“We read to know we are not alone.” – C.S. Lewis.
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Other than my dog Callie, bookworms are my favorite animals. Kidding. But I do find it funny that they not only live in books, they eat books. I do that too. Eat books up (munch munch munch). Books are like most things in life. What you enjoy reading depends deeply on you as a person. Only you know what moves you, heals you, and gives you insight. Here are a few books you'll find in my library:
Expecting Adam (by Martha Beck)
Two Harvard academics. Classes. Dissertations. Biweekly commutes to Asia. Then, an unborn son with Down syndrome. John and Martha Beck are already trying to manage their marriage and toddler under the insurmountable stress of Harvard when they discover the news. This is the story of their painful struggle as they unlearn the rules of academia in order to receive their greatest education of all. www.MarthaBeck.com
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life (by Amy Krouse Rosenthal)
A memoir organized like an encyclopedia. Brilliant. Why didn’t I think of this idea? In this book, the writer shares stories from her childhood as well as her present day life as a wife and mother of three. With a great sense of humor, Amy demonstrates the value of ordinary moments. www.EncyclopediaofanOrdinaryLife.com. In a similar vein I enjoyed The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs.
A Million Little Pieces (by James Frey)
I picked up this book and hours later found myself hungry and exhausted (it was the middle of the night). I’m pretty sure I kept turning pages even as I walked to the bathroom. From the moment he “comes to” after a mysterious incident until the day he leaves the recovery center, Frey takes his readers on a raw and painful journey of healing. By the end of the book I found myself caring not only for the narrator, but for all his friends in rehab. www.BigJimIndustries.com
I Loved a Girl (by Walter Trobisch)
After committing adultery, a young African man named François is fired from his job. With no one else to turn to, he writes a letter to a missionary (Trobisch) who befriended him as a child. Trobisch writes back and opens the door to a series of correspondence that is honest and insightful. Along with the confusing aspects of his culture, François wrestles with concepts that are universal: love, sex, relationships, God, and most importantly, forgiveness.
A Year by the Sea (by Joan Anderson)
This is not simply a book to read and then return to the bookshelf. Instead, I couldn’t help but take certain passages away, ponder them in my heart, and take my own walks on the beach. www.JoanAndersonOnline.com
The Daily Bible (as narrated by F. LaGard Smith)
LaGard Smith's narration in The Daily Bible is a huge help to anyone trying to navigate the Good Book. I love it not only because it presents the bible in chronological order (so that it reads like a story), but because Smith's commentary is thought-provoking and helps the reader understand what is happening in the historical context of that time.
The Fox Trot Collection (by Bill Amend) and The Far Side series (by Gary Larson)
These cartoonists prove laughter really is the best medicine.
Some More Favorites . . .
- The Alchemist (by Paulo Coelho)
- Angela's Ashes (by Frank McCourt)
- Augusta, Gone (by Martha Tod Dudman)
- Bastard Out of Carolina (by Dorothy Allison)
- Blackbird (by Jennifer Lauck)
- The Bitch in the House (edited by Cathi Hanauer)
- The Collector (by John Fowles)
- Death Be Not Proud (by John Gunther)
- Dove (by Robin Lee Graham)
- Driving with Dead People (by Monica Holloway)
- Eric (by Doris Lund)
- Flowers for Algernon (by Daniel Keyes)
- Gift from the Sea (by Anne Morrow Lindbergh)
- Girl, Interrupted (by Susanna Kaysen)
- The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing (by Melissa Bank)
- I Don't Know How She Does It (by Allison Pearson)
- In the Shadow of Man (by Jane Goodall)
- The Intern Blues (by Robert Marion)
- Into Thin Air (by John Krakauer)
- To Kill a Mockingbird (by Harper Lee)
- The Kitchen God's Wife (by Amy Tan)
- Lucky (by Alice Sebold)
- Lucy (by Jamaica Kincaid)
- Memoirs of a Geisha (by Arthur Golden)
- The Merry Recluse (by Caroline Knapp)
- My Own Country (by Abraham Verghese)
- The Nanny Diaries (by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus)
- One Child (by Torey Hayden)
- One L (by Scott Turow)
- A Prayer for Owen Meany (by John Irving)
- Self Help (by Lorrie Moore)
- Sunshine (by Norma Klein)
- The Things They Carried (by Tim O'Brien)
- A Three Dog Life (by Abigail Thomas)
- Traveling Mercies (by Anne Lamott)
- The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath (edited by Karen V. Kukil)
- Undercurrents (by Martha Manning)
- Walking on Water (by Madeleine L’Engle)
- Walking Through the Fire (by Laurel Lee)
- Wasted (by Marya Hornbacher)
- When the Heart Waits (by Sue Monk Kidd)
- Without a Map (by Meredith Hall)
- Women Who Run With the Wolves (by Clarissa Pinkola Estes)
- Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now (by Maya Angelou)
