Both Sides

On the Horizon is a beautiful book.  One that brought me to tears.  Lois Lowry really makes magic with her words.  She recalls her childhood in Hawaii and her time in Japan and recounts the stories of lives lost at Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima. 
War.
What is it good for?
They even wrote a song asking that question.
The song's answer is "Absolutely nothing."
I pray one day we will learn from that answer.
Will there be a time, this side of heaven when we look at one another as children of God?  Only then will it happen. 

What a book...

What a beautiful meditation.  What a gift Jesmyn Ward is to the world.  Navigate Your Stars is a must-read for any graduate or soon to be graduate or someone who is breathing.  This book is inspirational for everyone.  EVERYONE.
I felt especially blessed to have listened to it because she reads it.  Just read or listen to this book right now.  It is the commencement speech that Ward gave to the students at Tulane and I bet they never will forget it.  I know I won't. 

Swimming

I have a dear friend who has a dear daughter who is a competitive swimmer.  She is quite good!  She was headed to states this year before the pandemic hit and that is a real shame.  I wonder how swimmers have been practicing, if they have been able to practice?  Breath Like Water is set in the world of competitive swimming.  Anna Jarzab is a great author and I would have read it even if I wasn't already curious about swimming.  She deals with mental health issues in such a real and honest way.  I loved Harry and Susannah so much.  Great, great book.  

WOW!

Because I LOVED The Selection series from Kiera Cass, I couldn't wait until The Betrothed came out!  And I have to say this was one of those times when there was NO disappointment even with such high expectations!  I can't wait until the next one!   Right now the pictures won't upload on Blogger, so I will have to do that later!  But even though this is romance and romance isn't my thing, I love these books by Cass!

Just Couldn't...

I really have enjoyed Siobhan Vivian's book.  I just think that during this time of pandemic it is hard for me to keep focused and unless a book REALLY grabs me I don't respond to it as I normally would. I think that is the case for We Are the Wildcats and maybe I will revisit it when life seems more normal.  For this one I REALLY stress that this is NOT a book review blog.  It is just my own reflections on the books I read.  So don't pass this one by, I think it is important and I think it is well done and I think that people will be able to relate to it. 

Kent State

Kent State is the name of the book by Deborah Wiles and it is also the name of this university and when one hears it, it one's age or knowledge of history that impacts what it brings to mind.  I was born in 1971 so the Kent State killings had happened before I was born, and I first learned about it when I heard this song.  I remember asking my dad about it and he told me what happened. I can't remember how old I was at the time, probably 7 or 8.  My dad was NOT a fan of Nixon and so he definitely told me about the shootings from his own POV. 
As I grew older I learned more about it and began to have more sympathy for those National Guardsmen who were sent to Kent State and did the shooting.  I have not been able to find much about how they feel, fifty years later.  But I do believe what my parents told me years ago and what has been said many times over "rich men start the wars and poor men fight them."
This book is very well done and I think a very important book for all.
Living in the world is hard when we forget that the answer to everything is to respond with love.  And when we are finished responding with love, we should respond with love.  And when we are finished responding with love again, then we should respond with love...and so on and so on and so on...

Grace

I find I don't have much grace for some segments of society these days...that is my shame. I just can't seem to comprehend those who claim to follow Jesus to also be defenders of capitalism.  Our country is more polarized than ever.  The current crisis seems to bring out the worst in people, myself included.  It makes me want to run back to places where I found like minds and hearts.  And further isolate myself.  This is hard, hard time. 
The Grace Year reminds me of our society in many ways.  Before COVID19 there seemed to be a start, something glowing, something beginning, where people who had never had much say before, the marginalized, were rising up and things were moving, and dawn was breaking even among such shameless hate and greed and division and "us" and "them" mentality.  But now I wonder what will happen.  There is even more need for acceptance and affirmation and love and unity, but if I am any indication, I simply want to flee back to safe places.  I simply want to listen to Jesus and those who attempt to follow His words.  I simply want to draw strength from them instead of trying to be Christ to those who seem so sure that it is legitimate to ask "what is worth more, saving lives or saving the economy?" and "what difference does it make if COVID19 breaks out among the incarcerated and the undocumented?" and those who say, "These are the end times all the signs are here!"  And I am sure they don't want to hear from me, either! 
But I digress.  The Grace Year was quite good.  It was disturbing but hopeful. But it is one of those books that I would have read in 2015 and thought, "Things will never be this bad!  This is dystopian fiction!" and now I read it and think, "This is realistic fiction."  and I wonder if in a few months I will look back on it and think, "This is uptopia."  Because things are getting worse.  Fortunately God is still God.  God weeps with us.
God created ALL of us in God's image and we can grow into God's likeness by following Jesus's example.  And we are filled with the Holy Spirit who empowers us to treat ALL of God's in accordance with who they are --- GOD's children. 
Sometimes we forget that Christ is not Jesus's last name. 
Jesus is God come in the flesh.
Christ in the incarnation of God.
The first incarnation of God is creation.  We are called to be Christ in this world.
Now Jesus was different!  I mean, Jesus is God!  But Christ is a bigger thing.  It is complicated.  But it is an old alternative orthodoxy.  One book that really helps to break it all down is The Universal Christ.  I recommend this so highly.
I am scattered today.  I imagine we all are.
Much love,
Ing

