Compilation: 10 Books on Perseverance

Life can easily knock you down. I'm all too familiar with temptations to give up. To call it a day. To put down the pen. To cease to strive. But, perseverance is so important. 

The other day, I saw this John Greenleaf Whittier poem:

So, if you're needing encouragement and a pep talk to persevere, here are some books I've read on perseverance:

1. Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic
2. Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris
3. Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic
4. Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven
5. Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson
6. Master of One by Jordan Raynor
7. Win the Day by Mark Batterson
8. Grit by Angela Duckworth
9. It's Not Your Turn by Heather Thompson Day
10. Fighting Forward by Hannah Brencher 

Book Review: The Words We Lost

With The Words We Lost, author Nicole Deese is now on my radar! She provides a clean read with emotionally stirring relationships. Add in redemption, and I'm sold. This book is what Christian fiction ought to be. The captivating tale gently carries the message of God's love for people and His purpose for pain. I agree whole-heartedly with one of the many endorsements, "The Words We Lost is a poignant masterpiece. Intertwined with grief and hope, friendship and family... and a God who gathers us up with tender strength and begins to heal. This story strikes a chord that will resonate long and deep in the very best, most beautiful ways." - Amanda Dykes, author of All the Lost Places

What could be more devastating than an author's death just before she completes the ultimate book in a riveting series? We readers can be a demanding bunch. Imagine that: the words we long to read, lost for all time. But what if that author was your best friend and favorite client? When that grief sucker-punches, your universe could collapse. Things you once took for granted, like the thrill of reading, might just wash away with the tide.

Ingrid Erikson is the acquisitions editor responsible for giving the world the books of Cecelia Campbell. In the months following Cecelia's death on the operating table, Ingrid struggles to complete the responsibilities of her job. Not to mention, the new supervisor is breathing down her neck to locate Cecelia's final missing manuscript. Despite searching, Ingrid does not know where the manuscript is hiding. 

Then Cecelia's cousin Joel shows up with the legal news of Cece's parting wish. But Joel's very presence rekindles the deep pain that he caused Ingrid in the past. Plus, returning to their childhood town will stir memories she'd like to remain buried. Can Ingrid and Joel set aside their differences to receive and deal with the mysterious package Cece left behind for them? Will this mutual goal make up for broken promises? Will it reveal the truth hidden in the past? 

Deese's story elements carry beautiful meaning. I loved the description of sea glass as a reminder that "no heartache has ever gone unseen, and no darkness is ever too solid for light to overcome." Another favorite line? "God is often made visible by the hands and feet of the people he places in our lives." I enjoyed so many aspects of this novel. It offers realistic, burdened characters. The book is a story within a story. The path to redemption is long and weaving, but every step is satisfying. In the last pages of the book, the author acknowledges the personal pain her sister's death brought her. From that space of grief came this beautiful novel. While not often a romance reader, I would be happy to dive into the words of Nicole Deese again.

Book Review: Five Feet Apart

Two of my friends have grandchildren who battle cystic fibrosis. I knew it brings difficulty in breathing because of mucus that concentrates in the lungs. Still, I didn't know much about the disease. This young adult novel, Five Feet Apart, by Rachael Lippincott, will go far to raise awareness. The book has won several awards. It earned the Goodreads Choice Winner for Best Young Adult fiction in 2019 and the YALSA 2020 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.

Crippled by perilous lungs, Stella Grant meticulously follows her regimen. She avoids any known contaminants to keep herself viable on the lung transplant list. When she encounters Will Newman at the hospital, she knows she should run the other way. Yet, she's determined to break through his callous disregard for his cystic fibrosis. All Will wants to do is unplug from all the machines and live his life with abandon. As their relationship develops, it sweeps them closer and closer emotionally, yet they must always remain six feet apart physically. With so much restricting them, they assume they can afford to steal one foot of distance from the general constraint.

