two best books of the year
by ann voskamp.
there are so many rich truths that she so poetically expresses in a way that make truth alive, rich, and powerful. but it is such a raw book. there is a depth of sorrow of pain of tragedy....you almost don't want to read..... and yet, she is so honest that it is engaging and captivating in such a way that you have to keep reading. she speaks....and my heart echos. my heart cries out a resounding affirmation of her words. she says it like i wish i could..... and yet, there is hope. the hope that only christ can bring.....christ the broken, crucified savior who gives thanks with his life....breaks it and then gives it away. it is transformative.....and i pass it along to you.
there are so many rich truths that she so poetically expresses in a way that make truth alive, rich, and powerful. but it is such a raw book. there is a depth of sorrow of pain of tragedy....you almost don't want to read..... and yet, she is so honest that it is engaging and captivating in such a way that you have to keep reading. she speaks....and my heart echos. my heart cries out a resounding affirmation of her words. she says it like i wish i could..... and yet, there is hope. the hope that only christ can bring.....christ the broken, crucified savior who gives thanks with his life....breaks it and then gives it away. it is transformative.....and i pass it along to you.
i'm amputated. i have hacked my life up into grace moments and cruse moments. the chopping that has cut myself off from the embracing love of a god who "does not enjoy hurting people or causing them to sorrow" (lamentations 3:33), but labors to birth grief into greater grace. isn't this the crux of the gospel? the good news that all those living in the land of the shadow of death have been birthed into new life, that the transfiguration of a suffering world has already begun. that suffering nourishes grace, and pain and joy are arteries of the same heart -- and mourning and dancing are but movements in his unfinished symphony of beauty. can i believe the gospel, that god is patiently transfiguring all the notes of my life into the song of his son?
- what in the world, in all this world, is grace?
- i can say it certain now: all is grace.
- i see through the woods of the world: god is always good and i am always loved.
- god is always good and i am always loved.
she also has a blog of the same title.... i have not checked it out but you can.
best fiction book i read this year.....
the thirteenth tale.
by diane setterfield.
seems trite to comment on it after ann voskamp's book and yet...... i actually put it down in order to savor it. i took pauses in my reading because i knew that at some point i would finish it and i wanted to make it last as long as possible. thanks anna for the recommendation!!!
many reviews say that this book is in the same vane as other gothic novels that have preceded it: jane eyre, wuthering heights. it does. it lives up to that genre..... and does it magnificently. her language is sublime....and not in the frilly, romantic way.... in the rich, imaginative, symbolism, word-smith type of writing in that her sentence are art pieces that build into paragraphs that seemless fold into pages...... so you should just read it.
margaret works in a book shop is hired by england's most prolific and mysterious author, vida winter. margaret's job is to construct the story of vida winter's most sought after tale..... the one about her life.... the truth. and thus unfolds the story.....
other reads i finished before the end of the year:
timothy keller's the meaning of marraige.
alexandre dumas's the three musketeers.
best fiction book i read this year.....
by diane setterfield.
seems trite to comment on it after ann voskamp's book and yet...... i actually put it down in order to savor it. i took pauses in my reading because i knew that at some point i would finish it and i wanted to make it last as long as possible. thanks anna for the recommendation!!!
many reviews say that this book is in the same vane as other gothic novels that have preceded it: jane eyre, wuthering heights. it does. it lives up to that genre..... and does it magnificently. her language is sublime....and not in the frilly, romantic way.... in the rich, imaginative, symbolism, word-smith type of writing in that her sentence are art pieces that build into paragraphs that seemless fold into pages...... so you should just read it.
margaret works in a book shop is hired by england's most prolific and mysterious author, vida winter. margaret's job is to construct the story of vida winter's most sought after tale..... the one about her life.... the truth. and thus unfolds the story.....
other reads i finished before the end of the year:
timothy keller's the meaning of marraige.
alexandre dumas's the three musketeers.
Comments
And thank you for adding a new fiction book to my "to-read" shelf. I've seen that cover before and been intrigued....