In Want and Plenty: Waking Up to God’s Provision in a Land of Longing
by Meredith McDaniel
I am so grateful to have read this book in advance because the day it arrived was the day I needed to read it. Meredith is a fellow Hope*Writer and a gentle soul that I’ve been following online for some time. Her words help me relearn what I knew to be true about the gift of God’s right on time provision.
“Although our circumstances vary, we all ache with a longing for something more. We are born with dreams, and some of us even have detailed plans about how to make them happen. Yet we all come to a point in life when we realize that we are not in control. A loved one gets sick, a tragedy occurs, our plans backfire. What we may not realize is that even if we can’t depend on our circumstances or even ourselves, there is One who will always provide what we need, just when we need it.” -Amazon Synopsis
The Tattoist of Auschwitz
by Heather Morris
You’d think I’d grow weary of World War II novels, yet I have not. Guess it’s my love of history and my deep desire to understand and celebrate humanity. This one finally made it off my to-read list and I’m glad I didn’t let it slip by. It’s a heavy topic, but one that I read quickly and easily.
“A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov’s experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.” -Amazon Synopsis
Next up for me is Morris’ Cilka’s Journey
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
by Robert Dugoni
This came recommended highly from an online book club. Though I found it a bit wordy, it was a story that I enjoyed and a character I rooted for.
“Sam Hill always saw the world through different eyes. Born with red pupils, he was called “Devil Boy” or Sam “Hell” by his classmates; “God’s will” is what his mother called his ocular albinism. Her words were of little comfort, but Sam persevered, buoyed by his mother’s devout faith, his father’s practical wisdom, and his two other misfit friends.” -Amazon Synopsis
Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making
by Andrew Peterson
If Andrew creates it, I’ll listen, watch, or read it. His is a creative way that inspires me like few others. This book is one for the writer, songwriter, or creator. He’s a writer’s writer. I’ve got it highlighted and tagged from start to finish. It’s a gift. Read it or get in the hands of the writer in your life.
“This book is both a memoir of Andrew’s journey and a handbook for artists, written in the hope that his story will provide encouragement to others stumbling along in pursuit of a calling to adorn the dark with the light of Christ.” -Amazon Summary
The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice For Making Life Decisions
by Emily Freeman
Emily is another creator that I follow closely. I am a member of her Hope*Writers group and her A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live is one of my very favorites. I was on the launch team for this and did a good skim to help review it. But honestly? I devour her podcast by the same title, The Next Right Thing, so I assumed I knew it already. I loved it without reading it. I did need to read it though and am so glad that I picked it back up.
“Whether you’re in the midst of a major life transition or are weary of the low-grade anxiety that daily life can bring, Emily helps create space for your soul to breathe so you can live life with God at a gentle pace and discern your next right thing in love.
-Amazon Summary
Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lives I’ve Loved
by Kate Bowler
Yes to all of it. To what she learned about herself, disease, her faith, and what taking a good look at death does to every part of you. I nodded my way through this and wished I could keep it rather than return it to the library. It will be a reread for me. So much of her experience has been mine. She earned a new follower.
“The prospect of her own mortality forces Kate to realize that she has been tacitly subscribing to the prosperity gospel, living with the conviction that she can control the shape of her life with “a surge of determination.” Even as this type of Christianity celebrates the American can-do spirit, it implies that if you “can’t do” and succumb to illness or misfortune, you are a failure. Kate is very sick, and no amount of positive thinking will shrink her tumors. What does it mean to die, she wonders, in a society that insists everything happens for a reason? Kate is stripped of this certainty only to discover that without it, life is hard but beautiful in a way it never has been before.”
-Amazon Synopsis
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Daisy was just a light and fun read. Not deep or life-changing, just very creatively told.
“Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.
The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.”
-Amazon Synopsis
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
Nobody turns a phrase like Elizabeth Gilbert. I reread MANY of her sentences in this novel. It is racy, fun, creative, and beautifully written. I know, I know. Everyone has opinions on this one. I’m glad I read it.
“In 1940, nineteen-year-old Vivian Morris has just been kicked out of Vassar College, owing to her lackluster freshman-year performance. Her affluent parents send her to Manhattan to live with her Aunt Peg, who owns a flamboyant, crumbling midtown theater called the Lily Playhouse. There Vivian is introduced to an entire cosmos of unconventional and charismatic characters, from the fun-chasing showgirls to a sexy male actor, a grand-dame actress, a lady-killer writer, and no-nonsense stage manager. But when Vivian makes a personal mistake that results in professional scandal, it turns her new world upside down in ways that it will take her years to fully understand. Ultimately, though, it leads her to a new understanding of the kind of life she craves – and the kind of freedom it takes to pursue it. It will also lead to the love of her life, a love that stands out from all the rest.” -Amazon Synopsis
The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
Of course, I fell hard for Arthur and wished he was my neighbor. I’ve read it all by Elizabeth Berg but had missed this one. It was easy, thoughtful, and sweet. Loved it.
“Wonderfully written and full of profound observations about life, The Story of Arthur Truluv is a beautiful and moving novel of compassion in the face of loss, of the small acts that turn friends into family, and of the possibilities to achieve happiness at any age.” -Amazon Synopsis
Pocket Full of Color: The Magical World of Mary Blair, the Disney Artist Extraordinaire
by Amy Gugliemo and Jacqueline Tourville
Yep, a picture book, but I couldn’t not list it. This little inspiring recount of Mary Blair’s life spurred my thinking on a bit. Unexpectedly, it even gave me my word for the year. It made me want to go buy some paints and a canvas.
“Mary Blair lived her life in color: vivid, wild color.
From her imaginative childhood to her career as an illustrator, designer, and animator for Walt Disney Studios, Mary wouldn’t play by the rules. At a time when studios wanted to hire men and think in black and white, Mary painted twinkling emerald skies, peach giraffes with tangerine spots, and magenta horses that could fly.” -Amazon Synopsis
Miracles and Other Reasonable Things: A Story of Unlearning and Relearning God
by Sarah Bessey
This book was everywhere and I get it. I devoured it. It too was one that earned my nods, head shakes, and amens. I got it very deeply. I’ve been on a similar faith journey, so it felt like community.
“In the brief instant Sarah Bessey realized that her minivan was, inevitably, going to hit the car on the highway on the bright, clear day of the crash, she knew intuitively that it would have life-changing consequences. But as she navigated the winding path from her life before the accident—as a popular author, preacher, and loving wife and mother—to her new life after, inhabiting a body that no longer felt like her own, she found that the most unexpected result wasn’t the way this shook her body, but how it shook her deeply rooted faith, upending everything she thought she knew and held so dearly.” -Amazon Synopsis
The very next read on my nightstand is The Silent Patient. I’ll let you know how many stars I’ll drop for it.
Read on, my friends. Read on. And then share your titles. 🙂
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