3 and 1/2

All Your Twisted Secrets was a full four before the end for me...it just seemed to get a little text book with the Amber's thoughts at the end...but again, just me.  Kept my attention throughout though!  A good one for keeping ones mind off of the current state of the world and a really important message about bullying and social media...just a little too preachy I thought...at the end. 

Perhaps not the best time...

To go back and relisten to Life as We Knew It, the first in the Last Survivors series by the incredible Susan Beth Pfeffer.  I loved this series...and I still do...but it was more "real" listening to it now and I don't think it was good for my psyche-- except it WAS!  I mean, there is hope in this book, there is hope in the whole series. It is just so well done.   I wonder if SBP has had anything to say regarding parallels.  I know she retired in 2014, maybe?  Oh she has been active on Twitter!  I will have to follow her! 
In 2013 I had the total honor of meeting her at PLA...she was so so so so so cool and nice!!

Just finished rereading The Dead and the Gone.  Love this one, too.  But still...hard to read right now...

Wow...

Three Things I Know are True was so powerful. And so well written and so real and so timely and just so so good.  This is Betty Culley's first book and I see from her bio that she was a pediatric hospice nurse.  What a calling, huh?  One of my very dear friends was a hospice nurse and I think that it takes a very special person, someone who is very attune to the needs and feelings of others, plus someone with a TON of other gifts to serve in this way.
What a gift that Culley also is sharing her insights and gifts in writing. 
Such a heart-breaking, hellish, beautiful story. 

Very Cool

The third installment of The Perfect Score series, The Perfect Star was really, really good.  Again, Buyea took on important issues without it feeling forced or preachy.  Made it really real and again, the characters are really real.  Great, great series. 

Here's What Happened...

one summer at work we had this Summer of Wonder.  And it featured the book Wonder.  Now I have loved this book ever since I read the ARC.  Fell in love with it right away.  LOVED it.  But then the Summer of Wonder just killed it for me.  It was just...I don't know...the way we did it...ah...it is complicated.  But this doesn't take a way from what a great book it really is.  So when I saw White Bird, well I was still thinking of the Summer of Wonder and I really didn't want to read it.  No interest at all.  But man, man, man I am so glad I did.  I listened to it and I know it is a graphic novel and so I will read it, but man the audio was just powerful.  Especially Palacio's author's comments at the end.  IMPORTANT.  Please, please, please let us never forget.  It is happening again.  It is.  Please.  Speak up.  Please.  Love and love and love again.  And do not be afraid.  Do not let others prey on fear and turn us into people who devalue and dehumanize others.  We are all diversely created children of God.  Please, please do not be frightened into hardening your hearts.  Please do not be frightened into thinking that rights for all mean less rights for some.  That is how it begins.

Not a Fan of Wintergirls....

so that is why I was so late in reading this one even though I had heard really good things, but I am glad I did and I really did like Shout.  I like poetry and the message here is really important.  It is raw and honest and I did cry.  And I think that all young women and young men and old women and old men should read it.  And I am glad that Anderson has raised her voice.  There is just something about her writing that doesn't "5 Star" for me...and that is probably me, yes, I am sure it is.  But I will recommend this for sure. 

