Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair by Anne Lamott

"As far as I can recall, none of the adults in my life ever once remembered to say, 'Some people have a thick skin and you don't. Your heart is really open and that is going to cause pain, but that is an appropriate response to this world. The cost is high, but the blessing of being compassionate is beyond your wildest dreams. However, you're not going to feel that a lot in seventh grade. Just hang on.'" --Anne Lamott

I previously listened to Stitches as an audio book. I liked it better when I read it. The author read the book on the audio CD and it sounded like Eeyore reading a book. Kinda down and depressing. So reading the book was better.

Lamott tries a bit too hard to be funny so some of the humor comes across as forced. But overall, I like the questions that this book addresses: how do we find hope and kindness in loss? How do we keep going on when there is suffering within us and around us? This book offers some thoughts and some hope.

Sensible Shoes: A Story About the Spiritual Journey by Sharon Garlough Brown

I love it when people give me books as presents! I am so used to reading library books that are sometimes stained and smelly that it is a very special treat to read a brand-new book. A friend gave me Sensible Shoes as a birthday present, and for that, I am grateful. What a treat to read not just a new book, but a book with a very tactile-ly pleasant cover!

Sensible Shoes follows four women from very different places in life on their spiritual journeys. This is a great introduction to various spiritual exercises, but as a fiction book, it doesn't work that well. The author uses flashbacks, old letters, journal entries, handouts, and italics to try and fill in the story but it just ends up being a bit clumsy and awkward. Also, the four women never really came alive for me.

Although I finished the book, I can't recommend it. But it was certainly nice to read a new book.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

I've been recovering from jet lag for the last ten days or so. It's one of the drawbacks to traveling overseas, but I do love traveling and seeing new places so it's a small price to pay.

It is, however, quite a sad feeling when I wake up at 3am, wide awake and ready to go while it is still dark outside.

With a snoring husband on one side of me and a snoring cat on the other side of me, I didn't want to disturb either of them, so I would read this book. I found out that it's not the best pick for reading in the middle of the night when you can't sleep. It took me into a dark underworld of theft, drugs, and hangovers. And yet, I couldn't stop reading. Until I realized that I should probably read happier fare and save this book for reading in the daylight hours.

Theo Decker is a 13-year-old boy when his mom dies in a museum accident. He then lives with a wealthy family for awhile before moving out to Las Vegas with his father. In Vegas, he meets Boris.

The story takes us into Theo's growing up and moving between the world of antiques and the world of criminal doings. Sometimes those worlds are not so far apart from each other.

I liked this book. The ending offered some redemption and surprises. Recommended, but I don't recommend that you read this during the middle of the night.

The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose

Roose, a sophomore at very liberal Brown University, spends a semester at Liberty University, a conservative Christian university as a sort of "domestic study abroad." Liberty students follow (or don't follow) a 46-page code of conduct called "The Liberty Way" and take classes like Evangelism 101. Roose dives in 100% and attends Bible studies, hangs out with his dorm mates, and studies the course material (which actually requires more studying that he anticipated).

This is an even-keeled but personal piece of investigative reporting. Roose works as A.J. Jacobs' writing assistant, and you can tell that he's been well-trained and taught. I thought that he might be cynical and sarcastic and would poke fun at Liberty and its students and their beliefs. On the contrary, he is very respectful, open-minded, and is truly interested in getting to know people and what they think. He finds that Liberty students are humans who struggle with just like all of us.

This could have been a mean, mocking book but it is actually quite interesting and respectful. Nice job, Roose! What are you working on now???

Recipes for a Sacred Life: True Stories and a Few Miracles by Rivvy Neshama

There actually aren't any cooking recipes in here. The recipes for life are suggestions and stories about how to enjoy and appreciate life, and how to live in the moment. Some recipes make more sense than others. And some recipes were a bit too new-age-y for my tastes. But the author is quite the quirky, fun-loving lady and she does have a few gems to offer up.

The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves by Stephen Grosz

Grosz is a psychoanalyst living in London. The Examined Life is a collection of snippets about his clients and life themes that we all face and how we cope (or not cope) with problems.

Fascinating. I had to read this very slowly though. Each short little chapter had plenty to chew on for a day or so.

The Cat Who Went to Paris by Peter Gethers

A funny, cute non-fiction tale about Norton, a Scottish Fold kitten who loves to travel and sit on his owner's shoulders. I've never heard about a cat who was so flexible, brave, and charming.

This isn't just one big description of Norton. His owner writes a narrative about their life together and the ups-and-downs they face. It is all quite touching. Norton brings Gethers into contact with some people he would have normally not talked to, and he finds that they have something to offer him.

A sweet book, especially if you like animals.