Hi there! Thanks for visiting Thinking Out Loud Thursday, where I share what’s on my mind and invite you to join the conversation. Since it’s the first Thursday of the month, I’m diving into the books I read last month. Let’s take a look at what I read in November!
I kicked off the month with a Christmas-themed book by Mary Kay Andrews, The Santa Suit. It was a cute story that celebrates the magic of Christmas. It's a relatively short book, 224 pages, so you might be able to enjoy the whole thing in one cozy afternoon. Here's the summary ~
When newly-divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen, she is definitely looking for a change in her life. The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love―but Ivy didn't bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it's a full-time job sorting through all of it.
At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit―beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit she finds a note written in a childish hand: it's from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?
Ivy's quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love.
My son recommended this book and I'm so glad he did. One of the authors, Sheryl Sandburg, lost her husband very unexpectedly and the book explores how we move on to Option B when things go drastically off what we planned as our first option.
After the sudden death of her husband, Sheryl Sandberg felt certain that she and her children would never feel pure joy again. “I was in ‘the void,’” she writes, “a vast emptiness that fills your heart and lungs and restricts your ability to think or even breathe.” Her friend Adam Grant, a psychologist at Wharton, told her there are concrete steps people can take to recover and rebound from life-shattering experiences. We are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. It is a muscle that everyone can build.
Option B combines Sheryl’s personal insights with Adam’s eye-opening research on finding strength in the face of adversity. Beginning with the gut-wrenching moment when she finds her husband, Dave Goldberg, collapsed on a gym floor, Sheryl opens up her heart—and her journal—to describe the acute grief and isolation she felt in the wake of his death. But Option B goes beyond Sheryl’s loss to explore how a broad range of people have overcome hardships including illness, job loss, sexual assault, natural disasters, and the violence of war. Their stories reveal the capacity of the human spirit to persevere . . . and to rediscover joy.
Resilience comes from deep within us and from support outside us. Even after the most devastating events, it is possible to grow by finding deeper meaning and gaining greater appreciation in our lives. Option B illuminates how to help others in crisis, develop compassion for ourselves, raise strong children, and create resilient families, communities, and workplaces. Many of these lessons can be applied to everyday struggles, allowing us to brave whatever lies ahead. Two weeks after losing her husband, Sheryl was preparing for a father-child activity. “I want Dave,” she cried. Her friend replied, “Option A is not available,” and then promised to help her make the most of Option B.
We all live some form of Option B. This book will help us all make the most of it.
Black Cake was our library book club selection for November. It had been on my TBR list for a long time so I was glad to have a reason to bump it to the top of the list. I ended up listening to it because it was long (416 pages) and I knew it would be a challenge for me to get through it before our book club meeting. It had a lot of twists and turns which kept my interest throughout the whole book. Here's the summary ~
In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves.
Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right”? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?
Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.
I thought I'd throw in a book titled Thanksgiving in November because, you know, Thanksgiving and all. It was a cute and a great book to read as I was drifting off to sleep every night. I had read several books in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich and you could recognize her writing in this book as well. It's nothing super literary, but a fun little read.
When Megan Murphy discovered a floppy-eared rabbit gnawing on the hem of her skirt, she meant to give its careless owner a piece of her mind, but Dr. Patrick Hunter was too attractive to stay mad at for long. Soon the two are making Thanksgiving dinner for their families.
A friendly reminder for Amazon Prime members: don’t forget to claim your free First Reads book for December! I’m excited to enjoy some cozy reading time by the fire, surrounded by the glow of Christmas tree lights this month. Happy reading!
Now it's your turn. What are you thinking out loud about today? Link up and share.
These all sound great! I did read The Santa Suit a year or two ago but I'll have to add the others to my list.
ReplyDeletePanny, thanks so for hosting!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your trip! Thanks for the party!
ReplyDeleteI’ve added Option B to my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteI love the author Mary Kay Andrews and that looks like a good book to read for the holidays.
ReplyDeleteBlack Cake was so good! I will check out Sheryl Sandburg's book--it sounds very inspirational.
ReplyDelete