I’ve gotten into a few books again. Sometimes life gets in the way of hobbies that require sitting still and holding one’s attention for long periods of time. Children can be that way. These past weeks we’ve had a little normality in our house again. Here’s what I’m reading …

Wonder by R.J. Palacio: Everyone and their brother and their brother’s kids loved this book. And so did I. For a book aimed at young adults it is longer than I expected. While it is broken up into easy chapters, it is a lengthy read. Palacio admits in her bio the book is based on a passing encounter with a young person who has a physical disability. I was loving every part of the book up until this mere acquaintance and not a real-life knowledge of someone who has developmental disabilities became obvious in her choice of words. Her use of the R-word tainted the remainder of the book for me. However, the book was a good representation of how special needs parents fight to have their children belong and there will always be others who just do not understand this. But in the end our hope is a community of people stand up and do the right thing for the good of everyone.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman: This book has been sitting on my shelf for a long time. I bought it back when everyone was raving about it’s worth. I could not get into a book about a grumpy old man. I would start it, read a page, put it back. Start again, read one more page, put it back again. Finally, I pushed through those beginning pages and it had me hooked. It’s slow start became a real life story that pulled me into a life that I could honestly understand. And by the end it had me in tears. This man called Ove was the thing, the grumpy old man, who held his community together. Just like it’s cover says, first impressions are unreliable sometimes.

Mental Health and the Church by Stephen Grcevich, MD: Dr. G is so stinkin’ smart this book is taking me more time to work my way through it. I want to give it all of my attention. He has packed many years of his experience and knowledge into a handbook for us and our churches. I’ll let you know when I finish and give you my thoughts. So far, it has not disappointed.

Last year so many of my books revolved around illness and the reliance on God during these difficult times. This year, it seems by books are leaning towards community. Funny, since we are so isolated these days. Must be something I long for underneath it all? My introvert self would be in its happy place spending days alone with books on books. But, I think God is calling us to show others in our community His glory in bigger ways than my nose in a book.

Up next on my reading list, besides the rest of Dr. G’s Mental Health book, is: The Way of Abundance by Ann Voskamp. I’ve already started it and LOVE it. And I saw an interview with Brad Meltzer that prompted me to buy his book, The Escape Artist. It sounded like interesting history within a suspense novel. Love those!

Are you reading anything good?