This story sucks the reader in. I learned a great deal about this disease and the many challenges it presents. My heart goes out to these young people and their constant battle against lungs that betray them. The authors nailed the character development and the plot pacing. At first, I didn't care for Will. His arrogant personality, abrasive tone, and foul language turned me off. But I came around to like him. I hung on every word when Stella's life hung in the balance. The book has a somewhat happy ending, but it contains cautionary content along the way.

After finishing the book, I located the movie version (which came out in 2019). While the ending is different, I enjoyed the movie. It is a tear-jerker and tugs at the emotions more than the book. It has a positive message: take time to show your love to others with the powerful power of touch. They mention sex several times in the movie. Although, the closest Will and Stella get to this is a scene where they strip down to their underwear in front of one another. Still, parents should know of this compromising content. Apparently, a sequel for the movie is in the works. It will be called All This Time.  

Book Review: The Wager

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann showed up on my library's recent acquisitions list. I had heard good things about his book, Killers of the Flower Moon, but that topic wasn't stirring me enough. This seemed to suit my interests more. What an absorbing read! Like I've done with Hillenbrand's Unbroken and Brown's Under a Flaming Sky, I couldn't help but read passages aloud to my sons and husband. Fascinating!

As the story goes, in 1738, a Spanish officer supposedly cut off a British officer's ear. This triggered the "War of Jenkins' Ear." England was desperate to retaliate and assert their imperial superiority. They sent a vessel, the Wager, among a fleet of ships, pursuing a Spanish galleon rumored to hold untold treasure. Thousands of sailors set out on this secret mission; only hundreds returned.

After navigating the treacherous route around Cape Horn, the ship hit a rocky bottom near a deserted island. Food supplies dwindled, morale declined, and anarchy threatened. This book isn't for the faint-hearted. It details amputation, scurvy, and all manner of deaths at sea. Thanks to Grann's narrative skill, you get a feel for the diverse personalities at play in this drama of high stakes. 

The inside cover aptly proclaims: "His portrayal of the castaways' desperate straits stands up to the classics of survival writing such as The Endurance, and his account of the court-martial has the savvy of a Scott Turow thriller. As always with Grann's work, the incredible twists of the narrative hold the reader spell-bound." I devoured this book in a few days. It was impossible to look away.

Mid-month Mention: When There Are No Words

I fell in love with Andrew Peterson's work bit by bit - first through his song, "Is He Worthy?", at the Sing Festival. Then I learned about his Rabbit Room blog when reading and reviewing Leif Enger's book, Virgil Wander. I also watched Peterson's address at the 2017 C. S. Lewis Summer Institute on "Calling and the Kingdom of God.". Next, I encountered his books on creativity, Adorning the Dark and The God of the Garden (both of which I highly recommend). Although I knew about the Rabbit Room, I only recently discovered the Rabbit Room Chinwag Facebook group. I joined and now I receive "rabbity posts" every day from like-minded creatives.

One of the members of the group, Michael J. Tinker, is a songwriter with a new album called, "When There Are No Words." I was drawn to this title, since it expresses the same sentiment as my tag line for my book, Watching the Wayward: Psalms for Parents of Prodigals. Apparently, he is starting a podcast by the same name. The podcast offers interviews with artists exploring grief and hope in their work. I listened to the first episode, an interview with Andrew Peterson, and deemed it worth the hour spent! There are already three more interviews available, as well: Sara Groves, Douglas McKelvey, and Jamin Still. I'm so happy I happened upon the Chinwag group and this new podcast in particular. Check it out!

Book Review: Klara and the Sun

I longed for another chance to visit the welcoming library book club I took part in last November. The December meeting was a Christmas party gathering, and I didn't feel comfortable enough in the group yet for a more intimate setting. Then, the books they selected for January through April were unappealing to me. Finally, on the May docket, I saw a Kazuo Ishiguro novel, Klara and the Sun. It looked promising because I had enjoyed Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. I arrived to find a tiny group this time and an unfamiliar group leader. Based on this solitary return, I'm guessing the previous group dynamics have shifted.

