Good books!

I’d like to give you a peek at some of the good books I’m reading right now–from children’s books to fiction to spiritual growth. They’re worth your time!

(Click a cover to view the book on amazon.com–you may be able to look inside!)

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To Be a Slave, by Julius Lester (non-fiction)

• Mr. Lester’s purpose in writing was to bring into light the “black literature” buried in archives and libraries. It’s a book of quotations, a look at slavery through the words of ex-slaves.
• “Pa said ol’ massa and ol’ miss looked like their stomachs and guts had a lawsuit and their navel was called in for a witness, they was so sorry we was free.” p. 139

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The Once and Future King, by T. H. White (fantasy)

• A classic retelling of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. (Let’s just say I’ve enjoyed this one a time or two before.) It’s the first book I ever read in which the characters were fully Real… not all good or all bad, but a complex human mixture. I love White’s masterful interplay of classic-romantic with modern-hilarious.

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Adoption: Choosing It, Living It, Loving It, Dr. Ray Guerendi (personal growth)

• This one taught me a lot about adoption but more about mothering. I like Dr. Guerendi’s humor and common sense.

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Journey, by Aaron Becker (picture book)

• A most lovely children’s book: whimsical, wordless, satisfying. The stellar illustrations won a 2014 Caldecott Honor.

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Locomotive, by Brian Floca (picture book)

• And here’s the 2014 Caldecott winner! A charming look at western travel in the days of steam locomotives, including landmarks and eating houses along the way.

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Farm, by Elisha Cooper (picture book)

• I’ve mentioned this one before. But we’re still reading it, and we still love it. A realistic and understated look at modern farming–the farmer with his cellphone and air-conditioned cab, but the weather and animals just as delightful/unpredictable as in the days of Farmer Jones.

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The Freddy Books, by Walter R. Brooks (juvenile fiction)

• Though the Freddy Books were written in the mid-1900’s, I just discovered them in the audio section of our library. And then on the bookshelves. We love them.

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Witness, by Karen Hesse (juvenile fiction)

• I first loved Out of the Dust, by the same author. Witness is the story of a small Vermont town pushed about by the coming of the Ku Klux Klan. Written in Hesse’s signature free verse… a surprisingly big story in a surprisingly few words.

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Good and Angry, by Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller (personal growth)

• What was anger created for? Does it have a purpose? Read and find out…

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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne (historical fiction)

• The story of an odd friendship between a boy in Auschwitz, and a boy outside Auschwitz. Perhaps the naïve people and unguarded conditions couldn’t have happened quite so; but I do not think Mr. Boyne’s point was to create a factual story. He wanted to capture an emotional truth, and he succeeded. He says, “I believed that the only respectful way for me to deal with this subject was through the eyes of a child, and particularly through the eyes of a rather naïve child who couldn’t possibly understand the terrible things that were taking place around him.” It’s a book that makes you think about fences.

*****

Your turn! What are you reading? I do love a good book recommendation…

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