The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway

The Sun Also Rises

Title: The Sun Also Rises

Author: Ernest Hemingway

Publication Date: 1926

Pages: 256

Genre: Classic / Historical / Fiction

How I Found It: 100 Best Novels

Date Completed: 10/26/16

Summary: Ex-patriots wonder the European continent drinking, having affairs, and experiencing French and Spanish culture to the fullest.

What I Thought: I am a big fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald's work. He was a bit of a scumbag in his personal life, but his writing, to me, is some of the best by an American author. He and Hemingway were close. In the same way that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein were close and have some similarities in their works, I can now see that Hemingway and Fitzgerald were very similar. 

This was my first Hemingway novel. For someone who loves literature so much, I'm a little shocked and ashamed that it took me until almost 30 to read any Hemingway. Somehow he slipped through the cracks of my education to this point. As with Fitzgerald's work, I really loved the tone and voice of Hemingway's writing. 

The Ragamuffin Gospel - Brennan Manning

The Ragamuffin Gospel

Title: The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out

Author: Brennan Manning

Publication Date: 1990

Pages: 240

Genre: Faith / Nonfiction

How I Found It: I can't remember.

Date Completed: 10/18/16

Summary: The good news is here! Grace comes through faith alone. Manning shouts it from the rooftops in his best-selling book.

What I Thought: After reading Love Does by Bob Goff in September, Manning's book felt refreshingly deep. Now, I enjoyed Goff's book, but it lacked a depth I was looking for. Manning delivered on that front. 

Ragamuffin joyfully proclaims the message of grace. We don't have to work for our salvation. Rather, forgiveness and freedom is available to every ragamuffin. Manning, who comes from a Catholic background, has no qualms about declaring his message. I really enjoyed the book. While none of Manning's thoughts were new to me, they were a great reminder. It certainly never hurts to be told again that God loves and accepts you unconditionally. All we need to do is accept His gift of grace. 

To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf

To the Lighthouse

Title: To the Lighthouse

Author: Virginia Woolf

Publication Date: 5/5/1927

Pages: 209

Genre: Classic / Historical / Fiction

How I Found It: 100 Best Novels

Date Completed: 10/11/16

Summary: An intended family trip to the lighthouse is delayed by many years. Much more than this simple plot, the book revolves around the complexity of relationships and the reality of personal experience.

What I Thought: I have a feeling I will come back to this book multiple times in the future. In this particular reading, my first, I did not feel swept away by the book or immediately infatuated with it. Rather, I felt a slow pull, a sense that this book matters and has a depth which will take more than one reading to explore. 

To me, this felt very much like a test read, an exploration of what Woolf is about, an examination in preparation for future endeavors. I want to read more Woolf. She's one of the few female authors to have really broken through and impacted the literary world in her time. I like her writing style (a realization which was a bit of a relief considering how much I wanted to like her writing before even opening the book). The style and the story both reminded me quite a bit of Kate Chopin's The Awakening, which is one of my absolute favorites. 

The Language of Flowers - Vanessa Diffenbaugh

The Language of Flowers

Title: The Language of Flowers

Author: Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Publication Date: 2011

Pages: 323

Genre: Literary Fiction / Fiction

How I Found It: I can't remember, but I read it along with two of my best friends.

Date Completed: 10/11/16

Summary: Upon leaving the foster care system, Victoria has nothing. No job, no family, no education...no future, it seems. Her only interest or care in the world is flowers and the Victoria language of flowers. As she attempts to turn that interest into a sustainable life, she is forced to face some tough realities about the world and about herself.

What I Thought: I really had no idea what this book was about when I started it. I wish I could remember how it came to my attention in the first place. If I could, I would go back to that source for more recommendations. I really enjoyed this one.

Victoria's story was really moving. Throughout the book, she is dealing with some major emotional and mental barriers. She has no reason to trust or love anyone, yet life without those things is more than a little challenging. After years in the foster care system, she has been seemingly stripped even of the ability to open her heart. She imagines an adulthood before her where she can exist in near isolation and be happy that way. After all, if she never opens herself to others, she can never be hurt by them. 

