June reading

Of course I took several books to read while on my little vacation last month, but then we discovered the ship had a library and had to see what that was all about. I have read several of Mitch Albom's books before and have enjoyed them, so when I saw this one, it seemed like a fitting book for a Sunday read.

 

Have a Little Faith

It's a book about a rabbi, a christian minister, and a man with very little faith (Mitch Albom, himself). Mr. Albom always gives little life lessons in all his books, but with this one gave more insight into himself. It's definitely about finding faith, but not necessarily in any one religion as in something bigger than yourself. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

 

Peter and the Starcatchers

I also finished this one on our cruise. One day I asked my 9 year old for a book recommendation and this is what I got. It's a prequel to Peter Pan telling how he became Peter Pan. Even if the writing wasn't fantastic, I certainly didn't mind it. I could definitely see the intrigue a 9-year-old boy would have with this book: lots of action and mystery with pirates and treasure. There is a sequel but I don't think I'll be picking it up. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars.

Heaven Is Here

This book was waiting for me at the library when I got home and immediately delved in amidst loads of laundry and yard work in desperate need of attention.

I had just begun reading Stephanie's blog a week prior to her accident and found it all surreal that something so traumatic could happen to someone I felt like I had just met in a way. I didn't think she tried to sugarcoat anything in the book. She told us exactly how she felt like giving up, how much she hated therapy, and how devastating it was to finally look at herself. I was especially touched as she recounted how they had to bandage her eyes for a week to allow them to heal. It was during that time that she learned that faith is as much about getting up and going to work as it is about lying still and letting her body heal. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

"I needed help, I needed God more than anything. I needed reassurance that the glimmer of hope I had felt was real. I was thankful that a stranger in a strange town could offer me something so familiar and hopeful [as a priesthood blessing]."

"I have accepted myself in a world that doesn't accept me, because I have learned -- and more than any of the lessons of my accident, this is the one I wish I could teach everybody -- that our hearts matter most. Your heart matters most, so be gentler and more patient with yourself, and their hearts matter most, too, so be kinder and more compassionate to others. It's a beautiful heart, not a perfect body, that leads to a beautiful life."

And right now I'm in the middle of . . .