Oh, so many books I love lately. Brief list - The Vanderbeekers series by Karina Yan Glaser. Truly delightful middle grade novels about the adventures of a family of 5 kids, their parents, and their pets in an NYC brownstone. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr - story about a story and how it is passed from person to person, and what it means to each of them. No one does multiple-thread storytelling like Doerr, I liked this one even better than All The Light We Cannot See. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich - a bookseller is haunted by the ghost of a past customer. Set in Minneapolis from November 2019 to November 2020, it was amazing to read about events I remember (early COVID lockdowns, the murder of George Floyd) in a place I know and love through the lens of fiction. Finally, I read Klara and the Sun with Joy Clarkson's Patreon book club and that was good, but it made me seek out and read Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day, which was stunning. It was Austen-esque in its attention to detail, complex characters, and paced reveal of the storyline, and I can pay no higher compliment. Good luck with all your projects and jury duty Laura, I'm cheering for you!
Someone else suggested The Vanderbeekers - I'll have to check that out!
LOVED Cloud Cuckoo Land; right there with you. Doerr is a straight-up genius.
Can I admit that I tried The Sentence and really wanted to love it, but I could not get past the bizarre beginning? I need to give it another try, because I was drawn to it for all the reasons you named.
I've meant to read Remains of the Day for approx forever, so I'm adding this to my library list too. (Post-launch when I get my brain back.) Always grateful for your book suggestions!
I think you should definitely give it another try. The first 50 pages were my least favorite part for sure. And Remains of the Day isn't terribly long, my only time on jury duty I spent a lot of time sitting in a conference room reading and never got called to actually serve. Maybe that's how it will be for you!
What books would you recommend on the topic of grief? I am taking a social work class on Loss and Grief at a secular university and I want to do some parallel reading from the perspective of the Church. I'm planning on Making Sense of Suffering by Peter Kreeft but would love other recommendations.
Great question, Terry. Honestly I don't have go-to recommendations on theological books on grief in general, because sadly I haven't found any I loved. I'll check out the Kreeft book though - thank you. Many people love C.S. Lewis' "A Grief Observed." I think "Lament for a Son" is the most honest theological wrestling with grief I've ever read. (Mentioned it here: https://motheringspirit.com/2017/04/4-books-on-grief-youll-actually-love/) I'll let you know if others come to mind...would love to hear other people's suggestions, too.
Oh, so many books I love lately. Brief list - The Vanderbeekers series by Karina Yan Glaser. Truly delightful middle grade novels about the adventures of a family of 5 kids, their parents, and their pets in an NYC brownstone. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr - story about a story and how it is passed from person to person, and what it means to each of them. No one does multiple-thread storytelling like Doerr, I liked this one even better than All The Light We Cannot See. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich - a bookseller is haunted by the ghost of a past customer. Set in Minneapolis from November 2019 to November 2020, it was amazing to read about events I remember (early COVID lockdowns, the murder of George Floyd) in a place I know and love through the lens of fiction. Finally, I read Klara and the Sun with Joy Clarkson's Patreon book club and that was good, but it made me seek out and read Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day, which was stunning. It was Austen-esque in its attention to detail, complex characters, and paced reveal of the storyline, and I can pay no higher compliment. Good luck with all your projects and jury duty Laura, I'm cheering for you!
Someone else suggested The Vanderbeekers - I'll have to check that out!
LOVED Cloud Cuckoo Land; right there with you. Doerr is a straight-up genius.
Can I admit that I tried The Sentence and really wanted to love it, but I could not get past the bizarre beginning? I need to give it another try, because I was drawn to it for all the reasons you named.
I've meant to read Remains of the Day for approx forever, so I'm adding this to my library list too. (Post-launch when I get my brain back.) Always grateful for your book suggestions!
I think you should definitely give it another try. The first 50 pages were my least favorite part for sure. And Remains of the Day isn't terribly long, my only time on jury duty I spent a lot of time sitting in a conference room reading and never got called to actually serve. Maybe that's how it will be for you!
What books would you recommend on the topic of grief? I am taking a social work class on Loss and Grief at a secular university and I want to do some parallel reading from the perspective of the Church. I'm planning on Making Sense of Suffering by Peter Kreeft but would love other recommendations.
Great question, Terry. Honestly I don't have go-to recommendations on theological books on grief in general, because sadly I haven't found any I loved. I'll check out the Kreeft book though - thank you. Many people love C.S. Lewis' "A Grief Observed." I think "Lament for a Son" is the most honest theological wrestling with grief I've ever read. (Mentioned it here: https://motheringspirit.com/2017/04/4-books-on-grief-youll-actually-love/) I'll let you know if others come to mind...would love to hear other people's suggestions, too.