In Klara and the Sun, we meet a highly perceptive AF (Artificial Friend). Josie picks Klara, but must convince her mother to make the purchase. The mother, to seal the deal, asks Klara to imitate Josie's walk. Since Klara gives a satisfactory imitation, Klara comes to their home to befriend and watch over Josie. Over time, we come to understand why the mother is interested in Klara's ability to mimic Josie. Lots of agendas co-exist: Klara has an agenda (secure the sun's favor to heal Josie's illness); Josie has an agenda (finagle a way to spend her life with the ordinary boy next door); the mother has an agenda (safeguard herself from future loss), the boy next door has an agenda (free himself from everyone else's expectations). Even the author has an agenda.

The title stems from Klara's belief in the sun's ability to heal Josie from illness. Klara is solar-powered. After observing a drunk, seemingly dead, rise with the morning's light, she considers the Sun a deity. She infers that by offering the Sun a favor (sabotaging a polluting machine) then the Sun will work its healing powers to save Josie's life. One book club member pointed out, it was clearly implying the Sun as God and the AF as short-sighted Christians who ridiculously believe in God's power to heal. It blatantly mocked this belief.

Of course, this rankles. Belief in God is not a foolish inference. I didn't appreciate the implication that my prayers are like the AF's ill-founded superstition that the Sun/God will intervene. Plenty of instances exist where prayer has significantly improved the lives and health of individuals. But, this is just one topic of discussion among the many this book prompted.

While it was a worthwhile reading investment, it wasn't my "favorite book of all time," as that one book club member declared from her perspective. (Methinks she, too, came at this with an agenda, as evidenced by her vehemence against Christians). Still, it was a veritable minefield of discussion topics. Our world is careening toward incorporating Artificial Intelligence. Is this good or bad? Are we headed for improvements because of their use, or will it create unanticipated problems? While Klara is a devoted robot, who is to say all robots will function in that complimentary and loyal way? What if they go rogue?

What makes a person a person? Is it something inherent in them you can never replace? Is it the love other people hold for that individual? Could we love an artificial embodiment of a lost child? Is that a healthy thing? Or is it healthier to grieve the loss as best we can and remember the happy times spent together? To what extent might I go to replace a beloved and deceased child?

Are we trying to play God? Is there ever a time when our playing God works out well? We even had a tense discussion about assisted suicide. Unhappy with God's determination of the number of our days, do we simply take matters into our own hands and cut short His intentions?

Isn't that the sin problem in a nutshell? We want to be the god of our own lives. As a believer, I cannot endorse any attempt to usurp God's role or authority. Indeed, there were many ideas conjured in this book that gave me pause. Kazuo Ishiguro is a winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. He has earned his billing as an outstanding writer. His stories cause the reader to ruminate. If only more authors had such skill. But the hostility expressed against believers seems indicative of the coming persecution.

As I left the book club meeting, I thought my silence hid my umbrage at this woman's articulation against "religious" people. Then, I looked down and realized I was wearing a t-shirt with "United in the Gospel" emblazoned across the front. No, I'm pretty sure she knew her comments offended me. She didn't care.

Book Review: Sea of Tranquility

I seldom read science fiction/fantasy books. Just not my thing. However, I enjoy some time travel premises. So, I took a gamble on Emily St. John Mandel's Sea of Tranquility. Back in 2015, my book club read Station Eleven. The hold list was long. Thus, I read it many months prior to the discussion. I must have missed the meeting because I have no recollection of what the others thought. Given my lack of enthusiasm for Station Eleven, I never investigated this author's more recent fare. I liked Sea of Tranquility more than Station Eleven. Is this because I have now lived through a pandemic? To be honest, I don't enjoy reading about this subject. Somehow, this book reeled me in and I felt it was worth the time invested.

The back cover promises "a virtuoso performance that is as human and tender as it is intellectually playful." I enjoyed the playful premise. The Time Institute sends Gaspery Roberts to investigate an anomaly involving video footage in a forest and the distant sound of a violin. They know the violinist. Gaspery's first assignment is to interview this individual. Of course, time travel is dangerous. Things altered can alter the future. Can one really go back with the knowledge of an individual's immanent death and yet not intervene to save the life?

