May 2.0

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
Sue Monk Kidd is a beautiful historical fiction writer, and it shows in her story of Ana, the wife of Jesus. (I know, he wasn't married. But was he? Do we truly know?) Yet this is not Jesus's story to tell, it is Ana's. We see the beginning of the millennium through her eyes, a young girl who is compelled to write, who searches desperately to have her voice heard, who longs for a life that cannot be her's, and who shares a love with an all-together human man. This book kept me tightly in its grasp, haunting my dreams, entering my thoughts at odd moments. Ana inspired me. She showed me what the church could have been, should have been throughout history, where women are not marginalized, where they are leaders, where they have value more than only as a wife or mother, where women are equals. This could have been a controversial book, but instead Kidd composed a siren song of haunting beauty that calls each woman to follow her own destiny and yes, her longings.

The End of October by Lawrence Wright
Wright is a Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Looming Towers and an incredibly adept researcher. In this foray into fiction, he follows a pandemic - yep, welcome to our world. This may not be something you want to see right now, but...if you're looking for a roller coaster of a medical thriller ride, with some super intriguing and factual virus info thrown in, hop on board! Is it deep character development? Nope. Is it lyrically written? Nope. Will it make you sleep easier at night? Definitely not. But if you want to be thoroughly entertained with a book that is impossible to put down, then this book will do just that.

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
Picture this: a man and a woman marry post WWII and start a family. A big one. A really big one. As in, they have ten boys right in a row, followed by two girls. That would be story enough, right?! Yet to add another layer, six of the ten boys are diagnosed with schizophrenia as teenagers and young men. And I thought my family had some struggles??!! This book follows not only the family, but looked at the history of schizophrenia, the medical research then and now, the variety of research done on genetic and familial markers, the pharmaceutical companies and their lack of involvement, the whole enchilada of this mental illness, all encapsulated in the Galvin family. I suspect some parts may be a bit dry when it delves deeply into research, so I listened to it - fabulous  narrator:)

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
This is a book that can heal your heart, if you have been reading books of sorrow or tragedy. As I walked through Tehran in 1953, with the two young lovers, I could see the colors of a cosmopolitan city, I could hear the whispers of rebellion, I could taste the crunchy rice with saffron and cinnamon, I could feel the political unrest, I could smell the books and ink in the stationery shop every Tuesday. I was reminded that once-in-a-lifetime love does exist, that grief can heal, that redemption can be found, that history is all around us.

Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura Spinney
I know, another pandemic book, like really??? But it's a great non-fiction that is not too dry and boring (I also listened to it which was great), and it gives a perspective on not only the 1918 flu pandemic, but other historical plagues, and what the world should be doing to be prepared. I learned a ton, plus it was written in 2019 so it is very up to date.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
I rarely reread books; this one deserves it. It is a story of two twins on the California coast, Jude, the wild child, whose curls define her, whose life takes a detour she did not expect, and of Noah, the artist, the boy who sees pictures in his mind, who wants a life of art, who loves his mother deeply, whose life also changes in one singular moment. This book will shatter your heart into pieces, and then glue those pieces back together in the most beautiful mosaic. Don't. Miss. This. Book.