All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was truly as good as the reviewers said it was. You will be sympathetic to all the characters, which means you will embrace both the good and bad of both sides of the war. It is so easy to vilify Germans in these World War II stories, yet they are people like you and me. The main characters are Marie-Laure, a young blind girl and Werner, an orphaned radio repair man.

As you get to know Werner, you begin to understand why he made his choice, and also to see that you may have made the same choice. As you get to know Marie-Laure, you feel her fear, and also, her courage. Werner's sister displays that innate sense of what is right and the ability to stay true to that. Marie's uncle, who becomes her caregiver after her father is captured, is both a coward and a hero.

The author allows us glimpses into their lives, the background story, if you will, of why they are who they are. You gain a sympathy and understanding for each of them. For me, this is part of what makes the story so powerful. Of course there is good and evil in the world, we see, read, and hear about the evil everyday. Somehow, evil becomes a country, or a people, or a political party. This story helps me to remember that it's individuals who make up the groups--perhaps, if we know their back stories, and help them in an appropriate way, they will have the power to change the evil into something good.


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He Is The Lamp for My Path

A Lamp Unto My Feet: The Bible's Light For Your Daily Walk by Elisabeth Elliot
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In ancient times a tiny clay lamp was sometimes fastened to the thong of a sandal so that the pool of light cast was sufficient only for a single step. The traveler took that step and found light enough for the next. So the psalmist wrote: "Thy Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light on my path."

This beginning passage charmed my soul. I am always a fan of Elisabeth Elliott's writings and this book did not disappoint. I love how she points always, to God and His word. In this book she gently reminds us that it is time alone with God and His Word that will equip us to live our lives. It's so difficult in this fast paced society to slow down and just be with God. She reminds us that:

Very possibly we often miss what God wants to show us because we don't take time to pray silently and watch quietly.

As I was browsing through my notes, I realize that I have practically highlighted the entire book!

The book is divided into months, and then homilies for each day of the month. I actually read it through over a period of days, rather than using it as a devotional. This book became a time of quiet and refreshment for me over my lunch time. It was a lovely way to slow myself down and recenter myself as one of God's children.


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An Old Fashioned Novel for Your Reading Pleasure

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this Lucy Montgomery book. It is very old fashioned--if you don't like old fashioned stories and writing, this book may not be for you.

Valency has taken a back seat all her life. Her mantra is pretty much, don't make waves, do what you are told. She's living in fear of breaking the rules and speaking her mind. She won't even change her hairstyle as her family expects her to be obedient and never change. To top it off, she is considered an unattractive old maid.

That all changes when Valency finds out that she should not expect to live a long life. In fact, she ends up proposing to a eccentric and wild bachelor, Barney Snaith. Barney accepts her proposal out of the kindness of his heart (I know, this is a little unrealistic, but I forewarned you this is an old fashioned book).

Barney and Valency live on Barney's personal island. It turns out to be a pretty idyllic life, at least for Valency who loves nature, privacy and being able to do whatever she wants.

There is an author that Valency loves, who comforts who hurt soul throughout the book. His name is John Foster. Foster seems to be a John Muir type character to me, and many of the descriptive passages he writes are shared throughout the book. For example

It is a pity to gather wood flowers. They lose half their witchery away from the green and the flicker. The way to enjoy wood flowers is to track them down to their remote haunts--gloat over them--and then leave them with backward glances, taking with us only the beguiling memory of their grace and fragrance."

Montgomery is the author of the popular Anne of Green Gables series. As I understand it this is her only novel for adults. The Blue Castle was a nice break from modern literature which seems to be moving away from using words in the more gentle and educated way of the past.



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Prue Sarn's Words of Wisdom

Precious Bane by Mary Webb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I discovered this book through a newsfeed of some sort, investigated it in Amazon and Goodreads (over 4 stars for both), and decided to give it a try.

Precious Bane was first published in 1924. The setting is Shropshire, England after the Napaleonic wars. I tell you this because I struggled with understanding some of the conversations at first, as the language used was representative of the time and people. Once I got to know Prue Sarn though, I was pulled into the story. There was a lot of descriptive narrative, and I skimmed through much of this as I was always eager to get into the heart of the story.

Prue was born with a hare-lip, and this caused her to be looked at with suspicion in the community. In fact, many thought her cursed and no-one ever expects that she will marry. Fortunately, Prue does meet a Prince Charming, although I will let you find out how this all comes about. .

