G is for Graceful Recovery

Well, F must be for "Failing to write a post for the letter F" so I'm going to make a smooth move and continue on like nothing ever happened. 

Like what ever happened? Yes, I'm that good. 

So, my G is actually for "Good books" because I, like most of the people participating this year, love a good read. (Not to be confused with GoodReads the website. Which.. I might boycott.) 

Anyway, I joined a book club when we moved to Florida because I wanted to be able to meet people and have a reason to leave the house other than grocery shopping. (And not at all because I'm desperate to make quick friends because I am running low on time with the Sarge. Not at all.) Anyone who has known me since college will know that I don't read much fiction. I love reading, but I am usually so weighed down with theology reading and leading small groups and trying to figure out what a good "quiet time" looks like that my library does not see many genres. I am happy reading apologetic literature, don't worry. In fact, I will often select the next Beth Moore or John Piper or Rob Bell (just kidding) before even thinking about what kind of fiction to read. 

Now, I have read some fiction books due to popularity (ahem, Twilight), but I almost never read fiction otherwise. I think that is a great reason to join a book club!

I have never read a book I didn't like. That doesn't mean that I don't think there are bad books... The bad ones just get put down forever. Otherwise, I enjoy everything I read. They aren't all literary genius (ahem... Twilight) but it's easy to draw me into a story. I get attached to characters and ride their ups and downs with a sympathetic heart. The last book we read was Beautiful Creatures, and, even though it's a total Twilight-esque story, I found myself wanting Ethan and the girl to make it. But these are just fun reads -- they take a day or two to get through and then I want to see the movie. 

But some books are fantastic. I have read a few of those, The Time Traveler's Wife and Redeeming Love being just two examples. These are books that I reflect on for years to come, still enamored with their stories. The ones I read and reread with the same vigor. The ones that still surprise me and engage me. They may not be Pulitzer Prize books to anyone else, but they are personal prizes.

The book we read for this month was The Kitchen House and I LOVED it. 

via bn.com

I think it will make that list of books that spoke to me in a way that can't be described to someone who doesn't love the pages of a book like I do, that can't be understood unless you've cried for a character. (Yes. Cried. Don't judge.) I probably would not have picked it up myself, but I am so glad I read it. It's the story of an orphaned Irish girl who becomes a servant on a tobacco plantation in the late 1700s. Is it a Pulitzer Prize winner? I'm not sure. Is it historically accurate? I don't know. But I do know something about slavery and I thought the author handled the telling of the story well. I get bent out of shape when non-blacks write about slavery and racism (ahem, The Help), and I suppose that's a deeply ingrained and owned sadness over the plight of the black man in the United States. But that's another post. Kathleen Grissom wrote well and I'm pleased to have this book in my library.

What are some of your favorite books? I'm always looking for something new to help me get away!


I'll see you tomorrow, and my G favorites will be back :)