himself are freedoms I want for myself -- the freedom to be human. What a wonderful thing! ----- Remember, if you're interested in learning more about any of the books I share, I'm keeping track of what I've read (and what I hope to read) on the Books page! Clicking on a title will link you to Goodreads. If you're on Goodreads, look me up! I'd love to be book friends! :) Book #7 is coming along nicely! This fictional read is one that I think some of my intermediate students would be interested in, so I'm reading to make sure I can recommend it to them. I look forward to sharing it with you soon! Wonderfully Yours, Kristin "People have to tell their stories, Elsa. Or they suffocate." -- Fredrik Backman, My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry -- This read is one I was looking forward to for a LONG time.
I first saw it in the book section at Target (a.k.a. my financial nemesis) and was immediately intrigued by the title. A title so involved certainly requires a deeper look! After reading the back of the book and the first couple of pages, it was automatically added to my list of future reads. This fifth book in the #yearof50books, My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry, by Fredrik Backman, a Swedish author, is an adventurous and heart-warming story told through the eyes of Elsa, a seven-year-old girl who thinks about and sees things a little differently. The close relationship she has with her crazy grandmother sets the tone (and the plot) of the story. I can't say too much, for fear of giving some things away about the story, but let me just say this: although not quite what I initially expected, this is a book that I am keeping and intend to read again someday. I loved the characters and could just picture the whole story as a movie while I read it. Elsa's character was especially sweet, because seeing things through the eyes of a child always helps me think in a more simplistic way--adults make things way too complicated. If you're looking for a book to get swept up in, I recommend this one, without a doubt. I intend to read some of his other books, as well: A Man Called Ove, Britt-Marie Was Here, and And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. How wonderful to be reading so many good books. Look for a post about book #6 soon! Wonderfully Yours, Kristin It's been quite a while since my last post!
I am happy to inform you, however, that I have read three more books since then! #winning In order to keep track of my reading more accurately, I will still write one post per book, so expect two more posts relatively soon. The fourth book in the #yearof50books was Lauren Graham's new book, Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (And Everything In Between). I am a self-proclaimed (and probably others-proclaimed) Gilmore Girls addict. My whole family (dad included!) has always enjoyed the show, and my dear husband even watched all seven seasons so he could attempt to understand the quote-riddled conversations my sisters and I have. (He won't always admit it, but he definitely liked parts of it..especially Luke and Taylor moments!) Reading Lauren's book gave me some interesting insight into her life. It's obvious that she is quirky on her own, so it made even more sense that playing Lorelai was so natural for her. I loved her in Parenthood too, and that was a quirky role, also! Honestly, at first the writing felt kind of forced to me...like she was trying hard with some of the jokes she was making. But things started to feel much more natural later into the book. Reading biographies is always entertaining, especially autobiographies, because it's fun to learn more about another person from different perspectives! Since it's been at least a month and a half since I read the book, and I've since returned it to its owner (my sister), this post is somewhat limited..but I shared the basics with you! If I had the book readily available, I'd probably babble more, which isn't enjoyable for any of us. So, we'll just stop here. Book Five was tremendous and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you! Wonderfully Yours, Kristin "Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers." --The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, page 10 I love when things are a little out of the ordinary.
I've always loved sitting or lying down in places where people didn't normally sit or lie down. In a corner, under the dining room table, in a tree. I take great pleasure in little things. Vibrant rainbows, the cute little waddle of groundhogs or other creatures with large bellies, baby giggles, big hearty laughs. I especially love reading books that are a little out of the ordinary, whether that's due to how they were written, why they were written, or who wrote them. For this third book in the #yearof50books, I loved the non-traditional epistolary format. (I know there are many books in letter form, but there certainly aren't more than there are traditional novels!) Reading letters written between characters makes me feel like I'm right there with them, and yet leaves so much to question at the same time. It's certainly an exercise in inference, especially when letters don't explicitly connect. This book, the third in my year of reading, is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer. What a delightful--though sometimes heartbreaking--story! I loved every character and enjoyed reading their correspondence. This novel takes place in 1946 after the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War 2. It's rare for a novel to inspire me to do so much research, but I've thoroughly enjoyed my time spent checking Guernsey out on Google Maps! I would like to visit the island someday. The spunky female characters--Juliet, Isola, Elizabeth, Amelia, Kit, and more--made me chuckle often, but could break my heart in the next beat with something so meaningful and poignant. Although I've learned about World War 2 in school, I never knew about the occupation of the Channel Islands nor considered how such situations would affect the everyday people who lived there. I can't imagine going through what they did during that time--completely cut off from England, completely occupied by German soldiers. This is what books are supposed to do, right? Find their "perfect readers" and inspire them to learn more about this world of ours and the people who live in it. What a wonderful thing. Stories like this that demonstrate how necessary the arts are--creative writing, visual arts, performance arts--always tug at my heart. I love reading about how books bring people together and change the lives of people in the process. There is tremendous power in words..never forget that. Book four is already in progress..another non-fiction read! I'm looking forward to sharing it with you! Wonderfully Yours, Kristin |
AuthorI'm Kristin. A Christian, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. Archives
October 2017
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