The Competition

"The Competition" by Marcia Clark

This isn't my normal read but it looked intriguing and it was.  It is a mystery involving a high end lawyer and an FBI agent who are investigating a school shooting.  It is a bit graphic so I caution you there, but it is a book that will keep you on your toes thinking you know who did it only to be guessing again.  I liked the book for the mystery and how it kept me guessing.  I enjoyed the banter of the characters and how they tirelessly researched the case to solve it.  It was an interesting look into crime and how they are solved.  I recommend this book if you are looking for a mystery with unexpected twists. 

A Golden Voice

"A Golden Voice" by Ted Williams with Bret Witter

This book is about the YouTube sensation Ted Williams.  He was a homeless man with a "golden voice"  Someone took a video of him on the street doing his radio voice and put it on YouTube and it went viral.  Literally a day later he was being flown to NY to appear on the Today Show.  The story is more about his fall and life as an addict and homeless man than the fame.  It is a truth telling book of what happens when addiction takes over a person's life.  It gives a real look into homlessness and the struggle to survive.  Ted has faced a lot of demons in his life and by the grace of God he has been able to put those demons to rest.  Another honest book with redeeming love flowing through it.  Ted speaks about never giving up hope, there is always hope even in the darkness.  We serve an amazing God who never lets us go and will go into the muck and mire to bring us into the Light.  An inspiring story that our prayers are heard and there is always another chance to do right.

The Light of the World

"The Light of the World" by Elizabeth Alexander

This is a memoir written about the loss of the authors husband.  It is a book filled with such love and joy admist the loss.  The author captivates her love with her husband so well in it's pages.  It is about treasuring that love and being able to go on and overcome the loss.  It is a deeply moving book that left me being so thankful for the time I have with my husband and family.  "In all marriages there is struggle and ours was no different in that regard.  But we always came to the other shore, dusted off, and said, There you are, my love."  That is what it is about.  We are fooling ourselves if we think there won't be struggle, but always returning to each other and being reminded of our love for one another is how to overcome those struggles.  "To be a parent is to be terra firma, to stand, is to be planted in the earth."  We have to be the strong ones, showing our kids courage even in fear.  We are our childrens examples that even when struggles come we will stand firm and we will overcome.  This firm foundation enables them to stand firm in their lives.  "You cannot stop your birthday from coming, so you might as well celebrate being alive."  "When I was with him, I felt that there was suddenly enough time: to talk, to read, to think, to sleep, to make love, to drink coffee or tea, to practice yoga, to walk.  I think that everyone felt that there was all the time in the world when they were with him."    I want to be this kind of person.  The kind of person where when people are with me they feel at peace, that time has stopped and they can just enjoy the right now.  I feel that this is a special gift we can give people in the hurriedness of this world.  I appreciated the book for the reality of struggles in all of our lives and that there is beauty in the midst of it all.  

Leaving Before the Rains Come

"Leaving Before the Rains Come" by Alexandra Fuller

This was an interesting book and a different read than my normal.  I didn't realize till about 3/4 of the way through the book that the author was writing about her life.  It is about her life living in Africa and then marrying a man from Wyoming and how much her life changes after marraige and her move to the states.  It is a book with tragedy and overcoming that tragedy.  The book tells how drastically different life in Africa is compared with to life in the U.S.  "The problem with most people is that they want to be alive for as long as possible without having any idea whatsoever how to live."  It's so true, we all get lost sometimes and forget what living is really about.  We all get caught up in the supposed to's or have to's and forget the beauty of connection and family and love.   "...there is nothing like the profound loneliness of early motherhood to make a person ache to be embraced by their person of origin."  Motherhood makes us all long for our mothers I believe.  Those early days of motherhood can be scary and make you feel all alone.  Yet becoming a mother makes us appreciate the woman we call mom and forms a bond that wasn't previously there.  "Easy is just another way of knowing you aren't doing much in the way of your life."  God doesn't call us to easy and really most things that are worth while take work.  These are the times that we have to have the biggest faith, when things are hard.  It is when we see God work and truly feel Him.  I don't agree with all of this book but it was an intereting read and I liked learning more about Africa and life there.  I appreciated the authors look at tragedy and being willing to overcome.

