The Kindness of Strangers

I'm not really sure where to begin with this one. I liked the book and I recommend the book, but I have to be careful here. One of the themes involves coping with and recovering from tragedy. One family is in the process of recovering from a father's death, while another family is hiding a deep, dark secret that will forcefully impact the first family. The mothers of each family are best friends, except mother #1 doesn't have a clue about mother #2's secret.  So how well does mother #1 know mother #2? It turns out not well at all!

I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, but I do want to warn any potential readers to proceed with caution. The subject matter doesn't produce warm and fuzzies, and at times it can be pretty unbearable. However, the writer did an AMAZING job capturing the essence of this subject. She is a middle school English teacher from Ohio. Her words will put you right there in each scene with the characters. You will love some and detest others. If you're like me, you might even find yourself crying loud, heavy sobs on your sunny deck while tears and snot stream down your face. (Luckily no neighbors popped over!)You will want to put your arm around the little boy, Jordan, and tell him you will make everything okay again. You will be more attuned to the signs and symptoms. And you'll probably pray for the safety of all children, for always.

Good luck. Feel free to pop back and share your response/reaction if you decide to read it.

For the Love of Pete

I grew up listening to the exasperated phrase, "For Pete's sake", but never "For the love of Pete" until one day during a morning meeting. I thought, What a cute saying!, and started using it. Then, almost a year later I happened upon this book in a library sale and picked it up for 50 cents. The cover is totally cute - a purple and white VW Beetle with a daisy on the hood - and obviously the price was right. I figured that the worst case would be it turned out to be a dud and I could pass it on to someone else who might enjoy it. It turned out to be pretty good. The writing was so-so  - how can I get paid to be a proof-reader??? - and some dialogue exchanges weren't completely believable. BUT the action-packed plot had me turning pages quickly. This is a fun, quick read that you could finish in one beach day sitting/laying. Check it out! What have you got to lose...for the love of Pete?!  :)

Wabi Sabi Love

by Arielle Ford

The full title of this book is actually Wabi Sabi Love: The Ancient Art of Finding Perfect Love in Imperfect Relationships 

According to Ford, Wabi Sabi is Japanese for  finding beauty in imperfection (I realize this is probably a loose translation). Ford maintains that this phrase, or idea, can be used to improve the relationships in one's life. For example, how one chooses to see things informs how they appear to him/her. For example, if a person focuses on what irritates him or her about a friend or partner, then they will view the relationship negatively. However, if a person chooses to view another person's differences in a positive light, that relationship will become better. Ford concludes that having differences is inevitable, but what matters most is how we manage the differences. She provides several different exercises throughout the book to help a person go from "annoyed" to "enjoyed", as well as how to more effectively communicate with friends and partners. I think this book could be useful to anyone who wishes to improve the relationships in their life.

A powerful quote included in the book is one by Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet and theologian: "Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."

Summer People

by Elin Hilderbrand    

I really like reading novels by Elin Hilderbrand (see previous posts for The Island and The Blue Bistro).
How does she pronounce her name, by the way? Is it like Ellen or is it with a long 'e' like Eelin?


Anyway, I found this book at the used book store and thought it would make a really good summer beach read (even if the closest 'beach' to me is Lake Ontario!) While I started reading it on the beach, I finished it in my bed, but the bulk of it was read on my deck with a cold drink in hand. This book (and others written by Hilderbrand) is set in Nantucket and all I REALLY want to do right now is go to Nantucket!! (My good friend is vacationing there right now and I am insanely jealous!) One day when I hit it big with my own novel I will buy a house in Nantucket and live out my summers there....oh, a girl can dream!

To the book....I had a difficult time getting into this one - maybe because there were teenagers involved? - but once I did I really struggled to put it down. Hilderband hit on some real issues facing this family - the death of a spouse, father and friend; teenagers and sexual responsibility; acceptance; forgiveness; family secrets; the past; and the question of how to move on after tragedy. The characters were so perfectly woven together, even their quirks seemed to bind them together by the end of the novel. It affirmed the beliefs that life does not stop for tragedy, and sometimes pain is necessary for growth. This was not a happy, feel-good story, but it does have a happy ending with good closure (as long as you read the Epilogue).

Happy reading!