After a (long) hiatus to blogging, I am back simply because I need a space to write things down and reference back to! And because my one faithful reader (Patrick) wants to read it. Hi, boyfriend.
My summer was really wonderful. I lived in Seattle, worked at SPU as an event coordinator, nannied and house sat for one month. When I wasn't busy busy in the city, I was at the Oregon Coast enjoying time with the family or at Younglife's Washington Family Ranch working in the store.
When not working or playing with friends and family, I was reading. A lot. I read quite a few books this summer and wanted this first post back to the blog world to be about the various books I read. Reading allows me to dive in to another world, another time and another story. With that being said, I hope my love for some of these books (and confusion for some others) inspires you to enter a new world for a while.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen: a fascinating look at the depression in America and the reality of life in the circus during that time. While not based on a true story, this was a historical novel where you enter in to the life of Jacob Jankowski who joined the circus after a series of events in his personal life. Despite the nods to animal and substance abuse, this book was thought provoking and easy to dive in to. Sara Gruen paints word pictures that are easy to visualize. It didn't hurt I could picture Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson with every page I read, so watching the movie after finishing the book was a treat.
Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore: wow wow wow, everyone should read this book. It was such a beautiful memoir into the real-life friendship of wealthy businessman, Ron Hall, and the homeless man he met at the Union Gospel Mission, Denver Moore. This poignant, inspiring read was about the similarities between all people, despite background, race, or paycheck. Have tissues on hand for this one.
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins: myself and middle schoolers everywhere fell in love with this series by Collins and are eagerly awaiting the movie come March. All of my roommates have passed around these books and we will be hitting up that midnight premier when it's time. Let's get past the writing meant for a younger audience and go straight to the plot line: these books are crazy. The idea of kids entering a terrifying futuristic arena to kill one another increases my heart rate with every page turned. Knowing kids across America have picked up these books in record numbers makes me nervous. If you're wanting a quick easy read, pick up this series. Can't wait for March!
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller: Miller's writing is all over the place at times, but he looks so honestly at his own life, how can you not gain something profound from this book? After being asked to have a movie made after his life, Miller began to realize he wanted a life that was exciting to watch on film--a story worth watching. He decides to live a new story and ride his bike across America. The people he encounters along the way force him to look at his life differently. Short after this book, I, too wanted a story worth watching. A dip in Greenlake and chaos at a middle school camp rejuvenated me. For a new, honest look at your life, Miller will help point you in a new direction.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett: Like all middle-aged women in America, I fell in love with The Help. Historical fiction is always interesting and allows me to enter in to a different era and the reality that what I am reading really could have happened in a different time. The dialogue in this book was startling and forces me to constantly look outside myself in to the discrepancies still present between people. Similar to Same Kind of Different as Me, this book forces the reader to look at the world in a different way--to see the gap between people and work to bridge that. I loved that the way to bridge that gap in this book was through writing and literature. I was so excited to see the movie after finishing the book with my mom and our guys, and let me say, the movie was fantastic. I want to be best friends with Minny.
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay: If there was any book I would recommend from my summer of books it would be this one. This book satisfied my love of historical fiction (specifically World War II) and French (anything). De Rosnay wrote of the 1942 round up of Parisian Jews. Thousands were arrested, held at the Vélodrome d'Hiver (a stadium just outside of Paris), and eventually deported to Auschwitz. The book bounces back and forth from the prospective of an author living in present-day Paris and a little girl named Sarah who was arrested with her family in Paris in 1942. This book is profound and forces the reader to look at loyalties that span decades. While de Rosnay's actual story is fiction, the roundup was not fiction. Why had I never learned about this? Thought-provoking and a beautiful read. It's now on film, but first, borrow the book from my roommate, Hannah.
Passion & Purity by Elisabeth Elliot: This book is proof I was sorting through the book box at camp looking for a quick read. This was an ode to Elisabeth's late husband, Jim Elliot, who was a missionary killed in Ecuador in the 1950's. This book included beautiful, honest letters written from Jim to his future bride, Elisabeth. Overall, this book was a great reminder of what a true Christ-centered relationship looks like and how in all we do, our goal is to please Him above all else. Quite dated for a contemporary world, but beautiful and intriguing, nonetheless.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert: Let's me put this out there first: I am not in agreement with the idea of leaving one's marriage because of unhappiness to take life in a different direction. I'll be honest and say that I found the overall plot of this book incredibly selfish. However, there is definitely something to be said that travel allows you to see your life more accurately. I definitely agree that you need to get out of your everyday "going to the grocery store and bank" life, and get some perspective. What works for one doesn't always work for others. I read this book because it's wildly popular, I had seen the movie, and let's be honest, Gilbert is an excellent author. Her writing is absolutely hilarious and I was laughing through every chapter (bed buddy, Hannah, during that house-sitting time can attest to this). I found myself visualizing every instance she encountered and came to really like the main character. Not a mantra to adopt, but definitely a book worth reading.
Belle-mère by Kathleen Norris: My nose is currently in this book (and has been for 3 weeks). I found this at the outdoor book fair on our favorite coastal town during the 4th of July this summer. I bought it because it looked vintage and had a French title (mother-in-law). This book was published in 1936 and beautifully bound. After doing some research, I found that Norris was one of the most widely read and highest paid writers in America. This book, like her others, pushes the notion of a very modern woman for the time: one who is strong-minded and pushes for her own family ideals, even if they don't match the culture at large. I'm not going to lie, I want this book to be done, but considering I have the time these days to read for enjoyment, it is fun to dive in to quirky family drama from eons ago.
There you have it! A list of nearly all the books I read this summer. I'm tired from writing that, so I'm sorry if you're tired from reading it. Did I mention I'm not going to school this fall? I recently erased the four internship possibilities I had written for these three months from my four year plan (isn't that normal to have a four-year plan?) and wrote "nanny/barista/HAVE FUN!" So there you have it. I feel well.
Happy reading!
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