I have read some really good books lately.  This one, All the Light We Cannot See
,  was one of the most beautifully written I’ve ever read:

The subject matter was a little too close to home in some parts…it is about a little girl, Marie-Laure, who is blind.

“What is blindness?  Where there should be a wall, her hands find nothing.  Where there should be nothing, a table leg gouges her shin.  Cars growl in the streets; leaves whisper in the sky; blood rustles through her inner ears.”

But she is strong.  Oh so strong.  And she figures out how to maneuver her world so beautifully with the help of her father.  It is a velvety-wonderful portrait of good fatherhood.  Her dad made me tear up a few times with his goodness.

Marie-Laure is French and the story takes place during World War II.  There is a congruent story about a little boy named Werner who is in orphan who’s smart as a whip.  I love the relationship it portrays between he and his sister and I love his thoughts as he tries to make sense of the Nazis who want to recruit him as one of their best because they find out he is ultra-talented with radios.  So many interesting things to think about and ponder on.

Obviously I loved this book.  You can always tell by the number of pages I rip and turn, each noting a sentence or a thought that gave a little twang to my heart:

This next one, Ordinary Grace
, is completely different but I really liked it too.  It’s a story about a boy named Frank who lives in New Bremen, Minnesota in the 1960s.  

I love stories that go through the thoughts of teenagers, especially as they grapple with some pretty deep tragedies.  And I love stories that portray family life.  Such an interesting character sketch on how the people in the town deal with sorrow and pain.  Which sounds depressing but it’s so beautifully written about the grace of God so even through the sad stuff it is inspiring.

Right now I’m listening to Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (thanks to the recommendation of my cousin Heather…thank you Heather!!) through Audible.

(I’m new to audible and I love it because I can listen whenever I have a sec, but I have a really hard time without real pages to fold over and underline if I want to!  I have been “bookmarking” like crazy but I still don’t know how to go back and re-read what I love.  Any tips out there on that?).

I’m not even half way through that one but man alive I want Dave to read it and everyone around me for that matter, because I want to discuss every aspect of it!  I’ll have to give a full review when I’m done.

Then of course, I’m still basking in all the symbolism Lucy and I found in The Magician’s Nephew (I wrote my thoughts on that back HERE).

Oh man I love good books that make your brain work in such satisfying ways!

Happy Monday!

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14 Comments

  1. I LOVED "All the Light" as well. Just finished "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah, which is set during WWII and told from two sisters' perspectives. Not as beautifully written, but riveting (and gratitude inducing!). Also just finished "Still Alice"… grab a handkerchief as you walk with a woman as she is diagnosed with early onset alzheimer's diagnosis. I will need to track down "Ordinary Grace", after I finish "I am Malala". I'm on a reading kick!

  2. When breath becomes air, is a new book about an 8th year neurosurgery resident who gets terminal cancer that is absolutely beautiful and very hopeful although that doesn't quite make sense. It's a good thinker too!

  3. When breath becomes air, is a new book about an 8th year neurosurgery resident who gets terminal cancer that is absolutely beautiful and very hopeful although that doesn't quite make sense. It's a good thinker too!

  4. A mindset lover here, too! Peter Johnston has two short books about the effects of language on kids' mindsets, and while the examples are from a classroom, I think it's powerful to think about as parents or anyone in any type of a relationship – good for all humans :).

    Have you read Wonder? A young adult/children's book that I think you'd love. Life changing.

  5. I loved "All the Light" as well. So beautiful! I haven't read this yet, but The Rent Collector is next on my list. I love getting new book recommendations so thanks for this post!

  6. I love all of these suggestions! "All the Light…" is on our book club list this year, and I cannot wait until we get to that month. I am reading (for the second time) "The Art of Hearing Heartbeats" and I just love, love, love that book so much. I read it for the first time last year, and it quickly became one of my all-time favorite books. Such a wonderful story, written with the most beautiful prose. To me, the amazing part about the beautiful writing is that it's a translation! How talented do you have to be to do that?!

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