Drop Dead Healthy by AJ Jacobs: AJ goes on a quest to become healthier so he can be a better dad and be here for his kids longer. Each chapter is devoted to a different part of the body. AJ wades through the health mumbo-jumbo on the internet and seeks help from medical professionals. He tries plenty of wacky activities and therapies but also many sensible ones. Somethings he tries once and others he plans to stick to for a long time. AJ is humorous while still being serious about his health. It was a great read.
The Shack by William P. Young: I have been told to read this book over and over, so I finally succumbed to reading it. It is an incredibly painful book, I cried a lot. The story focuses on a family whose daughter is kidnapped and brutally murdered. The father struggles to figure out how God could let this happen and eventually he gets an invitation from God to spend the weekend at the shack where his daughter was killed. God turns out to be a large African woman, Jesus a plain Middle-Eastern man, and the Holy Spirit a fast-moving Asian woman. While kinda crazy and not very well written this book is very thought-provoking and attempts to answer the questions: Where is God when bad things happen? & Why does God let bad things happen? I'm glad I read it.
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin: This is one of my favorite books from early middle school. I got it from Scholastic in 5th grade when they did their yearly book giveaway. It is a great mystery of families in an apartment building being thrown together by a crafty old man to play a game of intrigue. I reread this book every few years because it is just that good.
The Pinballs by Betsy Byars: This is another easy reader book. I read it in a hour and a half. This book tells the story of 3 kids brought into foster care because of bad home situations. When I was in elementary school this book taught me that not everyone has parents who meet their needs and a lot of their dreams. I realized how blest I was because of this book. It is another one that I like to reread.
One Day by David Nicholls: While on vacation I ran out of books to read for our long journey home, so I ran into a store one day and just randomly grabbed this book. Apparently it was made into a movie with Anne Hathaway, I guess I'll have to check that movie out sometime. Anyway One Day is a bittersweet story of Dex and Em who meet at the end of college and stay in touch for the rest of their lives. The story opens on July 15th 1988 and each chapter is that same day the next year. Their story is a lot more bitter than sweet. Dex becomes an alcoholic, gets into drugs, and sleeps with random women like it is his job. Em struggles to find her passion and ends up in dead end jobs like fast food for a long time. It's well written but an overall very sad story, with a few very bright moments.
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