Top Five No. 6

Somehow, nearly a year has gone by since I shared any good books on here. Today is the day to fix that. 

At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe

by Tsh Oxenreider

Tsh and her husband Kyle had three children under ten when they decided to backpack around the world for nine months. They visited four continents and nearly twenty countries. She doesn't sugar coat the challenges of traveling with small children but emphasizes the wonderful way that children force us to slow down and be truly present where we are. She also probes the question of what home means when you have sold your physical home to wander across the globe. This is a fascinating read about the diversity and beauty of cultures.  

Station Eleven

by Emily St. John Mandel

I read this sci-fi/dystopian novel back in January and it changed my preconceived ideas of that genre. It explores what the world would look like if a flu wiped out the majority of the population and destroyed all of our modern technology. What and who would survive? What would be important? The author's ability to weave together multiple story lines blew my mind. 

(I will add that when our own pandemic hit in March, I kept telling Chad that real life was starting to feel way too much like Station Eleven. Experiencing a pandemic shortly after reading about a pandemic was a very odd coincidence.)

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

by Stephen King

I have the goal of reading several nonfiction books about writing, creativity, and art this year. While I wouldn't recommend Stephen King's horror novels, he offers practical advice on sticking to the work even when it would make perfect sense to quit.  

Les Misérables

by Victor Hugo

I will always remember Les Misérables as the book I read during the Covid-19 shut down. Coming back to its themes of hope and redemption in the face of impossible circumstances was the perfect way to end each day. I wrote more about my thoughts on this book in a previous post titled, "A Letter to the Author."

The Remarkable Ordinary: How to Stop, Look, and Listen to Life

by Frederick Buechner

I read this book in preparation for an article I was writing for Daughters of Promise. I kept reaching for a pen to underline and I know it will be one of the few book that I reread. I've been thinking a lot about what it means to live with our hearts and eyes wide open to the life right in front of us. Buechner put into words many of the thoughts that I was struggling to articulate. 

Happy reading friends!