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I read two books I loved in the last month and want to share while they’re still fresh in my mind.

The first is the The Lincoln Highway:

We read this for book club, and it’s written by the same author as A Gentleman in Moscow (I’ve heard that is a must-read as well).

I just loved the character development. There were so many interesting people to “get to know!” I loved the “first impressions” when a character first made an appearance, and then having their back story woven through all the details, giving me so much compassion for why they were the way they were.

Some of my notes: “Maybe what God hopes for us is that we move ourselves…that we take our own initiative.” And “how easily we forget, we in the business of story telling, that life is the point after all.”

Seriously, I could go on and on with the best little snippets, I especially loved the “sideways diamond” analogy that I have been thinking about so much since then, but just read it, you’ll love it.

The second book I feel compelled to share is Unscripted: The Unpredictable Moments That Make Life Extraordinary:

This one took me by surprise.

I mean, it is something I never would have seen and thought, Hey! I want to read that! I mean, an autobiography by a sportscaster I didn’t even know? Nope, not going to waste my time.

But my sister-in-law recommended it and Dave had it in our Audible account and I needed something quick to listen to as I was running around trying to get my act in gear so I turned it on and I was hooked right from the beginning.

Guys, IT IS SO GOOD! I loved listening to it because Ernie Johnson (my new “friend” who I didn’t know existed before) is the one who narrates on Audible and he is very entertaining. But even more, the stories he tells about his life are so incredibly endearing.

Maybe it hit me extra hard because he has a few kids with special needs and I was so impressed with how he described how their family runs with that. I loved hearing the inner-workings and a “glass half full” musings about the beauty that special needs can bring into your life (I was dealing with some tough things in regards to that, and I think I really needed those stories he shared to buoy me up right about then).

But that’s not what the book was about. It was about what it says: noticing the unpredictable moments that make life extraordinary. We’re the only ones who can make them extraordinary.

I loved the story of his conversion to his religion and how his friend helped him recognize the “inner light” within himself that had been leading him all along his path. I love that he said, during a particularly tough part of his life, “Did I truly believe the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, that all things work together for the good of those who believe. He didn’t say all things ‘except’ Hodgkin’s lymphoma [that he was battling], He said ALL things.

I love that he is so humble in all he has accomplished and that he loves his family.

Yes, another one I would totally recommend.

Some other posts filled with my favorite books:

Favorite Christmas Books

Some Favorite Parenting Books
(Click on that “Favorite Books” link in the menu at the top of the blog for more)

Books for Young Readers (and their parents because they are so good!)


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2 Comments

  1. I’ve read the first but not the second, I might ask for that for Christmas. Have you read ‘ All the Light you cannot see by Anthony Doerr? It’s set in WW2 and splits between the story of a blind girl and a German soldier who is a radio hand. The story itself is compelling but it’s also one of those books that read so beautifully and lyrically. One of my favourites. Merry Christmas to you all 🌲

  2. I just requested both of these at my library! Thanks for the recommendations. 🙂 My husband and I are on a reading streak, trying to get in some more books before Christmas break is over.

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