First Women - Kate Andersen Brower

First Women

It's Election Day! This seemed an incredible appropriate book to share with you today. Regardless of your political perspective, the privilege of voting should not to be taken for granted. Take a moment in the midst of the craziness today to be thankful both for our rich presidential history and the fact that this election cycle is finally over!

Title: First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies

Author: Kate Andersen Brower

Publication Date: 4/12/16

Pages: 400

Genre: Historical / Political / Nonfiction

How I Found It: I read Brower's previous book, The Residence.

Date Completed: 10/12/16

Summary: The First Lady is an immense presence in the American zeitgeist. She stands as an emblem of what it means to be an American woman and wife. Each of the women who has served in this role has brought her own personality and beliefs to the position. Bower takes a look at the modern First Ladies (Jackie Kennedy onward) and how each of them handled the task.

What I Thought: I read Brower's previous book, The Residence, last year and greatly enjoyed it. I have always been fascinated by the first families and their stories, so this book seemed like a natural next step for both Brower and myself.

As with her first book, Brower takes each chapter topically, rather than working chronologically. This bugged me at first with The Residence and this book as well. However, by mid-way point of each, I had settled into Brower's rhythms and can concede that her method works well. While it's not typical for a book like this to be organized thematically, it functions smoothly. It does lead to a few anecdotes being repeated, but that's the only real downfall. 

Red Rising - Pierce Brown

Red Rising

Title: Red Rising

Author: Pierce Brown

Publication Date: 1/28/14

Pages: 382

Genre: Dystopian / Science Fiction / Thriller / Fiction

How I Found It: I've seen it quite a few places lately.

Date Completed: 10/6/16

Summary: Darrow lives deep under the surface of Mars. He is a Red, a member of the lowest working class, sent to prepare the planet for human life. The oppressive ruling class leaves him with nothing and he starts on a journey of vengeance. To defeat the Golds, he must first rise to their level.

What I Thought: This book was so interesting and unique. I really enjoyed it. Brown has a fairly unique premise here - or at least a fairly unique setup. The later portion of the book felt a bit Hunger Games, but definitely with some different elements. Brown has taken many classic plot elements - Cinderella included - and brought them together into something fresh and interesting.

Darrow, a young, successful newlywed, lives under the thumb of an oppressive regime. He slaves away under the red earth of Mars, mining the resources needed to make the planet habitable - or so the Reds have been told. After a series of tragic and troubling circumstances, Darrow comes to find out that Mars was long ago settled by the higher classes. He and his fellow Reds are kept enslaved for the profit and advancement of others. This realization is the push Darrow needs to join the resistance. He agrees to pose as a Gold, the highest caste in the solar system, in order to bring down the system which lies to and subjugates his family and friends.

A God in Ruins - Kate Atkinson

A God in Ruins

Title: A God in Ruins

Author: Kate Atkinson

Publication Date: 5/5/15

Pages: 468

Genre: Historical / Literary Fiction / Fiction

How I Found It: I read Atkinson's first novel, Life After Life, and loved it.

Date Completed: 10/6/16

Summary: Teddy Todd, brother of Ursula Todd of Life After Life, gets his own turn in the spotlight. His life as an RAF pilot during WWII, his life as a newlywed, his life as a father, his life as a grandfather, his life in old age - Atkinson moves fluidly throughout Teddy's story.

What I Thought: I loved Atkinson's Life After Life. In fact, I named it one of my favorite reads of 2015. I called it "charming, whimsical, serious, and, above all, well-written." While I would not call A God in Ruins a sequel, per say, it definitely pairs well with the first book. It follows Teddy Todd, Ursula's brother, over the nearly 100 years of his life. Atkinson moves fluidly throughout time and changes perspective at a few points as well. Each piece of the narrative is smoothly sewn together with the others; she has created a beautiful story, one piece at a time. 

I read this book with the book club I've recently started attending. This book has been on my list pretty much since it came out and I am so thankful I had this catalyst to finally read it. I should have done so months ago. I really enjoyed having a chance to talk about the book in an in-person format; this book club thing is nice.