Summer books!
So this isn't about gardening, but oh well. After writing that post about writing about garden I realized I was almost finished with my last book of summer and I would want to post about them. I am horrible at remembering what books are about and this helps when I write about them. Also, I like to keep track of my favorite books so I can recommend them when people ask. So.... here we go.
I first read A Father to the Fatherless: The Charles Mully Story by Paul Boge. This was given to us by Aaron's mom. She just went to Kenya on mission trip for 2 weeks and visited the Mully Children Family. Charles Mully is a Kenyan man who went from complete destitution and abandonment by his family to riches. Then he met some street children who had been just like him and felt compelled to help them. He adopted several and that began the MCF. He gave up everything he had for these street children. It is an organization that has grown and now they take street children in and teach them about Jesus, give them an education, feed them, teach them to sustain themselves, and love them like family. It was a beautiful, challenging, inspiring book.
Next up was The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (she wrote The Secret Life of Bees to trigger your memory). Five starts hands down. This book is about the Grimke sister who lived in Charleston during the 1800s and become outspoken women abolitionists. It is based on the real life of the Grimke sisters. The book is told from 2 points of view- one point is one the white sisters and the other is the black handmaid given to her as a slave for her 11th birthday. The writing and the metaphors are so rich and vivid. I couldn't put this book down and cried several times throughout.
I should note there were also attempts to read Flight Behavior and A Still Life with Bread Crumbs somewhere in here. I include books I didn't read because I learned that my summer and spare time is short and therefore I do not have time to read books that don't captivate me in the first 2 or 3 chapters. I hate not finishing a book, but alas, that is what I now have decided to do if this occurs.
Then I read The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. It was actually very similar to The Invention of Wings in that it was about slavery, freedom, and family. It was set this time in the early 1900s, but was still told from two different points of view. One character is a white indentured servant from Ireland who is orphaned and begins living in the kitchen house with the black servants and becomes part of their family. Later she moves on to be a part of the "big house" where the white people live and is caught between the law and the love for her family in the kitchen house. The other point of view is from a woman in the kitchen house who is actually the daughter of the master at the big house, but with a black mama. Sounds like a story waiting to unfold? This one was actually more intense than The Invention of Wings. There was more drama and twists and turns. I actually got to a point one time where I had to skip several pages to find out what happened because I just had to know right then. It was so intense and wonderful. I cried again at this one too.
I also read The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin. This was a recommendation from my awesome mom who also shares a love for reading. I really enjoyed reading this book. I will say that after reading really poetic books, this one had more dialogue and the writing wasn't a powerful and vivid as the other two books I had just read (in my opinion- which doesn't count for much as other people can love books I don't like and vise versa). But I really enjoyed learning more about Charles and Anne Lindbergh.
Lastly was The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng. Phenomenal book. Truly remarkable in every way. It is the story of a boy who grows up in Malaya during WWII. He is half Chinese and half British. Having trouble finding himself with his family and school, he befriends an older Japanese man who teaches him a martial art, aikido. They develop a very unique bond of love and loyalty. As the war begins, he realizes this man is a Japanese spy and he has unknowingly helped him. Now his family is in danger at the Japanese invade China, Malaya, and Singapore. The book is a tale of courage, love, loyalty, family ties, faith, and the choices we make that define who we are. Beautiful. Just beautiful. (I will note that if this became a movie I would not watch it because there are some horrific scenes of the Japanese torturing and killing the Chinese that I would never be able to watch, but somehow I can read about.)
Here's what I have discovered about myself and books:
I love books about history even though strangely I hated history class. I think I mostly like knowing the stories behind the facts- when authors make people come to life. I love books about family ties. I love books about people choosing to do the difficult thing because it is good and true and right. I love books that are poetic in their words and nature, yet have enough action to keep me captivated.
Also, I love turning pages of books. I just can't read on our iPad yet. I love going to the library- the quietness, the rows of colored spines. I also love amazon. Not because I actually buy books there, but because I type in books I already have read and like and then look at the ratings under "Customers also viewed...". Then I check them out at the public library. Sneaky. Yep.
If you have other book suggestions I would love them. Well that's all for today, love and happy reading to you!