Chains

"Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson

I sped right through this book.  This is a story about a young slave girl sold to a family in New York with her sister during the American Revolutionary War.  America is fighting for freedom yet she is still enslaved.  The girls have lost their family, been taken to a new place, treated poorly, yet they must hold on to hope.  This story speaks of the unjustices America has comitted to people of color.  This story tells of the spirit of humans and the hope that we carry for a better life.  This book is written as a historical novel.  Many of the events in the story happened in our history.  I enjoyed this book for the hard look at the injustices that have occurred in Americas history and for the hope that we can all make a difference.  

Liz Here Now

"Liz Here Now" by Todd Connor

This is an Incredible book, make sure you get your hands on this one.  It is a true story about a little boy who grew up in a severly abusive home.  He lived in a wealthy family where what was done in the home was kept secret so as to keep up appearances.  The story took place in the '60's and his family had a maid.  This maid, named Liz, was the one person that cared and saved this little boy and his siblings.  The book was written to honor her and all that she did and was to this little boy.  One person can make a difference.  "What she didn't know was that such abusive cruelty that took only minutes of real time would inflict a lifetime of devastation."  What happens in a matter of minutes can affect one persons whole life.  "Desperation sometimes makes people do things without any thought to where the action might lead.  All we know is the next step to take, with no idea where that will lead or how to deal with the aftermath."  Sometimes it's a matter of survival, there is no time for thought, just action.  Liz took action out of a deep love for these children, not thinking of what might occur after her actions, just that she needed to do something.  "She always told us that everyone has a hero inside, but most didn't know it on the inside and so they couldn't show it on the outside."  It just takes one person to believe, one person to have the courage to speak up.  This book honors Liz for the courage and love she showed in saving these children.  It is a book that inspires the reader that one person truly can make a difference with God's help, that love can and does conquer.  It is also a harsh reality of what happens in too many homes to innocent children.  It is a cry for help that something needs to be done, that someone, many someones, need to do something.  

For Love of Country

"For Love of Country" by Howard Schultz and Rajiv Chandrasekaran

I am so grateful that I live in America and I know that my freedoms came at a high price.  My heart is indebted to those who have served and their families.  This book contains stories of those that have served and their sacrifices.  It also has stories about how our veterans are helping out communities and what they are doing when they come back and rejoin the workforce.  Our veterans have so much to offer and teach us, they just need to be given the opportunities.  "We let them protect us, yet we go on with life as usual."  I believe this shows a disrespect to those that deserve our utmost respect.  How can we ignore those that have given so much for us?  "They need to return to a nation that feels connected to them."  We need to give back and have faith in our veterans.  "There can be no greater act of love by a father for his fallen son than to take his place in the ranks in the midst of war."  Powerful and inspiring.  "What we do with our failures makes us the person that we are.  When we fail, we have two choices: we can quit, and that becomes a habit, or we can learn and grow from those failures.  If you choose to grow, you can become a great leader."  Learning from our failures is the greatest gift we can give ourselves and those around us.  "After everything you have been through in the wars, you still want to help people.  All of you make us proud to be Americans."  Our veterans have given so much and when they come home they continue to give.  They are used to service and helping others and this is what they want to continue to do.  "In an era when the work ethic and collective spirit of young adults have been called into question, we cannot ignore how many of them stepped up in a moment of need; how professionally, selflessly, and honorably they preformed their duties; and how often they risked their lives to save their comrades.  Their character deserves to be celebrated with the same pride the nation shows for the World War II veterans."  "It is unhealthy for a nation to become detached from those who secure it.  Our volunteers have given the rest of us a remarkable freedom, but that freedom comes with the responsibility to understand their sacrifice, to honor them, to appreciate what they can offer when they return home, to care for those who are wounded, and to mourn those who have given us their last full measure of devotion."  I think that says it all.  What will you do to show your appreciation?