Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival by Anderson Cooper

This is by Anderson Cooper of CNN fame. He recalls his experiences covering various disasters such as the 2005 tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and Somalia. He interweaves some, but not much, of his own personal life and the losses and grief he deals with himself. He shows his compassion and humanity through his descriptions and seems pretty honest and aware of his own reactions to what he sees and hears.

I enjoyed this book, especially the section on Hurricane Katrina. The writing was easy to read, but some of what Cooper writes about was not so easy to read. I probably wouldn't buy this book, but I recommend reading it if you can check it out from the library. Or you can borrow my copy.

What Cooper writes about Katrina:

"Here [in the United States], you grow up believing there's a safety net, that things can never completely fall apart. Katrina showed us all that's not true."

Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg

I finished reading this book by flashlight inside a tent while camping in Yosemite. It's a nice way to finish a book.

I've reviewed a couple of other Fannie Flagg books already, including Can't Wait to Get to Heaven and A Redbird Christmas. This book is like the others - enjoyable, funny, and sweet. The characters are quirky but real with their own wounds and challenges. I became quite fond of some of them. Overall, an entertaining read.

A Neat Bookshelf

Thanks to faithful reader, Emily, for sending in this picture of a wonderful bookshelf!

I have not been reading.

I have not posted any new books for awhile for one very good reason: I haven't finished any lately! This is a source of frustration to me. I started a new internship about 2 months ago and man, that has really cut into my reading time. So I am determined to be more intentional about Self-Care and making more time to read. So hopefully, I'll have some more reviews up here shortly.

A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born to Do by Thomas Moore

Eh. You can skip this one. Do/read something else to figure out what you were born to do.

Home Tonight by Henri Nouwen

The subtitle is: "Further Reflections on The Parable of the Prodigal Son - A Guide to Finding Your Spiritual Home."

So if you haven't read Nouwen's Return of the Prodigal Son, read that book first. That book is one that I will always keep in my library. I even loan it out hesistantly because it is that precious (and it's expensive). I let my mom borrow it and she still has it after a year or so. Not because she hasn't read it or has forgotten about it, but because she is continually reading it.

This book is about finding our true home in God. This is a book that I will add to my own library and I've already given it as a gift.

Some quotes:

"We are not what we do. We are not what we have. We are not what others think of us. Coming home is claiming the truth. I am the beloved child of a loving creator. We no longer have to beg permission from the world to exist." --Henri Nouwen

"There's nothing as painful as being rejected, but if it is lived against the background of the first love, it becomes possible to survive." --Henri Nouwen

Bleachers by John Grisham

I just went to a Friends of the Library book sale, the bag sale part where you buy a brown bag for $4 and fill it with as many books as you want. Boomer and I bought two bags and got about 40 books, including one HUGE dictionary that is now sitting on my dictionary stand. It looks so official.

This is another book that made it into one of the brown bags. A fast, feel-good read by John Grisham about former high school football players gathering to pay their last respects to a beloved/hated coach. Nothing too fancy or super great. It's more like a short story.

I think I enjoyed it because I've been watching Season One of Friday Night Lights (also recommended!), so I have high school football on the brain.