I first read A Father to the Fatherless: The Charles Mully Story by Paul Boge. This was given to us by Aaron's mom. She just went to Kenya on mission trip for 2 weeks and visited the Mully Children Family. Charles Mully is a Kenyan man who went from complete destitution and abandonment by his family to riches. Then he met some street children who had been just like him and felt compelled to help them. He adopted several and that began the MCF. He gave up everything he had for these street children. It is an organization that has grown and now they take street children in and teach them about Jesus, give them an education, feed them, teach them to sustain themselves, and love them like family. It was a beautiful, challenging, inspiring book.
- - - - - - - - -
Next up was The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (she wrote The Secret Life of Bees to trigger your memory). Five starts hands down. This book is about the Grimke sister who lived in Charleston during the 1800s and become outspoken women abolitionists. It is based on the real life of the Grimke sisters. The book is told from 2 points of view- one point is one the white sisters and the other is the black handmaid given to her as a slave for her 11th birthday. The writing and the metaphors are so rich and vivid. I couldn't put this book down and cried several times throughout.
- - - - - - - - -
I should note there were also attempts to read Flight Behavior and A Still Life with Bread Crumbs somewhere in here. I include books I didn't read because I learned that my summer and spare time is short and therefore I do not have time to read books that don't captivate me in the first 2 or 3 chapters. I hate not finishing a book, but alas, that is what I now have decided to do if this occurs.
- - - - - - - - -
Then I read The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. It was actually very similar to The Invention of Wings in that it was about slavery, freedom, and family. It was set this time in the early 1900s, but was still told from two different points of view. One character is a white indentured servant from Ireland who is orphaned and begins living in the kitchen house with the black servants and becomes part of their family. Later she moves on to be a part of the "big house" where the white people live and is caught between the law and the love for her family in the kitchen house. The other point of view is from a woman in the kitchen house who is actually the daughter of the master at the big house, but with a black mama. Sounds like a story waiting to unfold? This one was actually more intense than The Invention of Wings. There was more drama and twists and turns. I actually got to a point one time where I had to skip several pages to find out what happened because I just had to know right then. It was so intense and wonderful. I cried again at this one too.
- - - - - - - - -
I also read The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin. This was a recommendation from my awesome mom who also shares a love for reading. I really enjoyed reading this book. I will say that after reading really poetic books, this one had more dialogue and the writing wasn't a powerful and vivid as the other two books I had just read (in my opinion- which doesn't count for much as other people can love books I don't like and vise versa). But I really enjoyed learning more about Charles and Anne Lindbergh.
- - - - - - - - -
Lastly was The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng. Phenomenal book. Truly remarkable in every way. It is the story of a boy who grows up in Malaya during WWII. He is half Chinese and half British. Having trouble finding himself with his family and school, he befriends an older Japanese man who teaches him a martial art, aikido. They develop a very unique bond of love and loyalty. As the war begins, he realizes this man is a Japanese spy and he has unknowingly helped him. Now his family is in danger at the Japanese invade China, Malaya, and Singapore. The book is a tale of courage, love, loyalty, family ties, faith, and the choices we make that define who we are. Beautiful. Just beautiful. (I will note that if this became a movie I would not watch it because there are some horrific scenes of the Japanese torturing and killing the Chinese that I would never be able to watch, but somehow I can read about.)
Here's what I have discovered about myself and books:
I love books about history even though strangely I hated history class. I think I mostly like knowing the stories behind the facts- when authors make people come to life. I love books about family ties. I love books about people choosing to do the difficult thing because it is good and true and right. I love books that are poetic in their words and nature, yet have enough action to keep me captivated.
Also, I love turning pages of books. I just can't read on our iPad yet. I love going to the library- the quietness, the rows of colored spines. I also love amazon. Not because I actually buy books there, but because I type in books I already have read and like and then look at the ratings under "Customers also viewed...". Then I check them out at the public library. Sneaky. Yep.
If you have other book suggestions I would love them. Well that's all for today, love and happy reading to you!
I do the Amazon thing too! That's how I found out about this AWESOME book I'm reading now! It's a no fail system.
ReplyDeleteWell... what awesome books are you reading then?! :)
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