First Quarter {2017} Book List!
Finished Reading
An incredible memoir of a Jewish family in Poland that managed to all survive the Holocaust, even though they were separated; one even ended up at a camp, and virtually all the remaining Jews from their village were wiped out. I found out about this book from a friend who met the author and main character in a little bookshop in California.
Everything is Illuminated. | Jonathan Safran Foer
This was an intriguing look into human nature, with very unique writing, and bouncing back and forth between essentially three stories, but it wasn't very clean; lots of language and a bit heavy in the extremely casual treatment of adult content. I didn't realize until after that this was the same author of a book I tried a year ago and put down. I guess we're just not that into each other, wink.Little Women/Little Men. | Louisa May Alcott
I can't remember if I only watched the movie or read the book growing up (probably both), but the unabridged version of Little Women was one of those that I knew it was time to re-read as an adult. The sequel, Little Men, was actually one of my favorite books growing up, and I read it ten or fifteen times, but the plot is still fairly independent of Little Women. So I started Little Women last year and put it down because I found one of the first few chapters (which goes into great detail about a play the girls put on) rather dry and tedious. But I picked it up again, skipped the unimportant description of the play, and really the book was quite delightful from there. It's much longer than I remembered, and I recalled very little about the plot in Part II, so it held more than enough suspense to keep my interest. I'll be looking forward to watching the movie with Marie soon.
After I finished Little Women I knew it was time for Little Men, which I found in audiobook form for free on Hoopla. It's nice and lighthearted enough that the kids and I have been listening to it while in the car.
The Green Ember/Ember Falls | S.D. Smith
I'd heard of the new kids' fiction series The Green Ember a few times in some of my circles, so I got the Kindle version and started reading it to the kids in December. It's a classic story of defending the royal crown and building a kingdom of peace in the midst of tenuous, traitorous times. Only the rabbits as the protagonists and wolves and birds of prey the enemy. It's very well done. The kids were loving it and begging to hear it every night; one day I saw a Read Aloud Revival post about a great deal for the Audible version bundled with the Kindle version, which I already had, so I went for it because I thought saving my voice would be nice. We finished the Audible version quickly, and moved right into the second book, Ember Falls, which they listened to with rapt attention the whole (4 hour!) drive to Crested Butte and on the way back as well. My fatal error came in thinking that the third book of the series had been released already, but nay; book two ended on a cliffhanger and the third book is still being written! They're understandably in angst and I can't blame them for being mad at me because I know that pain all too well (*cough Name of the Wind cough*). At any rate, for kids 5-6 or older, highly recommend.All the Anne of Green Gables Books | L.M. Montgomery
I listened to the first three books before the New Year, and promptly dropped off when I couldn't find a good audio version of the fourth book, Anne of Windy Poplars. I put it down a few times because it's written in letter format (Anne writing letters to Gilbert of her time as a teacher following grad school), with a little bit of narrative interjected starting about a third of the way in. But the letters only go one way - there are no responses from other characters, even Gilbert, so it's essentially Anne's first-person narrative most of the book. Once I got past my annoyance with the style--the only book in the series written this way, I might add--I got into the little story tidbits more and quickly finished Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne's House of Dreams, and Anne of Ingleside. I've just started Rainbow Valley, and there's only one more book in the series after this one (Rilla of Ingleside).I've grown to truly appreciate the depth of L.M. Montgomery's genius for writing -- the magical settings, all of the little episodic tales and surprises that make the plot and resolution so well-rounded, the dialogue and character development, the lovely ribbon of moral development running through each book, and just her knack for capturing candid human nature so well [and so humorously].
It's turned me into a huge dork, too, and sent me down a rabbit trail of researching Prince Edward Island and all of the towns that might've inspired different settings in each Green Gables book, or the people or experiences that might've inspired characters and events. I got a sideways glance or two from Peter when he caught me watching a drone flyover of the P.E.I coast, even though I assured him I was just trying to get a visual for the coastal setting described in Anne's House of Dreams. Now all I need is to re-watch the original PBS series I last saw as a kid and my journey through Anne Land will be complete (or find someone to borrow it from, because holy greenbacks!).
Currently Reading
Witness to Hope | George Weigel
Yup. This title again. It's dense history, and a little fact-laden, so more of a slow go for me, but really great writing. Still happily plugging my way through the beginning.An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer | Fr. Timothy Gallagher
These is a book of guided meditations recommended by my Spiritual Director - they've been great following the podcasts (by the same author as this book) that I wish everyone would have the chance to listen to. I've gotten an immense amount out of these reflections and I've only done 3 out of 30 thus far.Ignatius Study Bible | Curtis Mitch, Scott Hahn
Okay, so putting this in the "reading" category is a stretch, but I really must share my excitement over this new gem of mine. It came up over and over in conversation so I finally decided I should invest in it...and then I saw that it was far less expensive than I had anticipated! Score. So two days ago this baby arrived in its glory, with all of the research of the ages put into layman's terms so we can actually understand scripture from a historical, tradition-based, vantage--with maps and notes for each verse and background info and all sorts of goodness that just opens your eyes in a whole new way to both the events of the New Testament and their full significance. I got this primarily as a reference book for my writing, but I think I might have to start a Bible Study soon, I'm so ready to dig into this goodness. Note: Thus far, only the New Testament has been released in full; Old Testament compilation is ongoing, so until they finish (and what a feat it is to take on!), they're releasing the Old Testament individually once completed. (Like Genesis here, for example).
New Titles To Read:
In My Hands - Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer | Irene Gut Opdyke
I saw this on a Women's History Biography list, and it's right up my alley of genre; the premise also sounds truly inspiring: the biography of a woman whose Christian principles were so ingrained in her being that she could not stand by and watch her Jewish brothers and sisters being persecuted without defense.Emily of New Moon | Lucy Maude Montgomery
After investing so much time in the Green Gables books, I have to find out what this other lesser-known series by the famous author is like. I know I might be disappointed after living in Anne's magical world for so long, but based on the rave reviews I've read, I'm willing to take a chance.
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What are you reading? Share any good ones!
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