Therefore, it is not surprising that when my endearing, enduring husband entered an olympic length triathlon, I brought a book. Triathlons are pretty intense for the contestant, but this spectator only sweats if she doesn't stand in the shade. Basically, I attend his triathlons for the brief glance of Ben during transitions and the rest is waiting for his return at the finish line. You can get some good reading in between sightings.
Prepared for Ben's potential cramping after all that crazy exercise, I had a perfectly yellow banana in my backpack. I also borrowed a book from my son. Perhaps in my excitement at trying to photograph Ben running like a gazelle, I threw the borrowed book back in my backpack. Said book collided with now browning banana. Only as I put my camera away did I realize the peel of the banana had split and smashed banana went all over the pages and the cover of that borrowed book.
I wasn't about to return a ruined book to my son, so I did what I ought. I bought the identical book on Amazon and gave it to him when it arrived. He was none the wiser until I confessed to him that the pages of his original book probably still smelled like banana. After cleaning it the best I knew how, I kept the copy on my bedside table to finish. Now we have two copies of the same book. One clean and one that use to be clean.
When I was thinking about blogging about recent reads, it occurred to me that books that are worth buying twice should be labelled smashed banana suggestions.
Here are books to read and when bananas split, buy again.
Under a Desert Sky- Lynne Hartke
This is a wise, soul-baring book from a strong woman at her most vulnerable. She leans into the Lord with a tenacity and shares her thoughtful insights as she struggled through cancer and hard questions. As one who has wandered in a spiritual desert, I could so easily relate to her life story and recall how utterly amazed I was that my Jesus joined me in my desolate place and made it beautiful.
The Hardest Peace - Kara Tippetts
If only we knew the brevity of our days, we would all be so vulnerable and intentional with the words we leave behind. Kara knew her death was imminent when she wrote her tender book. She chose an attitude of humility and gratitude to God. Cancer stripped her of everything she thought made her beautiful, and yet her beautiful Jesus bestowed his grander beauty on her brokenness. Her book tells of a faithful, loving God as she recounts the last days of her life with incredible sweetness.
When Stephen's mother murdered his father, life as he knew it ceased to exist. This powerful account chronicles how a son grows up without parents. Stephen decides to follow the voice of Jesus into an excruciatingly hard place. This story more than any on my list makes me uncomfortable with the cost of obedience. I am persuaded Stephen was named well. His forgiveness reminds me of Stephen the martyr.
Skeletons on the Zahara- Dean King
Survival genre is probably one of my favorites. Maybe I gravitate to the steel resolve, because I too want to finish strong when faced with life-changing circumstances. The Lord is so evident in the preservation of these shipwrecked sailors. Africa and white slavery make an interesting juxtaposition to modern history. This is a horrifying account of deprivation, but a triumphant account of trust in a merciful God.
Crocodile on the Sandbank - Elizabeth Peters
Fun fiction is hard to come by. This Victorian mystery is snappy with dialogue, archeological intrigue, and eccentric characters. I believe this might be the first in the Amelia Peabody mysteries. If you read in chronological order, the characters are introduced in this one.
All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
This was as intriguing as the title. I felt like fiction turned real and the heroine might be hiding in my very own attic while the radio signals danced across the hedge to my neighbors. Anthony Doerr writes an emotionally complex story set on both sides of history with a winsome and gifted pen.
Crazy gifted with words, Amber Haines tells her vulnerable story with Grace drenched pages.
Her book speaks my language as she openly shares her struggle to find Jesus satisfaction in the lonely, disappointing, messy moments of life. Through her personal storytelling, she encourages the deep work of keeping our eyes on Jesus. Her words unearth the root of our humanity, "...repentance is the grieving of something lost or something that feels wasted; it's the recognition that you chased other desires when you could have had God - your satisfaction- all along."
Divine Collision - Jim Gash
This book was the book that wasn't suppose to be written. The author reluctantly went to Africa and was surprised to leave his heart behind. Jim Gash is like the good Samaritan. He came across children caught in a corrupt Ugandan legal system, and he came along side them and cared for their real needs. Considering himself the unlikely person to help as he was a busy Pepperdine law professor, his commitment to an unknown outcome in an unknown country to a young man he was only beginning to know is truly remarkable.
Years ago I saw Lacey's Youtube video holding her beloved son, born without eyes. As she silently held up cards sharing their story as her son slept, her face was lit with a beautiful smile. Her thankfulness in the midst of hard was breathtaking. God blessed her son with an exceptional mama, and she would be the first to say her son is one of her greatest blessings. She chronicles some of her painful journey in her perfectly titled book, Through the Eyes of Hope. Her book confirms that when we gaze at crushing circumstances through Jesus, hope reshapes our heart's vision.
Courageous Faith - Charles Stanley
If you have ever thought that the preacher's life is easy, read this vulnerable account of a man who chose to follow Jesus into ministry. This book opened my eyes to Pastor Stanley's lonely childhood and how he longed for relationship. With clarity from spending time with Jesus, his friend, he shares the journey of pastoring a congregation well and pastoring his own heart towards obedience. What broke my heart was the child who grew up with a deep longing for family, at the end of the book found his very own family torn apart by broken relationship and divorce. Living through scarring circumstances enabled him to better understand the hurt of his flock and the encouragement of God's abiding, unchangeable character.
The Imam's Daughter- Hannah Shah
Please be warned this book will turn your stomach with the sickening sexual abuse a little girl experienced from her father. That said, this book is a powerful account of how Jesus rescued the author from the evil clutches of a false religion. With tears flowing down my cheeks, Hannah's story recounts how Jesus helped her escape a forced marriage to a safe loving Christian family where she finds healing in the tender embrace of Jesus. The importance of brave social workers and the cost of a girl leaving a Muslim family are detailed with extraordinary courage under her pen name. Death for apostasy is still very real in the western world. Hannah Shah uses her experience to minister to other women trapped in unspeakable circumstances.
All the Pretty Things- Edie Wadsworth
Spun from Appalachia and a world totally unfamiliar to me, this book can almost seem like a tall tale. Her nonfiction memoir is full of grit and homey, backwoods wisdom. Edie openly bears her broken soul as she writes about her Daddy's choices, her kinfolk's mistakes, and her own devastating search for meaning in the wrong places. Edie titles her chapters old Country & Western, Gospel and Rock n' Roll song titles. You will definitely hear some "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" and "A Thousand Miles from Nowhere" as you read her musical words.
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