book recs

I've been wanting to blog, but ⎼ cue the unoriginal excuses ⎼ summer is a very busy time, blah blah blah.  Plus, I've been wanting to "mix up" my content (as in, to not only write movie-themed things).  So, I decided that a quick post sharing some of the books I've enjoyed/thought about recently might be fun.

I'm sharing content concerns for all applicable books; and just to avoid confusion, when I mention "strong language," that typically includes God's name in vain as well as swearing.

✾ The Light Between Oceans {M.L. Stedman}

 

This book has stayed with me for two years now (though I haven't reread it yet).  It's heart-wrenching in a way that most stories I've experienced have not been, and it's one of the few stories whose "moral dilemma" premise is actually compelling as such.  Sure, there may be an "objectively" correct solution; but since Stedman steeps you so inextricably strongly in the individual, personal circumstances of all involved, she actually succeeds in tangling you up inside at the prospect of that solution being implemented.  But she also tangles you up inside at the prospect of that solution not being implemented.  She truly makes you feel the emotional "impossibility" of the conundrum; and she does so in such a loving and quietly searing way that I'm still in awe all these months later.

Tl;dr: If you want to break your own heart a little bit ⎼ but in a surprisingly productive way ⎼ give this book a try.  I know everyone has different "tragedy flavor" preferences (as a friend of mine so astutely described them), but I can definitely tell you that the ending is "worth it" for me.  It's not a happy story, but it's not a nihilistic story, either.

*Content: Brief & infrequent sexual remarks or situations in the context of a married couple (not graphic).  Brief strong language.  Brief discussion of violence, suicide, war experience.

✾ The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane {Kate DiCamillo}

SWEET MERCY. *cries a little bit*

Another heartbreaking book, but in a much gentler and much more hopeful way.  I would recommend it with pretty much no reservations or qualifications.

"You must be filled with expectancy.  You must be awash in hope.  You must wonder who will love you, whom you will love next."

✾ The Forgotten Beasts of Eld {Patricia A. McKillip}

I. loved. this. book.

I don't often "explore" within the fantasy genre, but when I do find a new-to-me offering that speaks to me . . . does it ever speak to me.

This was one of those rare and beautiful instances.  I loved the legendary feel of it, and the way the characters were presented as flawed, and the way those flaws were resolved.  The topic of revenge is explored in a beautifully, surprisingly wholesome way, only tied up at the very end but tied up so very wonderfully.

*Content: Brief sexual implications, typical of folklore/legend (not graphic).  Magic (limited to those born with it).  Brief violence (not graphic, that I can recall?).  Fear and the danger of it is a plot element, as well, which can be disturbing.

✾ Thank You, Jeeves {P.G. Wodehouse}

Jeeves & Wooster can be straight-up therapy in general, but this installment in particular had me shaking.  So, so funny, and so wholesome.  God bless Wodehouse for gifting the human race with his genius.

*Content: Very mild language.  A "blackface" incident that's played for laughs.

✾ The Princess Bride {William Goldman}

Okay, okay, I'm sorry.  I'll stop hurling this book in your faces eventually.  Maybe.  (Probably not.)

BUT IT'S REALLY GOOD, OKAY??  AND IT'S REALLY UNDERAPPRECIATED.  AND I'D LIKE TO REMEDY THAT.

It's both layered and light-hearted, so, basically, you should read it.

*Content: Brief strong language, brief innuendo (not graphic), violence (not graphic).

✾ Small Damages {Beth Kephart}

This is such a golden, limpid, atmospheric book with a great (and unusual) pro-life message, whether intentionally or not.  The characters are sketched subtly and sparingly, but they spring up fully developed and winsome.  Highly recommend.

*Content: Brief & infrequent strong language, explanations of past sexual relationships (not graphic).

✾ Till We Have Faces {C.S. Lewis}

Honestly, fam . . . I'm toying with the idea that this is the best, highest-quality fiction book I've ever read.  Like . . . ever.

Which, as I'm sure you can imagine, knowing me and my indecision and multi-pronged story obsession appreciation, is probably all that needs to be said at this juncture.  It's a very edifying tale, what.  Spiritually instructive.  Fraught with reflective potential.  That sort of thing.

*Content: Brief sexual implications, typical of folklore/legend (not graphic).  Brief violence (not graphic).  Religious/pagan lore.

✾ Keeping the Castle {Patrice Kindl}

*cheesy announcer voice*  Are you an avid Austenite?  Do you love proper manners and hilariously British, passive-aggressive wit?  Are you sure to appreciate a good, loving satire/spoof?  If so, look no further!  Patrice Kindl delivers with a charming, random, off-beat, rambling concoction of a story that's half Pride and Prejudice and half I Capture the Castle.  Light-hearted fun for all.

*Content: Maaaybe some very mild language?  I don't really remember.

Have you read any of these?

What bookish delights have you discovered recently?