Read any good books lately? Well, actually, YES! I cannot always say that from week to week, but I have been on a “Boy Howdy, that was a mighty good book,” reading spree lately. Being sick for a week had its advantages because it gave me time to catch up on the stack of books piled on my nightstand. Moreover, one kind-hearted soul sent me a book to read while my flu-ridden body fought the germ battle. It was hand to nose combat for a few days but my immune system conquered. Badum-ching!
The Fisherman by Larry Huntsperger was a delightful hidden find on the bookshelf from the library where I work, no less. How this book flew in under my radar and sat on the shelf without my knowledge is beyond me! I stumbled across this story one day while shelf reading (that’s glamorous library lingo for making sure books are alphabetized). Disguised as “historical fiction”, this well written first person narrative of Simon Barjona, better known as Peter, tells his story from a fresh perspective. Staying true to the Gospel stories and in chronological order of events, Peter tells the reader about his first encounter with Jesus, shares his doubts, worries, hopes and fears, demonstrates his love, loyalty, denial, then finally exposing his pain and realization of forgiveness. I found myself identifying with Peter in many areas, especially the outspoken buffoon and denial parts. What touched me most was Peter slowly seeing Jesus first as a man, then friend and later God. “For, if we cannot see him correctly as man, we have no hope of understanding him correctly as our God." This book will not disappoint and I can guarantee you will want to hand it to a friend and say, “You must read this!”
Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani is also a great read. She has been one of my favorite secular authors since she wrote Big Stone Gap, and since this little town is “down the road apiece” from my little town; it made us small town sisters. We even wear the same Cherries in the Snow Lipstick by Revlon. Have I ever met this author? Well, no. However, I just know we would BBFF! A total chick read, women would especially enjoy this story. In this luscious, contemporary family saga, the Angelini Shoe Company, makers of exquisite wedding shoes since 1903, is one of the last family-owned businesses in Greenwich Village. The company is on the verge of financial collapse. It falls to thirty-three-year-old Valentine Roncalli, the talented and determined apprentice to her grandmother, the master artisan Teodora Angelini, to bring the family's old-world craftsmanship into the twenty-first century and save the company from ruin. Can she do it? Well, laugh yourself through this book to find out. Beware, her work is addicting! I think this book is first in a trilogy – Hallelujah!
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn is a Novel In Letters. Wickedly creative and well written, this book serves two purposes. The first being to make you laugh. It is charming and funny and if you love language and word games, you will find this delightful. The author’s second purpose is to make you ponder freedom of speech. This cautionary and satirical tale is set on the fictional island of Nollop, which lies off the coast of South Carolina. Nollop, named after Nevine Nollop who coined the phrase “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog,” the phrase that uses all the letter of the alphabet. Because of this accomplishment, Mr. Nollop is raised to a god-like town figure. After his death, the Island Council builds a memorial with his famous phrase etched onto tiles around his memorial. Everything is nearly utopia on this island until the letter “Z” tile falls from the memorial. What happens next in this rollicking funny, sometimes troubling account of how one small country tries to ban free speech? Well, let me just say watching your “p’s” and “q’s” has never been so relevant.
Three good books in a row are rare but a surprising joy when you find them. Good books remind me to trudge on in the writing game. Maybe one day, one day, one day, someone will say, “Rosie wrote a good book and you should read it.”
Thanks for reading, Rosie.
The Fisherman by Larry Huntsperger was a delightful hidden find on the bookshelf from the library where I work, no less. How this book flew in under my radar and sat on the shelf without my knowledge is beyond me! I stumbled across this story one day while shelf reading (that’s glamorous library lingo for making sure books are alphabetized). Disguised as “historical fiction”, this well written first person narrative of Simon Barjona, better known as Peter, tells his story from a fresh perspective. Staying true to the Gospel stories and in chronological order of events, Peter tells the reader about his first encounter with Jesus, shares his doubts, worries, hopes and fears, demonstrates his love, loyalty, denial, then finally exposing his pain and realization of forgiveness. I found myself identifying with Peter in many areas, especially the outspoken buffoon and denial parts. What touched me most was Peter slowly seeing Jesus first as a man, then friend and later God. “For, if we cannot see him correctly as man, we have no hope of understanding him correctly as our God." This book will not disappoint and I can guarantee you will want to hand it to a friend and say, “You must read this!”
Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani is also a great read. She has been one of my favorite secular authors since she wrote Big Stone Gap, and since this little town is “down the road apiece” from my little town; it made us small town sisters. We even wear the same Cherries in the Snow Lipstick by Revlon. Have I ever met this author? Well, no. However, I just know we would BBFF! A total chick read, women would especially enjoy this story. In this luscious, contemporary family saga, the Angelini Shoe Company, makers of exquisite wedding shoes since 1903, is one of the last family-owned businesses in Greenwich Village. The company is on the verge of financial collapse. It falls to thirty-three-year-old Valentine Roncalli, the talented and determined apprentice to her grandmother, the master artisan Teodora Angelini, to bring the family's old-world craftsmanship into the twenty-first century and save the company from ruin. Can she do it? Well, laugh yourself through this book to find out. Beware, her work is addicting! I think this book is first in a trilogy – Hallelujah!
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn is a Novel In Letters. Wickedly creative and well written, this book serves two purposes. The first being to make you laugh. It is charming and funny and if you love language and word games, you will find this delightful. The author’s second purpose is to make you ponder freedom of speech. This cautionary and satirical tale is set on the fictional island of Nollop, which lies off the coast of South Carolina. Nollop, named after Nevine Nollop who coined the phrase “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog,” the phrase that uses all the letter of the alphabet. Because of this accomplishment, Mr. Nollop is raised to a god-like town figure. After his death, the Island Council builds a memorial with his famous phrase etched onto tiles around his memorial. Everything is nearly utopia on this island until the letter “Z” tile falls from the memorial. What happens next in this rollicking funny, sometimes troubling account of how one small country tries to ban free speech? Well, let me just say watching your “p’s” and “q’s” has never been so relevant.
Three good books in a row are rare but a surprising joy when you find them. Good books remind me to trudge on in the writing game. Maybe one day, one day, one day, someone will say, “Rosie wrote a good book and you should read it.”
Thanks for reading, Rosie.
1 comment:
Yes, The Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen. Great book
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