While the book sometimes confused me, it was coherent enough to follow. I appreciated the struggle of the author on a book tour, wishing to be home with her family instead of the bondage of promoting her book. Even though the pandemic bits hit a little too close to home for me to enjoy, I tolerated those details and remained fully engaged. When the details all came together, the satisfaction made the audio book worth the listen. 

Book Review: The Truth According to Us

At 19 hours long, The Truth According to Us is quite a reading investment. But, the author is Annie Barrows, who wrote The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I enjoyed that, so I expected to enjoy this one, too. Annie Barrows is also the author of a beloved series my younger boys and I devoured back in the day, the Ivy and Bean series. She comes with credentials.

Yet, I wasn't a fan of this one. Perhaps the whiny, high-pitched voice of the Willa character soured me. It took forever to build to the climax of the story, a full 13 CDs. But 2 CDs remained. The ending didn't satisfy me either. After the volatile high-point, the rest of the story whimpered to an end. If I was after a happy ending, this wasn't the right book.

Layla Beck's senator father is furious when she refuses to marry the suitor he has selected. He cuts her off and sends her to work for her keep with the Federal Writers' Project, writing a history for Macedonia, West Virginia. It is a hot summer in 1938. Layla boards with the colorful Romeyn family. Jottie Romeyn cares for her nieces, Willa and Bird. 12-year-old Willa is determined to figure out the truth about everything. But the truth lies entrenched in this quirky family. What is the devastating event in the past? Thankfully, the mystery of that event held my interest and kept me listening, despite the length of the book and my hesitant involvement.

Apart from curiosity about the truth in the past, I didn't feel invested. Nor did I love the characters. It just didn't click for me with this book. I'm not ready to give up on Annie Barrows' books. She's proven her skills before. I much preferred the Guernsey book to this one. 

Content caution: language

Book Review: Beyond That, the Sea

I'm thrilled this book suggestion appeared on my library's recent acquisitions list. After reading loads of non-fiction books, I longed to dip into a novel again. While not as drawn to World War II novels as my sister is, I am often on the lookout for books to suggest to her. She is a Salvation Army officer, so her reading time is minimal. Directing her to an outstanding book feels great.

In her debut novel, Beyond That, the Sea, Laura Spence-Ash stirs so many relatable emotions. She explores an aspect of the war that I find interesting (separating children from parents for safety's sake). Beatrix Thompson is eleven when her parents send her to live in the United States for the duration of the war. She blends into the Gregory family, fitting between a son, William, two years older, and a son, Gerald, two years younger than her. In many ways, Nancy and Ethan Gregory provide Beatrix with an idyllic life, far different from her London life. She enjoys summers at their island home in Maine. She learns to swim. But, always beneath the surface, is the tension of determining where she belongs.

I loved exploring the emotions each parent experiences. The Thompsons give up precious years with their daughter. The Gregorys open their home and lives to someone else's child, knowing full well that her return to London is inevitable. It was fascinating to walk a mile in their shoes. One mother resents the luxuries the other can provide. The other mother embraces the opportunity to parent a daughter in a house of only sons. 

Now I want to explore this historical experience further. What must it have been like to cross the ocean alone, as a child? Or to give up your child to others out of concern for their safety? And how do you live for a spell in another environment, then fold back into your old life in your country of origin? Mrs. Thompson resents her husband for sending Beatrix away. Mr. Gregory worries his wife is growing too attached to this temporary daughter.

The author divides the book into three sections: 1940-1945, 1951, and 1960-1965, with one final chapter from 1977. A timeline at the bottom of the page helps keep the reader grounded in the timeframe. Gripping tension keeps the reader turning pages. I agree with the front cover summary: "As we follow Bea over time, navigating between her two worlds, Beyond That, the Sea emerges as a beautifully written, absorbing novel, full of grace and heartache, forgiveness and understanding, loss and love." Beatrix is an endearing character, and I relished this opportunity to sit in her nostalgia and divided longings. Here's a link to the brief trailer from its recognition as a Good Morning America Buzz Pick.