Not My Side

Shadow on the Mountain has nothing to do with My Side of the Mountain, which I couldn't get through to save my life.  SOTM was super good.  It is set in Norway after the Nazi occupation and it really asks some good questions and doesn't answer them, which is just what a great book with do, because there are no answers for some questions.  At least not easy ones.  I had forgotten Snow Treasure also takes place in Norway during the same time and I just read my adult take on that and I liked SOTM so much more. It was interesting to me to get some insight into why/how someone could side with the Nazis.  It still blows my mind.  The horror of it all.  But, for example, Aksel became a Nazi sympathizer because he was attempting to right the wrong of his father's death at the hands of the Russians.  So his hatred for the Russians led him to more hate and so on and so on.  It shows that hate begets hate and violence begets violence.  Ah and it is just awful because it still happens today.  SOTM was based on the real story of Erling Storrusten.

A Winner

in every sense of the word.  The Only Road is the first book and now I MUST read the sequel, The Crossroads.    TOR by Alexandra Diaz was named a Pura Belpré Honor Award for narration in 2017.  And may I just say in my humble opinion, it deserved it.  Don't know if this was 1954 because I have not yet read the winner, Juana & Lucas. 
This book is timely and heartbreaking.  And boy did I learn a great deal.  Jaime and his cousin travel from their home in Guatemala across the border to Mexico and then into the United States. 
Please note that in the past I have linked countries to the CIA World Fact Book.  I love this country.  But right now it is run by an administration that has proven time and time again to be untrustworthy, that is why I am not linking to them this time. 

Yeah...

In 2020 I have already read 1.5 David Levithan books.  He didn't show his disdain for we who are not in great physical shape in either!  Turning over a new leaf?  Or did you put some weight on, Mr. L.?  19 Love Songs is a collection of short stories and it was uneven.  Levithan appeals to me a lot more when he didn't clearly telling his own story.  The story about the love between his mom and dad and the one about a protest he attended after the 2016 election are exceptions.  The mom-dad was decent.  The protest one was excellent.  It made me remember our church's response to the election.  Offering prayer/support time for those who felt particularly threatened by the horrible, horrible person who took office.  It was such an awful time.  Here at work, too.  We were just devastated.  And what is worse, his time in office has turned out to be even more damaging and hate-filled than expected.  And we are in for many more years to come.
I will say it here, and I think I said it before, he will win this year and in 2024 he will win again.  People say, "that can't happen" but think of all of the things about which we have already said just that.  Yet his evil persists.  Not just his hate, but the hate his supporters show as well. 
The snow day story and the story about Infinite Darlene were really, really good.
The rest were okay but the ones about Levithan himself, I mean, I know even his fiction has parts of himself in it, but the ones that were clearly Levithan telling a personal story, I could barely get through them.   

I Swear

No, I am NOT a fan of David Levithan's view people who like I do.  And so if someone were to ask me, "Would you want to meet, have dinner with, hang out with David Levithan, I wouldn't even think about it.  No way.  I have had enough experience with bullying behavior in my life because of my weight na I am far too old to put myself in a position to experience any more!  But I have enjoyed his books.  Invisibility I didn't enjoy NOT because of Levithan.  Not because of Andrea Cremer (now Andrea Robertson)  It just wasn't my kind of book.  I wasn't expecting it to go the way it did. It reminded me of the Morpheus Road series.  While I loved the first, the second lost me and I never finished the trilogy!  Not because it wasn't good but because it just wasn't for me.
It seemed to me that there was an attempt at some deep stuff in here...about the main guy character not being able to see seen when he was concentrating too much on the girl.  It seemed to me a little lesson in "keeping your own candle it" when you do the unity candle at a wedding, not letting yourself disappear in your love for another, that kind of thing.  But then, I don't know...it was just not for me.  BUT I did like all of the character, I really did.  And Levithan didn't rip on anyone of size! Atta boy! 

Complicated

The love story in The Opposite of Always is complicated.  Aren't all love stories?  Isn't life complicated?  It is.  And this was a complicated and beautiful story.  It just seemed a wee bit too long for me, but I still would highly recommend it.  Faith and life and death and time travel and Groundhog Day and love all rolled into one. 

Spot on Dot

Dot Hutchinson is a new-to-me author and while the romance is something I can live without, I still found The Collector to be a very guilty-pleasure kind of read.  And I really enjoyed it!  I do wonder if agents really have this kind of relationship though...it does seem a little like Scooby Doo.  Still I loved them all!  Oh wait-wait!  I just discovered she is a YA author!  That makes sense!  I like it even more!  

Novels in Verse

Already have a leg up for me.  And I really liked House Arrest.  I need to listen to the second one, that came out last year.  Great story.  Really heart-felt and honest.  A good one for reluctant readers, too, I think.