What spoke to my heart throughout this book was Prue's innocence and wisdom. For example, regarding her hare-lip:

"It seems to me that often it's only when you begin to see other folks minding a thing like that for you, that you begin to mind it for yourself. I make no doubt, if Eve had been so unlucky as to have such a thing as a hare-lip, she'd not have minded it till Adam came by, looking doutfully upon her, and the Lord, frowning on His marred handiwork."

or, consider this, after an acquaintance remarked on the deformity:

"'A great affliction.' But afore she said it I'd forgotten it, so I hadna got it. I was out of the cage till she put me in again."

Isn't this just true? We ourselves, make the person with a handicapped more disabled because we insist on looking at the outside instead of the inside.

When Prue met her "maister" (the one she loved), she ponders:

"Times I wonder if heaven will be thus, a long gazing on a face you canna tire of, but must ever have one more glimpse."

Such a beautiful thought.

When her loved one was in danger, this is Prue's thought:

".. .it always seemed a strange thing to me that the Mother of Jesus could keep her hands off the centurion, and it could only have been because her Son had given orders afore. But indeed if it had been me, I think I should have forgot the orders."

I'm in danger of quoting so many things from this book, but I'll end with this one:

"There was a mommet once called Judas, and if he had started away from his set part in fear, we should none of us have been saved. Which is all a very strange mystery, and so we must leave it."

Indeed! These are the gems that kept me drawn in to the story. I'm very glad to have discovered this book.

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Three In One: A Story of a Bird, a Woman, and a Man

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a really excellent memoir. The author was really vulnerable about herself and the impact her father's death had on her life. She just pretty much lays it all out there. For me, that would be tremendously hard to do.

Additionally, the way Macdonald writes about birds of prey and their habits, was just so interesting and fascinating. Hawking seemed like a romantic sort of hobby to me, but it is really a lot of work for the owner. The building of trust between human and bird is a tenuous thing.

There's another layer of the story which is basically an autobiography of T.H.White, author of "The Once and Future King". The way she ties his story to her story was done pretty much seamlessly.

Her language is lovely:

"Looking for goshawks is like looking for grace: it comes, but not often, and you don't get to say when or how"

I highly recommend this book to the avid reader.


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A Satisfying Tale

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Webster: penumbra: something that covers, surrounds, or obscures :shroud (a penumbra of secrecy) )a penumbra of somber dignity has descended over his reputation — James Atlas.)

Until this very moment I had no idea what Penumbra meant, but after reading the last line of this book, I decided it had to mean something, and, what a perfect meaning it is.  It only adds to the smile of satisfaction I had when I read the last line of Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore.

I enjoyed every minute that I spent with Mr. Penumbra and his friends. What a mysterious place this bookstore is, and what curious people come to borrow the books from the “waybacklist”. Indeed, Mr. Penumbra’s bookstore is two bookstores in one. There is the bookstore that sells your “normal” books, and there is the “waybacklist” bookstore with books that engage and entice your curiosity. To tell you more would take away from the enigma that is Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore.

You will learn about Penumbra and his bookstore through the voice of Clay Jannon. Clay’s respect and affection for Mr. Penumbra and his friends grows throughout the story. Clay’s friends are intrigued by the bookstore and use their creativity to unravel the riddles that surround the bookstore. They are unique inidividuals who connect with each other through their relationship with Clay, and Clay’s relationship with Penumbra.

Some books just engage us from the first page all the way through to the end. I often speed through a book to find out what’s going to happen next! In my impatience, I will skip to the end and then go back and finish the book. Somehow, I innately knew that reading Penumbra in that way would ruin the story. I didn’t even want to rush through, but instead enjoyed each moment on the page in calm anticipation of what would happen next.  Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore was an entirely satisfying read.

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Bookstores, Readers, Mystery and Romance!

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A friend lent me this enjoyable book. It had charm, improbability, mystery, sadness and happiness. This is a book for readers.

Remember books and bookstores? I must confess I don't visit them so much anymore, but the author descriptions remind me what special places they are. I love the motto of The Island Bookstore: “No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World.

Recent research keeps pointing to the fact that readers have more empathy for those they meet on their life journey. Readers enter into another world, and become a part of it, and are changed by the story. You will see this transformation take place in at least one character in the story. Good stories entrance readers and that was certainly the case for me. I felt at home with the characters and the story.

Most chapters begins with a note from A. J. Fikry with a reference to an actual book--it's a sort of mini book review. I love it when an author weaves real stories/authors into stories and will be adding books to my to-read list. Some examples are Diamond as Big as the Ritz, The Girls in Their Summer Dresses, and What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. As I was reading, I saw these mini reviews as a charming intro to the chapter, however, when you finish the book, you will discover they have a much deeper meaning.

For a lovely afternoon interlude pick up a copy of "The Storied Life", and enter another world.


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