The beauty of the everyday
There's the inescapable compulsion to read books that pull us out of our lives, that allow us to travel to places and times new and exciting, to take us on journeys we could never imagine going on, to experience something new. And yet, so many books aren't about the unknown. Instead, they capture glimpses of ordinary lives...moments that allow us, the readers, to see as beautiful even extraordinary. And yet those moments are quite normal and ordinary. These writers have transposed on the page the lives of their characters, people like you or I, but do so in a way that allows us to see the beauty and amazing light that can be found in that ordinary moment, in the everyday of life. Try out any of these summer reading picks. They are guaranteed to lift you out of your world, allow you to escape into another, and will leave you with a better appreciation and a new perspective on your own.
The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler - This book is about the connections and strengths that we can find in ordinary people, even those who are nothing like us. Following the tragic albeit funny life of Macon Leary, a man who makes a living writing for travel magazines but oddly despises traveling, the charm of this novel happens when he meets the crazy, eccentric Muriel. She is a dog trainer and more than a little odd, but you will fall in love with the way that she turns Macon's life upside down and somehow helps him to find himself in the process.
Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg - If you haven't read Elizabeth Berg yet, this is a fabulous book to start with.Okay, really, any of her novels are fabulous. Range of Motion is about a young man and his wife. He is in a coma after a sudden accident with the world doubting that he will recover. She is the only one who seems to still hope and believe in his recovery. This is a truly beautiful and moving look at remembering, healing, loving, and finding joy or even peace in the small moments of everyday.
Every Last One by Anna Quindlen - Yes, another of our favorite authors who writes remarkable and compelling stories. Mary Beth is a mother, a wife, keeper of a home, and content with the carefully built life that she has...until one act of violence rocks her entire world to the core. You will gasp aloud, hold your breath from one moment to the next, and find yourself loving the moments in both her life and yours. Guaranteed this one you will like.
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett - For the more adventurous at heart, this novel is one you'll not want to miss. Scientist Dr. Marina Singh has to go to the Amazon rainforest to find her friend and mentor who has disappeared. She was working on the development of a new drug that wold be greatly important to today's world. Marina is placed greatly out of her comfort zone as she traverses the beauties and the dangers of the forest. While reading this, you will find the yourself enthralled with the majestic backdrop of the story. But there's so much more to this story. It is also about science...about the hope of what science can do and the costs that factor into any discovery. Simply breathtaking to read.
Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah - More than anything, this novel is about choices. Beginning with the choice of two young girls who are as unlike each other as they are in social standing but choose to become friends. As their lives go from one choice to the next, through college, career, relationships, and the consequences that come with each, these two friends will see each other through learning as much from their friendship as they do from their mistakes. I have to say, that I picked up a Kristen Hannah novel on a whim and found that every page held me and surprised me with the tenderness and vulnerability in her characters. Every novel of hers has held true to that since.
These ladies all hold unmitigated writing styles and any of their novels or non-fiction works are not only well worth the read but will keep you wanting more.
The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler - This book is about the connections and strengths that we can find in ordinary people, even those who are nothing like us. Following the tragic albeit funny life of Macon Leary, a man who makes a living writing for travel magazines but oddly despises traveling, the charm of this novel happens when he meets the crazy, eccentric Muriel. She is a dog trainer and more than a little odd, but you will fall in love with the way that she turns Macon's life upside down and somehow helps him to find himself in the process.
Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg - If you haven't read Elizabeth Berg yet, this is a fabulous book to start with.Okay, really, any of her novels are fabulous. Range of Motion is about a young man and his wife. He is in a coma after a sudden accident with the world doubting that he will recover. She is the only one who seems to still hope and believe in his recovery. This is a truly beautiful and moving look at remembering, healing, loving, and finding joy or even peace in the small moments of everyday.Every Last One by Anna Quindlen - Yes, another of our favorite authors who writes remarkable and compelling stories. Mary Beth is a mother, a wife, keeper of a home, and content with the carefully built life that she has...until one act of violence rocks her entire world to the core. You will gasp aloud, hold your breath from one moment to the next, and find yourself loving the moments in both her life and yours. Guaranteed this one you will like.
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett - For the more adventurous at heart, this novel is one you'll not want to miss. Scientist Dr. Marina Singh has to go to the Amazon rainforest to find her friend and mentor who has disappeared. She was working on the development of a new drug that wold be greatly important to today's world. Marina is placed greatly out of her comfort zone as she traverses the beauties and the dangers of the forest. While reading this, you will find the yourself enthralled with the majestic backdrop of the story. But there's so much more to this story. It is also about science...about the hope of what science can do and the costs that factor into any discovery. Simply breathtaking to read.Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah - More than anything, this novel is about choices. Beginning with the choice of two young girls who are as unlike each other as they are in social standing but choose to become friends. As their lives go from one choice to the next, through college, career, relationships, and the consequences that come with each, these two friends will see each other through learning as much from their friendship as they do from their mistakes. I have to say, that I picked up a Kristen Hannah novel on a whim and found that every page held me and surprised me with the tenderness and vulnerability in her characters. Every novel of hers has held true to that since.These ladies all hold unmitigated writing styles and any of their novels or non-fiction works are not only well worth the read but will keep you wanting more.
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